{Giveaway plus Review} Easy Thai Cooking by Robert Danhi

Last month while lasing Bee's Easy Chinese Recipes cookbook giveaway with Tuttle Publishing, Margaret from the team suggest if I would like to review Chef Robert Danhi's cookbook on Easy Thai Cooking. (more information at www.chefdanhi.com). I was thrilled and accepted immediately because my family (especially my mum) simply loves Thai cuisines which are full of flavour and aroma.

In this post I would be sharing 3 dishes (with a complimentary recipe) which I have tried a few days back from Chef Robert's Easy Thai Cooking cookbook. From the step-by-step photos and sample recipe you can also see how easy it is to prepare some Thai-style family dishes with the help of this wonderful cookbook on hand.

GREEN MANGO AND CASHEW SALAD

Mango Salad is one of the "Must" have dish whenever we visit a Thai restaurant as it is a very appetizing salad dish that burst with tones of flavour. And while flipping through this Easy Thai Cooking cookbook, my eyes immediately set on this Green Mango and Cashew Salad.

Each bite is packed with explosions of sweet, salty and spicy taste from the herbs together with mango and roasted cashew nut that infused with hint of aromatic fresh lime juice. And not to mention you would also be delighted with the unique fragrant of the Kaffri lime leaves lingering between each bite. If mango is not available you can replace this salad with green apples, unripe papaya or even pineapples with minimum adjustment on the seasoning to match the fruits.

RED CURRY SHRIMP CAKES
Recipe from Easy Thai Cooking cookbook by Robert Danhi

Thai shrimp cake is a perfect appertizer to serve as a finger food during party or as a snack. It's very tasty and easy to prepare with many variations of similar recipes in Thailand. Here I am sharing with you Chef Robert's recipe on how to make these delicious shrimp cakes in less than 20 minutes.

(Makes: 20 pieces | Preparation: 7 minutes + chilling time | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:-

250g peeled and deveined raw shrimp, roughly chopped
2 Tablespoon Red Curry Paste
1 Large Egg
2 Teaspoon Fish Sauce
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 Tablespoons Coconut Milk
25g Chopped Long Bean/Green Beans
2 Tablespoons Roughly Chopped Thai Basil Leaves
2 Tablespoons Oil

This sauce has a combination of sweet, savory, sour and spicy taste which is great to serve as a dipping sauce for spring roll or grilled meat. It is a very simple sauce that takes only a few minutes to combine all the ingredients together. Here I used those bottled Thai Chilli sauce to mix with the rest of the ingredients to make a quick sauce instead of follow the "Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce" recipe in the cookbook.

Sweet Cilantro Sauce:
65ml Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
2 Teaspoon Chopped Coriander Leaves(cilantro)
1 Teaspoon Minced Ginger

Using a food processor to make these shrimp cakes takes just a few minutes to prepare and the results are spectacular. Chef Robert also suggest to serve these shrimp cakes on a bed of lettuce leaves and fresh Thai herbs like coriander and basil in way similar like a lettuce wrap.

Method:-

1. Prepare the Sweet Cilantro Sauce by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl and then set aside.

2. Spread the shrimp on a plate and chill the shrimp in the freezer for 15 minutes(this can ensures the springy texture of the shrimp cakes). Meanwhile get all your other ingredients ready.

3. Combine the chilled shrimp, red curry paste, egg, fish sauce, sugar and coconut milk in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Mix in the green beans and basil.

4. Because different brands of curry pastes have differing amounts of salt you'll want to make a sample shrimp cake first by saute 1 tablespoon of the mixture in a skillet(frying pan). Taste, and if necessary, adjust the seasoning with fish sauce and salt.

5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. First use 1 tablespoon of the oil to coat the skillet, use a measuring spoon to drop 1 tablespoon of the paste into the skillet.

6. With a damp finger, flatten the paste slightly to about 1/2" thick. Make about 10 of these shrimp patties in the skillet.

7. Cook the cakes until they are golden brown on each side and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel, make more patties from the remaining paste and cook the same way.

8. Serve with a side bowl of the Sweet Cilantro Sauce.

We all love this Spicy and flavorsome Red Curry Shrimp Cakes which is infused with a light scent of Thai bail leaving you craving for more after each bite. This is definitely a great appetizer to be served during any party or gathering with chilled beer or cocktails while catching up with some conversations. 

GRILLED LEMONGRASS CHICKEN

In the cookbook, Chef Robert mentioned that in the rural roads of the northeast Issan region of Thailand, this Grilled Lemongrass Chicken is a very common street food that can be easily found along the streets. And here he recreate this traditional dish using our modern oven/grill at home.

If you are looking for new seasoning/marinade on poultry for a BBQ gathering, this can be a NEW flavour that you won't want to miss out. The combination of Lemongrass, Coriander stems and white peppercorns will definitely sparks a new "love" for your poultry dish. And if this for party food wise you can replace the chicken thighs with chicken wing mid-joints/drumlets.

COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY

Chef Robert Danhi has spent over twenty years traveling in Thailand and wants to share everything he’s learned about Thai food. And with complimentary from Tuttle Publishing,  Cuisine Paradise is giving away a copy of this Easy Thai Cooking cookbook by Chef Robert Danhi  to 1 Lucky reader. This cookbook is selling at a retail price of S$22.00 (before GST) with 75 Family-style Dishes You can Prepare at Home in Minutes. So if you want to impressive your family or guests with these easy Thai dishes, do grab a copy of this cookbook at any of the major bookstores in Singapore or order online HERE.

To enter the draw, leave a comment on what is your favourite Thai's cuisine together with a valid email address(for easy contact if you are the winner) on the comment form and the lucky winner will be randomly chosen. And in order to increase your extra chances on winning you can also choose either 1 or ALL of the bonus below:-

~ Share this post on Tweeter. Leave 1 extra comment for this.

~ Share this post on your Facebook. Leave 1 extra comment for this.

~ Like Cuisine Paradise on Facebook. Leave 1 extra comment for this.


Closing Date for the above Giveaway will be on Friday, 21 October 2011(Noon). Result will be announce on 24 October 2011. Good luck everyone!!!! Have fun!

WINNER OF THE COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY
(updated on Monday, 24th October 2011)

Congratulations to "Yeohkristen" for winning this fabulous cookbook and thanks everyone for your participation too! Have a great week ahead everyone!

p/s: Result for the Cookbook Giveaway is out.