Cooking Ingredients

Cellophane Noodles: Thai name is Wun Sen Cellophane Noodles are fine, string-like, dried transparent noodles made from mung beans. They are only available dried. They have firmer texture than the rice noodles once softened. To soften Cellophane Noodles, soake them in warm water for 10-15 minutes, but sometimes they are plunged into boiling water and cooked until tender. The are used in salads, spring rolls and soups.   Corn Flour: Thai name is Pang Khao Pood Cornflour is among the most commonly used in Thai cooking. As part of a marinade, corn flour helps to coat food properly and to give dishes a velvety texture. It also protects food during deep-frying by helping to seal in the juices, producing a crisper coating than does wheat flour. It can also be used as a binder for minced stuffings. Corn flour is blended with cold water until it forms a smooth paste and is then added at the last moment to sauces. The mixture will look milky at first, but when the dish is properly prepared, the corn flour turns clear and shiny as it thickens the sauce. To prepare, mix two parts liquid to one part corn flour before adding to a sauce.   Egg Noodles: Thai name is Ba Mee These noodles owe their yellow colour to the egg use in their manufacture. Sold fresh in nests, they must be shaken loose before being cooked. They come in both flat and round shapes. Very thin ones are know as egg thread noodles. The flat noodels are generally used for soups and the rounded type are preferred for stir-frying. Egg noodles freeze well, provided they are correctly wrapped. Thaw thoroughly before use.   Glutinous Rice Flour: Thai name is Peang Kow Nuew Glutinous Rice Flour is also known as sweet rice flour or sweet rice powder, this flour is made from short-grain rice that becomes moist, firm and sticky when cooked, a result of its higher proportion of waxy starch molecules. Because of its chewy texture, glutinous rice flour is a favorite base for dumplings, buns and pastries. Sweets made with glutinous rice flour are popular and widely available throughout Southeast Asia. Useful Hints, regular rice flour cannot be substituted in recipes that call for glutinous or sweet rice flour.   Rice Flake Noodles: Thai name is Kuay Chap These big, flat rice noodles look like tortilla chips. They're used in soups and stir-fries. Before using them, soften them in hot water, then boil them briefly, usually not more than a minute.   Rice Flour: Thai name is Paeng Khao Jao Paeng khao jao is made from non-glutinous raw rice that has been very finely ground. It is used to make the dough for fresh rice noodles and is also used to make desserts such as pancakes. Rice flour is readily available in Asian food stores. When the source is non-glutinous rice it is called paeng khao jao and when it is made from glutinous rice it is known as paeng khao niao. Store it as you would wheat flour.   Tapioca Flour: Thai name is Paeng Man Sam Pa Lang Tapioca flour, paeng man sampalang is made from tapioca, or cassava, tubers. When this or any of the other flour is used to thicken a sauce, it is first mixed well with a little water so that it will not lump in the sauce.   Rice Noodle Nests: Thai name is Khanom Chine Although the Thai name of these fresh thick round rice noodles means Chinese noodles, these are actually a Thai speciality, made of rice flour. In the Lacquer Pavilion of Suan Pakkad Palace there is a panel showing the making of khanom chine as part of the preparations for the Buddha's last meal. Khanom chine are white and the strands are a little thicker than spaghetti. At most markets in Thailand, nests of these noodles are a familiar sight. They are sold freshly cooked. You buy them by the hundred nests and should allow four or five nests per person. Buy the cheaper ones, because they" taste better although they are not so white as the more expensive noodle nests. Fresh noodles are highly perishable, so, even though they are cooked, it makes sense to buy them early in the day, and steam them again when you get them home. They can be served with nam ya, nam prik, sow nam and a variety of curries.   Rice Noodles: Thai name is Kui Teow Both fresh and dried rice noodles are available in Thai markets. Fresh ones are highly perishable and must be cooked as soon as possible after purchase. Rice noodles are available in a wide range of shapes and widths. Medium Rice Noodles: Thai name is Kui Teow Sen Lek Resembling spaghetti, these noodles are sold both fresh and dried. The city of Chanthaburi is famous for dried sen lek noodles, which are sometimes called Jantoboon noodles after the nickname for the town. Rice Stick Noodles: Thai name is Kui Teow Sen Yai Also known as rice river noodles, these are sold both dried and fresh, although the latter form is more popular. When fresh they tend to be rather sticky and need to be separated before cooking.   Rice Paper: Thai name is Bang Hor Made from a mixture of rice flour, water, and salt these are rolled out by machine to paper thinness and then dried in the sun. They are used extensively for wrapping Thai fresh spring rolls and deep fried spring rools. Deep fried spring rools are wrapped with crispy fresh lettuce and herbs and finally dipped in a sweet, sour hot sauce. Useful Hints: Rice paper must be softened before use. Simply immerse them, one or two sheet at a time, in a warm water. Soak them until they are soft, approximately1 or 2 minutes. Handle them carefully as the sheets are brittle. Drain them on a linen towel before rolling.   Tapioca Pellets: Thai name is Sa Khu Met Lek Tapioca pellets, sa khu met lek are the tiny balls (about 2 mm in diameter) made from tapioca, some used in sweets. They should be mixed with hot, but not scalding, water and kneaded, and then allowed to stand for a time covered with a damp cloth to permit the water to penetrate to the core.   Vermicelli Rice Noodles: Thai name is Sen Mee Vermicelli Rice Noodles are white and folded into a block. Before use, soake them in water for 10-15 minutes to soften them. They are used in stir-fries and soups. If they are to be used as a garnish or for the noodle sih, Mee Grob, the dried vermicelli is deep-fried until it puffs up. Vermicelli Rice Noodles separate and puff up when deep-fried and a little goes a long way so always deep-fry in small quantities.   Wonton Wrappers: Thai name is Baang giow These wafer-thin wrappers are made from egg and wheat flour. They are available both fresh and frozen. Defrost frozen wrappers before use and keep them covered with a damp tea towel to prevent drying out. The sizes avaliable range from 8 cm/3.5 in to30 cm/12in square, and they usaully come in packets of 20.