Rusian Honey Cake

It was my birthday recently and, in keeping with tradition, I received a cake, which I took great pleasure in sharing with my students and colleagues. To my surprise this was not your standard sponge and cream affair. I was informed that it was a 'Russian cake.' Now, a gastronome I am not, far from it, but I do like dabble a little in foreign cuisine, and what sat in front of me was uncharted territory.

The cake from above looked nothing more than a standard sponge with crushed biscuits sprinkled on top. How wrong I was. From the side, a multitude of layers were visible; white, cream and various shades of brown sat spaced delicately on top of one another giving it a look of great complexity, but at the same time it overall appearance was that of simple, honest home faire.

The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and in this case the pudding excelled. It tasted like nothing any of us had tried before. Subtle honey sweetness engaged the taste buds and this was followed by a creamy deeper honey essence once swallowed. It was a strange sensation. Rich, heavy and ultra sweet, three adjectives I would not usually desire for when cake shopping, were the elements that brought it into its own.

I found out later after a little internet gimping, that the dessert in question in ’15 Layer Traditional Russian Cake.’ Thus, in case anyone wants to have a blast at making it at home, I have included a recipe and a few photos of my birthday delight. Enjoy.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon liquid honey
100 g margarine or 100 g butter
2 cups flour
Cream Filling and Coating
750 g sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon honey
250 -300 g crushed plain sweet biscuit crumbs, for coating
1/2-1 cup ground walnuts, for coating
Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 180°C.

2 Beat eggs well with sugar; add baking soda and liquid honey (warm).

3 Melt the margarine/butter in a casserole or pot; add the mixture (margarine should not be too hot).

4 Put the casserole on a low heat, add the flour while mixing and mix until the mass is without lumps (the mixture will be very thick and very hard to stir). Remove from heat and cool.

5 Dip the dough in flour, divide, roll each layer very thin (1-2mm), cut circles as round as possible (approx 18cm diameter), and bake at 180°C for 2-4 minutes or until golden brown in colour; repeat with remaining dough and allow to cool before assembling.

6 Beat sour cream, sugar and honey until the sugar dissolves-the mixture will still be fairly liquid.

7 Coat each layer with a generous layer of cream; assemble the cake, coat the sides with cream and sprinkle top and sides with crumbs and ground walnuts. Allow to set at least 6 hours before eating.

Nutritional Facts for 15 Layer Russian Honey Cake
Serving Size: 1 (94 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 16
Amount Per Serving% Daily ValueCalories 282.4 Calories from Fat 14651%Total Fat 16.2 g25%Saturated Fat 6.5 g32%Cholesterol 46.6 mg15%Sodium 183.1 mg7%Total Carbohydrate 31.4 g10%Dietary Fiber 0.5 g2%Sugars 19.4 g77%Protein 3.7 g7%

Recipe from food.com

Hoy Ma-lang-poo Pad Num Prik Pao-Stir Fried Green Mussels with Roasted Chili Paste

This recipe will have you thanking me till the cows come home. Don't be lazy, make the effort and get down to you local market for fresh mussels to make this delicious dish. It will be worth it; I promise.

Ingredients
450 grams fresh green mussels, cleaned well

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup sweet basil leaves

2 tablespoons roasted chilli paste

4 fresh chillies, cut into long strips

2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fish sauce

Preparations
1. Heat water in a pot until boiling. Then scald green mussels in boiled water until cooked. Remove and drain.

2. Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic in the hot oil and fry until it becomes golden.

3. Add cooked green mussels and stir for a 20 seconds. Then add fish sauce, sugar, chili and roasted chilli paste.

4. Before removing from heat, sprinkle with sweet basil leaves and red fresh chilli. Stir-fry for another 10 seconds. Transfered to a serving dish and served with hot steamed rice.

Mike

Thai Masaman Chicken-Gaeng Masaman Gai

The "massaman" indicates that the recipe is of a "musselman" or islamic origin. It probably owes
something to early Portuguese influences, and is similar in concept to the "sour and hot" Goan style
vindaloo dishes. By Thai standards this is usually a fairly mild curry, so I find it is a good starting point.

Ingredients

about 1 pound chicken (you can also use pork or beef), cut into the usual "bite sized pieces"
3 cups of coconut milk.
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts (unsalted)
5 peeled, but whole, small onions.
5 small potatoes, peeled and partly boiled.
3 bay leaves,
5 cardamom seeds
a small piece of roasted cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate mixed with 2.5 tablespoons water
3 tablespoon lime juice
2-3 tablespoons Masaman curry paste.
about 1-3 teaspoons crushed garlic. (optional)

Method

Peel potatoes, boil them partly in a cooking pot for 10-15 minutes, and cut in 1 to 2-inch pieces.

Allow the coconut milk to separate and you will have about two cups of thick "cream" and one cup of
thin "milk". In a small saucepan bring the milk to a simmer and add the chicken or pork. If you are
using beef you will need another two cups of milk. Simmer the meat until it begins to become tender
(beef takes longer, hence the additional milk).

Put the coconut cream in a wok and bring to a boil, add the massaman paste and "stir fry" until the
flavor is brought out and maximized. Add the remaining cream and curry paste to the meat.

Add the peanuts. Taste and adjust the flavor until it is (just) sweet (by adding sugar), sour and salty
(by adding tamarind juice, lime juice and fish sauce).

Add the remaining ingredients and cook until cooked.

Note : the potatoes used in Thailand for this dish are a yellow fleshed sweet potato of the type sometimes
called a yam in the US. Western style potatoes can be used, but absorb less of the sauce and flavor.
The potatoes act as a "moderator" to reduce the heat of the curry, and should not be left out.

You can either serve it on a bed of Thai jasmine rice, or double the amount of potato and serve it alone.

Accompany it with a dressed green salad and a bowl of "ajad" (pickled cucumbers--see recipe below). The
traditional Thai table also offers chilis in fish sauce (Phrik nam pla--see below) chilis in vinegar (prik dong,
see below), and ground chilli (not to be confused with the powedered chilli mix sold as chilli powder in the US),
sugar, and often MSG. You can if you wish add about a teaspoon of MSG to the above recipe to bring out the
flavors, but we don't think it is necesary.

Ajad

4 tablespoons white rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2-3 tablespoons cucumber, very coarsely chopped, or sliced
2 shallots (purple onions) chopped
3-4 Thai chile peppers, thinly sliced

Combine the ingredients, and leave to stand overnight.

Nam pla prik

Put two thirds of a cup of Thai chile peppers or jalapeno peppers in a 1 pint jar, and fill with fish sauce.
Seal and keep for a week before using.

Prik dong

Put two thirds of a cup of sliced Thai chile peppers in a 1 pint jar, and fill with white rice vinegar.
We also offer a ready-made prik dong.

Enjoy cooking.

Mike

Northern Style Spicy Chicken Soup (Tom Yum Guy)

This version of Tom Yum soup (the popular Thai spicy soup) is eaten in the North of Thailand, it is made with chicken rather than the shrimp (tom yum gung) eaten in the south and coast. If you prefer chicken its a good spicy soup.

Remember: Soup in Thailand, like most Asian countries, is eaten communally-so share with friends along side another more filling rice or noodle dish.

Ingredients:

150 gms Corn Fed Chicken
8 Bird Chillies
2 Garlic Cloves
20 gms Lemon Grass
20 gms Galanga
4 Kaffir Citrus Leaves
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
3 Tablspoons Tamarind Water
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
50 gms Straw Mushrooms
300 ml Water

Preparation
1. Put water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. Chop the lemon grass and galanga into 3cm lengths and add to the pot to make a soup base.
3. Pound the garlic and bird chillies and add into the soup.
4. Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces, then add to the soup and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Cut the straw mushrooms into half and add to the soup.
6. Add the fish sauce, salt, tamarind water, lemon juice, and kaffir leaves into the soup and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

Serve With
Hot fragrant rice and iced cucumber.

Mike

Spicy Sardine Salad (Yum Bla Gapong)

Who doesn't have and old tin of sardines lurking in a kitchen cupboard?

Thai food can be overwhelming, with lots of strange ingredients and foreign vegetables. So here we have a very simple and very tasty recipe using sardines! We used sardines in oil, but you can also use sardines in tomato sauce, in which case you don't need the tomato puré. This should be served with fragrant Thai rice, but can also be served along with salads.

Ingredients:

2 Cans of Sardines in Oil
2 Teaspoons of Tomato Puré
20 gms Lemon Grass
20 gms Coriander Leaves
50 gms Onion
2 Red Chillis
2 Bird Chillis
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce

Preparation
1. Remove the sardines from the can.
2. Mix the oil from the can with the tomato puré in a small mixing bowl.
3. Slice the onion, lemon grass, and chilles, and add to the bowl.
4. Add the fish sauce and lemon juice and mix all the ingredients together well.
5. Pour over the sardines.
6. Chop the coriander put around the edge of the sardine plate.

Serve With
Hot rice or salads.

Mike

Som Tam Issan

This will complement your Kai Yang dish exquisitely. It's another offering from the North East of Thailand and one that has become famous through out the country for it's careful combination of 4 flavours: sweet, spicy, sour and salty.

Have fun with it.

Ingredients
One papaya julienne.(or use carrot julienne)
8-10 Thai chili peppers, de-stalked, cut in four length-wise then in half cross-wise.
8-10 cloves of garlic, chopped coarsely
2 tomatoes sliced thinly
half a cup of long beans (green beans) cut into 1" pieces
pinch of sea salt
two teaspoons of fish sauce - nam pla
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate mixed with 3 tablespoons water
juice from two tablespoons of pickled mud-fish - Bala. (optional)

Method
1. Sprinkle the julienne papaya with salt and let stand for half an hour or so, then squeeze and discard any fluid.
2. Add the chili, and pound in a clay mortar and pestle.
3. Add the remaining ingredients except the tomato,
4. pound until mixed and tender.
5. Add the tomato, and serve with a bowl of sticky rice.
An optional ingredient you can add to the mix is dried shrimp.

You can increase the proportion of chilies until this is a bowl of red fire, and it will still be authentic. On the other hand you can reduce the chilies to just a hint and it will also still be authentic. It all depends on your taste preference.
The above 50:50 mix is about typical of the region.

If you wish you can decorate the salad with chopped roast peanuts, sliced green onions, and mint leaves. You can also include raw bean sprouts and sliced cucumber as side dishes. Thai's generally eat lettuce or some cabbage related vegetable as a side dish also.

The normal way to eat it is to rip a piece of lettuce leaf, and take a mouthful of som tam in the leaf and eat it without knife, fork or spoon. If you want to be a bit more western use a standard salad, or even an exotic such as a Waldorf Salad as a side dish.

Kai Yang

Ok folks, it's time to share with you some of the delicious food that I have the pleasure of munching my way through in a day. All of these dishes are freely available here in Thailand, and make up part of the staple diet of the country.

It is a striking accolade for a counties cuisine when it is consistantly named 'the bet food in the world' by temerarious travellers.

Here are some of my personal favourites; and a recipe so you can have a go at home.

First up is Kai Yang (BBQ Chicken)

Recipe for Kai Yang (Barbecued Chicken)

Method:
Rub the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Blend all marinade ingredients and mix with coconut milk in a marinade bowl. Add fish sauce, sugar, oil and stir until well mixed. Pour the marinade over the chicken, cover and leave for marinade for at least 2 hours. Charcoal grill the chicken over low heat for 30 -40 mins or until cooked. Turning and blasting regularly the remaining boiled marinade. Leave the chicken for 5 mins before chopping into small pieces and serve with accompanied dishes such as green papaya salad (Som Tam), steamed sticky rice (Khao Niao) and dipping chilli sauce.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken about 1.5kg cut in half
2 stalks of chopped lemon grass
1 tabespoon of chopped ginger and galanga
1 tablespoon of choppped corriander root
20 cloves of peeled garlic
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 cup of cooking oil

Enjoy,

Mike

Tom Yum Prawn Soup

"Thai food is often a contrast of sweet, sour and salty flavors."

Combination Foods:
Spicy Prawn Salad (vegetable, meat)
Thai Ice Tea (other)
Pad Thai (grain, meat, fat)
Baked Custard (meat/protein, fat)
Hot and Sour Stir Fried Vegetables with Rice (vegetable, grain, fat)

Thai Lemon Grass Soup

175-225g (6-8 oz) raw large prawns
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
625 ml (20 fl oz/2 ½ cups) light fish stock
2 thick stalks lemon grass, finely chopped
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 kaffir lime leaves, chopped
½ fresh red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced
½ fresh green chilli, seeded and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon crushed palm sugar
coriander leaves, to garnish

Peel prawns and remove dark veins running down their backs; reserve prawns.

In wok, heat oil, add prawn shells and fry, stirring occasionally, until they change color. Stir in stock, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain stock and return to wok; discard shells. Add lemon grass, lime juice, fish sauce, lime leaves, chillies and sugar. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Add prawns and cook just below simmering point for 2-3 minutes until prawns are cooked. Serve in warmed bowls garnished with coriander.

Serves 4