For Valentine’s Day dinner I decided to cook jambalaya, I have never tasted or cooked it before but after seeing it on “Jamie’s American Road Trip” I decided to give it a go. I wasn’t disappointed, it was easy to make and a real comfort dish. My husband Warrie loved it. So all in all a successful Valentine’s dinner.
You can find Jamie Oliver’s recipe here http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/seafood-recipes/chicken-sausage-prawn-jambalaya
You see chicken being barbecued along the road all over the city, perfect served with sticky rice
I cant get enough of sticky rice ( khao niow) it goes with all Thai food.
Sai Ua or Chiang Mai Sausage is made with minced pork, herbs, spices and Thai Red Chili Paste and is normally sold ready cooked, grilled over a charcoal at most markets around Chiang Mai, great with my sticky rice.
On a visit to to Sukhothai we had these amazing noodles.
Moo ga ta which means pork in a pan is really popular in Thailand, basically you are brought a charcoal stove with a hot plate on top. This has a trough around it full of water. This is for boiling your vegetables and seafood. While this is heating up you can go and choose from a selection of meat and vegetables. It is a buffet so you can keep coming back as many times as you like.
Nua ded diow is deep fried beef served with chilli sauce, we usually eat it as an appetizer.
Tom Kha Gai chicken galangal soup is a spicy soup served (proper Thai style) in a hot pot.
I love this dish and always order it when its on the menu, basically it consists of nam prik ong ( crushed tomatoes, minces pork and red curry paste) sour sausages, deep fried sausages, northern style sausage, steam vegetables, peanuts and pork crackling all of which you dip into the nam prik ong.
Not really Thai I know, but they sell these deliciously fresh rolls at most of the food courts in the shopping malls around Chiang Mai and they are really yummy, they are served with a spicy dips
Rumchok market near our house in Sansai, has a great market that sells all sorts of yummy Thai food, from curry based dishes to spicy salads to bbq fish.
I love rice noodle soup ( goew tiew nam dok nua) I think thats the correct translation to Thai. You can get this dish at many noodle shops around the city I like the little noodle shop just off Ratchadamnoen Road, behind Giresole Italian Restaurant.
Bpor bia gung ( deep fried minced shrimp, with pork and coriander) Its usually sold as an appetizer and tastes great!
Spicy Shrimp Salad with Mango
Another food and recipe I’ve aquired via Kris.
I’d never heard of, our tasted quinoa. It was really easy to make and has a interesting taste and texture not unlike couscous. Its also very versatile and i’m already thinking of other things i could make it with.
This salad was really good, I tested it on my mum and dad, mum liked it and well dad wasnt too sure (lol)… although he did clean his plate?
Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad 
Wiki says “Quinoa has a delightful characteristic that is all it’s own: as it cooks, the outer germ around each grain twists outward forming a little white, spiral tail, which is attached to the kernel. The grain itself is soft and delicate and the tail is crunchy which creates an interesting texture combination and pleasant “crunch” when eating the grain. Quinoa has a fluffy consistency and a mild, delicate, slightly nutty flavor”
This is a re- post from a couple of years ago.
June 21st 2010
I’ve started a food project with Kris were we share recipes and ingredients from the country we are living in. My box of goodies arrived last week from the USA and this is the first recipe ive made using the grits and cajun seasoning Kris sent.
Southern Shrimp and Grits – I hadn’t made nor ate grits before so it was nice to try something new, it was so simple and quick to make and tasted great!
(Grits is a food of Native American origin that is common in the Southern United States; it mainly consists of coarsely ground corn.Grits is similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world, such as polenta. It also resembles farina, a thinner porridge.)
Southern Shrimp and Grits
The Blue Diamond on Soi 9 just of Moon Muang Road (Chiang Mai )serves a great selection Thai/western/vegetarian food in a lovely little garden. I usually go here for breakfast or lunch but it is also open for dinner. If you have a sweet tooth it has a big selection of cakes and desserts and they have a health food shop that sells everything from muesli, herbs, teas, seed bread to fresh avocado pears.
Prices are reasonable and although its main emphasis is on healthy food they also have plenty of unhealthy options. The Thai food isn’t really authentic, more tourist style, but the western and vegetarian options are spot on!
Raming Tea House Siam Celadon located along Thapae Road, is a beautiful old teak house and a nice place to unwind, I usually pop in after an afternoon traipsing around Warorot Market, which is just around the corner. The house has been beautifully restored, which is the main draw for me, and it’s nice and peaceful compared to the hustle and bustle of Thapae Road. They sell various types of tea, among other drinks such as smoothies, coffee, shakes..along with a nice selection of food. The tea selection is excellent and is served in beautiful pottery which is also sold in the tea house shop. They have a great club sandwich,nice cakes plus a good selection of Thai dishes served with great presentation. Also they have a beautiful garden you can sit in out back, although the canal running along side the tea house sometimes give off a rank smell, which is the only downside to this lovely setting!
La Villa, located at Ratchadamnoen Road, is a great little pizzeria, I heard it’s actually been around for twenty years, so it’s not surprising they know what they are doing. They have a wood fired oven so you can expect a nice crispy pizza base. We ordered a Sicilians (anchovies,capers, olives) and a four cheese pizza and they were both delicious. We will definitely be returning to try out some of the pasta dishes. I think the prices are quite reasonable for the quality of the food and service; which is friendly and welcoming!
Travelspoon 