Corn & Crab Soup [from little thai book]

ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
4 cloves garlic
5 shallots
2 stalks lemongrass
chunk o ginger
1 litre chicken stock
can o coconut milk
225g frozen sweetcorn
can o crab claws
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 lime juice
1 tsp jaggery/brown sugar
garnish: coriander/scallion

method:

oil, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, ginger on low heat couple o mins.
add stock n coconut milk, bring to boil, add corn for more mins
finally add crab, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, n simmer for 1 minute

Thai "Green" Chicken and Mushroom Curry

A variation on this http://thaifood.about.com/od/thairecipes/r/greencurrychick.htm

Ingredients:

• "GREEN" CURRY PASTE:
• 1 large red chilli
• Two dried red chillis steeped in hot water to soften (i also steeped some peppercorns to soften)
• 1/4 cup shallot and purple onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger
• 1 stalk fresh lemongrass OR 3 Tbsp. frozen or bottled prepared lemongrass
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp. shrimp paste
• 1 (loose) cup fresh coriander/cilantro leaves and stems, chopped didnt have any
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. palm sugar
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• CURRY INGREDIENTS:
• about 550g chicken breast, cut into chunks
• about half a pack of chestnut mushrooms
• 1 can coconut milk
• 6 kaffir lime leaves(steeped and softened and stems removed, and finely cut.
• a nice bit of stir fry mix from a bag with long cut peppers, tiny corn etc
• a small bit of chinese leaf
• Generous handful fresh basil scallion
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil

Preparation:

1. Place all the "green curry paste" ingredients together in a food processor, and process to a paste. If necessary, add a few Tbsp. of the coconut milk to help blend ingredients (i added loads). Set aside.
2. Prepare the lime leaves by tearing the leaf away from either side of the stem. Discard the central stem. ut leaves into thin strips. Set aside.
3. Warm a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl around, then add the green curry paste.
4. Stir-fry briefly to release the fragrance (30 seconds to 1 minute), then add 3/4 of the coconut milk, reserving 2-3 Tbsp. per serving portion for later.
5. Add the chicken and softened peppercorns, stirring to incorporate. When the curry sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium or medium-low, until you get a nice simmer.
6. Cover and allow to simmer 3-5 more minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Stir occasionally.
7. Add the stir fry veg and chinese leaf, plus the strips of lime leaf (or lime zest), stirring well to incorporate. Simmer another 2-3 minutes, or until vegetables are softened but still firm and colorful. Mine was for a lot longer, does anyone follow these times exactly
   
8. Do a taste-test for salt, adding 1-2 Tbsp. fish sauce if not salty enough. If you'd prefer a sweeter curry, add a little more sugar. If too salty, add a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. If too spicy, add more coconut milk. Note that this curry should be a balance of salty, spicy, sweet and sour, plus bitter (the bitter is found in the fresh basil scallion garnish).
9. Serve this curry in bowls with brown basmati  rice on the underside Top each portion with scallion , then drizzle over 1 Tbsp. coconut milk, and ENJOY!