My dear friends,

 
Sorry for not contact you sooner ... as always busy as used to... with settle things down in Thailand.  Now I have just got my computer &  internet connection...so I'm ready to spread the news.
 
My family  and I have gone through a bit of hard time. And that makes me have no time or even have mood to be on line like before.
 
After about 2 months in Thailand, now we are fine and settle down almost everything. My first priority now is Atom and his education. For this start I have to give him all support I could. Atom is going through a very difficult time for sure. I put him in the bilingule school. He has to start learning Thai since the beginning. First 2 weeks was very bad, he was under a lot of pressure. He kept asking me why he was stupid and couldn't read Thai. He bite himself on both arms in the classroom because he was angry with himself. That made me couldn't sleep for many nights kept thinking I was choosing the right choice for him or not. I was thinking to move him to international school so he doesn't have to learn Thai at all. I am not sure and don't really know what is best.

The school system here is very difficult and take a lot of time from both student and parents. Atom has about 15 books in his school bags and has homework everyday. Now he studys from 8am - 5pm, comes back home at 6.30 for dinner and shower and do homework, times all gone. Not much free time to enjoy life. 
I am so worried about Atom. He just left hospital last week. He had already admitted in the hospital twice in 2 months. Let's say once in 3 weeks....so bad.

But in general, we are still doing O.K. and getting better each day. I myself take this period as a break to be with my family, taking care my parents and trying to take Atom some trips since I didn't do much in Vietnam. 

Hope you all are doing all right out there and be safe from the virus all around. Be more carefull!

 
Keep in touch.
 
     

Saksinee (  A')

I have to put this recipe on my space as per so many requests from many friends... after they saw the yummy photo of Tom Yum Soup from Mr. Grant in Australia cooking for his lucky wife. It's all your fault Grant!!!!

 

 

This is definitely a recipe that you can only balance by taste -- tom yum goong should never be bland, but hot and sour.

 

(for 2 Servings )

 

4 cups water  

1 cup shrimp  

5 mushrooms  

1-2 limes  

1 lemon grass  

3 kaffir lime leaves  

2 tablespoon fish sauce  

5 sprigs cilantro  

3 bird chili peppers  (depend on how spicy you want : I can eat about 30 chillies...)

1 tablespoon nam prig pow (optional)

 

Start boiling the water in a 2 quart pot. Peel and devein the shrimp and set them aside. Cut lemon grass into pieces, 5-6 inches long. Use the back of your knife to pound the lemon grass, just to bruise it to release the flavor. If you want, you can tie the lemon grass into a knot to make it easier to manage. Drop the lemon grass in water and let boil for 5 minutes.

Put the fish sauce and 1 lime's juice into the bottom of the bowls you will serve the soup in. Crush bird chili pepper and add to the bowl.

Remove the stems from the kaffir lime leaves and add the leafy part to the pot. Clean and halve the mushrooms and add them to the pot. Add the shrimp and turn off the heat. Shrimp gets too tough very quickly, and will cook even when it is just sitting in the warm broth. Scoop the shrimp and liquid into the serving bowls immediately. As soon as you add the liquid to the serving bowl, you will see that the broth becomes cloudy because of the lime juice. Add the nam prig pow. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Be very careful, the peppers can be hot. Take a small sip at a time. Add more fish sauce and/or lime juice if it tastes bland. It's right if it's good for your sinus.

 

If you like spicy food...taste first...and add more chillies  or lime juice or fish sause.

 

 

Tips and substitutions

Unfortunately, for the true taste, it is difficult to substitute anything for the kaffir lime leaves. The richness of the sour taste comes from the complement of the different citrus flavored ingredients.

If you don't like it hot, cut down on the chili peppers or do not cut them up, but leave them whole for decoration. If you like hot or very hot, put more chillies  as you want and may be add some more lime juice and fish sause too.

 

I am real Thai and eat too spicy (more than Thai standard)...I put 30 chillies in my Tom Yum. Would you like to try my soup???

 

 

Enjoy your soup then!! Give me post how do you like it, promise?

    

 (A')

 

Green papaya salad (Som Tum) 

It is the most popular dish among women in Thailand especially when they are on diet. It is a Northeastern food that is eaten with sticky rice and other Northeastern dishes such as laab, beef salad and bamboo shoot salad.

The two most popular types of green papaya salad have either dried shrimp or salted crab. Green papaya salad with dried shrimp and peanuts is called Som tum thai. The green papaya salad with salted crab is called Som tum pbooh. The majority of the ingredients are the same. I like it with both dried shrimp and salted crab.

For 2 serving

Many Asian supermarkets have shredded green papaya. However, it's better taste if you can find whole fresh green papaya and then peel and shred papaya using a regular cheese grater with medium to large sized holes. When you get closer to the center, you will see the white immature seeds inside. Stop and move onto another part of the papaya. Discard any seeds that got into your bowl.

In Thailand, green papaya salad is made using a clay mortar, wooden pestle and a spatula. Smash a clove of garlic first. Then add green beans and halved cherry tomatoes. Pound a few times just to bruise the beans and get the juice out of the tomatoes. Add bird chilies and crush them just enough to release the hotness, unless you like your salad really hot (myself put about 25 chillies at once...ha ha ha crazy Thai woman). Add the green papaya, dried shrimp, toasted peanuts, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar. Use the pestle to push the mixture up in the mortar and the spatula to push it down so that the mixture is mixed well.

However, if you do not have a big enough mortar you can crush garlic, tomatoes, green beans. Set them aside in a large bowl. Add dried shrimp, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar to the bowl. Add green papaya and mix well. Serve with sticky rice and a sliver of cabbage, green beans and Thai basil.

For Som tum pbooh, omit the dried shrimp and toasted peanuts and add salted crabs instead. I microwave the salted crabs for 30 seconds before adding them to the papaya salad to kill any residual bacteria. Add only half of the fish sauce called for because the salted crab can be quite salty.

Songkran is a Thai word which means "move" or "change place" as it is the day when the sun changes its position in the zodiac. It is also known as the "Water Festival" as people believe that water will wash away bad luck.The Songkran tradition is recognized as a valuable custom for the Thai community, society and religions. The value for family is to provide the opportunity for family members to gather in order to express their respects to the elders by pouring scented water onto the hands of their parents and grandparents and to present them gifts including making merits to dedicate the result to their ancestors. The elders in return wish the youngsters good luck and prosperity.