Great Tasting, Easy To Cook Spicy SE Asian Recipes

Let's get into some of my favourite SE Asian recipes (Thai, Indoneseian, Vietnamese, mmmmmmm) !

The South-East Asian Recipes

Easy Chilli Beef with Cashews

makes 4 serves

• ¼ cup peanut oil
• 800 g rump steak, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 medium onions, cut into wedges
• ¼ cup beef stock
• 1 tablsp oyster sauce
• 2 tablsp light soy sauce
• 1 tablsp chilli bean paste (this is a fermented soy paste available in all asian stores
• 1 red capsicum, sliced thinly
• 2 teasps cornflour
• 200 g bean shoots
• 200 g snow peas
• ½ cup raw cashews, unsalted

Heat 1/3 of the oil over high heat, stir fry half of the beef until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside on paper towel.

Repeat with remaining beef.

Add remaining oil and heat on medium heat. Stir fry onions and garlic for a minute, then add the beef, snow peas and capsicum and stir fry for another 2 minutes.

Combine the chilli bean paste and the soy and oyster sauces in a bowl, then mix in the stock, add the corn flour and blend until smooth.

Add the bean shoots and cashews, mix them in and then add the jug contents and stir until thickened. Serve immediately over rice.

Asian Flavoured Beef Roast

This chilli beef recipe is an absolutely amazing, yet simple dish. It is adapted from a recipe put out by the Two Fat Ladies and is perfect to do in a hooded barbecue, or the oven if you prefer.

As you'll see below the choice of chillies for this recipe is up to you - it alls depends how hot you like it !

• 4 tblsp olive oil
• 8 spring onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 900g piece of fillet or sirloin of beef
• a piece of ginger, roughly the size of your thimb, chopped
• 1 tblsp dark soy sauce
• large bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
• 2 of your favourite chillies, chopped (jalapeno, fresno, poblano, anaheim, cayenne)
• 1 piece of lemon grass, finely chopped
• 400ml can of coconut cream
• juice of 1 lime

In the same pan heat the oil and saute the spring onions, garlic and ginger until soft.

Then add the soy sauce, half the coriander, the chopped chillies, the lemongrass and the coconut cream and gently heat through for five minute, stirring occasionally.

Place the sealed meat in a roasting tin and pour the vegetable and coconut mixture over the meat, then add the lime juice.

Cook at 180C for about 40-50 minutes.

Place the meat on a serving dish, pour the source over it and garnish with the remaining coriander.

Serve immediately and carve.

Chilli Beef with Basil

This is a beautifully simple recipe I pick up in the family trip to Thailand in 2008. I've modified it slightly so that it doesn't depend on ingredients you can only get there.

makes 4 serves

• 800 grams rump steak, sliced thinly
• 1 tablsp lime juice
• 4 tablsp peanut oil
• 2 tablsp fish sauce
• 2 teasp soft brown sugar
• 4 fresh red chillies, sliced in rings
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 teasp fresh grated ginger
• 2 tablsp finely chopped basil
• 20 large fresh basil leaves

Mix the beef, fish sauce, and sugar together in a bowl and leave to marinade for 30 minutes.

Heat half the oil in a wok over high heat and fry the basil leaves until crisp then remove to some paper towel to drain.

Fry half the beef until browned, 3 to 4 minutes, set aside. Repeat with the remaining beef, set aside.Add remaining oil to the wok over high heat.

Add the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger and fry for 1 minute.

Add the cooked beef back to the pan, stir fry for a further 3 minutes.

Add the chopped basil, and toss through. Just before removing the wok from the heat, stir through the lime juice.

Serve over jasmine rice, garnish with the crisp fried basil leaves and coriander.

Fried Chicken With Basil & Hot Sauce

makes 4 serves

Another simple dish using fresh chicken and your favourite hot chilli sauce (for this dish mine is Blairs Original Death Sauce).

• 400g chicken thigh fillets
• 2 tablsp Oil
• 1 teasp your favourite hot sauce
• 1 small bunch fresh sweet basil leaves
• 2 tablsp parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablsp fish sauce

Chop chicken thigh fillets into bite-sized pieces and fry on medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes.

Add chillies, half the basil and the chopped parsley and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

Splash on fish sauce and stir for another minute.

Spoon the chicken and herbs onto a serving dish and sprinkle the remaining basil leaves over the top.

Serve with rice.

Thai Basil Eggplant

makes 2-3 serves as a side dish

• 4 Chinese eggplants (see picture), sliced into 2cm (1 inch) thick rounds
• 3 tablsp peanut or soy oil
• 2 Thai bird’s eye chili, de-seeded, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup water

• 2 cups Thai basil leaves, whole (see picture)
• Asian fish sauce, to taste

Heat up a large non-stick skillet and drizzle with oil.

Throw in the chili and garlic and fry for a minute until fragrant.

Add eggplant and continue to toss until garlic turn golden.

Add a cup of water and cover with lid.

It should take about 5 minutes for the water to be absorbed and the eggplant to finish cooking.

Once the eggplant is tender, add basil and fish sauce to taste.

Quickly toss everything together and take off heat.

Serve immediately with hot jasmine rice.

Pan-Asian Chilli Sauce This is a brilliant sauce that brings together a number of asian flavours.

• 3 tablsp vegetable oil
• 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), deseeded and sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 red cayenne chillies, sliced
• 30g (1 oz) fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• juice of half a lemon
• 3 tablsp tomato purée (can be made in food processor with fresh or tinned tomatoes)
• 1 tablsp fish sauce

Cashew Chicken With A Burnt Chilli Paste
makes 4 serves

• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 350g chicken thigh fillets, cubed
• 2 tablsp water
• 2 teasp sugar
• 1 red cayenne chilli, thinly sliced
• 10 Thai basil leaves, torn up
• 4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• 100g cashews, unsalted

Burnt Chilli Paste:

• 3 tablsp peanut oil
• 7 dried chilies, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablsp small, dried prawns (every asian store has these)
• 1 tablsp fish sauce
• 2 tablsp tamarind water (30g piece of tamarind soaked in ½ cup boiling water and strained)
• 2 tablsp brown sugar

For the garnish

To make the burnt chilli paste, heat the oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat and fry the onion until softened, then remove and set aside.

Add the dried chillies to the pan and fry until blackened. Set aside.

Add the garlic and fry until golden.

Grind the dried prawns, half of the fried chillies, the onion and garlic together with a pestle and mortar, to create a coarse paste.

Add the resultant mixture to the pan with the fish sauce, tamarind water and sugar. Heat gently for a few minutes, stirring constantly, and then set aside.

Heat the peanut oil in a wok and fry the sliced garlic until brown. Add the chicken and fry for a couple of minutes on each side to seal.

Crumble the remaining fried chillies into the wok and add 2 tablsps of the burnt chilli paste, then the fish sauce, water, sugar and sliced chilli. Fry over a high heat.

Add the basil leaves, kaffir lime leaves and cashew nuts and fry for another minute.

Garnish with red chilli and basil and serve with coconut rice.

Spicy Chicken with Basil-Coconut Sauce

I had something very similiar to this in a little side-of-the-road restaurant in the far north of Thailand near a place called Chiang Dao.

Since I got back I haven't been able to find a recipe for it - so I tried to recreate it as best I could and came up with this.

• 6 (800g) chicken thigh fillets, cut into 3cm cubes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
• 6 red Thai (or birdseye) chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped
• 1½ teasp palm sugar (substitute brown sugar - but palm sugar available in all asian supermarkets)
• 400ml can coconut cream (choose the cream in preference to the milk)
• 2 tablsp fresh coriander leaves & stalks, finely chopped
• 1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves, finely chopped (see photo further up page)
• 1½ tablsp fish sauce
• 2 tablsp peanut oil

Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan and add onion, chilli and garlic.

Cook until the onion is soft, roughly 3-4 minutes

Add chicken and stir-fry until the chicken is just cooked through - around 3 minutes.

Now add the fish sauce, cream, chilli powder, and sugar and stir until well mixed and the sugar is dissolved.

Add basil and coriander toss until hot, serve immediately.

To serve: Serve over jasmine rice garnish with some coriander leaf.

Sambal Goreng A classic Indonesian sauce - this one is in the Balinese style. large red chillies (any New Mex, poblano, or even capsicum), de-seeded, finely diced

Pad Thai

Makes 4 serves

You'll probably need a trip to the Asian supermarket before making this, but it will be well worth the effort.

• 3 cups thin rice noodles
• 1 chicken thigh fillet, sliced into, small strips
• 4 prawns
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup soy bean curd, cut into smaller slivers
• 1 tablsp pickled white raddish, chopped (all asian stores)
• ½ cup cooking oil
• 1 teasp garlic, chopped
• 1 teasp shallot or onion, chopped
• 2 teasp red chilli powder or paprika
• 4 tablsp sugar
• 4 tablsp fish sauce
• 4 tablsp vinegar
• ½ cup bean sprouts
• 4 spring onions, sliced into 2cm (1 inch) long pieces
• ¼ cup carrot, sliced thinly
• ¼ cup cabbage, sliced thinly
• 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts (ground nuts), crushed
• 1 lime, quartered

Add chicken and fry until cooked. Pour in the prawns, pickled white radish, soy bean curd.

Break the eggs into the pan and scramble. Add sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, ground dry red chilli and stir well.

Lemon Coriander Chicken Maryland

Serves: 4

• 4 chicken marylands
• 4 tablsp olive oil
• 2 serrano chillies, de-seeded & minced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4cm (1½ inch)piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
• 500g (1.1 lb) green beans, trimmed
• 4 tablsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
• 1½ lemons, juiced
• 1 cup fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 4 cups steamed basmati rice

Place coriander, 3 tablsp of lemon juice, 2 tablsp sweet chilli sauce and 2 tablesp of vegetable oil in a bowl.

Stir until well combined and then rub it all over the chicken maryland pieces.

Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for about an hour.

Preheat your hooded BBQ or oven to 200°C (390°F).

Place chicken, skin-side up, in a oiled/buttered baking pan, pour over the remaining marinade and place it in the oven.

Roast, basting occasionally, for 40 to 45 minutes, until well coloured and cooked through.

While the chicekn is cooking, heat up a wok over high heat until hot.

Add remaining oil and swirl to coat and add the garlic, chilli and ginger and stir-fry for 15 seconds.

Add the beans and cook for 1 minute and then add remaining the remaining Thai chilli sauce.

Stir-fry for another 3-4 minutes, until beans are just tender.

Place beans on plate, top with chicken and spoon the pan juices over the chicken pieces.

Serve with rice.

Malaysian Stir-fried Noodles

makes 2 serves

Nice, simple Malaysian street food.

• 1 x 450g (16 oz) pkt thick fresh rice noodles
• 3 red birdseye chillies, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced
• 8 green medium prawns, deveined
• 100g (3.5 oz) bean sprouts
• 3 green shallots, ends trimmed, cut into 4cm (1.5 inches) lengths
• crunchy fried onions for garnishing (any asian store has these)
• 2 eggs, lightly whisked
• 2 teasp dark soy sauce
• 2 teasp light soy sauce
• 1 tablsp peanut oil
• Peanut oil, to coat

Cook the noodles following the packet directions and then drain and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Add a little oil and gently toss to coat the noodles.

Make sure you don't overcook the noodles as otherwise they will just disintegrate when you get to the last stage.

Place the chilli in a mortar and gently pound with a pestle until finely crushed.

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until just smoking then add the chilli and garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds until aromatic.

Add the chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until just cooked through.

Add the prawns and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until prawns curl and change colour.

Add the noodles, shallot, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until combined.

Transfer the noodle mixture to a heatproof bowl.

Add the egg to the wok and cook for 30 seconds then ass the the noodle mixture back into the wok and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until egg is just set. Remove from heat.

Add bean sprouts and combine.

Serve with crunchy fried onions sprinkled over the top..

Laksa Lemak

makes 4 serves

• 200g (7 oz) vermicelli noodles
• 400g (14 oz) hokkien noodles
• 70g (2½ oz) laksa paste available from many supermarkets any asian store
• 1 lemon grass stem, white part only, bruised
• 600g (1.3 lb)firm white fish fillets (snapper is good), cut into 3cm pieces
• 12 black mussels, debearded, scrubbed
• 1 bunch snake beans, trimmed, cut into 8cm lengths
• 150g (5¼ oz) bean sprouts, trimmed
• Fresh mint leaves, to serve
• Lime wedges, to serve
• 2 x 400ml(13.5 fl oz) cans coconut cream
• 500ml (17 fl oz) chicken stock
• 1 tablsp peanut oil

Cook the vermicelli noodles in a saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes and then add the hokkien noodles to the saucepan and turn off the heat.

Use a fork to separate the noodles and then drain into a colander.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and then add the laksa paste and cook, stirring, until aromatic (around 3 minutes).

Add the coconut cream, chicken stock and lemon grass and stir to combine and bring to the boil, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes or until well combined.

Add the fish, mussels and beans to the pan and cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until the mussels open. Discard any unopened mussels.

Divide the noodles and bean sprouts among serving bowls and ladle the hot laksa from the saucepan over the noodles.

Sprinkle with mint leaves and serve immediately with the lime wedges.

Crispy Thai Pork with Chilli

A great, tasty dish that I've tried to recreate from a meal we had during our 2008 trip to Chiang Mai. It's a little involved in the making, but well worth it.

makes 6 serves

• 1.4kg boneless pork belly with skin on
• 600ml (20 fl oz) peanut oil
• 3 tablsp garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1½ tablsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 3 tablsp shallots,finely sliced
• 4 red or green Thai chillies seeded and sliced
• 225g (8 oz)tomatoes cut into wedges
• 3 tablsp coriander, finely chopped
• 2 tablsp fish sauce
• 2 tablsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
• 150ml (5 fl oz) chicken stock

Score the pork rind with a very sharp knife (I keep a Stanley knife in the kitchen for this).

Rub the rind side with 1 tablsp salt leave for 1 hour then cut the pork into long strips about 2.5cm (1 inch) thick.

Place the oil in the wok and bring up to about 175ºC (350ºF).

When very hot deepfry the pork until it is crispy and brown. (Cover the wok to prevent any splattering.)

Remove the pork and drain on kitchen paper.

When cool cut the pork strips into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces.

Drain off most of the oil from the wok leaving about 1½ tablsp.

Reheat the wok then add the garlic ginger and shallots.

Stir fry for 1 minute then add the coriander root, chillies , rice wine, tomatoes, fish sauce, 1 teasp ground pepper, chicken stock, and the pork pieces.

Cover simmer for 20 minutes then serve with boiled rice and vegetables.