This rice salad recipe is a fresh, easy-to-make tropical treat! Thai Coconut Rice Salad makes a great way to use up leftover rice, plus it's healthy and delicious! Includes shrimp (vegetarians can substitute cashews) for protein, plus vegetables and fresh herbs for a complete lunch or dinner.

1. Make the salad dressing by mixing all dressing ingredients together in a bowl or measuring cup.

2. Taste-test the dressing for salt, sweetness, and spice. Add more fish sauce if not salty enough, more sugar if too sour, or more cayenne pepper if you prefer it spicier. If you happen to over-spice this dressing, add a little more coconut milk. Set aside.

3. Place cooked rice in a large mixing or salad bowl. Use your fingers to work through any lumps, separating the rice back into grains.

4. Add the remaining ingredients to the salad and toss.

5. Stir the dressing one more time and then pour over the salad. Toss thoroughly.

6. To serve, either portion out the rice salad directly onto serving plates or into bowls, or dress it up by lining plates with a bed of salad greens. Place the rice salad on top of the greens and top with extra fresh coriander or a few cashew nuts, if desired. This salad is also excellent served with chili sauce on the side, such as my Nam Prik Pao Chili Sauce Recipe. ENJOY!

(gai pad gratiem prik thai)

Garlic and Pepper Chicken is a very common dish. You can use any meat — pork, beef, shrimp, squid, etc. You can even make a vegetarian one with tofu. It’s a very easy and quick dish to make. It’s commonly eaten as a one-dish meal over rice, but it can be added to a family-style meal.

1. Rinse and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

2. Smash the garlic lightly with the side of a knife. Remove the skin if not using thin-skinned Thai garlic.

3. Heat the oil in a pan until very hot. Add the garlic and keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.

4. When (very) lightly browned, add the chicken (or meat, or whatever you’re using!). Cook until done (not raw). If it gets dry and sticky, add some water to the pan about 1-2 tablespoons at a time.

5. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and pepper. You may need to add a bit more water here so that it mixes well.

6. Mix well and serve on rice (for a one-dish meal), or in a plate (to share with friends). Garnish with cilantro.

(cha ma-naw)

Lime Iced Tea is a refreshing drink on a hot day. A great alternative to the more common milky Thai Iced Tea.

1. Boil the water, and add to a heat-proof mug along with the teabag and the sugar.

2. Let steep for a few minutes, depending on the tea variety used. Throw out the teabag, and stir to dissolve sugar.

3. Add the ice and lime juice to a pint-sized glass, and then pour the tea over the ice.

4. Stir and enjoy!

(yum tua pu)

A central Thai dish featuring “wing beans” which are blanched and tossed with coconut milk, roasted chili paste, toasted coconut, tamarind, palm sugar and peanuts.

If you can’t get wing beans where you are, they can be substituted with green beans or snap peas.

1. Slice the fresh coconut meat into match-stick size strips, about 1″ (2cm) long. Remove the skin of the shallots and slice thinly.

2. Roast the coconut on medium heat in a dry pan until light brown. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. Set aside on a flat plate to cool.

3. If your peanuts are not already roasted, dry roast them now like you did the coconut. Crush the peanuts with a stone mortar & pestle or the side of a heavy knife.

4. Fry the shallots in enough vegetable oil to cover them on medium heat until golden brown. Be careful not to burn. Remove before dark brown as they will continue to cook for a minute or two once removed from the pan. (You can cheat here and buy pre-fried shallots in a container at many Asian groceries.)

5. Fry the chilies in the oil until browned.

6. Boil the eggs in water until hard-boiled, about 10 minutes. Replace the hot water with fresh cold water to stop the cooking. Peel and slice however you wish (halved, quartered, or sliced thin like shown).

7. Clean the shrimp by peeling off the heads and legs, and removing the “vein” (intestine), but leave the tail on.

8. Trim off the ends of the wing beans and boil whole in salt water for less than a minute — just enough time to turn a darker green. You want them to still be crisp & crunchy. Rinse in cold water and slice into 1/4″ pieces (as shown).

9. Heat the coconut milk in a pan until boiling. Add the shrimp and cook until pink. Turn off heat and add the palm sugar, tamarind paste, roasted chili paste, lime juice, fish sauce, peanuts and coconut. Mix well.

10. Add the wing beans and mix. Remove to a plate and arrange the eggs along side. Garnish with the fried shallots and chilies.

(tom yam kung)

A subtle blend of hot and sour with citrus overtones, tom yam kung is the most famous of all Thai soups. Each region has its own particular variation of the recipe.

Serves 4.

1. Rinse the prawn shells and place them in a large pot with the water. Heat to boiling, strain the broth and discard the shells.
   
   
2. Add the garlic, lime leaves, galangal, fish sauce, lemon grass and shallots to the stock, then the mushrooms and chili peppers, if using. Cook gently for 2 minutes.
   
   
3. Add the shrimp to the soup, and reheat to boiling. When the shrimp are cooked, place the lime juice and black chili paste in a serving bowl. Pour the soup into the bowl, stir, garnish with the cilantro leaves, and serve.