Iced Rice Thai Style, Kao Chae - Recipes

Kao is rice. Chae is soaking. Kao Chae is iced cold rice, eaten with rice foods and served in a very hot days of summer.
1 cup old rice
1 cup water
5 cups cold jasmine scented water

Soak the rice in alum (or salt die substitution) water for at least 2-3 hours. Wash the rice well afterwards. This process helps to remove as much starch as possible so that the grains are shiny. Put rice and 1 cup water in a 2-quart container, covered, cook at High (600-700 Watts) for 5 minutes. Pour the rice into a metal sieve, wash and drain. Wrap the rice with damp muslin and put in the steaming container. Pour ½ cup of water in the lower bowl, steam, at High for 5 minutes. Leave the rice to cook, serve in bowls with crushed ice and pour cold jasmine scented water into the bowl.

Shrimp paste Balls
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
1 sliced shallots
1½ teaspoons sliced lemon grass
1½ teaspoons sliced Kra-chai (optional)
½ cup meat of catfish, roasted
2 tablespoons palm sugar
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 cup coconut cream
½ cup cooking oil
1 egg

Put shrimp paste, shallot, lemon grass, Kra-chai and fish in a work bowl of an electric meat chopper, pulse 2-3 times to produce fine mixuture. Remove the mixture to a one-quart container, add coconut cream, cover loosely with kitchen paper and microwave at High (600-700 Watts) for 1 minute until aromatic. Season with coy sauce and sugar, cook uncovered at High for 6 minutes. (stir once between cooking time). Leave to cool and make a 1-cm. cut across the balls. Heat 7"x7" browning skillet in microwave oven for 6 minutes. Pour in cooking oil and microwave at High for 2 minutes. Dip the balls into beaten egg and fry in the skillet 10-15 balls at a time. Heat oil in Microwave oven at High for 1½ minutes between each addition.

Stuffed Green Pepper
5 Prik yuak (pale green pepper)
¼ cup ground pork
2 tablespoons chopped shrimps
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon castor sugar
¼ teaspoon chopped coriander root
½ teaspoon peppercorns
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 egg
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Clean Prik yuak and seeded. Pound coriander root, peppercorns and garlic and mix well with pork and shrimps in a small mixing bowl. Season with fish sauce and sugar. Stuff in Pirk yuak and place the stuffed Prik Yuak in a one-quart shallow container. Microwave, covered, at High (600-700 Watts) for 2-3 minutes. Leave to cool. Heat the browning skillet in microwave oven at High for 3 minutes. Pour in cooking oil. Pour the beaten egg in a dispenser for making "Sweet Egg drop". Move the dispenser backwards and forwards and criss-cross quickly so that a gold net is formed. Wrap the stuffed Prik Yuak with these nets.

Stir Fried Salted white Radish
½ cup finely shredded salted white radish
¼ cup palm sugar
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Soak and drain salted white radish and put in a one-quart container. Stir in cooking oil, cover loosly with kitchen paper, microwave at High (600-700 Watts) for 3 minutes. Season with sugar, mix well and cook at high for 8 minutes. Stir 2 times between cooking time.

Sweet Crispy Shredded Beef
½ cup shredded dried beef
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 tablespoons castor sugar
1 tablespoon fried shallots

Toss well shredded dried beef and cooking oil in a flan plates. Cover loosely with kitchen paper and microwave at High (600-700 Watts) for 4 minutes. Seawon with sugar and fried shallots, microwave, covered loosely, at High for 4 minutes longer.