Recipe - Phak Tom Kati (Vegetables In A Coconut Sauce)

1 cup Coconut milk
One half cup Makheua phuang (Thai
eggplant)
One half cup Tua phak yao (long beans),
broken into 2" peices
One half cup Mushrooms, cut or sliced up
One half cup Phak bung (swamp cabbage),
shredded
One half cup Phakat khao (Chinese
cabbage)
2 tablespoon Hom daeng (shallots/purple
onions), cut or sliced up finely
1 tablespoon Light soy sauce
1 tablespoon [palm] sugar
1 tablespoon Prik ki nu daeng (red
birdseye chilis), finely
cut or sliced up
1 tablespoon Prikthai ong (green
peppercorns)
1 teaspoon Bai makrut (kaffir lime
leaves) shredded, or
One half teaspoon Lime zest

The name literally means 'vegetables boiled in cocnut milk'.

makheua phuang are very small Thai eggplants, that resemble crunchy garden
peas. If (as I expect) they are not available near you, then I suggest you
use tender garden peas, raw. If you can only get frozen peas, then drop
them in hot, not boiling water, until defrosted, then transfer to ice water
to stop the cooking and then strain thoroughly.

If swamp cabbvage is not available substitute spinach.

Thai long beans (sometimes called yard beans or yak's tails), can be
replaced with ordinary western long beans.

Green peppercorns are sold in Thailand on the stem, making them easy to
discard before serving, but I suggest that if you can only get loose
peppercorns, that you put them in a small muslin bag or 'spice ball'

Method: In a saucepan bring the coconut milk to a gentle simmer and mix in
the sugar and soy sauce, and stir in the lime leaves. Add the shallots and
pepper, and gently simmer for 12 minutes until aromatic. Taste for the
balance of sugar and salt, and adjust if necesary.

Add the vegetables, and return to the boil. Simmer gently until just cooked
(If using garden peas, do not add them until the other ingredients are
almost cooked, and then serve as soon as they are warmed through).

Serve with either rice or noodles

Posted to CHILEHEADS DIGEST V3 #171

Date: Thu, 28 Nov 1996 14:17:07 +0700

From: "Col. I.F. KhuntilanontPhilpott" colonel@korat1.vukorat.ac.th