Thai Lao Bamboo Soup

Happy Thai and Lao New Year 2550! For this occasion, I like to meet up with my family at Wat Lao Veluwanaram, a Buddhist temple that is an hour north of Toronto. We choose to "takbat" at this location because my cousin, Vilaysith Sanoubane, is the Chairman and CEO and my brother-in-law drew the architectural design that captures the spirit of Wat Lao. If you go there in the summer, it feels like you are in Laos.

I encourage everyone to visit the web site to read up on Buddhism and browse through the pictures. Better yet, go visit and meditate with the monks! Don't forget to make this traditional bamboo soup and offer it to them.

Soup Recipe: Bamboo Soup
2 cups yanang extract
2 cups bamboo
1 cup chopped mushrooms
15 to 20 quail eggs hard boiled
2 tablespoons chopped lemongrass
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 tablespoons sticky rice
4 chilies
2 tablespoons salted gourami fish or 3 tablespoons fish sauce

Boil bamboo for 30 minutes. Drain water and chop bamboo. Soak sticky rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain water and add sticky rice in mortar with chilies. Pound with pestle until rice is a thick paste. Remove the sticky rice thickening paste and reserve. Add lemongrass and shallots in the mortar and pound with pestle until they are crushed into small pieces. In a pot over high heat, add chopped bamboo, yanang extract, mushrooms, and crushed lemongrass and shallots. Bring to boil. Add salted gourami fish, sticky rice thickening paste, and quail eggs. Cook for 15 minutes or until rice cooks. Stir pot often to prevent rice from burning at bottom of pot.

As an option, add 1/2 of chopped squash, as seen in the squash and custard video.

Thai Chicken Curry with Long Beans and Bamboo

Curry dishes are best serve with Khao Chow (jasmine rice) rather than sticky rice.

I like this dish served with sin khao bune (rice noodle) to make a hot noodle salad: into a bowl, add sin khao bune and spoon the chicken curry over top; add extra chopped Thai basil, cilantro, green onions, and bean sprouts.

Stir Fry Recipe: Thai Chicken Curry with Long Beans and Bamboo
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon oil
¼ cup chopped bamboo shoots
¼ cup chopped long beans
¼ cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped chicken
½ cup fresh coconut milk
1 tablespoon red Thai Lao Curry Paste
1 to 2 sprigs of chopped Thai basil
2 tablespoons fish sauce

Boil chopped bamboo shoots for 30 minutes to remove yellow colouring. Drain water from bamboo and set bamboo aside. In a wok over high heat, add oil and garlic. Stir until garlic is crisp. Add chicken and stir until cooked. Add tomatoes and stir for one minute. Add fresh coconut milk, bamboo, long beans and curry paste. Stir for 2 minutes. Turn heat off. Add fish sauce and Thai sprigs. Stir again and serve immediately.