Thai Chicken Red Curry with Button Mushrooms and British Asparagus

Thai food is famous for its spicy-yet-tasty relish and its ingenious use of herbs to give each dish a distinctive character, through colour, taste and smell. While Thai green curry is undoubtedly world renowned, its red-skinned fellow, surprisingly, appears to be ‘less known’.

In fact, Thais do not put button mushrooms in their authentic chicken red curry. Nor asparagus. Instead, they use fresh bamboo shoots sliced finely, pea eggplants and kaffir lime leaves, which exude such an intense and beautiful aroma when slightly crushed.

However, it is pretty difficult to find these ingredients in western countries, let alone those tiny food retail stores downtown.

Fuelled by my craving for proper Thai curry and countless disappointments with Thai restaurants in London – which tend to turn all the dishes into desserts – I have adapted the recipe to suit what I can find without pain.

British Asparagus Season

It might seem an unusual choice for Thai red curry, but I opted for British asparagus for three main reasons:

• Firstly, we are still in the British Asparagus Season at the time of writing, and cooking of course. The season runs from May to June every year, promising the best-quality British asparagus for any meal you serve.

• Secondly, new asparagus has such a lovely taste when quickly boiled, grilled, or sautéed. Its stalk that just goes crunchy in your mouth will make you enjoy your succulent chicken even more.

• Thirdly, the bright green colour of asparagus contrasts sharply with your lava red curry. Besides adding to your dish an elegant touch, it also stirs your guests’ appetite at first glance.

Ingredients

In fact, the name “Thai chicken red curry with button mushrooms and British asparagus” explains almost everything. But here you go, all the ingredients you need:

• Chicken fillet: diced
• Button mushrooms: bite-sized
• British asparagus: cut into bite size, depending how big your mouth is
• Thai red curry paste: the hotter, the better
• Canned coconut milk: if you can find the freshly pressed one, brilliant!
• Fresh basil: separate leaves from stalks, which you chop finely
• Fish sauce, salt, and sugar for seasoning

Preparation

• Pour a certain amount of coconut milk into the saucepan – or whatever you want to use as long as it can hold the curry

• Turn on the heat and let it boil for a few minutes

• Over low heat, fry the red curry paste and chopped basil stalks with the coconut milk until they become properly mixed

• If it starts to get too dry – meaning the paste gets stuck to the pan and shouts to you that your meal will be ruined – add some more milk

• Over medium-high heat, add chicken and stir-fry it until it gets slightly done. Do not overcook the meat, as it will be too dry when the curry is ready to be served

• Add button mushrooms and stir-fry them until slightly done. Do not overcook, as we want them to be slightly crunchy when chewed

• Pour the rest of the coconut milk into the pan, add the prepared asparagus, and leave the curry to simmer for 15-20 minutes

• Season to taste with fish sauce and just a tiny pinch of sugar to heighten the flavour. Do not make it into a dessert dish like most Thai restaurants

• Add some salt if you want it saltier, as it will keep your curry creamy and not watery

• Just before you serve, add fresh basil leaves. Do not forget to keep some to garnish your dish

• Serve the mouth-watering red curry with steaming Thai jasmine rice. Then relax and be ready for compliments from your guests. Bon appétit!

Note: Every picture used in this post is copyrighted.

‘Vote No’ Campaign Challenges Thailand’s Political Future

As Thailand is gearing for its general election on 3 July, a group of political activists asks the public to abstain from voting for any parties, linking its ‘Vote No’ campaign with democracy and political reform.

The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), also known as the Yellow Shirts, has been encouraging voters nationwide to tick the ‘abstention box’ on the ballot cards in order to show their dissatisfaction with the election candidates, whom the group claimed were corrupt.

“Abstention is a democratic right,” said PAD key leader Sondhi Limthongkul, following criticisms that the ‘Vote No’ campaign would undermine Thailand’s democracy.

Comparing the election to a meal, where each diner was asked to pick one dish, he said diners did not have to choose anything if they knew the food was contaminated. “We want only clean food and it must be hygienically prepared,” he added.

According to Sondhi’s remark, however, it is most likely that Thai ‘diners’ will starve, and probably suffer severe gastritis, as the PAD leader has yet to answer how long this political fast will last and what will be served instead of the ‘contaminated food’.

Should Thais vote ‘No’ and go hungry?

Apparently, there is no clear answer at the time of writing.

“We don’t care what the abstention will cause,” said Sondhi, “We don’t care. We’ll continue our ‘Vote No’ campaign. We have to work hard to encourage the abstention and educate Thai people. This is our only chance to get back at corrupt politicians. Then we will move forward.”

But how could Thailand – or to be more precise, Thai politics – move forward when its people decide to stagnate one of the most important political processes that lead towards democracy more mature?

Speaking metaphorically…

• if this upcoming election was a meal,
• its candidates the items available on the menu,
• and voters the diners,
• then the future of Thai politics was their health.

Regardless of how the food is cooked or how limited the choices are, nobody can survive without eating, as their health will quickly deteriorate.

Similarly, Thai politics needs active public engagement to ensure it progresses towards a better future. Although the choice of candidates is limited, or as some have pointed out, not so satisfactory, Thai people should exercise their voting right to bring about a better change and to ensure their country is on the right track.

No doubt, the journey to fair politics will prove extremely difficult. Still, travellers who wish to reach their destination must not stop walking, as every step, no matter how tiny, means they are moving closer and closer to their very goal.

Behind the Siamese Smile

Sometimes, we are so intrigued by their ingenious performances that we forget to question if they enjoy the shows as much as we do… 

Personal Message

Behind the Siamese Smiles explores in-depth the current situation of Asian elephants in Thailand, in terms of their role and conditions in the Thai tourist trade.

The documentary also investigates the causes of their presence in this booming business, the development of their role as entertainers as well as victims, conflicts, solutions and their possible future in the Land of Smiles.

Apart from investigating the mentioned subject matter, Behind the Siamese Smiles is also a concrete evidence of my accomplishment in the MA Broadcast Journalism programme, where all the relevant techniques and theories acquired throughout the course are integrated and implemented.

The documentary has also been selected as the ‘Film of the Week’ winner for the Once A Week Film Festival, and chosen to screen at the International Short Film Festival in Detmold, Germany.

Background

Given that I am from Thailand, I am determined that my work should reflect my cultural identity, on condition that the content be international enough to reach a global audience. Additionally, it has to demonstrate high journalistic values, while contributing to the society and a better public understanding.

As a result, I decided to produce a TV documentary about the Thai Asian elephant and their part in Thailand’s tourist trade, given that millions of visitors from around the world travel to see Thai elephants each year. Accordingly, this human-interest topic can generate a great impact at an international level.

In fact, it was not until several years ago that I became aware of the maltreatment many elephants have endured. However, I had a chance to learn more about their plight when I was working for a news station in Thailand; and my concern grew.

Since then, I started to question the elephant welfare in my own country and have been startled by many alarming facts, which I felt should be further researched as well as publicised.

Thailand’s National Symbol

Asian elephants are the national symbol of Thailand. Over the past two decades, however, they have been endangered by Thailand’s commercial tourism. At present, thousands of domesticated elephants in Thailand are increasingly subject to overwork, abuse and injuries.

Worse, the problem continues in a vicious circle mainly because the Thai government does not make enough effort to improve the situation. At the same time, the media coverage of the abuse is relatively limited. Extensive report on the matter can be deemed very offensive to the country’s image and its economy, which relies heavily on tourism.

With limited knowledge of the situation of Thai elephants, both Thai and foreign tourists indirectly play a part in their plight by supporting some tourist businesses that take advantage of the animals.

As a Thai journalist, I felt an urgent need to inform the public, both in Thailand and abroad, of the real situation threatening the Thai Asian elephant. I strongly hope that Behind the Siamese Smile will help generate a better public understanding and awareness of these animals’ plight, while encouraging more efforts to protect them from distress they do not deserve.

Despite several documentaries about Thai elephants already circulating in the media, not so many include the negative side of the elephant business. On the contrary, Behind the Siamese Smile offers the audience a wider perspective by exploring the elephant tourist trade through various facets and balancing it with views from both sides.

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Mr. Wu, You’re Poo!

Mr. Wu may be the best Chinese buffet restaurant in London’s China Town where you can eat as much as you like for just five quid. But when it comes to the service, blimey, it hits rock bottom!

Looking through a huge glass window in the front, the Mr. Wu buffet usually looks quite packed and busy. A very good sign. Hungry folks will be surrounding a circular buffet display stand, helping themselves with a variety of food, from bright orange sweet and sour pork to crispy golden spring rolls, steaming egg fried rice and decent chunks of beef in black bean sauce.

Shifting your eyes slightly upwards, a huge sign reads “Hot Buffet. £4.95 Eat As Much As You Like,” probably making you wonder whether those meats are really from pigs and cows. But then your flat wallet will shout “Oi! They’re cooked and you’re broke!” And voila! You’ll find yourself walking straight into Mr. Wu’s open arms, before realising you are making the biggest mistake.

Once you step inside, one of the waitresses – who by the way never show any trace of enthusiasm to welcome you in – will bring you to your seat. But don’t even bother to think if you want to sit upstairs or downstairs, as they normally fill up one floor at a time. And if you ask, they’ll look extremely irritated and say to you dryly “NO”.

Terrible service

Unlike other restaurants, Mr. Wu’s waitresses, it seems, are not trained to serve their customers with a smile or polite manner, but with unimaginable inconsideration and a facial expression that will remind you of someone who has been suffering from severe constipation for at least a week.

Never expect them to ask what you want for drinks or be attentive. They simply can’t be bothered. In fact, they don’t even look at you when brining you tea, or say “thank you” when you leave. The only thing they seem to care was the bill, which will be put right in front of you even before you start eating. Very nice.

Twice I visited the restaurant.

Twice I tried to understand what was wrong with these people and their very manners. Perhaps a long shift. Perhaps PMS – although it’s unlikely for them to have it at the same time.Still, I couldn’t help feeling annoyed by their extremely poor service, if there was any. Well, people say you get what you pay for. So next time – if there’s going to be next time, that is – I may tip them another fiver just to see if they can be more attentive.

WEEE Systems Aims To Help Firms Manage e-Waste

Electronic waste management firm ‘WEEE Systems’ has today joined the green IT industry, with the aim of helping organisations handle their e-waste more effectively.

The company claims there is a growing volume of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the UK, amid public concern about disposal practices.

Speaking about a recent report on Britain’s role in fuelling the illegal e-waste trade, WEEE Systems founder Bob Clarke urged big organisations to act responsibly when handling their nonfunctional equipment.

He said the report, as evidenced in the recent BBC Panorama programme, is a wake-up call for entrepreneurs to do the right thing by “tightening e-waste practices, demonstrating consistent corporate social responsibility and meeting and exceeding the tougher compliance targets inherent in WEEE Directive legislation.”

Reduce, reuse, re-purpose and recreate

WEEE Systems aims to provide large organisations with “a secure and safe route” to recycling electrical and electronic infrastructure as well as equipment. Through its four-stage process, clients can have “a materials transformation ecosystem” built to their specific requirements.

According to WEEE Systems, the process starts with ‘reduce’, where organisations will receive advice on how raw materials recreated from e-waste management can help reduce the volume of new raw materials used in the manufacturing process.

The second stage is ‘reuse’, where the company will repair and refurbish waste equipment before returning them to the primary or a secondary user, while disassembling whatever is beyond repair for tertiary applications.

Following ‘reuse’ is ‘re-purpose’. WEEE Systems will cooperate with partners to create new applications for its clients’ e-waste, maximising the materials’ assets and extending their life cycle.

The last stage is ‘recreate’, where the company will deploy the recovered WEEE in enabling the development of “entrepreneurial and sustainable” products.

According to WEEE Systems, the volume of waste requiring this transformation will increase, as equipment’s life cycle shortens while economic trends look set to generate “vast volumes of surplus equipment”.

ZubaBox mobile IT room

Meanwhile, The charity group Computer Aid International has published its fourth ‘special report‘ on ICT and the environment, laying out its solutions to the problem of e-waste. The report recommends that governemnts should, among other things, ban the import and export of e-waste, prioritise reuse over recycling for functional equipment and ompel e-waste recycling through legitimate operators.

“It is essential that those countries with existing laws and regulations for e-waste properly enforce them. This will most likely involve stronger penalties for e-waste criminals and more resources for enforcement authorities,” said Computer Aid’s environmental advocacy officer Haley Bowcock.

“Additionally, all governments need to develop systems for the safe and effective management of e-waste that are backed by legislation and based on producer responsibility. This will enable all countries to develop and maintain the capacity to manage e-waste safely over the long term. It will also help prevent e-waste from continuing to flow down a path of legislative least resistance, at great cost to communities and the environment.”