Pak Namjim Tofu

[Guest guest]

Vegetables with Tofu Dip

 

 

1 tbsp tamarind concentate mixed with 3 tbsp warm water

2/3 lb firm tofu

5 cloves garlic

7 shallots

7 large dried chiles (less if desired)

1/3 lb fresh (medium/small size) mushrooms

3 medium-sized tomatoes, coarsely diced

1 small head iceberg lettuce

2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/8 " slices

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced into 1/8 " slices

1 tsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup thin soy sauce

2 tbsp palm sugar

 

 

Rinse tofu under cold running water, place in a bowl and mash with a

fork. Peel and mince garlic and shallots. Place chiles in a large

bowl and cover with warm water, soak for 10 minutes. Wash mushrooms

and finely chop. Tear the lettuce head into large hunks. Arrange

lettuce, carrots and cucumber on a large platter. Drain chiles. In a

mortar and pestle combine chiles and 1/2 tsp salt, mash to a fine

paste. In a frying pan, heat 5/8 cup oil to high temperature. Add the

tofu and stir-fry about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove tofu

from the pan with slotted spoon. Heat the remaining oil in the pan,

and add garlic and shallots, stir-fry until golden brown. Add chile

paste and tofu to the pan. Mix carefully and stir-fry about 1 minute.

Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, tamarind, soy sauce, the remaining salt,

and palm sugar. Let cook for 5 minutes or until all of the liquid has

evaporated. Taste and adjust seasonings with tamarind, palm sugar and

salt. Serve with jasmine rice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking of Thailand the last thing that probably pops into someone's

mind is the presence of a Jewish community. Which is not surprising

since it numbers about 250 of which only a handful are Thai

nationals.

Nearly all the Jews of Thailand live in Bangkok. The Jewish community

is of recent origin. The first permanent Jewish settlers arrived in

the 1920s, having fled from Soviet Russia ( I found a different

source stating that from the end of the 19th century, small numbers

of Ashkenazic Jews from Eastern Europe began settling). Their number

was bolstered in the 1930s when refugees from central Europe made

their way to Thailand. Most of these left the country at the end of

World War II. However, in the 1950s and 1960s, a number of Jews

settled in Thailand, and in 1966 a synagogue and community center

were established. The Jews are a mixture of Sephardim from Syria and

Lebanon and Ashkenazim from Europe, the United States, and Shanghai.

And although Thai food does not seem to be kosher at a first glance,

there is no recipe that cannot be transformed into a kosher and /or

vegetarian version.