#recipes

Chef du Jour: Villa Baan Bon Khao

in Dining by
Spilling the beans Baan Bon Khao

One of the highlights of staying at a private villa on your vacation is that you get to sample superb food prepared exclusively for you by skilled in-house chefs – many of whom have trained at internationally renowned restaurants. Elite Havens’ villa menus showcase an extensive range of Asian delights to cater to every guest’s tastes, but of course each chef has his or her own particular specialties that shouldn’t be missed.
 
With much coaxing and cajoling, we’ve persuaded some of our chefs to spill the beans and share their favourite recipes. In the Baan Bon Khao kitchen, Chef Poo cooks up a classic and much-loved Thai dish, Pad Thai with Prawns in an Egg Parcel.
 

Spilling the beans Baan Bon Khao 5

With spectacular sea and sunset views, Baan Bon Khao is an ideal getaway for families or groups.  Luxuriating on a hillside estate near Surin Beach, this four-bedroom villa features an infinity pool and stately living and dining pavilions.  Guests are well cared for by the villa manager, chef and personal driver.

Here’s an exclusive from the  Baan Bon Khao kitchen. 

Egg wrapped Pad Thai with Prawns Recipe
(Serves 2 – 4)

Spilling the beans Baan Bon Khao ingredients

Ingredients :

The sauce

  • 35 grams palm sugar, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup tamarind concentrate
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 3 tbsp water

Pad Thai

  • 4 ounces dry rice noodles (choose one that is about 2mm wide)
  • 6 – 8 prawns, or as many as you’d like, peeled and deveined.
  • 1 small head shallot, thinly sliced, about 3 tbsp
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tbsp dried shrimp, chopped
  • 1-piece of pressed tofu, cut into small pieces
  • ½ tsp of chili flakes, or to taste
  • 4 eggs – 2 for Pad Thai, 2 beaten for egg parcel
  • 5 cups bean sprouts
  • 1 cup garlic chives, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
  • 1 lime

Directions :

The Sauce: Mix all together and set aside.

Step 1: Soak the rice noodles in room temperature water for 1 hour, until the noodles turn from translucent to completely white and are very pliable.

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Chef du jour: Villa Wang Nam Jai

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Chef Meaw

One of the highlights of staying at a private villa on your vacation is that you get to sample superb food prepared exclusively for you by skilled in-house chefs – many of whom have trained at internationally renowned restaurants. Elite Havens’ villa menus showcase an extensive range of Asian delights to cater to every guest’s tastes, but of course each chef has his or her own particular specialties that shouldn’t be missed. With much coaxing and cajoling, we’ve persuaded some of our chefs to spill the beans and share their favourite recipes with us here.

Penang Curry Recipe

In Villa Wang Nam Jai’s sleek modern kitchen, Chef Meaw cooks up the largest prawns we’ve ever seen to make her delicious Penang curry.

Chef Meaw

Penang Curry recipe
Ingredients:

  • 1 large fresh prawn (or 4-5 smaller fresh prawns)
  • 1 cup of coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp. Panang curry paste
  • 1 ½ tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp. palm sugar
  • 1 large red chili sliced
  • 4 – 5 Kaffir lime leaves thinly sliced
  • A small handful of pea eggplants
  • Oil

Chef Meaw’s Panang Curry ingredients

Directions:

Step 1.  Heat up a griddle pan and a frying pan.

Step 2. Wash the prawn and cut in half (leave the shell and head on).  

Step 3. Oil the prawn and when the griddle pan is hot place the two halves of prawn flesh side down.

Step 4. Add ½ cup coconut milk to the frying pan and let it come to the boil at a medium heat, making sure to stir.  

Step 5. Add the Panang paste to the frying pan and stir in for 2 minutes and then add the remaining coconut milk and continue to stir for 1 minute.

Step 6. Turn the prawn.  

Step 7. Add the palm sugar and fish sauce to the frying pan and stir and then add the pea eggplants.

Step 8. Once the prawn is pink, add to the frying pan and cook on a low heat for a 1 – 2 minutes.

Step 9. Add some of the sliced chili and sliced Kaffir lime leaves, leaving some for garnish.

Step 10. Place on a plate and garnish with the remaining red chili slices and kaffir lime leaves.

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Spilling the beans – Chef Aoy, Villa Ananda

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One of the great expect of staying in a luxury private villa is the superb food prepared exclusively for you by skilled in-house chefs – many of whom have trained in internationally renowned restaurants. Villa menus comprise of an extensive range of Asian delights and cater to every guests’ tastes, however every chef has his or her very own ‘special’ recipe that proudly reflects their culinary expertise. After a little arm twisting we have managed to prise the standout recipes from a few of our chefs.

Chef Aoy and her specialty

Chef Aoy is the outstanding creator of food  at Villa Ananda, (one of the stunning beachfront Jivana Beach Villas on Natai Beach) and has kindly offered her version of the all time classic – Pad Thai with prawns.

This is  equally popular street food as it is  on every menu in Thai restaurants, hotels and cafes and is arguably the National Dish of Thailand.

It can be with made with prawns, chicken, crispy pork or just tofu.

 

Prawn Pad Thai Recipe
Ingredients

  • 5 peeled Thai shrimps 1 Tbsp.
  • chopped garlic 1/2 tbsp.
  • red pepper flakes 3 tbsp.
  • vegetable oil 2 tbsp.
  •  fish sauce 1 tbsp.
  • tamarind juice 1 tbsp.
  • finely chopped shallot 1 tbsp.
  • Thai Radish, finely chopped 1 tbsp.
  • roasted peanuts 50 grams
  • palm sugar 10 grams
  • dried shrimps 50 grams
  • firm tofu, thinly sliced 150 grams
  • thin noodles, 100 grams
  • bean sprouts, 20 grams
  • chives, cut in one inch lengths
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 lime

Chef Aoy's Prawn Pad Thai

Top tip: Prepare your ingredients beforehand and have them nearby. Timing is of utmost importance. Making Pad Thai isn’t hard; it does, however, require a fairly high level of concentration.

Directions

Step 1.  Soak the thin noodles for 5 minutes in water before cooking to soften.

Step 2. Heat 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil in a pan, fry the garlic and shallot, then add the thin noodles and sprinkle with water until the noodles are soft.

Step 3. Add fish sauce, palm sugar, red pepper flakes and tamarind juice.

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Vodka Lovers Paradise: Phuket

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drinking vodka in phuket

“I drink to make other people more interesting.”

— Ernest Hemingway

Vodka is traditionally distilled from fermented grains or potatoes and the word Vodka is derived from the Slavic word voda, meaning, water. It is believed that the word vodka was recorded for the first time in 1405 in Akta Grodzkie, Poland. At the time the word wódka referred to medicines and cosmetic products, which does make some sense as my Nan always used to have a little bit of vodka in the evening and told everyone it was her medicine.

Vodka has been the drink of choice for many of the Baltic countries, or what is known as the Vodka Belt. The general definition tends to include the following states as significant producers and consumers of vodka: Russia, Belarus, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland.

phuket villa with full barVODKAS IN PHUKET

There are a variety of different vodkas available in Phuket, Thailand from your classic brands to new flavored bottles, from reasonable priced bottles to bottles that come with their own fireworks and entourage when you order them. Most of the Phuket beach clubs have a selection to choose from depending on your taste and budget.

Stolichnaya Vodka
The origins of the original premium vodka go way back to the beginning of the 20th century in Russia. Also known as Stoli, it’s a vodka made of wheat and rye grain.

Belvedere
Belvedere is a brand of Polish rye vodka. Production began in 1993 at the facility located at Polmos Żyrardów, Poland.

Beluga
Beluga made its first appearance in 2009, and has gained a reputation for exceptionally clean, pure vodka. Its distillery is located in the heart of Siberia.

Grey Goose
The French vodka that took the spirit to new heights of popularity. Made from the same winter wheat that goes into a croissant, this is the vodka everyone wants to be seen with.

Smirnoff
One of the best-known global drinks brands, Smirnoff dominates the vodka market. As well as the classic red (No. 21), blue and black bottles, the brand has added a range of flavored vodkas to its line-up in recent years.

Absolut
One of the best-known vodkas in the world, Absolut is produced near Åhus in southern Sweden.

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Food Guide: Sri Lankan Cuisine

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Sri Lankan cuisine isn’t particularly well known on the international stage. Although it is often misunderstood or taken to be an extension of Indian food, it is a very unique cuisine. For many who do visit Sri Lanka it’s love at first taste!

Sri Lankan cuisine consists mainly of fragrant curries and starchy accompaniments, which include hoppers (crispy bowl-shaped fermented rice flour pancakes), string hoppers (steamed rice flour vermicelli ‘nests’) and rotis (flatbreads). A cross between Thai and Indian cuisine, traditional Sri Lankan curries are cooked using a fresh spice paste, comprising ginger, garlic, fresh chilli and sun dried spices, with flavours influenced by region and the cook’s ethnicity.

Almost any fruit or vegetable can be used to make a curry or an accompanying dish such as a sambol (usually hot and fiery), mallung (shredded greens), or chutney, and a typical meal includes a meat or fish dish, a few vegetable dishes and a lentil curry (dhal). Coconut milk is used in some curries to add creaminess while others are left ‘dry’, and the result is a really healthy balanced cuisine.

Sri Lankan currySRI LANKAN CURRY FROM jamieoliver.com

Rice and curry is typically eaten for lunch whereas hoppers and string hoppers are often on breakfast and dinner menus, usually served with a fish and/or dhal curry, a fiery kata sambol (tomato, onion and dried chilli) or a sweet onion relish. Sri Lankans aren’t big on desserts, and usually end a meal with fresh tropical fruit, ice cream or an adopted Malay crème caramel-like dish, watalappan.

Sri Lankan New Year takes place in April, and this is a time of celebration for the island’s Buddhists and Hindus who prepare special sweets and sweetmeats for sharing. Thanks to the island’s Muslims, biryani is another popular ‘borrowed’ dish as is fried rice or fried noodles, a favourite quasi-Chinese dish adapted by the Sri Lankans that you’ll see in many guises on numerous restaurant menus.

You’ll be able to try an endless number of delicious Sri Lankan curries when you book a stay at one of our villas in Sri Lanka. The villas come with a full complement of staff, including a chef or a cook, and they can introduce you to the flavours of Sri Lankan cuisine. They will also be happy to teach you how to make your favourite dishes for recreating with your friends and family back home.

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