Sunee Gowan
This is still Gigi speaking: Want to tell you just a little bit about Sunee (Awy) and Robert. We met ... on the internet - where else in these times.
It started with a short message from Robert in my guest book and now we write long e-mail letters back and forth, and are kind of itching to get to know each other in person.
This requires a bit of planning because they live in paradise and we live in LA ;-)
But hey - it's just a bit of water in between, right?
I guess we (that is Merlin and I) will manage to do this soon, so that we can experience Awy's kitchen without coming through a wire. Robert and Awy seem to be a good team, Awy creates these wonderful dishes and Robert communicates them to us.
-- Remark added later --
We just looked at this Web page after a long time again - after adding these cute little new red dots at the beginning of all the recipes - and noticed that the last sentence is completely out of date. We have been across half of the Pacific and met two truely wonderful people. And - yes - Awy's cooking is great. Robert, you did not promise too much.
Now, after having been in Hawaii, it's only so, that we want to go back to Paradise. In an e-mail a little while back, Robert mentioned that a friend just came over for Dinner - was I jealous!
How can he just go over there, and I have to fly three-thousand miles??Speaking of communication: I have set up a guest book for Robert and Awy, so you can leave them a message. I will see to it that they will get it. You can go to the guest book at the end of the page.
But enough now of my talking, here are Robert and Awy ....
Sawatdii Khun Gigi;
Here follows Awy's first recipe to you:
First you buy from your market an approx. 4 lb. pre-roasted duck. If it's frozen allow it to thaw out over night.
When you're ready, preheat your oven to about 400 degrees and place the whole duck in to bake for 20-30 mins.
Remove the duck to cool, until you can safely handle it. Slice off all the meat you can get into chunks and strips, leaving the skin on as much as possible. Remove the bones completely. Drumsticks, neck, toot, etc., can be left whole if you wish.
Pre-heat to high temp. a large frying pan or wok with your choice of oil(we use veg-oil). To hot oil add 2-3 tbsp. of 'MaePloi' brand premixed 'Red' curry paste(be careful!). To further thin this mixture, add several tbsps. of 'MaePloi' brand pure coconut milk, and stir (use the 19 fl.oz. can).
Keep stirring now !...
Add to this 'a little' Palm sugar (namthaanBeeb) and a bit of salt, not fish sauce (if you put fish sauce the curry will spoil quicker). Once these 'ingredaments' are well mixed you can begin to add the sliced duck meat, stirring it over and over in the sauce.
Then you add in the remainder of your can of coconut milk and leave it cooking together for about 10 mins.
The following ingredients you could have prepped along with the duck before you started cookin. At this point add in a small bowl of sliced pineapple chunks (fresh pineapple mo betta!). A similar amount of halved cherry tomatoes.
AND HERE is the SPECIAL part: * Fresh Lychee Fruit * (if Buddha is smiling on you and you can get it, or if you live in Hawaii!)
Cut into halves again with seed removed. If you can't find the fresh Lychee, canned ones could be substituted (sigh!), or you can go with the standard item which is: Red and Green table grapes, also halved. After the fruits go in YOU'RE almost done, can't let those fruits cook too long! Last thing: a nice handful of garden fresh Thai Basil of the 'horapah' type, leaves mainly but some soft stems are OK. Remove from heat, stand back, and appreciate what your kitchen smells like!.....
Serve with Thai-grown,
long-grain Jasmine rice. And remember the proper way to eat 'Gang Phet' is to keep your
curry in a separate bowl and your rice on a plate.
Dip a bit of rice into the curry, NEVER pour the curry over your rice! :-)......
Notes from the Editor: A couple of days after I got this recipe from Robert and Awy, Robert sent me this supplement:
.... Duck Curry. We had it last night, identical to the recipe we submitted. It was (again) sooooo deliciouso. You gotta try it! The one thing, watching Awy prepare it, I missed was adding ByMaakroot (kefir lime leaves) to the initial red curry paste and several tbsp of coco milk. And I think it does make a difference.
Please leave a message for Robert and Awy.