Today we decided to create another Thai staple (and one of my personal favourites) which never seems to disappoint: Pad Kra Prow Beef.

Probably one of the most ordered stir-fried dish on the menu and one of the easiest to make. If you have never tried this particular dish expect to experience a slightly crunchy, slightly salty,  sweet, and spicy dish that comes with a fantastic aroma of Thai holy basil.

By the way you dont have to use beef,  this is a very versatile dish with meat and can be made with literally any meat you prefer including seafood which is a popular choice in Thailand.

Enjoy!

Pad Kra Prow Beef Ingredients:

- 1 Tsp of Sugar

- 1 Tbl Spoon of Dark Soy Sauce

- 1 Tbl Spoon of Oyster Sauce

- 1 Chopped Red Chilli

- 2  Tsp of Chopped Garlic

- 1 Tbl Spoon of Fish Sauce

- 1 Tbl Spoon of Lime Juice

-  250g of Beef

- Half Chopped Onion

- Basil Leaves

Here we have a picture with chicken instead of beef and a optional extra of green long beans  (Rosa’s takes no responsibility for the damage caused to the Keyboard due to drooling) 

Sawasdee Krup / Kha (Hello in Thai) – Enough of the language lesson and on to the cooking, today we are continuing on from last month’s hot soup theme to keep you warm during these long winter evenings. This month’s  dish is Tom Kha (Coconut soup) a popular choice for customers. A creamy, mild-spiced coconut soup with a delightfully warm smell to it.

Enjoy.

Tom Kha Ingredients:

- 5 Tbl spoons of coconut milk

- Pinch of coriander root

- 2 Slices of galangal

- 2 Sliced red chillies

- Lemongrass

- 1 Tbl spoon of fish sauce

- 1 Tbl spoon of lime juice

- 250g Of chicken

- Cherry Tomatoes

- Button mushrooms

And last of all as usual the photo to convince you that this dish is worth the effort!

First of all from all of us at Rosa’s we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

To celebrate, here’s our next online cooking video. Up next we have the famous Thai dish of Tom Yam Goong , a spicy and sour soup which is extremely popular around the world and a must-have to keep the cold away. Have fun and happy eating – once you’re done please feel free to publish photos of your creations on our Facebook page.

We hope you enjoy the video!

Ingredients:

- 250ml of water

- A pinch of coriander

- 2 slices of red chillies

- Slices of galangal

- Lemongrass

- 1/2 Tbl spoon of chilli paste

- 1 Tbl spoon of fish sauce

- 1 Tbl spoon of lime juice

- Prawns 4-5

- Cherry tomatoes

- Button Mushrooms

And lastly a photo of the dish we made (which I ended up eating) to tingle your taste buds…

I’m really proud of the two Rosa’s restaurants that Saiphin and I have set up. It hasn’t been easy but it’s been a fun ride. I have loved doing it with one exception – dealing with local councils.

After 16 years living in Asia it was really interesting to come back to my old home in the UK and find out how London has changed. I’m glad to say most things seemed to have changed for the better. The food scene here is so much more interesting than it was when I left. The city is also safer and probably cleaner too.

One thing that I’ve been really disappointed with however, and where things seem to have got worse, are the rules the government places on businesses. Lots and lots of them in fact.

The ridiculous shackles being placed on us at both restaurants by the local council are nothing short of disgraceful.

Here’s the most recent example. Earlier today I was opening up our post and I was presented with a court summons from Westminster Council for a rates bill that wasn’t due for another two weeks. When I called them to find out why I was told, by someone who clearly couldn’t care less, it was because we’ve been late in the past and this changed our status on their computer systems. When I asked how late I was last month I was told the our payment arrived on 2nd February. A whole one day late – gosh – the computer says, “no” – please just lock me up and throw away the key!

I know I probably shouldn’t talk about this stuff on our blog but then again why not? If something gets up your nose what’s the point in muttering about it to yourself on the sofa? If more entrepreneurs spoke up about this type of thing maybe, just maybe, local councils might start to help rather than hinder those who set up businesses, breathe life in to local communities and create jobs?

Surely Westminster Council’s role is to support small businesses not bully them? If you’re going to pick on business pick on supermarkets.

If anyone from the non-domestic rates department at Westminster Council is reading this, here’s a request: instead of sending summons to people who work hard in order to pay your inflated bills perhaps a phone call or sending a non-threatening letter first might be a better way to communicate?

Anyway, rant over. Thanks for listening.

Promise to talk about food next time!