Thai Noodle Salad

I am and have always been a morning person. So when I found out my working hours in Korea would be 3-10 PM, I wasn’t quite sure how I would cope with having to be a functional human after about 7:00 at night. Fortunately, the schedule seems to be working out, and it’s probably the best thing that ever happened to the food photography on this blog!

I now cook at about 11 AM, then pack up what I made to take to work for dinner. As a result, all my cooking is done during daylight hours, giving me much better light for pictures.

I know using lemon juice is not authentically Thai, but I couldn’t find limes at my grocery store. Either type will work, but if you crave authenticity, reach for the limes. If you have an aversion to fish sauce, or are vegetarian, soy sauce would probably work as a substitution, but I haven’t tried it yet. If you do, let me know how it tastes!

(adapted from Orangette)

Dressing:
Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 limes)
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 hot red chili, finely chopped (omit if you don’t like spicy food)

Combine all ingredients, and taste. (This is really important! If it’s too fishy, add a little sugar and vinegar…if too sweet, add a little vinegar and/or fish sauce). Add a little water if the dressing seems to sugary and thick (again, this will depend on how you alter it to suit your tastes).

Salad:
12 ounces tofu (or you could use a chicken breast or two)
1 1/2 cups julienned napa cabbage
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 carrot, julienned
10 ounces rice noodles
1/4 cup roughly chopped peanuts

Cut the tofu (or chicken) into bite-sized pieces and cook in a frying pan. (Tofu should be brown on all sides; chicken should be fully cooked). Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the vegetables and tofu.
Cook the rice noodles according to package instructions, drain, and rinse with cold water. Add to the bowl of vegetables.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
Sprinkle with peanuts to serve.

Vegetable Fried Rice

I am beyond thrilled to have a kitchen after so many months without one, but instead of breaking it in with an amazing, elaborate, feast, I just made a simple Thai-style fried rice.
I ate this stuff pretty much every day in Thailand, and I see no reason to stop now. I like this MUCH better than the stuff that you get in Chinese restaurants (you know, with the peas and diced carrots).
The best thing about this recipe is that it is so incredibly adaptable. My personal favorite variety uses Chinese broccoli, onions, and tomatoes, but since we just got here and it took me awhile to get over jet lag, I just grabbed the first vegetables I saw. I know this version looks a little boring and monochromatic, but it tastes phenomenal!

(adapted from Thai Table)
1 tbsp oil (canola or peanut)
1 egg
1 1/2 tbsp Golden Mountain sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
about 1 1/2 cups vegetables, cut into bite sized or smaller pieces
1 cup cooked rice

(for the rice pictured, I used these as my vegetables:
1 cup bean sprouts
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/4″ x1″ strips
2 green Korean peppers, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced)

The method is the key to perfect fried rice:
1. Heat the pan over high heat, then add the oil.
2. Add the egg, and scramble as it cooks
3. Push The egg to the outside of the pan, and add the soy sauce and fish sauce.
4. Stir in the rice, and cook, stirring, for about a minute.
5. Add the vegetables and mix well. Cook until crisp-tender.
6. Serve.

That’s it! I like to garnish the plate with a little cilantro and some slices of cucumber.

Thai-Style Omelette (Kai Jeow)

Omelettes (served with rice) are a really popular snack in Thailand. I think the method they use to prepare them is absolutely brilliant, and now I may never make omelets any other way! It’s not terribly healthy, because you’re essentially deep-frying the egg, but it’s a good snack every once in awhile.

I found some Chinese chives at an Asian grocery store in Edinburgh, but if you can’t find any, use green onions. The beauty of these is you can add whatever you like: a little diced tomato and onion, some cooked bacon, or just keep it simple with egg alone.

For each omelette you will need:
Peanut oil
A pinch or two of freshly minced garlic
1 egg
1 tbsp (loosely packed) Chinese chives cut into ½” lengths (or the vegetable or herb of your choice)
A pinch of salt

Heat about 2 tbsp of oil in the wok over medium-high heat until the oil is very hot (but not smoking).

Add the garlic to the oil.

Quickly, whisk the egg well, and stir in the chives and salt.

Add the egg mixture to the oil and let fry for about 30 seconds.

The sides will puff up, but the middle will not cook right away.

At this point, the omelette needs to be flipped. Carefully flip it, and let cook another 30 seconds to a minute, or until all the egg is cooked through.

Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon, and serve over rice with some chili sauce or ketchup.

There should be enough oil left in the pan to make another omelette or two.

Pad See Ew

The couple we stayed with in Edinburgh was kind enough to let me cook them dinner. After 3 months with no kitchen I was dying to cook again, and it seemed fitting to make them Thai food.

I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to find all the necessary ingredients in Scotland, but it turns out there are some great little ethnic grocery stores. I had no trouble finding rice sticks, fish sauce, and Chinese broccoli, so I knew I had to make this!

I ate a lot of pad see ew (fried noodles with dark soy sauce) while we were in Thailand. It’s an incredibly quick dish to put together, and can be made with tofu or chicken. If you’re vegetarian you’ll need to omit the fish sauce, which will change the flavor a little bit, but you can use mushroom sauce in it’s place with pretty good results. If you have both light and dark soy sauce on hand, use 1 ½ tbsp of each to make the sauce. Otherwise, just use 3 tbsp of whichever kind you have)

1 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 ½ tbsp sugar
Peanut oil
10 ounces extra firm nigari tofu (or a chicken breast or two), cut into pinkie-sized sticks
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch Chinese broccoli, cut into 1” lengths
6 ounces rice sticks (or any dried rice noodles you can find)
1 egg, lightly beaten
White pepper

Whisk together the soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, then remove from the heat and add the rice sticks.

Let stand for about 5 minutes, or until noodles are soft.

Drain and set aside.

Place the tofu pieces on a clean towel and pat dry.

Pour about 2 tbsp of peanut oil into a large frying pan or wok, and heat over medium high.

Add the tofu and fry, tossing occasionally, until the tofu is golden brown.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
(If you’re using chicken, use a little less oil and just stir-fry until cooked through).

Let the oil cool off the heat for a minute or two then add the garlic and return the pan to the heat.

After about 20 seconds (before the garlic gets too brown) add the Chinese broccoli and cook, stirring, for about a minute, or until the leaves begin to wilt.

Add the tofu and sauce to the wok and stir well.

Run the noodles quickly under a little cold water to loosen them (they may be a little sticky), then add to the wok and toss so that everything is evenly distributed.

Pour the egg over everything and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

Put the noodles on a serving platter and sprinkle with a dash of white pepper.

Red Curry Shrimp

These are incredibly simple appetizers that look fancy, but don’t take much effort.  I used Thai Kitchen brand curry paste, and it made them really spicy, so if you don’t have a high tolerance for hot food, cut back on that a little bit! (My husband and I didn’t think they were spicy at all because we’ve been putting hot sauce on EVERYTHING – in preparation for the food in Thailand — but my sister said they were way too spicy!)

I found some fresh Thai basil in our local Asian market, but regular basil would be fine too. 

The medium shrimp I used is 26-30 count per pound.

(from Gourmet Magazine, December 2008)

24 uncooked medium shrimp (peeled, tails on)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp red curry paste

24 large Thai basil leaves

Preheat the broiler.

Stir together vegetable oil and curry paste in a large bowl, then stir in shrimp and coat well.

Arrange shrimp on a baking pan and put under the boiler for 2-3 minutes, until just cooked.

Thread onto wood skewers with a basil leaf.  

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fish in Green Curry Sauce

My mother instilled an envioronmental conscience in me when I was very young and it really effects the way I buy groceries.  For a few weeks, my grocery store only carried oranges from Australia, which is ridiculous because I know for a fact there are oranges growing all over this state.  I didn’t buy them because of the ridiculous amount of pollution caused by transporting the fruit all the way here from Australia.  

I buy local foods when I can, shop in bulk to minimize packaging waste, and look for sustainable fish and seafood.  Which is where this recipe comes in.  I needed just some basic white fish.  I remembered from this handy guide that Atlantic cod and halibut, as well as red snapper were on the avoid list, but as I browsed through the case, the only white fish I didn’t know about was Orange Roughy.  

I made this dinner, which I thoroughly enjoyed, then had an eye-opening chat with my neighbor, who has a broader knowledge of seafood sustainability than I do.  Not only is this fish dangerously high in mercury, it is from Australia, wildly overfished, and takes 20 years to reach sexual maturity, making it very difficult for the population to rebound.  

I consider this a lesson learned, and will not be shopping without my Seafood Watch Guide again!  But for the record, I highly recommend you make this with Pacific cod, Pacific halibut, or US farmed Tilapia.  And print yourself off a guide at the link above so you can shop sustainably as well!

(adapted from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider)

about 1 pound of white-fleshed fish fillets

1 small shallot, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tsp butter

2 tsp – 2 tbsp Thai green curry paste (depending on your tastes – it can be very spicy!)

1 tbsp fish sauce

2/3 cup light coconut milk 

chopped cilantro for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 F and spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.  

Sprinkle the shallot in the bottom of the pan, then lay the fillets on top.

Spray a piece of foil with nonstick spray and lay it, sprayed side down, on top of the fish.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until a fork inserted into the fillet meets no resistance.

Meanwhile, bring the wine and butter to a simmer and cook until all the alcohol has cooked out. 

Stir in the green curry paste and coconut milk and simmer for about 3 minutes.  Stir in the fish sauce and cook for one minute more.

When the fish is done, pour the curry sauce over it, then garnish with cilantro.

Bean Thread Salad

I found a huge package of bean threads for ridiculously cheap at a market in San Francisco, and knew there would be many of these salads in my future.  Tonight I found everything I needed to create this recipe already in my refrigerator, so this was easy to throw together.  It’s a beautiful mix of colors and has the quintessential Thai flavors I love so much: fish sauce, lime, mint, cilantro, and peanuts.  YUM!

4 oz bean threads

1 small carrot

1 red bell pepper

a few handfuls of lettuce, cut into thin strips

1 tbsp thinly sliced green onions

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

2 tsp chopped fresh mint

2 tbsp chopped peanuts

4 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp sugar

Drop the bean threads into boiling water for about 40 seconds, then drain and rinse with cold water.

Cut the bell pepper into thin strips and put into a serving bowl with the lettuce.

Using a vegetable peeler, create 2″ long curls of carrot, and put these in the serving bowl as well.

Stir together the lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar.  

Put the bean threads in their own bowl and add about half the lime juice mixture.  Toss well.

Put the noodles on top of the vegetables and sprinkle the green onions, mint, cilantro, and peanuts over them.  Add a little more dressing and toss well.  Taste, and add the rest of the dressing if desired.  

NOTE: Bean threads look like thin white noodles.  Here is an example of what they look like:
photo from Amazon.com

Thai Red Curry with Shrimp and Kabocha Squash

Squash is such a perfect Fall food.  I LOVE butternut and acorn squash, and figured if I like those, I should branch out and explore other squash varieties.  I’ve been seeing some recipes with kabocha squash floating around various blogs for awhile, but decided to turn to a great cookbook for my first experience with it.  

Kabocha pairs amazingly well with Thai red curry, and the shrimp complements the two really nicely.  In all honesty, I thought the peas were kind of a weird inclusion in the recipe.  If you like them, use them, but I think I’m going to leave them out next time.

(adapted from Asian Vegetables by Sara Deseran)

1 small kabocha squash (about 2 pounds)

1 14 oz can light coconut milk

2 tbsp Thai red curry paste 

2 tsp sugar

3 tbsp fish sauce

1 cup chicken broth

2 lemongrass stalks, bottom 8″ only, cut into 2″ lengths

8 oz flat rice noodles 

1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup frozen peas (or not…)

4 roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise

Cut the squash in quarters using a sturdy knife or cleaver.  Scoop out the seeds and cut off the peel.  Cut into 1″ cubes

Heat the coconut milk and curry paste in a large saucepan over medium-high, stirring well for about 3 minutes.

Turn the heat to low.  Add the sugar, fish sauce, chicken broth, lemongrass, and squash. Stir well, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork.

While that is cooking, prepare the noodles according to package directions.

When the squash is tender, stir in the noodles, shrimp, peas, and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes, until heated through.

Divine Rice with Prawns

How can you not want to try a recipe for something called “Divine Rice”?

With leftover rice and already-cooked prawns, this dish comes together almost instantly (okay, actually it takes about ten minutes).  It’s simple and tasty, and if you like fish sauce, you’ll love it.  I used brown rice because I prefer it in general, but white would be good too.

(adapted from Thai Cooking from the Siam Cuisine Restaurant)

12-15 prawns, cooked

2 tsp oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp chopped onions

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 eggs

3 cups cold cooked rice

4 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp ketchup

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp chopped cilantro

a few slices cucumber, for garnish

juice of 1 fresh lime

Heat a skillet over high heat and add the oil.

When the oil is hot, add the garlic and onions.

Stir-fry until light brown.

Crack the eggs into the pan and scramble, cooking for about 10 seconds.

Add the bell pepper and stir fry for about 30 seconds.

Add the rice and stir-fry, breaking up clumps of rice and egg.

Add the fish sauce, sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce and stir fry for a few minutes.

Add the prawns and cook until they are heated through.

Transfer to a serving dish, and sprinkle the lime juice and cilantro over the top, then serve with cucumber slices on the side.

Chile pepper fried rice

When you leave your husband alone for five days, he might order some takeout Chinese food.  So you may come home to a little takeout container of cooked rice, sitting in the fridge.  Really, the only logical thing to do in this situation is to make fried rice.  Particularly this fried rice, because it’s so delicious and spicy and downright good.

(adapted from Thai Cooking from the Siam Cuisine Restaurant)

2 dried chiles de arbol

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced (easy to do this when they are frozen)

1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 jalepeno, cut lengthwise in quarters

2 cups cold cooked rice

1 tbsp fish sauce

3/4 tsp sugar

20 fresh Thai basil leaves

6 sprigs of cilantro, leaves only

10 half-slices cucumber

Soak the chiles in hot water for about 15 minutes.  Remove the stems and chop finely.

Get all your ingredients ready to go:

Heat the oil over high.  

When it is hot, add the chiles de arbol and garlic.

Stir fry until garlic is just turning light brown, then add the chicken.

Stir fry until most of the pink is gone, then add the oyster sauce and jalapenos and stir fry until well-mixed.

Add the rice.  

Break up the clumps so it is evenly distributed. Stir fry for about a minute.
Add the fish sauce, sugar, and basil leaves and stir fry until the leaves are nicely wilted.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the cilantro leaves and slices of cucumber.