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.

A twist on Tom Ka Gai

I wanted to make a version of tom ka gai (Thai chicken and coconut soup with lime) that was vegetarian and included noodles.  I used some things I found in my pantry and put together this soup.  The lime juice stirred in at the last minute is what makes this soup so amazing.  If you prefer hotter foods, feel free to add more chiles!

3 or 4 pieces dried galangal (or 3 or 4 slices of fresh galangal, if available)

1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 1" lengths

4 chiles de arbol, stems and seeds removed

1/2 tsp sugar

3 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth is fine too, if you aren't making this vegetarian)

8 oz nigari tofu, cut into 1" strips

1 16 oz can lite coconut milk

salt

juice of 2 large limes

6-8 oz dried rice sticks

Fresh cilantro for garnish

In a large saucepan, boil the galangal in 1 1/2 cups water for about 10 minutes. (Skip this step if you are using fresh)

Stir in the broth, chiles, lemongrass and sugar and simmer while you prepare the tofu.

Heat a medium nonstick frying pan over medium high heat and add half the tofu.  Stir fry for several minutes, until golden brown. 

Set aside and repeat with the other half of the tofu.

Stir the tofu, rice sticks, and coconut milk and cover, simmering until the noodles are soft.

Taste and season as needed with salt.

Using tongs (to help with the noodles) and a ladle, distribute the soup (avoiding the galangal) into 4 bowls.  Stir in about a tablespoon of lime juice, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

Simple Thai cabbage stir fry

I had an entire head of cabbage in the fridge and wanted to try out a new recipe for stir-frying it.  I was making a Thai soup for dinner, so I turned to my favorite Thai cookbook for ideas.  This one is quick, simple, and complements a wide variety of Thai dishes very nicely.

adapted from Thai Cooking from Siam Cuisine Restaurant

1 head cabbage, core removed and leaves cut into thin strips or bite-sized pieces

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp yellow bean sauce (available in Thai or Asian markets - look for the one in the jar, not the bottle)

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp golden mountain sauce (available in Thai or Asian markets - substitute soy sauce if necessary)

1 tsp sugar

Stir together the oyster sauce, golden mountain sauce, and sugar in a small bowl

Heat large skillet over high heat.

Add oil, and when it is hot, add the garlic and yellow bean sauce.

Cook, stirring, until just golden brown.

Add the cabbage and stir fry until wilted slightly.

Pour in the sauce/sugar mixture.

Stir fry for another minute or two, until the sauce is evenly distributed and the cabbage is crisp-tender.