3 Course Thai Dinner

[Shami-Amourae]

Here's some of my original recipes. My cooking style is very unique, if you are adventurous. I've cooked at 5 star restaurants for several years and I'm classically trained through culinary school. Some of this stuff may be advanced, but if you're interested in Thai food, this is great stuff!


Spicy Thai Lime Salad
Easy Difficulty


Fish Sauce: 2 Tablespoons
Lime Juice: 4 Tablespoons
Sugar: 2 Tablespoons
Minced Garlic: 1-2 Cloves
Sambal Oelek: 1-2 Tablespoons (Depending how spicy you want it)
Olive Oil: 4 Tablespoons
Sesame Seed Oil: 1 Teaspoon
Salt and Pepper: To taste


Toss with iceberg lettuce, carrots, celery, tomato, cucumber, red onions, and plenty of chopped cilantro.

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Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
Medium Difficulty

Infused Chicken Broth

Chicken Broth/Stock: 6 cups
Chopped Ginger: 2.5 inch piece
Minced Lemongrass: 1 stalk


Cook to simmer. Put lid on mixture and simmer 10 minutes, then strain broth.


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Main Recipe


Infused Chicken Broth: 6 cups (See above recipe)
Shredded Cooked Chicken: 3/4 to 1 pound, cook this chicken beforehand, not in the broth since it makes it cloudy
Carrots: 3-4 cut diagonally and thin
Celery: 4-5 cut diagonally and thin
Canned Straw Mushrooms: 15 oz. can

Cook and add the following before veggies are almost cooked:

Sambal Oelek: 2-3 Tablespoons (Depending how spicy you want it)
Lime Juice: 1/3 cup
Sugar: 1.5 Tablespoons
Canned Coconut Milk: 14 fl oz. can
Salt and Pepper: To taste

Serve with chopped cilantro

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Mung-Bean Noodle Stir-Fry w/ Spicy Pork Meatballs

Meatballs
Medium Difficulty


Ground Pork: 1 1/4 pound
Minced Garlic: 3 cloves
Minced Ginger: 1.5 piece
2 Eggs: 2 large
Minced Serrano Chilies: 1-2 (Depending how spicy you want it)
Fish Sauce: 2 Tablespoons
Chopped Cilantro: 1/4 a bunch
Bread Crumbs: As much as you need to thicken the meatballs enough to where you can work with them in your hands
Salt and Pepper

Sear all sides in a pan, then finish off in a 400 °F oven till you get an internal temperature of 155 °F.


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Stir-Fry
Hard Difficulty


Vegetable Oil: 1 Tablespoon
Small Onion: Sliced Thin

Heat a wok till smoking hot, add vegetable oil and onion. Use wooden spatula.


Carrot: 1 julienned
Celery: 1 julienned

Add carrot/celery when onion starts to caramelize.


Eggs: 1-2 whole

Push the veggies to the side of the wok, giving some area to scramble the eggs, once scrambled, push them to the side too.


Soy Sauce: 4 Tablespoons
Oyster Sauce: 2 Tablespoons
Brown Sugar: 1.5 Tablespoons
Mung Bean Noodles: 1 small package (2.4-3 oz) --- soak these in warm water at least an hour beforehand
Dried S.h.i.t.a.k.e. Mushrooms: 4 mushrooms --- soak these in 1/2 cup warm water at least an hour beforehand, then julienne
Reserved Water From Dried S.h.i.t.a.k.e. Mushrooms

Cook and keep adding water in small amounts, and letting the noodles absorb the liquid until the noodles are soft (they the chewy).



Roma Tomato: 1 cut in half, remove the seeds, then cut each half into 6 pieces
Chopped Cilantro: 1/2 bunch

Serve stir-fry with meatballs.

[jedemdasseine]

Delicious!

And mung beans can be so tasty!

But what kind of fish sauce do you recommend? I've witnessed some brutal arguments over this issue (every Thai lady seems to have a steadfast opinion) and have yet to find a fish sauce I prefer.

[Shami-Amourae]

Delicious!

And mung beans can be so tasty!

But what kind of fish sauce do you recommend? I've witnessed some brutal arguments over this issue (every Thai lady seems to have a steadfast opinion) and have yet to find a fish sauce I prefer.




In the industry and culinary school we always used Tiparos Fish Sauce. It's made from anchovies. Some fish sauce is made from squid, but I prefer anchovies since it has the most neutral flavor (all-purpose.)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51aqpWLGg1L._SS500_.jpg

[RJB]

Thanks, Thai cuisine is my favorite.

Good medicine too. I cook it at home as well as eat out. When I have a head cold, I'll order a red curry dish and ask for it "Thai hot." The waiter, if he doesn't know me, asks if I'm sure.

It such sweet torture eating it, but afterwards, my sinus are clear and something in the red curry gives me a subtle high where I feel that I can take on the world.

I'll try making this and I will assure you I will try anything else you post.

[jedemdasseine]

Excellent! That's the same fish sauce I use! :)

[CrufflerJJ]

Delicious!

And mung beans can be so tasty!

But what kind of fish sauce do you recommend? I've witnessed some brutal arguments over this issue (every Thai lady seems to have a steadfast opinion) and have yet to find a fish sauce I prefer.




In the industry and culinary school we always used Tiparos Fish Sauce. It's made from anchovies. Some fish sauce is made from squid, but I prefer anchovies since it has the most neutral flavor (all-purpose.)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51aqpWLGg1L._SS500_.jpg


Tiparos may be a "standard", but I don't like using it. For me, fish sauce has been an acquired taste. Years ago, I couldn't stand the stuff. Nowadays, whenever I make a Thai-style soup, I have GOT to use some fish sauce in it. Otherwise, the dish just doesn't have the right flavor.

Tiparos has a pretty strong smell, and I think that's what turned me off to that brand years ago.

If you're looking for a less smelly (yet "rounder" tasting) sauce, you might want to try Three Crabs.

http://www.amazon.com/Three-Crabs-Brand-Fish-Sauce/dp/B0000CNU54

I'm also using a Phu quoc nuoc mam nhi sauce made by Double Parrot. I like it.

If you've never tried the stuff before, I also recommend that you check out Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce. It is basically a flavor enhanced soy-based sauce (not fish), and adds a nice flavor to noodle dishes or soups.

http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Mountain-Seasoning-Sauce-oz/dp/B002TRBNOO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1275124311&sr=8-1

For those who love Thai food, you might want to look at importfood.com . I've bought from them before, and have been VERY happy with how they package stuff for shipment. They sell all the usual spices/pastes/sauces, along with fresh produce and the Kiwi brand Thai knives that I love (dirt cheap, VERY sharp, nice thin blades). The website also has lots of videos & recipes on how Thai dishes are prepared by street vendors.

One of the best things you can do if you like cooking stir fry dishes is to get a propane wok burner (something like the Eastman Outdoors Baby Kahuna burner, or the Bayou Classic SP10). These are available from a number of places online (including Amazon) for $40-$70. A good HOT burner allows you to cook your food quickly, giving it a nice flavor ("wok hei" if you're doing Chinese dishes), and can give you nice crispy veggies rather than steamed/boiled mushy veggies when the same dish is prepped on an electric stove.

http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-SP10-High-Pressure-Outdoor/dp/B000291GBQ

Enjoy!

[Shami-Amourae]

I appreciate the suggestions; however, I have a severe wheat allergy and can't really touch either products. I used to use Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce BEFORE I found out my wheat problem, and I've been looking for a wheat-free alternative since. I have to use Tamari Soy Sauce since regular soy sauce is 50/50 wheat/soy bean.

[CrufflerJJ]

I appreciate the suggestions; however, I have a severe wheat allergy and can't really touch either products.


OUCH! That has to be a real pain (literally). With your allergy, I'd personally be very reluctant to use many Chinese manufactured ingredients. No telling what they use in the manufacturing process, and don't think it important enough to put on the label.