This, I miss! I used to order this everytime my officemates and I go eat at the Banana Leaf Curry House. Did you know that diners at this restaurant eat with a banana leaf instead of a plate? Quite fitting and best enjoyed when you’re eating with your hands!
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp peppercorns
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsps fresh coriander roots or stems
2 lemongrass stalks, tender midsection only, finely minced
2 tbsps oyster sauce
2 tbsps light soy sauce
2 tsps sugar
1 1/2 tsps Asian sesame oil
750 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4cm pieces
36 pandan leaves, each about 12 inches long by 2 inches wide
peanut …read more

Image credit: The New York Times

This entry is intended to be my first for Wiggly Wednesdays. Oh well, better late than never. I chanced upon this healthy concoction through the NY Times website. Can’t wait to try it out soon:
You can use Southeast Asian rice sticks or Chinese cellophane noodles (made from bean starch) for this Thai salad. It makes a satisfying lunch, or serve it as a starter or side dish (it will serve up to 6 as a side).
For the dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce or 1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 to 3 …read more

Here’s another Thai recipe my sister shared me. I tried it myself and I must say, it didn’t disappoint. I didn’t expect something so flavorful could be so easy to cook!
Ingredients:
1/2 chicken breast (cut into thin slices)
3 tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg, beaten
1/2 packet Thai noodles, soaked and drained
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 spring onions, sliced 1 inch long
250g fresh beansprouts
2 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped
fresh coriander
4 tbsp water
Procedure:
In a wok or frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add the beaten egg, cooking for less than a minute, then …read more

Below is one of the Thai recipes my sister shared me from cooking class. You should try it!
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, diced into 3cm cubes
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 tbsps milk
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 packet bamboo sticks
Procedure:
Marinate first 8 ingredients for 30 minutes. Thread onto bamboo sticks. Heat frying pan with oil and cook chicken sticks, turning occasionally, medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Serve with peanut sauce and rice.
Peanut sauce:
2 cups roasted peanuts crushed (place in blender)
2 tbsps oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsps fish sauce
1 cup coconut cream
1 tbsp red …read more

They come in all sizes, to suit the dish, and your preference. Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large, just like shirts, only yummier! Mostly used in Thai and Vietnamese Cuisine, but adaptable for most Asian cuisines and even non-Asian cooking. And if you’re trying to avoid gluten or wheat, these are perfect substitutes. Do check the ingredient list, because some rice noodles are not made with only rice flour, so if you have allergies, don’t assume it’s safe just because it says “rice noodle” on the packet. On the other hand, if you want to …read more

Many a recipe in the Asian repertoire contains a secret ingredient — sometimes so subtle it may be hard to detect — in pandan. Used in cooking rice, wrapping meat, flavoring cakes, etc., pandan is an indispensable item in the kitchen, be it Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, or Malaysian.
More information from AsiaFood
From Wikipedia
And a recipe from Apple of My Eyes for Buko Pandan

Just a short listing of books we’ve been enjoying cooking from lately.

This was a recipe in . I made it because the name intrigued me, and I was expecting an impressive dish. From the book:
This recipe, using a pilaf-type technique, was adapted by the Thais and named after the Sultan, in honor of the priceless spices used in the dish.
The recipe:
1 3-pound chicken
4 cups bottled or filtered water (I used filtered)
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads or 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (see note below)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups long-grain rice, Thai jasmine or Indian or California basmati, rinsed well (I used Royal Indian basmati) — perhaps if I ever try this again …read more

3 pounds squid, cleaned and trimmed, then cut into rings
Marinate in a bowl for 2 hours or overnight, with
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar or honey
2 tablespoons minced ginger
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon chili powder or 2 teaspoons chili paste (or to taste)
3 tablespoons oil for pan-frying
Drain squid from the marinade 2 hours prior to cooking.
Heat oil in wok or cast-iron pan over high heat. When hot, add drained squid and stir-fry, 2 minutes or just until squid is cooked through. You can discard the marinade, or reduce it in a saucepan until you get …read more

Thai food lovers, there’s a new cookbook out you might want to see. This one is by Independence, KS resident Naam Pruitt who’s originally from Thailand. If you’d like to catch one of Naam’s classes, she teaches at the Amore Cooking Center in Joplin, MO and at the Culinary Center of Kansas City in Overland Park, KS. Here’s the link to the KC Culinary’s current class schedule (a pdf file).
I haven’t cooked anything yet from the book as I’m awaiting my copy, but the sample recipes on her website look promising.
– not to be confused …read more