Sup Chua Cay Thailand - Tom Yum

I love themed dinners...I'm such a dork! As I was getting groceries for the Thai Papaya Salad, I just had this urge to make Tom Yum to go with it. I order Tom Yum every time I eat Thai, it is a must or I will not be satisfied. A lot of people compare Tom Yum to the Vietnamese Canh Chua. I guess I can see the similarity due to the tartness of both soup, but they both have their own unique flavors. Tom Yum has a sharp fragrance from the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, definitely a sinus clearing smell. The broth of Tom Yum is more briny and sour whereas canh chua is more sweet and sour. I guess it just irritates me when people tell me we are going to eat Lau Thai (Thai Hotpot) but we are really eating Canh chua?

What I really wanted to get out of this soup is as a lot of fragrance and flavor from the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. I did this by letting the lemongrass and lime leaves simmer in chicken broth for over an hour, to the point where the lemongrass falls apart. Believe me it will make a difference! Another thing I love about Tom Yum is you can a lot of different type of proteins. Don't get me wrong because I do love Canh Chua, but I feel it taste best with catfish. For this recipe I will stick with shrimp and squid. Feel free to use other shellfish or even meat!

Ingredients:

4 cans of chicken broth
1/2 lb of shrimp (peeled)
1/2 lb of squid (cut into smaller portion)
3 stalks of lemongrass
4-5 kaffir lime leaves
4 roma tomatoes (cut into quarter)
1/2 yellow onions (cut vertically into medium strips)
1 cup of sliced button mushroom
cilantro for garnish
sugar
fish sauce
mushroom seasoning
tamarid
fresh chilies

1. Cut the lemon grass in half and bruise it with the handle of your knife.
2. Bring chicken broth to a boil and throw in the lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves. Cover the pot and let simmer for an hour. If the broth reduces too much just add water.
3. Flavor the broth with 1-2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, 1/3 tablespoom of tamarid powder, 2 teaspoon of mushroom seasoning, and fresh chilies.
4. Add tomatoes and let cook for 5 minutes and then add mushroom and onions.
5. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the shrimp and squid. Cook them last so they will be fresh when you are ready to serve.
6. Top off with little bit of cilantro.

Enjoy!

Goi Du Du Thailand -Thai Green Papaya Salad

Boy have I been slacking off lately! I still cook quite often though, just haven't had time to blog about it. Hopefully tonight will make up for my absence :)

I was having dinner with some friends several months ago at a new Thai place that just open up in Indianapolis. We ordered the Thai Green Papaya salad which seems very simailar to the Vietnamese version when I read the description. The used of the long green beans and cherry tomatoes really made the salad pop with beautiful colors. It was almost too pretty to eat! Not really, but you get the idea. Upon trying it for the first time, yes shame on me for missing out all these years, I noticed it was a lot sweeter than the Vietnamese version which is not really a bad thing. Everybody really enjoyed it because the flavor was there!

I figure it can't be anymore difficult then the Vietnamese version, so I gave it a try. I used sauteed sliced beef as a protein because it goes very well with lime juice and tomatoes. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 papaya (shredded into thin long strips)
1 carrot (julienned)
2 cup of long green beans ( cut into 1 inch portion)
1 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes (cut in 1/2)
1/2 cup cilantro (rough chopped)
1/2 cup basil (rough chopped)
1/2 lb sliced beef (any cut is fine)
vinegar
fresh chilies
lime
fish sauce
sugar
1/2 tablespoon garlic (minced)
crushed peanuts

1. Marinade the green beans and papaya with 1 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of vinegar for 1-2 hours.
2. Marinade the sliced beef with garlic, 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, and 2 teaspoon of sugar for about 30 minutes.
3. Drain vinegar/sugar mixture from green beans and shredded papaya. Squeeze as much of the liquid out from them.
4. Flavor the green beans and papaya with 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce,sliced chilies, and a couple pinch of sugar.
5. Sauteed the sliced beef and let cool.
6. Toss in the sliced beef and tomatoes. Add more lime and fish sauce to your liking.
7. Right before serving toss in the cilantro and basil.
8. Top off your plate with some crushed peanuts.

Pad Thai

I am a huge fan of Thai cuisine! Thai cooking is all about beautiful colors and balancing different flavors. Every bite is like a surprise because you can taste a little bit of sweetness, some tang and then you are hit with a spicy kick. You can taste all those flavor in the popular dish, Pad Thai. My mom use to work at Thai restaurant many years ago. She would always bring home leftover and it's usually Pad Thai. I eat this stuff all the time but since my parents never really eat out I thought it would be nice to prepare some for dinner.

My version of Pad Thai is base on an episode of Good Eats with Alton Brown and my five senses when I order this dish many time at different restaurants. Since we ran out of tamarind concentrate I tried out a ready to use sauce bought at the local supermarket called Thai Kitchen. This dish is made literally by tossing in different ingredients together so I suggest you prep everything before cooking. Have everything within arm reach at the stove so you are always ready to add a little of this and a little of that. Pad Thai is such a versatile dish because you can try it with so many different meat like chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp. Have fun cooking this dish and be creative!







Ingredients:

2 Strip of Boneless Chicken Breast/Thigh
1 Pack of Flat Rice Noodle (Vietnamese Banh Pho)
Ready To Use Pad Thai Sauce
Sugar
Salt
Fish Sauce
Soy Sauce
Minced Garlic
Minced Shallot
Eggs
Sliced Yellow Onion
Sliced Green Onions
Julienned Carrots
Bean Sprouts
Lime
Dry Pepper Flakes
Chilli Paste



1. Soak Banh Pho in hot water until it's flexible but still hard to eat, about 10 minutes. If you soak it too long it will break when you stir fry it later. It's always better to under soak because you can fix that when you stir fry it. Remove from water and let it drain in colander.


2. Cut chicken breasts/thighs into thin strips and marinade with salt, sugar, 1 tbspoon of soy sauce, 1 tbspoon of pad thai sauce, minced garlic, mince shallots, and dry pepper flakes. Let chicken marinade for about 15-30 minutes.


3. Heat up some cooking oil in a wok/pot and stir fry the chicken strips. Half way into the cooking process add the sliced yellow onions. When the chicken strips are fully cook, remove from pot and save for later use.


4. In the same pot or pan, add more cooking oil, garlic, and shallots. Don't let the garlic and shallot sit too long because it will burn. Add the banh pho noodle and coat it the oil so it doesn't stick to the pot/wok. Add fish sauce for taste and and 1 cup of pad thai sauce. Continue to stir fry the noodle until it soften. If the noodle is still hard, add some water and cover the pot/wok. The steam action should soften the noodle.


5. Beat two eggs and add it right into the pot and continue to stir fry.

6. Add the chicken strips back in a long with the green onions. Stir in some pepper flakes and chili paste for some heat.


7. When the noodle fully cook and ready to eat toss noodle with carrots and bean sprouts.

8. Add a little lime juice and crushed peanuts before serving.