Thai Cooking at Home, 2005 - 2006

[Susan in FL]

Elie, Wendy, Susan, what great photos! It all looks delicious. I just can't get enough Thai. I think I have been hesitant about curries because I am taking it slow on developing a taste for the flavor of coconut. But it's about time. Some version of a Tom Yum soup is definately in the near future. And now, I want to check out that recipe that you adapted from HSSS, Susan.

Wendy, that food looks so good, and what I particularly like about your photos is that they are small yet still kept the clarity and brightness. Nice job. I try to keep size in mind for those who don't have the large computer screens, but when I reduce them to that small, they lose something.

I want to make spring rolls soon, too. I bought the wrappers.

[Chufi]

I just finished reading this entire thread (it's my day off ) and I have to say this: I have never really liked Thai food... When I've had it in restaurants, I was usually disappointed, and when I attempted making it at home, it seemed so much hassle. Now I'm thinking maybe I ate in the wrong restaurants.. and maybe my cooking skills have improved to the point where I'm confident enough to tackle this.

All your descriptions, pictures and enhousiasm have inspired me to give this cuisine another try! This weekend I have to go and cook a lamb curry (also thanks to EGullet ) but next week, definitely some Thai on the menu.

I love EGullet!

(end of rambling)

Edited February 25, 2005 by Chufi (log)

[snowangel]

Chufi, one of the things I notice about most Thai restaurants is they all have the same limited repertoire of dishes, and there is so much more to Thai than what you see on their menus. For example, I can't recall the last time I saw the dish I fixed last night on a restaurant menu. There is far more to Thai than curry and pad thai.

Check a bunch of books out of the library (several great ones are mentioned upthread).

I know at times it seems putzy with all of those bottles of stuff, etc., but once you get into the swing of it, it's pretty easy.

[trillium]

Elie, Wendy, Susan, what great photos!  It all looks delicious.  I just can't get enough Thai.  I think I have been hesitant about curries because I am taking it slow on developing a taste for the flavor of coconut. 

←

There are plenty of "curries" that don't involve coconut, jungle curry for one, and southern curries like gaeng tai plaa. Also, the curry pastes are used as much for stir-frying stuff as they are for "curry", so if you like the taste of Thai curry but not the coconut, you could try something like pork and long beans stir-fried with red curry paste, or chicken, onions and fresh hot green peppers stir-fried with yellow curry paste, or pork and eggplant stir-fried with green curry paste... well you get my drift.

regards,

trillium

[FoodMan]

Snowangel-

That looks so good. Is that a noodle dish? Sorry, but my Thai is not very good (ie non-existant ). Do you mind posting the English name for it?

Thanks for this tip Trillium, my wife and I like coconut, but sometimes it is just so rich and heavy, both on the stomach and the wasteline. I will try what u suggest in the future.

Elie

[snowangel]

Snowangel-

That looks so good. Is that a noodle dish? Sorry, but my Thai is not very good (ie non-existant ). Do you mind posting the English name for it?

Thanks for this tip Trillium, my wife and I like coconut, but sometimes it is just so rich and heavy, both on the stomach and the wasteline. I will try what u suggest in the future.

Elie

←

I don't really know that it has an english name. Basically, it is wide rice noodles (the same kind used in pad thai, only they are 1" wide), beef, bok choy. This one, unlike pad thai, has a gravy (it uses a little over a cup of stock), thickened with corn starch. The other seasonsings are vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce and fermented beanpaste. I toned down the dried chili in it (for Peter and Heidi). I served it with the traditional accompaniment of vinegar with lots of chopped bird chilis. I keep this condiment around all of the time.

Oh. Hot Sour Salty Sweet calls it our favorite noodles with gravy.

[FoodMan]

I know exactly what you are talking about. Thompson has a similar dish he calls "Rice noodles with Chinese broccoli" and it has a "gravy". I think he uses fresh rice noodles though not dried, but I could be wrong.

Thanks,

Elie

[snowangel]

Yes, Elie, that's the dish. What does he use to flavor it (my copy of Thompson's book is out on loan)? I am lucky that I have very easy access to fresh rice noodles -- thin cut, 1" wide cut, and uncut sheets, for for a lot of people in different areas, they have no choice other than the dried ones.

Rice noodles are one thing I've really struggled with. Lots of time, in the process of heating them in the pan, they turn to mush. There's a very narrow window of opportunity. I have come up with a rather unorthodox method, but one recommended by a Thai friend. I microwave them between very wet sheets of paper towel until they are the right doneness, and toss them in the pan at the very last minute. The nice thing about the noodles with gravy is that the gravy is usually added to the noodles once the noodles are in the bowl. My method (for this recipe) also includes coating them with a bit of dark soy (the thicker stuff) when they are in the bowl before the gravy is added.

How does everyone else handle rice noodles? Susan?

[little ms foodie]

I haven't had a problem with rice noodles yet. I bring a pot of water to a boil, toss them in and take it off the heat. I watch them for 1-2 mins and then drain.

The red curry that we made only had 2 tbs of coconut milk in it....

Susan, thanks for your praise on the small pictures. I didn't do it on purpose though- I'm learning my new mac and can't seem to get a full size photo. glad you think they still look ok.

[jerobi]

My apologies for not skimming through all five pages in this thread, but does anyone have a good online source for broad noodles, such as ones used in Thai dishes like Pad Si Ew, Kee Mao, etc? I've yet to find them anywhere, including a few Asian supermarkets.

[ScorchedPalate]

Hmm, odd... I can't seem to find them online anywhere. In a pinch, you could order them from Thai Kitchen though they have a $25 minimum order. Most Whole Foods markets sell Thai Kitchen products, if you're near one of those.

I don't have any trouble finding wide rice noodles, both fresh and dry, at my local asian grocery, though.

~A

Edited February 25, 2005 by ScorchedPalate (log)

[Blondelle]

FoodMan, I was admiring your wok. It looks like cast iron. Would you mind telling me where it's from, and how large it is? Are there two loop handles on it? Thanks ;-).

Here is last night's Pannang Curry with beef. It came out excellent, I would've liked much more heat but my wife would not have eaten it. Usually I add more chillies to my portion but it just is not the same.

Elie

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[FoodMan]

The wok is carbon steel from my local Asian shop. I think I paid $18 for it. It is the Chinese style with one long metal handle that never seems to get hot. As for size, I think it is maybe 20 inches in diameter and very nicely seasoned .

As for rice noodles I can get them pretty easily as well. The dried ones I buy form any Mega store. the fresh ones in all sizes I get from one of several Asian stores (they never carry Keffir lime leaves though ). For the dried ones I use Thopmson's method of soaking in cold water for a long time and they come out perfect for stuff like pad thai. If I am in a hurry I use the boiling water but they always come out inferior to the cold water version.

Snowangel- I cannot remember what he flavors it with right now. I'll check. I also like your microwave idea, which could even save time. But are you talking about dried or fresh noodles here? Sorry, I don't mean to be nit picky, just want to be sure.

Elie

edit: typos

[snowangel]

Snowangel- I cannot remember what he flavors it with right now. I'll check. I also like your microwave idea, which could even save time. But are you talking about dried or fresh noodles here? Sorry, I don't mean to be nit picky, just want to be sure.

Elie

edit: typos

←

Fresh.

When you make pad thai, for how long are they in the wok? Are you using dried or fresh? I look at the packets of fresh, and there seem to be a lot of broken noodles, and my kitchen is so small now that I can't seem to justify storing dried rice noodles when I have such easy access to fresh ones. I also like the fact that the fresh ones are slightly oily.

[jrt]

...Kasma's site, and I came across her method for steaming Jasmine rice, so I decided to go down the entree route and try her method out (I've never liked my simple method much, and I've never met a rice cooker I really liked).

The result was fabulous.  I can't believe how incredibly well the rice turned out -- I will never, ever cook rice another way unless I have a seriously good reason to believe it will compare.  I was shocked; it tasted like rice at some of the best meals in my memory.

←

I read that and was interested in trying her method for Jasmine rice. I have been using the Hot Sour Salty Sweet method. I think I was especially thick-headed when I was reading it. Do I understand correctly that a bowl sits in the steaming section of a steamer and in that bowl is the rice AND hot water? With her emphasis on not boiling the rice, it threw me that the rice would be cooking in water.

←

Whoa, this browser window has been open for weeks, apparently... I had this typed out:

Yes, that's how I understood it. The water poured over the rice is not actually boiling, it's about as hot as you would have water prepared for, say, black tea.

[Susan in FL]

Shrimp and Baby Corn in Chili-Tamarind Sauce

from True Thai by Victor Sodsook

1 pound shrimp, peeled

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

10 cloves garlic, pounded to a mash or crushed and chopped

4 teaspoons commercially made chili-tamarind paste (nam phrik pao)

2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla)

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 pound fresh baby corn, broken into 2-inch peices, or 1 can (15 ounces) baby corn, drained

2 tablespoons chicken stock, or canned chicken broth, or water

Sprigs of cilantro

I am abbreviating his directions rather than going verbatim... you guys know the basics.

Add the garlic to the hot oil in the wok and stir-fry briefly. Raise the heat to high and add the shrimp. Stir-fry until they begin to turn pink. Add the chili-tamarind paste, fish sauce, and sugar and stir-fry until the sugar is dissolved and blended. Add the baby corn and chicken stock and stir-fry just until the corn is cooked through, about 2 1/2 minutes for fresh and 1 to 1 1/2 minutes for canned.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

We had fresh baby corn. There is a recipe for Chili-Tamarind Paste in the book, and that is an option for this recipe, but I didn't include that in this post since I used store-bought. I followed this recipe close to exact... but didn't count out the cloves of garlic and our amount of baby corn was less.

My apologies for taking so long to post this!

[Susan in FL]

I just finished reading this entire thread (it's my day off  ) and I have to say this: I have never really liked Thai food... When I've had it in restaurants, I was usually disappointed, and when I attempted making it at home, it seemed so much hassle.  Now I'm thinking maybe I ate in the wrong restaurants.. and maybe my cooking skills have improved to the point where I'm confident enough to tackle this.

All your descriptions, pictures and enhousiasm have inspired me to give this cuisine another try! This weekend I have to go and cook a lamb curry (also thanks to EGullet  ) but next week, definitely some Thai on the menu.

I love EGullet!

(end of rambling)

←

Chufi, I'm glad you joined in. eGullet certainly opened my eyes about Thai, starting with larb. Back in the pre-eG era, I didn't think I would like Thai because Uninformed Me thought everything had coconut in it and/or was too hot. Obviously I know differently now and I'm hooked.

Chufi, one of the things I notice about most Thai restaurants is they all have the same limited repertoire of dishes, and there is so much more to Thai than what you see on their menus.

←

My preconceived notion of Thai back when I was ignorant of it even kept me out of Thai restaurants. But limitied repertoire is what I'm seeing now.

There are plenty of "curries" that don't involve coconut, jungle curry for one, and southern curries like gaeng tai plaa.

←

The recipes I've seen for jungle curries look real good to me! I am going to continue to try to acquire a taste for it. I don't like to not like something, and from the slow pace I'm taking, so far so good.

How does everyone else handle rice noodles?  Susan?

←

If I'm not mistaken, I have made a dish with rice noodles in it only once. I followed the soaking directions and the recipe directions, but did have to hurry and also add some extra liquid (whatever it was, I can't remember right now) to keep it from sticking or gumming up.

...Kasma's site, and I came across her method for steaming Jasmine rice, so I decided to go down the entree route and try her method out (I've never liked my simple method much, and I've never met a rice cooker I really liked).

The result was fabulous.  I can't believe how incredibly well the rice turned out -- I will never, ever cook rice another way unless I have a seriously good reason to believe it will compare.  I was shocked; it tasted like rice at some of the best meals in my memory.

←

I read that and was interested in trying her method for Jasmine rice. I have been using the Hot Sour Salty Sweet method. I think I was especially thick-headed when I was reading it. Do I understand correctly that a bowl sits in the steaming section of a steamer and in that bowl is the rice AND hot water? With her emphasis on not boiling the rice, it threw me that the rice would be cooking in water.

←

Whoa, this browser window has been open for weeks, apparently... I had this typed out:

Yes, that's how I understood it. The water poured over the rice is not actually boiling, it's about as hot as you would have water prepared for, say, black tea.

←

Thanks for getting back to us on that! As you can see, I'm saved by the better late than never philosophy.

[Raoul Duke]

Snowangel the method I've used is to soak the rice noodles in cold water for 2 hours, drain and cover with a wet towel to retain the moisture, until used. this comes from a book I purchased 15+ years ago, "Thai Cookbook" by Pojanee Vatanapan.

[bilrus]

Tonight I made Tom Yam Kung (Thai Lemongrass soup with shrimp) and summer rolls with shrimp. Dipping sauces were store-bought peanut and sweet chili. (Besides I wanted the chance to use my cool little two sided dipping bowls).

I'm not quite a master at rolling with the rice paper and the broth was a little cloudy, but both tasted just right.

[Susan in FL]

Bill, it looks good, and I love those dipping bowls! ..."Double Dipping" bowls!

Is there an official difference between spring and summer rolls?

[snowangel]

Bill, it looks good, and I love those dipping bowls!  ..."Double Dipping" bowls! 

Is there an official difference between spring and summer rolls?

←

Yes, Bill's dipping bowls are wonderful.

Spring and summer rolls. In my experience, spring rolls can be either of two things -- the ones we are referring to as summer rolls or a fried one. In Thailand, a spring roll is made with a square paper, most often it is not a noodley paper like an egg roll, but rather it's like a crepe. I buy them frozen at the Asian market, and they make for a much more delicate, flakey roll when they are fried.

I've never seen summer rolls that are made out of anything but those round rice paper sheets.

[bilrus]

Bill, it looks good, and I love those dipping bowls!  ..."Double Dipping" bowls! 

Is there an official difference between spring and summer rolls?

←

In my experience, spring rolls can be either of two things -- the ones we are referring to as summer rolls or a fried one.

←

That's the main differentiation I've seen. Spring rolls I've seen in restaurants (and in a Thai cooking class I took) are fried - more like an egg roll - but using the rice paper, rather than a wonton. Summer rolls use just the soaked rice paper. Good in their own way, but much healthier.

[ScorchedPalate]

Last night, a bunch of Seattle friends -- a number of whom happen to be active on this thread -- got together and cooked up a Thai potluck deluxe!

Here was the menu:

- ginger-ini cocktails, made by Dayne

- papaya salad (som dtam), made by Reese [ReeseK] and Rob

- hot-and-sour prawn soup (dtom yum gkoong), made by Wendy [Little Ms Foodie] and Dayne

- beef massaman curry (gaeng massaman nuea), made by Matthew [Mamster] and Laurie [LaurieA-B]

- stir-fried beans with tofu (pad prik khing taohu), made by Reese and Rob

- crab-and-fish curry custard steamed in banana leaf (hor mok buu bplah), made by yours truly

- whole fried fish (bplah rad prik), made by Cameron [seaCrotty]

- grilled pineapple with rum caramel and vanilla ice cream made by Judy [HeyJude] and Richard

My camera was out of commission, so I used my cellphone to take a few snaps: Ofoto album (Click on the image to bypass the login.) The photos are a little fuzzy, but hopefully you can get the gist. There's also something wrong with Ofoto's thumbnails, but once you're either in the slideshow or browsing the album, you should be able to see all of the pix...

It was a great chance to try new recipes and to make all those things that are too much trouble for just 2 people to eat. We had a blast, and everything was delicious.

~Anita

Edited March 7, 2005 by ScorchedPalate (log)

[patti]

Wow, what a nice variety of beautiful looking food. Thanks for showing them off!

[little ms foodie]

It was a great feast and such a nice way to try different things. Also a good way to get feedback from those with more Thai cooking experience. We have a much better idea of how the hot, sweet, sour, salty balance should be.

Edited March 7, 2005 by little ms foodie (log)