Family Style: "Our" First Thai Feast with Friends

Last night I dusted off my woks and fired up the stove to successfully stuff my friends with yummy Thai food. The recipes for the dishes that were served (the modifications are included - i.e. use of Anaheim peppers instead of Thai chilis and omission of Fructose from the stir fries).

NOTE: Snapshots were taken with my iPhone and then combined using Photoshop.

Menu

• First Course: Yum Neur (Spicy Beef)
• Second Course: Tom Yum Goong
• Curry Course: Green Curry with Chicken and Eggplant
• Stir Fry Courses:
  • Pad Plik King with Chicken
  • Jumping Shrimp (Tom Yum-themed signature dish of Ped’s LemonGrass Grill)
  
  
• Wine Pairing: 2006 Conundrum

Recipes (in alphabetical order)

Green Curry with Chicken and Eggplant

Serves 2
Prep Time: 5 to 7 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 14 oz coconut milk
• 1/4 c fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp Fructose
• 2 - 3 Tbsp Thai green curry paste
• 4 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced
• 1 Japanese eggplant, sliced in rounds
• 5 - 8 Basil leaves

Instructions:

1. In a pan, mix coconut milk, fish sauce, and Fructose.
   
2. When the fructose is dissolved add the curry paste.
3. When sauces are blended and the coconut milk begins to slow boil, add the chicken.
   NOTE: Be careful not to let the coconut milk or curry boil for too long as the coconut milk will curdle.
4. Reduce heat to a slow simmer, with the pot covered for about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. When you can smell the chicken, add the eggplant.
6. When the eggplant is tender, add the basil leaves.
7. Serve immediately with steamed white rice or fried rice.

Pad Plik King

Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 to 7 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 4 oz. French green beans
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce (Note: vegetarians can substitute thin soy sauce)
• 1 tsp Golden Mountain Thai soy sauce
• 4 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced
• 1 oz. red bell pepper, strips
• 2 Kaffir lime leaves, fine julienne or 2 tsp fresh lime zest
• 2 oz pickled ginger strips
• (Optional) 2 Tbsp chicken stock (Note: vegetarians can substitute vegetable broth

Instructions:

1. In a pan or wok, heat the oil.
2. Add the curry paste and garlic.
3. When you can smell the curry, add French green beans and sirloin.
4. In the center of the wok, blend fish sauce, and Golden Mountain Thai soy sauce.
5. When sauces are blended, mix with the curry paste, garlic, and French green beans.
6. When the French green beans are slightly tender, add the chicken.
7. When you can smell the chicken, add the red bell pepper.
8. When the red bell pepper is tender, add the ginger, and kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest).
9. If stir fry is dry, add chicken stock and mix thoroughly.
10. Serve immediately with steamed white rice or fried rice.

Jumping Shrimp

Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 to 7 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 Tbsp Tom Yum chili paste
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh Anaheim pepper, minced
• 10 - 15 tail-on shrimp
• 1 1/3 Tbsp fish sauce (Note: vegetarians can substitute thin soy sauce)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 3 tsp lemongrass, chopped
• 2 Kaffir lime leaves, fine julienne or 2 tsp fresh lime zest
• 2 slices galanga (optional)
• 1/2 cup zucchini, sliced
• 1/2 cup carrots, sliced
• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced

Instructions:

1. In a pan or wok, heat the oil.
2. Add the Tom Yum chili paste, garlic, and Thai chili.
3. When you can smell the chili, in the center of the wok, blend chicken stock, fish sauce, and lime juice.
4. When the sauces are blended, add lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest), and galanga.
5. Add carrots.
6. When carrots are slightly tender, add zucchini.
7. When zucchini is tender, add pre-cooked shrimp and green onions.
8. When shrimp is cooked (or heated throughout if using precooked shrimp), stir fry is ready to serve.

Tom Yum Goong

Serves 10
Prep Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 to 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock (Note: vegetarians can substitute vegetable broth)
• 2 stalks lemongrass, sliced (optional)
• 4 - 5 slices galanga (optional)
• 4 - 5 Kaffir lime leaves
• 2 - 4 Tbsp Tom Yum chili paste
• 1/3 cup fish sauce (Note: vegetarians can substitute thin soy sauce)
• 2-3 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 Tbsp Fructose
• 2 medium onions, sliced, about 1 cup
• 10 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 16-24 pieces shrimp, 3 to 4 pieces per person
• 2 medium tomatoes sliced, about 16 slices
• Cilantro for garnish (optional)

Note: If you’re planning on freezing the entire recipe, you’ll need two quart containers as well as 1 pint container.

Instructions:

1. Bring chicken stock with lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves, and galanga to a boil.
2. Add Tom Yum paste, fish sauce, lime juice, and Fructose to soup stock.
   • NOTE: To make a spicier soup, add more Tom Yum chili paste. You can start with 1 Tbsp and add another later when you add the tomatoes.
   • NOTE: If making the night before (or if you’re planning on freezing part of the soup), start with 1 Tbsp Tom Yum chili paste and add the rest to taste when you reheat.
3. Bring back to a boil.
4. Add onions.
5. (Optional) If making the night before, when onions are almost translucent (tender) pull from the stove and refrigerate (or alternately freeze).
6. When onions are almost tender, add mushrooms.
7. When onions and mushrooms are tender, add shrimp and tomatoes.
8. (Optional) If you feel the soup lacks spice, add additional Tom Yum chili paste.
9. When shrimp are cooked (or heated throughout if using precooked shrimp), soup is ready to serve.
10. Garnish individual servings with cilantro.

Yum Neur (Thai Spicy Beef Salad)

Serves 6 when served as an appetizer, 2 when served as an entrée.
Prep Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 to 9 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp Fructose
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp mushroom sauce
• 1 Tbsp Golden Mountain Thai soy sauce
• 10 oz. ribeye steak or filet mignon, 3/4 to an inch thick
• 1/4 tsp fresh garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp Anaheim pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 4 oz. green onion, sliced
• 1 tsp lemongrass, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/4 cup tomato, chunky sliced
• 1/4 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
• 4 cups mixed greens

Note: You can prepare the salad dressing ingredients the night before. Just place the garlic, Anaheim pepper, fish sauce, and green onion in one container and the lemongrass, lime juice, tomato and cucumber in another container, otherwise the first set of ingredients will overpower the mint and citrus flavors.

Instructions:

1. Place oil, garlic powder, Fructose, salt, mushroom sauce, and Golden Mountain Thai soy sauce in a pie plate.
2. 
   
3. Fork surface of steaks.
4. Turn steaks until well coated with marinade.
5. Refrigerate overnight. NOTE: If in a hurry, marinade the steak for at least 1/2 hour.
6. Preheat your broiler pan. The hot pan will help you get good searing on the surface of the steak.
7. Place the steak on the broiler pan and put the pan in the oven. To keep your broiler burning, prop open the door. This allows heat to escape and will keep the oven from reaching its highest temperature. This will keep foods from baking and it keeps the burner burning.
8. Brush marinade on the top of the steak.
9. After 4 minutes flip it the steaks so that they cook evenly.
10. Brush marinade on the top of the steak.
11. After another 3 to 4 minutes, check the steak for doneness and pull from the oven. For a 3/4 to an inch thick steak, the meat should be medium rare.
12. Let the steak cool slightly.
13. Slice steak across grain into 1/4-inch pieces.
14. Mix meat, meat juice from the broiler pan, with garlic, Thai chili, fish sauce, green onion, and cilantro.
15. Mix lemongrass, lime juice, tomato, and cucumber until homogeneous.
16. To serve, place mixed greens on plate; add sliced steak; and top with dressing.

Equipment List

• 1 pie plate
• Rice cooker
• Chef’s knife
• Slicing knife
• Cleaver
• Sharpening Steel (a must have as the lemon grass dulls knife edges very quickly)
• Broiler Pan
• Stock pot
• Everyday pan or wok
• Chinese spatula (edge of spatula bowl is rounded to fit the shape of the wok)
• Ladle

Ingredient List

Pantry

• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Fructose
• Chicken stock
• Vegetable oil
• Fish sauce
• Mushroom sauce
• Golden Mountain Thai soy sauce (Note: Do not substitute Chinese soy sauce – the balance of sugar and salt is different.)
• Thai Panang curry paste
• Tom Yum chili paste
• Pickled ginger strips

Fruit, Vegetables, and Herbs

• Limes
• Mixed greens
• French green beans
• Red bell pepper
• Mushrooms
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Green onions
• Onions
• Garlic
• Galanga
• Anaheim peppers
• Lemongrass
• Kaffir lime leaves (or fresh lime zest)

Meat, Poultry, and Seafood

• Filet mignon or ribeye steak
• Chicken
• Shrimp