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Bring some color and spice into your life with these healthy Thai recipes!

Recipes written by Laurel

 

 

Thai Pantry

 

If you have some or all of these things on hand, Thai-style cooking becomes really easy:

 

Fish sauce

Coconut milk

Curry paste

Limes

Fresh kaffir lime leaves

Fresh galangal root

Fresh lemongrass

Fresh mint

Thai basil

Chili garlic sauce

Cilantro

Shallots

Garlic

Quality bamboo shoots

Mung or soybean sprouts

Peanuts

Rice or mung bean noodles

“Rice wrappers” (for spring rolls)

Sweeteners

Variety of fresh vegetables

 

Utensils:

 

bulletLarge mortar and pestle
bulletSticky rice steaming and storage baskets
bulletHeavy saucepan, large sauté pan and/or wok
bulletTongs or chopsticks

 

The specialty items listed above can be purchased at:

 

Asian Midway Foods

301 S. Park Street

 

 

Oriental Foods Mart

1206 S. Park Street

 

Lee’s Oriental

3240 University Ave

 

Garden Asian Market

6136 University Ave

Vegetarian Spring Rolls

 

Ingredients:

Rice wrappers

Napa or green cabbage

Leaf lettuce or bok choy

Mung bean sprouts

Tofu – fried and/or marinated and baked

Chopped peanuts

Toasted white and black sesame seeds

Fresh mint, basil, cilantro (one or all)

Carrot

Green onion

Seasoned rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar with sweetener and salt added

 

Optional/Creative Ingredients:

Mango

Pickled beet

Daikon radish

Burdock

 

Directions:

Finely slice cabbage, lettuce, onion and tofu and any optional ingredients. Separate each ingredient into a pile at your work area. Grate carrot and marinate briefly in vinegar. Pick leaves of herbs off and make a small pile. Working with one at a time place rice wrapper on a plate full of water and submerge. Let rice wrapper soften until it is clear and soft. Place a combination of ingredients in center of softened wrapper and roll up. Serve with sweet and sour sauce or a mixture of lime juice, chili sauce and fish sauce.

Tom Yum Pack

Sour/Spicy Vegetable Soup

 

Ingredients:

5 cups water or unsalted vegetable stock

5 fresh kaffir lime leaves

2 3-4 inch lengths of fresh lemongrass, from base of plant

3 large slabs (more than bite size) fresh galangal root

2+ Tbsp. chili paste

1 Tbsp. sugar or other sweetener

3 Tbsp. fish sauce

¾ cup good quality bamboo shoots

¾ cup shitake, oyster or other mushrooms (not canned)

½ cup fried or fresh tofu

½ lime juiced

Dash of mild tasting oil

 

Optional Ingredients:

Other chopped vegetables, such as kale carrots, cabbage, etc.

 

Directions:

Heat water to a strong simmer. Add lime leaves, galangal and lemongrass. Gently simmer about 5 minutes. Add chili paste, sugar and fish sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Add all vegetables and tofu. Simmer until mushrooms are cooked. Add lime juice and oil and taste for flavor. Adjust if necessary before serving.

Som Tum and Kao Neow

Green Papaya Salad and Sticky Rice

The National Dish of Northeastern Thailand and Laos

 

Ingredients:

1 large papaya peeled and grated

1 carrot grated

½ cup long beans or green beans, cut into one-inch lengths

½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cloves garlic

2+ Thai chilies, fresh

2-3 Tbsp. fish sauce

Juice of one lime

1 tsp. Sugar

 

Optional:

Chopped peanuts for topping/garnish

 

Directions:

Place beans, grated papaya and carrot into a large bowl. Squirt on a little lime juice. Pulverize garlic and chili in mortar and pestle – be careful of eyes! Add 1 Tbsp. fish sauce to spice mixture and combine. The mixture should have a paste-like consistency. Place 1 or 2 handfuls of vegetable mixture into mortar and pestle. Pound together with chili/garlic until everything is combined. Carefully scrape the spice mixture into large bowl with remaining vegetables. Add sugar, lime and remaining fish sauce. Mix well. Add tomatoes and mix gently. Taste for seasonings, adjust if desired and serve. On its own, this mixture is spicy. With sticky rice, it is less spicy.

 

Garnish with peanuts and add a bit more sugar if desired, making it “Bangkok Style.”

 

Sticky Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups “sweet” or “glutinous” long grain rice

 

Directions:

Soak rice in enough water to completely cover for one to eight hours. Drain by pouring into a basket. Steam over boiling water for about 20 minutes. Turn rice out onto a large plate to cool. When cool, put rice into a large basket or plastic bag.

Pad Thai

 

Ingredients:

½ lb. Rice stick (usually half a bag)

2+ Tbsp. mild-tasting oil

1 grated carrot and/or any other colorful, julienned vegetables such as red pepper, green beans, bok choy, and pea pods

1 egg (optional)

2 green onions, juienned

½ baked or fried (not fresh) tofu, julienned

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½ cup water, with juice of ½ lime added

1 Tbsp. sugar

2+ Tbsp. fish sauce

1+ Tbsp. chili paste or curry paste for variation

 

Optional Toppings:

Chopped peanuts

Fried shallots

 

Garnish:

Fresh mung bean sprouts

Cilantro

Thai basil

Lime wedges

 

Directions:

Soak noodles in very hot water (i.e. hottest tap water) until opaque and pliable. Prepare vegetable and tofu in the manner listed; set aside. Scramble egg, cook, break up into small chunks and set aside. In a large sauté pan, cook chopped garlic in oil. Add carrot and other vegetables (except green onion), sauté briefly. Drain noodles and ad to sauté. Add water and lime juice mixture and over medium heat mix consistently and constantly until all noodles are equally flaccid but not mushy. Mix in tofu, egg and green onion. Taste for texture: if tough, add more water; if mushy, get them off the heat right away.  Top with chopped peanuts or fried shallot. Serve Pad Thai on a plate next to fresh, rinsed mung bean sprouts, lime wedges, cilantro and Thai basil. As a variation, the bean sprouts and Thai basil can be cooked directly into the noodles. Provide chili sauce (Thai ketchup) and fish sauce on the side.