Thai Food by SheSimmers

Pan-Fried Chive Cakes (ขนมกุยช่ายแบบสี่เหลี่ยม)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:44:00 PDT

One of the most commonly seen street food items in Bangkok is these chive cakes. As opposed to their (almost always) round, filled cousins that are sold in both steamed and steamed-then-pan-fried forms, these square chive cakes are always pan-fried until the exteriors are crispy. Both varieties are often found right next to one another. They're also served with the same spicy, sweet and sour dipping soy sauce. My favorite kind of Chinese chive cakes is the round, filled kind. I also like...

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Chinese Green Onion Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:41:00 PDT

It's a well-known fact among food blog consumers that if you want to learn how to make simple Asian, primarily Chinese, dishes, Rasa Malaysia is a go-to place. Back in 2006 when there weren't as many food blogs as there are now, Bee Yinn Low started her blog as a way of chronicling her attempts to replicate the dishes from her hometown of Penang, Malaysia. The site has grown in leaps and bounds for the past six years, gathering tons of fans, and resulting in Bee's first cookbook, Easy Chinese...

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Pad Ka-Prao (ผัดกะเพรา)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:30:00 PDT

While Pad Thai or Tom Kha Gai, in my opinion, deserve a somewhat extensive tutorial, there really isn't much to say about Pad Ka-Prao (official transliteration: phat kaphrao). It's a dish that doesn't require many ingredients or demand the kind of skill that takes years to develop. And if this dish could talk, the only thing it would beg of you is that you use the ingredient without which it cannot be what it is: holy basil (Bai Ka-Prao ใบกะเพรา).[1] Holy Basil (Bai Ka-Prao ใบกะเพรา) -...

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Baked Pork Tenderloins with Gravy, Coconut Rice, and Carrot Som Tam

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:53:00 PDT

Fragrant coconut rice, spicy carrot salad, and this saucy baked pork form one of my favorite meal ensembles. The idea of making three different dishes in order to create this one coordinated meal may seem daunting, but these three components go so well together that, as tempted as I am to tell you that you don't need to serve all of them together in this manner, I'm going to encourage you to give this combo a try. I may fail as a writer in not being able to convince you with anything more...

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Slow Cooker Beef Curry Noodles

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:42:00 PDT

The fact that I’ve been happily making this beef curry noodle dish the same way for years would lead one to think that it would have been one of the first recipes to be published here. I’m sorry I’d hidden this from you for three years, but it’s only because I was afraid you cool kids would make fun of me. First of all, it’s made in a slow cooker, not a much more sophisticated pressure cooker or a Thomas Keller-approved sous vide machine. Then we also have the issue of namelessness: this dish...

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Hydrated Lemon Basil Seeds in Thai Desserts (เมล็ดแมงลัก)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:17:00 PDT

After having lent its irreplaceable fragrance to many pots of Kaeng Liang, last year's crop of lemon basil (maeng lak) left me with these. If I was in a more philosophical mood, I would have written something boring about my plan to plant another crop this year with these seeds and how that reminds me of how the death of something must take place in order to make a rebirth possible and all that. But since I'm not in a philosophical mood, I'm going to be writing something boring about how the...

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Nam Prik Pao Fried Rice with Shrimp and Pineapple (ข้าวผัดน้ำพริกเผาใส่กุ้งกับสับปะรด)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:57:00 PDT

Last week, in the course of interviewing my friend M, who devised this fried rice recipe, I came to realize that, based on the way he was answering my questions, I probably wouldn’t be able to get anything bloggable out of this. But it was too late. The blog post had already been planned, the dish had already been made and photographed, the conversation had already started, and I had imposed upon myself the obligation to see it through and make the most of what I got. After all, a famous...

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Panko-Crusted Fried Baby Bananas (กล้วยไข่ชุบเกล็ดขนมปังทอด), Thai New Year, Songkran Goddess

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 05:46:00 PDT

What did you do in the last few hours? Me? I woke up and found myself on a bed which happened to be the very same one into which I crawled last night. At one point, I felt a slight itch on my back. So I reached out my hand and scratched it thereby relieving the itch. With the itch having been sufficiently alleviated, I ceased scratching and continued to lie in bed some more. Then I noticed that the light in the closet was on, so I remedied the situation by getting up and flipping the switch to...

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Green Papaya Pad Thai (ผัดไทยเส้นมะละกอ)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:34:00 PDT

Pad Thai made with green papaya strands in lieu of rice noodles has been around for a while; I have just recently come to appreciate it. For me, the turn around point was when I ceased seeing green papaya in this context as a low-carb, low-calorie, grain-free noodle substitute and came to acknowledge it as an ingredient that tastes great on its own merit in this newer version of Pad Thai. I would be stating the obvious in saying that green papaya doesn't taste anything like rice noodles;...

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Mango & Rice Tart from The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 05:05:00 PDT

I don't write posts in which I adapt a recipe from a cookbook very often. And when I do, it's because the recipe is so great that I have to share with you all lest, to use a Thai expression, I die from my chest bursting open (อกแตกตาย). Hyperbole aside, this mango and rice tart recipe from The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri, arguably one of America's most respected baking authorities, has been made several times in my kitchen. The recipe is absolutely perfect and, with such thorough and precise...

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Lao Stuffed Lemongrass (Ua Si Khai)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:46:00 PDT

I'd been meaning to educate myself more seriously on the cuisine of Laos since I started blogging a little over three years ago. And the book, Traditional Recipes of Laos, which is a compilation of handwritten recipes by Phia Sing Chaloensilp (circa 1898-1967), a former chef at the royal palace of Luang Prabang, had been on my wish list for a long time. Then I recently found out that while I'd been allowing things to get in the way of me buying and cooking from the book, a publisher in Thailand...

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Khanom Bua Loi (ขนมบัวลอย) - Thai Glutinous Rice Dumplings in Sweet Coconut Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:09:00 PDT

Nothing to it, said Mom. Just like play dough. Make little balls. Like this. Yes. Good girl. And drop them into the pot very gently. They're like little pearls, said I. White lotus, said she. Bua loi -- floating lotus. But, Mom, the water in a lotus pond is clear not milky, said I. She paused. Isn't it prettier, though -- white on white? Yes, Mom. It is. Very pretty. Then she started singing a song about white lotus in a pond, Bua Khao (บัวขาว). Her voice, just like Grandma's, was exquisite....

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Thai-Muslim Beef Soup (ซุปเนื้ออิสลาม)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:30:00 PDT

It doesn't happen very often that you get to enjoy regional Thai dishes in a Thai restaurant outside Thailand. Rarer still? Dishes that are tied not so much to a geographical location but a sub-group in the Thai society. Thai-Muslim oxtail soup is one of those dishes you don't normally get at a Thai restaurant overseas. All the more reason to make it yourself. This soup, as served in Thailand, is redolent of dried spices associated with Middle Eastern or South Asian cuisine while boasting the...

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Good Eats in Historic Bang Rak, Bangkok

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 01:46:00 PST

In case you haven't noticed, there hasn't been much cooking going on here lately. This is because I've been on the road constantly over the past two months. And, to be honest, when you travel this much, it's not as fun as it may seem. A nomadic lifestyle has never bothered me; that part isn't a problem. It's having no access to a kitchen that gets old really fast. The glass-half-full people in my life have tried to point out the benefits of not cooking which is not having to do dishes. But...

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Baked Orzo-Mascarpone Soufflé: A Spin-Off of Thai-Style Baked Rice Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:45:00 PST

The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board has recently asked me to develop another mac 'n cheese recipe in addition to the kugel-like Spiced Apple Macaroni and Cheese and Caramelized Onion Pasta Gratin aka French Onion Soup Macaroni and Cheese which I had made for them in the past two years. Suddenly, my mind went straight to my mother's impromptu Thai-style baked rice pudding that combines sweet coconut sticky rice (the kind you eat with ripe mangoes) and Thai coconut custard (sangkhaya). 'What if we...

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Creamy Tom Yam Kung (Tom Yam Kung Nam Khon ต้มยำกุ้งน้ำข้น)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:06:00 PST

After I'd made a passing reference to creamy Tom Yam Kung earlier, people have been asking me to talk more about this newer variation of Tom Yam which has taken Bangkok by storm in the last several years. Purists, as you may have guessed, are less than thrilled about it. (Dairy in a traditional savory Thai dish = anathema.) The late former prime minister of Thailand, Samak Sundaravej, recounted the time when he visited the kitchen of "a certain famous hotel by the Chao Phraya river" some...

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Young Green Peppercorns (Prik Thai On พริกไทยอ่อน)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:44:00 PST

One of the ingredients which I miss the most when living away from Thailand is fresh young green peppercorns. I also miss young tamarind leaves, water mimosa, lotus stems, and a few edible flowers. But at the top of the list is these little berries. Referred to as Prik Thai (literally "Thai pepper" or even "Thai chili") as a way of differentiating it from the other kinds of pepper/chili that were not part of our cuisine until the arrival of European visitors, this type of pepper has been part...

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Durian Yogurt Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:20:00 PST

Have you had durian? No, not a durian smoothie or durian ice cream. Not previously-frozen-then-thawed-out-to-make-you-think-it's-fresh durian from your local grocery store in the US either. I mean real durian -- fresh as nature means it to be. Anything but raw, fresh, never-been-frozen durian should never be considered a true representative of the king of fruits, if you ask me. I believe it’s the tasteless, mushy, previously-frozen durian that is largely responsible for turning off many who...

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Ganda in Thai Town, Los Angeles, and Its Thai Spicy Crispy Catfish (ผัดเผ็ดปลาดุกทอดกรอบ)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:30:00 PST

The dish as served at Ganda “Let’s just get right to it,” writes James Oseland. “Ganda, a restaurant in the heart of Hollywood's Thai Town, serves the most authentic Thai food in America.” Coming from someone else, this bold declaration would probably cause any Thai – and I mean those weaned on rice and nam prik – to cock their head to one side and squint while inevitably and involuntarily entering the initial stage of knee-jerk skepticism. But it so happens that this comes from someone who...

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My Favorite Food Items of 2011 from A to Z and Giveaways

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:46:00 PST

The following is the list of my favorite food items of 2011 -- from A to Z. There are a few giveaways at the end of the post. Thank you for hanging out here with me this past year. Happy New Year, everyone! A: Apples Growing up in a place where apples are imported, heavily waxed, and irradiated, I've never for a moment taken for granted the superior apples that are available every autumn in my host country. I've recently used apples in some classic Thai dishes that normally require...

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Bûche de Noël with Eggnog Ice Cream Cake, Chocolate Streusel, and Butterscotch Sauce by Pastry Chef Patrick Fahy

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:53:00 PST

The day I met Pastry Chef Patrick Fahy, I was allowed to have much more fun than I deserved. We spent an afternoon making beet ice cream. He also let me wander around the kitchen playing with things I wasn’t supposed to, and answered many questions, including dumb ones. He even let me capture with my crummy point-n-shoot camera an impromptu demo on how to form an ice cream quenelle. It’s been two years since then, and much has changed. Back then, Fahy had just finished a year-long stint at...

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Thai Tea Fudge

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 19:57:00 PST

You know how when you're really smitten with someone, you can't hide it from your friends even though you want to, because they see right through how you stammer like a fool when talking about that person, right? Well, this, er, Thai tea fudge, is, um, like, good, like, really, really good -- like the actual tea with condensed milk, except it isn't, you know, liquid and it, well, doesn't come with ice. What I'm, uh, trying to say, is, if you love Thai tea, you'll love this. And, yeah, please...

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Pad Thai Recipe (ผัดไทย) - Part Five: Making Pad Thai

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:00:00 PST

In order for this final post in the Pad Thai recipe series to make sense (or become clear as to why it is sketchy or seems to leave out important details), it is assumed that all of the earlier posts have been read in their entirety. Therefore, if you have not done so, may I please invite you to visit the following posts before continuing? Pad Thai Recipe Part One: The Pan - In this post, I discuss the importance of choosing the right type and size of Pad Thai pan to create the closest replica...

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Pad Thai Recipe (ผัดไทย) - Part Four: Pad Thai Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:20:00 PST

In this good news-bad news scenario, I've already given you the bad news in Pad Thai Recipe - Part Two in which I opine that it's not the way Pad Thai is seasoned that makes or breaks it; it is how well or how badly the noodles are cooked. And what makes this bad news is that getting the noodles right happens to be the hardest part about Pad Thai. There are too many variables and too many scenarios generated by the combinations of these variables. The key – and this will be addressed more...

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Steamed Pumpkin Cake in the Style of Thai Khanom Tan (ขนมตาล)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:50:00 PST

In the midst of all the uncertainties in my childhood, there was one thing I was sure of: every Saturday at 10:00 am, on the dot, our doorbell would ring. And, unfailingly, the opened front gate would reveal a tiny old lady hawker, Pa ("Auntie") On, who always had on her face a huge grin that unveiled betel-stained teeth speckled with gold fillings and on her shoulder a bamboo stick on which two baskets full of traditional Thai desserts hung.[1] With its inhabitants always fully committed to...

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