I am always in the mood for Thai food.  Edmonton has a number of very good Thai places to choose from, and I have two or three in particular that I would never turn down an invite to.  But, as I’ve had the pleasure of preparing and tasting some Thai recipes made on a home stove, I thought that I would try to make one of my favourites rather than try to rustle someone up for a dinner out.  And it’s much more budget friendly.

Like Sugar, I’m a big fan of green curries.  A green curry with chicken is a standard for me when eating out.  The other one is basil chicken.  The flavour is not as complex or as rich as a curry, but the spice of the chilies and the sweetness of the basil is a winning combination.  Add an appetizer and some steamed rice, and Cream is in Thai heaven.

Essentially just a stir fry, there’s not a lot to fret about regarding ingredients or technique when making basil chicken.  Googling a recipe results in the Thai names of Gai Pad Krapow or Pad Krapow Gai.  Both paths will end in deliciousness I think.  As I waded through results, I found that a more authentic recipe calls for holy basil, which is apparently hard to find.  The real deal is not made with the expected purple-stemmed Thai basil.  A few sites recommended using a mix of mint and Thai basil as a substitution.  So, I did just that. 

It’s not a dish with many vegetables, but as the restaurant versions I prefer always have bell peppers, I required one of those, and I added green beans for good measure.  It also seems to be more authentic to use ground chicken.  The reason for this being that more surface area of the chicken gets hit with the few but strong flavours.  So, if you’re using breast (like me), make sure to dice it quite small.

The aromas that fill the house when the ingredients hit the hot pan are intoxicating.  Add the perfume of a pot of jasmine rice and the sun of a long Alberta day, and Thai heaven is in fact your own home.

Thai Basil Chicken

Makes enough for two.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2-5 chilies, finely chopped (I used 3 small Thai red chilies and the heat was a tolerable medium)

2 shallots, finely sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

About 2 handfuls of green beans, trimmed and chopped to about 1.5 inches in length

1 red pepper, sliced

2 chicken breasts, diced

2.5 tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

About 1 cup Thai basil leaves

About 0.5 cup mint leaves

1 lime

Cooked jasmine rice

1.  Heat oil over high heat in wok or frying pan.  When the oil starts to smoke, add the chilies, shallots, and garlic and stir fry for about 30 seconds, until golden.

2.  Add the beans and red pepper and fry until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes.

3.  Add the chicken and stir fry until cooked, about 5 minutes, depending on size of dice.

4.  Add the fish sauce and sugar, stir to coat.

5.  Reduce heat to medium and add the herbs.  Stir fry until wilted.  Remove from heat.

Serve with lime wedges and atop jasmine rice.

There are certain cuisines that dazzle me. Now I fancy myself quite confident in the kitchen where most things are concerned, however, there are whole realms of ingredients that I avoid like the plague. These mysterious goodies, when combined by an expert, are some of my favorites. I can eat good Italian food, break it down, experiment, and recreate….and then there’s Thai food. Its salty, sweet, fresh, crisp, rich, light, fresh herb, perfect noodle, spicy perfection had remained mostly a mystery to me, so upon deciding to take my first NAIT Culinary Institute Cooking Class, I determined that unraveling the mystery would be my first adventure.

I admit that I went in with certain trepidation about the risk of cooking watered down “Thai-ish” food. I was pleasantly surprised and have since recreated these dishes at home, and with friends, to rave reviews. Delicate and perfectly fresh salad rolls with mango and prawns, succulent satay, Thai curries, and of course the obligatory full fat coconut rice. Not only were recipes revealed, but more importantly, the mysterious ingredients and where to buy them unfolded. Suddenly the shelves at the always incredible T&T Supermarket were filled opportunity instead of question marks.

Here are my versions of two dishes that are now kitchen staples with tips on brands to seek out on your next T&T outing…

Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

1 kg or boneless skinless chicken breast

Marinade:

2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp canola oil

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp fish sauce (squid brand is recommended)

6 Tbsp coconut milk

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

3 cloves of crushed garlic

bamboo skewers

Cube chicken breast into 1″ pieces and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, and then add all liquid ingredients. Toss chicken in marinade and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.

Soak skewers in hot water for 20 minutes to prevent burning. Preheat BBQ to Medium-High and oven to 350° . Thread chicken onto skewers and spray lightly with oil. Grill on an angle to get nice grill marks until golden. Finish in the oven to retain grill marks, but prevent drying (5-10 more minutes).

Serve with Warm Peanut Sauce and Lime Wedges.

Peanut Sauce:

1/4 cup finely diced onion

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp butter

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp sambal olek (chili garlic sauce)

30 ml coconut syrup (creme de coco)

In a small sauce pan, saute garlic and onions in butter until translucent. Add peanut butter, cream and sambal olek and mix well. Slowly bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Add coconut syrup and cook 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat and keep warm until ready to serve.

Green Thai Curry with Prawns

1 pound large prawns

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp green curry paste (Mae Ploy brand is recommended)

1/2 tsp sugar

2 lemon grass stalks

2 red chilies cut into thin strips

1/2 onion coarsely chopped

2 carrots peeled and sliced on the diagonal

1 zucchini cut in half length wise, cored, sliced

1 cup fresh asparagus cut into 2″ pieces

1/4 bunch of cilantro

6 limes wedges

1 package of rice stick noodles (steamed, rinsed and set aside)

Peel and devein prawns and set aside. Bruise lemon grass stalks by bashing with the blunt edge of a knife to release fragrance and chop coarsely.

Place half of coconut milk in a pan and bring to a boil. Add curry paste and lemon grass. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sugar, remaining coconut milk, and whipping cream. Simmer 5 minutes longer. With a fine sieve, strain mixture to remove lemongrass. Reserve.

In a wok or pan, heat oil and saute onion, carrot, zucchini, and asparagus until tender. Add prawns and saute an additional minute. Add reserved green curry sauce and simmer until prawns are cooked through.

Toss with noodles or serve over rice. Garnish with red chilies, cilantro, and lime wedges.