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Mar. 2011 - In this Issue: |
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A favorite dine-out cuisine, Thai food is within reach of any home cook with a little bit of culinary curiosity. A fusion of historical influences, Thai food is distinctive and rich in flavor by design. Balancing spicy, sweet, sour, salty and bitter harmoniously is a hallmark of Thai cuisine.
IN THIS ISSUE, we expand the Asian side of our kitchen with a try at Thai food using Quick & Easy Thai by Nancie McDermott as our guide. Key ingredients are explained, indispensable tools defined, and recipes shared. Like us, we think you’ll realize success the first time around.
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Plan some fun with a cooking class at Kitchen Window! We have an incredible line-up of topics, menus and instructors. With hundreds of choices, a Kitchen Window cooking class makes a great outing with friends and family, as well as a wonderful date night.
Planning Your Garden with Cooking In Mind - #110314A – Monday, March 14 -- 6:00 p.m.
St. Patrick's Day Dinner - #110316B – Wednesday, March 16 -- 6:00 p.m.
Creative Cake Decorating - #110319A – Saturday, March 19 -- 10:00 a.m.
Green Egg - Latin Grill - #110322A – Tuesday, March 22 -- 6:00 p.m.
Fundamentals of Soups and Stocks - #110324A – Thursday, March 24 -- 6:00 p.m.
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Featured Asian Cooking Tools |
The delicious tastes of Asian cuisines can also be yours at home. A few key tools will help your stir-fry sizzle, your rice steam, and your taste buds dance!
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Knife of the Month - March |
KNIFE OF THE MONTH
Wusthof 4.5" Utility Knife
The Wusthof Classic 4.5 inch Utility Knife is an excellent multipurpose addition to your cutlery collection. Use this knife to clean and peel fruits and veggies, mince herbs or slice shallots and garlic.
Classic 4.5" Utility Knife - Suggested Retail $75 THIS MONTH $49.99
Classic Ikon 4.5" Utility Knife - Suggested Retail $115 THIS MONTH $79.99
Price valid in-store only
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Free CurrySimple
Free CurrySimple Thai Curry Sauce or Soup ($7.99 value) with any purchase.
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{THIS COUPON IS VOID}
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Limit one coupon per customer number/Email Address and one per household.
Offer expires March 25, 2011
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PAHT THAI, (phat Thai, or Pad Thai), is where many of us begin our acquaintance with Thai food. Fettucine-like rice noodles are tossed and stir-fried with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, scallions, and simple sauce ingredients. All of the magic flavors that we’ve come to expect from Pad Thai are present in fresh abundance and topped with chopped peanuts and a lime wedge.
Recipes from Quick & Easy Thai, 70 Everyday Recipes by Nancie McDermott. Copyright © 2004. Reprinted by permission of Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.
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RICE NOODLES, sometimes called cellophane noodles because of their translucence, are similar to, yet quite different from, Italian pasta noodles. Rice noodles are made primarily from rice flour and water, and occasionally tapioca (a starchy root) and/or cornstarch. Rice noodles are easily available in different sizes: Thin noodle, (sen mee), is like angel-hair pasta, flat medium noodles, (sen lek), are fettucine-like, and wider noodles, (sen yai), are like a broad, flat noodle. To cook rice noodles, heat water to boiling, remove from heat, insert noodles and allow to stand in the hot water until just tender. This will vary from 1-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the noodle. |
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WOK TECHNIQUES - A wok is specially designed for high heat cooking. The bottom center of a wok is the perfect hot spot for adding each layer of the stir-fry. It’s design efficiently transfers heat from a relatively small source to a broad cooking surface. Start with a hot wok, and keep it hot while cooking. Avoid overloading the wok with food; this will allow foods to fry and not steam. |
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WOK UTENSILS are easy. Typically a wooden or bamboo spoon, or flat spatula is used for keeping everything moving in a wok. For Pad Thai or other noodle dishes, we find that a pair of tongs works best; they are able to lift, stir and turn without damaging the noodles. Tongs that have silicone tips will not scratch your wok and are comfortable in the higher temperatures of a wok. |
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FRESH IS BEST! With fresh ingredients as a key characteristic of Thai food, you’ll find vivid flavors, bright colors, and dazzling dishes. Fresh ingredients require minimal prep, which is made easy with good knives and a sturdy cutting board. When cooking Thai food, a quality chef’s knife is all you need for making chopping, slicing, and mincing a breeze. |
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PROPER KNIFE GRIP – Hold your chef’s knife for maximum control and maneuverability. |
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PLACE THUMB ON BLADE
JUST IN FRONT OF THE
KNIFE'S BOLSTER. |
PLACE INDEX FINGER ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
KNIFE'S BLADE.
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GRIP THE HANDLE
WITH THE REMAINING
THREE FINGERS.
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KEEP YOUR EDGE - Periodically have your knives sharpened professionally. With regular kitchen use, it’s normal that small irregularities develop on the edge of the knife’s blade. A regular renewal of your knives will keep them working at their best for you. |
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KEEP SEVERAL CUTTING BOARDS - Keep a few cutting boards handy in your kitchen. Great cutting boards may be made of a variety of materials. Make sure the surface is kind to your knife’s edge – one that gives slightly such as wood and some specially designed synthetics. Hard glass boards will quickly dull the knife’s edge. We’ll guide you through the choices. |
PRACTICE PROPER CUTTING BOARD CARE-
Whatever types of cutting boards you use, make sure to clean and care for them properly according to best practices for food safety: |
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WASH cutting boards promptly after each use with hot, soapy water. |
DRY boards thoroughly before storing. |
KEEP one board for raw meats, another for fresh vegetables. |
REPLACE cutting boards when scars are too deep to clean well. |
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THIS CHICKEN SOUP is comfort food Thai-style. It was very easy and quick to assemble, and satisfying to eat. The garnishes make the soup distinctively Thai – crispy garlic, minced fresh ginger, scallions, and cilantro. Stirred together just before the first spoonful, the garnishes add a depth of flavor and interest that will have you craving this soup often.
Recipes from Quick & Easy Thai, 70 Everyday Recipes by Nancie McDermott. Copyright © 2004. Reprinted by permission of Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA. |
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 TIP - Making the Crispy Garlic - The topping of crispy garlic really makes this soup an exceptional experience. However, there is a fine line between crispy garlic and burned, bitter garlic – about 10 seconds! Before adding the garlic, have your next step planned; it all happens quickly. Start with medium hot oil, add garlic that is chopped coarsely -- not too finely, and not crushed – and stir. The garlic will become fragrant within 30-60 seconds. At the first hint of color, remove the garlic from the pan; it will continue to cook and color away from the heat. We choose to drain the garlic on a paper towel and reserved the garlic-infused oil in a separate bowl. |
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TIP: Use a 4 qt. stainless steel saucepan to build the layers of flavor in this soup. |
TIP: This soup is a great use for leftover rice, or a good excuse for making extra rice any time its made. |
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Recipes from Quick & Easy Thai, 70 Everyday Recipes by Nancie McDermott. Copyright © 2004. Reprinted by permission of Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA. |
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 CURRY PASTES are a key trait of many Thai dishes and are quite different from Indian curries. Red curry, green curry, yellow curry, and many other forms are a mélange of fresh chiles, herbs and spices. Small jars of prepared red curry paste are readily accessible in the Asian section of your grocery store. Use a tablespoon or two at a time. If you become smitten with Thai cooking, you may enjoy making your own curry pastes in the future. Fresh red or green chiles, galangal, lemongrass, garlic, spices are mashed to a fine consistency with a mortar and pestle or in a food processor. |
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LOADED WITH FLAVOR, this quick stir-fry couldn’t be easier to make. Start your rice first; your stir-fry will be done just as the rice becomes tender. This recipe uses a prepared Thai red curry paste that is dissolved in hot oil at the beginning. The deep flavors of the red curry paste infuse into the thinly sliced beef and surround the half moon zucchini pieces. Basil added the final fresh flourish.
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WHERE DOES THAI CUISINE FIT IN the vast world of Asian cuisine? Culinary influences don't necessarily follow geopolitical lines. Rather, like all cuisines, what’s known as Thai food is an ever-evolving mix of influences from nearby cultures and available food sources -- all based on the rich historical traditions of the region. Thai food is not one culinary channel, but often divided into four major regional cuisine types representing dozens of tribes, many dialects and outside influences: |
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The rich soils of this delta region yield fresh ingredients. Bangkok resides in this area. Green curries and curries with coconut milk frequent the area along with strong Chinese influences.
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The peninsular nature of this region makes seafood a prime food source and inspiration. The area is tropical with plentiful coconut, cashews, and chiles, along with Malay, Indonesian and Indian influences. Long-grain rice dominates.
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The cool and mountainous character of this area is influenced by neighboring Myanmar and Laos. Short-grain, sticky rice is the choice. Noodle dishes have a strong presence.
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This area is a plateau with neighboring Laos and Cambodia providing inspiration. Sticky rice and plenty of chiles help to define the area’s cuisine.
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BALANCE AND HARMONY - Thai dishes and meals combine all five flavor senses – sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and umami – in the same dish or at the same meal. With every taste bud tempted at the same time, the result is full gustatory experience. Ingredients are fresh, and sauces are light.
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THE FEATURED RECIPES in this issue all use commonly available ingredients and just two Thai ingredients that might be unfamiliar to you, red curry paste (described above), and fish sauce. This latter ingredient is described below along with a few other common ingredients that you’re likely to encounter as you pursue Thai cuisine: |
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FISH SAUCE (nam pla) – Don’t think about this mixture too much. Don’t’ smell it. Don’t taste it directly. Just enjoy the pure magic that it imparts to Thai food and other Southeast Asian cuisines. Fish sauce is condiment-style sauce made of fermented anchovies, salt and water. The flavor and aroma mellows as it cooks and provides essential, irreplaceable Thai flavors. |
WILD LIME LEAVES
(bai makrut) – A type of citrus tree, these special limes provide flavor from the fruit’s zest and from the tree leaves. The very aromatic leaves are used similarly to bay leaves and removed before serving, or added as very thin slices. |
LEMONGRASS – This herb is a perennial grass native to the region. It has long thin gray-green leaves that contain an essential oil that is the same as that found in lemon peel, hence the name, lemongrass. Use the whitish, more tender portion just above the root when cooking. When you find fresh lemongrass, freeze extra for the future. Skip the powders or extracts, use fresh. |
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GINGER -- This knobby, branching rhizome has a strong, distinctive taste with many wonderful properties. Peel ginger easily by scraping a spoon across it’s surface. Use very thin slices to flavor a dish, or grate with a fine grater or Microplane rasp. |
THAI CHILES – These chile peppers are narrow, tiny and a very potent source of spicy heat. Rice, coconut milk, and common sides like fresh cucumbers absorb and counteract some of the heat. |
SOY SAUCE – Also an essential condiment, special yeast and micro-organism fermentation processes turn grain or soybeans into a rich brown, salty liquid. |
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TAMARIND – Tamarind is the fruit of a tamarind tree. The fruits are dried, reconstituted, and the dark pulp squeezed out as needed. The tamarind adds a very sour taste to any recipe. |
COCONUT MILK – A frequent ingredient in Thai curries, coconut milk is not the water at the center of a coconut, but the juice squeezed from the pulp of the coconut. It is sweet and rich in oils and lends those qualities to Thai dishes gracefully. |
GALANGAL (kha) – Sometimes called “blue ginger,” this root is a cousin to ginger, but has a different, distinctive taste, pungent, earthy and slightly citrusy. |
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Quick & Easy Thai, 70 Everyday Recipes by Nancie McDermott. Photographs by Alison Miksch. Copyright © 2004. Published by Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.
This cookbook is the perfect introduction to Thai cooking for the novice and contains plenty of inspiration for your skills as they grow. Many ethnic cuisine cookbooks quickly become confusing and daunting to the Western cook. This is not the case here. Ms. McDermott gained her training in Thai first-hand as a Peace Corp volunteer in Thailand. In this, her second Thai cookbook, the recipes are intended for everyday use. The presentation simplifies the dishes, but without compromise. The book is organized by Appetizers, Soups, Curries, Chicken, Meats, Seafood, Rice & Noodles, Vegetables, Sweets & Drinks. We are further enabled with a section on Menus for Thai meals, tools for cooking Thai, various techniques, and setting up a Thai pantry. The directions were instructive and led us to first time success with each of the recipes we tried. We can’t wait to try more!
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Take a trip around the world right from your own kitchen with the fresh taste of Thai food!
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