Family Style: A Thai Thanksgiving - 11/27/2008

Before I became totally consumed with photography, I balanced my two passions – cooking and photography. This Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to treat Thomas’s dad to my Thai cooking and Thomas to his favorite Thai dish – Pad Thai. This presented two challenges – preparing the ingredients and cooking the courses in two locations and showcasing a meal that I’ve never made before.

Thanksgiving morning I finished preparing sauces and vegetables for the dishes. Sprite retreated to the dining room chairs to supervise the packing. The black and white image is what Sprite saw from her vantage point. It's the first in my year long project - Sprite's View: A Different Angle. The lighting in both photos was 1 overhead tungsten light and natural window light from the left. Camera was hand-held in both shots and in both shots my elbows were resting on the floor or chair to help stabilize the shot.

Tight fit, but all woks, utensils, ingredients and rice cooker make it into the trunk of my sports car. Another reason (besides lack of space for my photography gear, seamless backdrop, and lighting stands) to consider going back to a Toyota RAV4 or switching to a Honda CRV - ability to fit a cooler. While the ingredients fit, the cooler didn't. The shot on the left was taken in open shade (car was in the carport with the sun up behind me). The kitchen shot was taken in existing light from a sunlight overhead.


Want to know the keys to a successful event? Planning and preparation and great people. On Thanksgiving I had both. To see all photos full size, check out my Flickr stream. If you want a copy of my prep notes for the menu below shoot me an email.

Menu

• First Course: Yum Neur (Spicy Beef)
• Second Course: Tom Yum Goong
• Noodle Course: Pad Thai with Shrimp
• Stir Fry Courses:
  • Pad Plik King with Beef
  • Jumping Chicken (Tom Yum-themed signature dish of Ped’s LemonGrass Grill)
  
  
• Wine Pairing: 2007 Scissortail from Alamosa Wine Cellars, a Rhone-inspired blend of Marsanne (55%), Rousanne (32%), and Viognier (13%)

Recipes (in alphabetical order)

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
• 2 Tbsp Fructose
• 4 oz. Sirloin tips, 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, Golden Mountain Thai soy sauce, and fructose.
5. When fructose is dissolved, mix with the curry paste, garlic, sirloin, and French green beans.
6. When you can smell the sirloin, add the red bell pepper.
7. When the red bell pepper is tender, add the ginger, and kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest).
8. If stir fry is dry, add chicken stock and mix thoroughly.
9. Serve immediately with steamed white rice or fried rice.

Pad Thai

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 8 oz dried rice noodles
• 3 Tbsp oil
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• 8 to 10 shrimp
• 1/4 cup fish sauce (Note: vegetarians can substitute thin soy sauce)
• 2 Tbsp Fructose
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1/4 cup ground peanuts
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1 green onion, cut in 1-inch slices
• Cilantro for garnish
• Lemon slices for garnish

Instructions:

1. Soak rice noodles in cold water for 2 to 3 hours or until soft.
2. In a pan or wok, heat the oil.
3. Add the garlic and egg.
4. Scramble until done. Reduce temperature to medium if necessary.
5. Drain noodles and add to pan. Stir fry until translucent, adding a small amount of water if necessary.
6. Add shrimp.
7. When noodles are soft, in the center of the wok, blend fish sauce, Fructose, and paprika.
8. When fructose is dissolved and sauce reduced, mix with peanuts, bean sprouts, and green onions.
9. Garnish with cilantro and lemon and serve.

Jumping Chicken

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 tsp fresh Thai chili, minced
• 4 oz chicken, sliced
• 2 Tbsp chicken stock (Note: vegetarians can substitute vegetable broth)
• 1 1/3 Tbsp fish sauce (Note: vegetarians can substitute thin soy sauce)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp Fructose
• 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 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
• 8 slices tomatoes
• Cilantro for garnish

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, add the chicken. Turn the chicken until it is coated with sauce.
4. In the center of the wok, blend chicken stock, fish sauce, lime juice, and fructose.
5. When fructose is dissolved, add lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest), and galanga.
6. Add zucchini and mushrooms.
7. When zucchini is tender, add green onions and tomatoes.
8. When chicken is cooked (or heated throughout if using precooked chicken), stir fry is ready to serve.
9. Garnish with cilantro.

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)
• 2 slices galanga (optional)
• 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

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 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 and mushrooms.
5. (Optional) If making the night before, when onions and mushrooms are tender pull from the stove and refrigerate (or alternately freeze).
6. When onions and mushrooms are tender, add shrimp and tomatoes.
7. (Optional) If you feel the soup lacks spice, add additional Tom Yum chili paste.
8. When shrimp are cooked (or heated throughout if using precooked shrimp), soup is ready to serve.
9. 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:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp Fructose, divided
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp mushroom sauce
• 1 tsp 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 Thai chili, finely chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 4 oz. green onion, sliced
• 4 oz. cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 tsp lemongrass, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 3-5 fresh mint leaves
• 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, Thai chili, fish sauce, green onion, and cilantro in one container and the lemongrass, lime juice, rest of Fructose, mint leaves, 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, half of the Fructose, salt, mushroom sauce, and Golden Mountain Thai soy sauce in a freezer bag. Close freezer bag and shake to mix ingredients.
2. Add steak to freezer bag. Close freezer bag and shake to coat steak with marinade.
3. Refrigerate overnight. NOTE: If in a hurry, marinade the steak for at least 1/2 hour.
4. Preheat your broiler pan. The hot pan will help you get good searing on the surface of the steak.
5. 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.
6. After 4 minutes flip it the steaks so that they cook evenly.
7. 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.
8. Let the steak cool slightly.
9. Slice steak across grain into 1/4-inch pieces.
10. Mix meat, meat juice from the broiler pan, with garlic, Thai chili, fish sauce, green onion, and cilantro.
11. Mix lemongrass, rest of the Fructose, lime juice, mint, tomato, and cucumber until homogeneous.
12. To serve, place mixed greens on plate; add sliced steak; and top with dressing.

Equipment List

• 1 freezer bag
• 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
• Paprika
• 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 red curry paste
• Tom Yum chili paste
• Pickled ginger strips
• Peanuts
• Rice noodles

Fruit, Vegetables, and Herbs

• Lemons
• Limes
• Mixed greens
• French green beans
• Red bell pepper
• Mushrooms
• Bean sprouts
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Green onions
• Onions
• Garlic
• Galanga
• Thai chilis
• Lemongrass
• Mint
• Cilantro
• Kaffir lime leaves (or fresh lime zest)

Meat, Poultry, and Seafood

• Egg
• Filet mignon or ribeye steak
• Sirloin tips
• Chicken
• Shrimp