pad thai kugel

yes, that's right, pad. thai. kugel. the best of both worlds, if you will. if you don't know what a kugel is, you should (so read up). then realize that this combination really isn't that weird. half of you will probably think, ew that's weird and the other half will say something such as, OHMYGODWHERECANIGETIT?! that's the thing. apparently you can't. you have to make it. or make it up, which is what i did.

in keeping with the asian theme, i decided to keep dairy out of it (because, ew) and here's what happened. a pretty straight forward pad thai recipe mixed with eggs, silken tofu and baked. voila. that easy.

be sure to get a pad thai refresher before starting.

pad thai kugel
serves 8

• 3 eggs + 1 white (or 4 eggs)
• 1.5-2 packs silken tofu
• 12 oz rice noodles, 1/4-inch wide
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup fish sauce
• 4 tablespoons tamarind puree
• 1/2 cup thai palm sugar light brown or brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 4 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped dried shrimp (optional)
• 1/4 cup finely julienned carrots
• 2 tablespoons shredded salted radish, rinsed briefly
• 2 cups scallion greens, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup chopped, toasted peanuts
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

• make filling: in a large bowl, whisk together silken tofu and eggs until smooth. set aside.
• make the pad thai:
• set up ingredients: soak the noodles in warm water for 15 minutes then rinse with cold water and drain well. they should be softened but not too soft. whisk together the red pepper, fish sauce, tamarind and palm sugar (seasoning). get everything else prepped and lined up in the order they are needed, since the stir-fry process happens so quickly.
• stiry-fry the noodles: heat wok (or large pan) over high hear, add oil and heat until it shimmers. add shallots and cook until they begin to brown. add garlic and cook until golden brown. add more oil, if necessary. stir in dried shrimp, carrots, radish and soaked noodles. coat these ingredients with oil and stir-fry 30 seconds.
• add the seasonings: stir-fry noodles briefly, adding water as needed. fold in the seasoning sauce, scallions, and bean sprouts. cook for 10 seconds to soften bean sprouts. taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• remove from heat and fold the pad thai into the bowl with filling mixture.
• pour into a greased 9x13 dish and bake at 400 degrees until top slightly browns and filling is set, about 30 minutes.
• garnish with the peanuts and lime.

pad thai and a thai cooking class

this was not my first pad thai attempt. the first one involved a valiant effort that even included a visit to the thai grocery store. alas, my endeavors were for naught because the result was less than delicious. really, it wasn't even close to good. enough of that. 2 years later, thanks to an awesome thai cooking class, i was ready to try again.

let's talk about the class for a moment. this is the second class i've taken at the natural gourmet institute and i've been quite pleased, so i feel the need to share. the format of both classes i have taken (both in the ethnic & regional food category-obviously) is to be in a large professional kitchen, get a set of recipes, and be set free with a plethora of sharp knifes, prep bowls and culinary students to help at every turn. the teachers are extremely knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. if this doesn't sound awesome enough, there is a small lecture part: some basic understanding of what you're about to do. then the best part is that you just get to cook. and eat everything you make!

i'm not sure if it was the class, the concise recipe in front of me, or a generally more comfortable rapport with cooking that made my pad thai turn out as well as it did. or it could have been the supportive roomies behind me, cheering me on. nothing like some positive energy to help an outcome. the recipe is pretty straightforward and once you've chopped and prepped everything, the cooking time is minimal. even better, you can practically feel good about eating this because it won't give you that greasy local-thai-joint-feeling. don't get too stressed. the cooking process is fast and furious but i was pretty flexible with my ingredients and everything still went great.

fyi, bittman also made this today although his version is slightly different. (it's like he's in my head!!!)

pad thai
from jay weinstein and the natural gourmet institute

• 1 lb rice noodles, 1/4-inch wide
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup fish sauce
• 4 tablespoons tamarind puree
• 1/2 cup thai palm sugar light brown (i just used some brown sugar)
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 4 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons chopped dried shrimp
• 1/4 cup finely julienned carrots
• 1 1/2 cups pressed bean curd, cut into small strips
• 2 tablespoons shredded salted radish, rinsed briefly
• 2 cups scallion greens, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup chopped, toasted peanuts
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

• set up ingredients: soak the noodles in warm water for 30 minutes then drain well. whisk together the red pepper, fish sauce, tamarind and palm sugar (seasoning). get everything else prepped and lined up in the order they are needed, since the stir-fry process happens so quickly.
• stiry-fry the noodles: heat wok (or large pan) over high hear, add oil and heat until it shimmers. add shallots and cook until they begin to brown. add garlic and cook until golden brown. add more oil, if necessary, and add eggs, spreading them flat. stir in dried shrimp, carrots, bean curd, radish and soaked noodles. coat these ingredients with oil and stir-fry 30 seconds.
• add the seasonings: stir-fry until noodles are tender, adding water as needed. fold in the seasoning sauce, scallions, most of the bean sprouts, and most of the peanuts. cook for 10 seconds to soften bean sprouts. taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• remove from heat and garnish with the additional bean sprouts, peanuts and lime.
  

weeknight dinner: thai basil chicken

subtitle: BOMB DIGGITY thai to make at home (get the theme here?)



first i ate at jitlada. then i learned i could make a dish at home that got me almost as excited as hollywood thai and maybe even more excited because i had made it myself. i came across this dish on my google reader and i filed it away. now i think it might make it into the regular rotation. but i'm getting ahead of myself here. first, major props to michele of serious eats for posting this one. now that we have that taken care of, i give you gai pad krapow (thai basil chicken)!!!

this dish has that classic yummy sweet, salty, spicy combination. you really can't go wrong. adjust the spice to your liking (remove seeds and membrane from chilies if you want the flavor without so much heat) as well as the sweetness level with the sugar. it is also surprisingly easy and quick to make. and it's a perfect one to feed a crowd and impress guests.


gai pad krapow (thai basil chicken)

• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• finely chopped chilis (you can use the kind of your choice here, i used 2-3 thai chilis for pretty decent heat)
  
• 1 large shallot, finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 lb green beans trimmed to 1 1/4"
• 1/2 pound ground chicken
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 bunch basil, leaves only (use holy basil, if you can find it)

• boiled rice
• fried egg (over easy)
  
• nam pla prik (recipe follows) or fresh lime wedges

• heat the oil over high heat in a wok or large frying pan. when you can see waves forming in the hot oil, add the chilies, shallots, and garlic and stir-fry until golden, about 30 seconds.
• add the green beans and stir-fry until cooked but still crunchy, 3 to 4 minutes.
• add the ground chicken, using a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat into small pieces. stir-fry until chicken is cooked through.
• add the fish sauce and sugar to the pan, and stir to distribute. Taste, and add more fish sauce or sugar if desired.
• reduce heat to medium-low. add the basil leaves and stir-fry until completely wilted. remove from heat.
• serve with boiled rice, over easy fried egg (optional), and nam pla prik or lime wedges.

nam pla prik (chili fish sauce)

• 3-4 parts fish sauce
• 1 part fresh lime juice
• chilies, finely chopped
• shallots, finely sliced

• combine ingredients. consume immediately, or pour into a clean jar and store in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

a new favorite la thing: JITLADA! (aka serious awesomeness)

let's talk thai food. i've been trying to work on the queens thai pilgrimages (sripraphai, zabb) to find some good stuff. it was good but certainly nothing that came close to the hype. then, when i was in la, my dad told me about a place he had recently be frequenting for lunch. more thai hype. i completely trust my dad when it comes to thai food but after all of the queens hubbub, i had my doubts. my ears certainly started to perk when he told me that the restaurant features a menu with the dishes recommended in gourmet magazine, the la times, and la weekly.

JITLADA! the menu is expansive. but take a look at the recommended dishes, chat with jazz a bit, and you'll be all set. one thing to be aware off: the spice factor. i won't pretend that i'm someone who does spicy food. i like my food with some spice and kick but i refuse to get into any sort of macho argument here. so although at some restaurants i may prefer something hot involved, i don't even start to compete. that being said, i'm going to go out on a limb here by saying that most people here will need mild food. and even then, it might make you sweat.

and now, the meal, blow by blow:

the first dish of the night may have also been the best. coco mango salad: mango salad with shrimp, red onion, cashews, lime, and chili. i love crunchy textures so this really did it for me and the shrimp added some welcome varied texture. it was spicy but also sweet and tart at the same time. the shrimp and cashews added additional flavor and sweetness. a fabulous combination of flavors. a++!

steamed mussels in spicy lemongrass broth were up next. these things were huge and they were big and plump enough to really hold the flavor of the broth. the broth was spicy and full-bodied. can a broth be full-bodied? well this one was, flavorful and rich.

flambe prawns with red curry sauce. the sauce was thick and sweet but also smokey and spicy. the prawns were quite large and perfectly cooked.

basil noodles with fish (not on the menu). this is my dad's "special" lunch dish. recommended personally by jazz. it was good and flavorful with thick, flat rice noodles but quite spicy.

mango sticky rice because what's a thai meal without some of this to finish it off? i really do love this dish and it was particularly good at jitlada. the mangoes were perfectly ripe, sweet and juicy. the rice wasn't overly sweet and cooked nicely so that it wasn't mushy and still had a wee bit of chewy crunch (in a good way).

i was quite happy with our selection and extremely full by the end of it. the only thing i would have changed (if i could have eaten another bite) was to order some of the delicious looking plates of greens i saw going by throughout the course of the meal. so go forth, thai eating friends and experience the ecstasy of jitlada! and if you can't quite make it out to la, head to queens and in between bites of sripraphai repeat after me: "there's no place like jitlada, there's no place like jitlada..."