ONE CHICK'S PAD

Thursday, November 3, 2005

When I worked at the Brick-Oven in Jackson, Pad Thai was one of my favorite pasta dishes. The chefs made the peanut sauce from scratch, and if they would have let me, I could have eaten it by the bowlful all by itself.

Even after I stopped working, David and I still ate there pretty regularly. Often, we went just because their Pad Thai was the best in town. When I ordered it, I never called it Pad Thai, and it took me a long time to realize that the reason our server chuckled when I ordered was that I still referred to the dish in kitchen-speak: I asked for "shrimp pad"  instead of "Pad Thai with Shrimp," as it was listed on the menu. I'm sure it sounded funny coming from the wrong side of the table.

Once, when I first started waiting tables, a restaurant reviewer and his wife sat at one of my tables, (I didn't know who he was until later.) and he ordered Pad Thai with Chicken. A little while after I brought it to him, I went back to the table to see how they were doing and found him flicking the green onions from the top of his pasta onto the table in front of him. When I asked if something were the matter, he went into this tirade about how much he hated green onions and insisted that he had ordered the Pad Thai without them. I didn't argue--the customer is always right, after all--and asked if I could bring him something else. He declared that he'd solved the problem himself; I needn't worry about fixing it. When I returned with the manager on duty, I found empty chairs around their green-onion-decorated table and cash in the middle--not even enough to cover the cost of the meal.

I was horrified that any grown man (he was probably my grandfather's age) would act so ridiculously about something so trivial, but when I found out he wrote restaurant reviews, I was certain I would be fired. My manager was nice, but he did ask me numerous times if I was sure that he hadn't asked for the Pad Thai without green onions. I have never been so sure of anything, but by then it seemed a bit irrelevant; the damage was done.

The following week, an anonymous food column appeared in the local paper giving the restaurant a glowing review; the writer was especially complimentary of the service. I will never be certain that he wrote it, but whenever I make this dish, I always wonder, and I cover my Pad Thai in green onions, just for good measure. And, I call it whatever I like.

Here's my recipe:

Pad Thai, or Chicken Pad, or One Chick's Pad

2 cups cooked chicken, diced (I had more leftovers from the Tandoori Chicken, but any grilled or sauteed breasts will do)

1 1/2 cups peanut sauce (see the recipe below in the Tuesday's post)

A handful of snow peas

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped finely

1/2 cup bean sprouts

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

3/4 pound flat rice noodles or linguine

Cook the pasta until tender; drain and set aside. In a large skillet, heat the peanut sauce over medium-low. Add the chicken and snow peas and stir to coat. Cook just until the snow peas are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Pile a nest of noodles on each plate, and pour the sauced chicken over. Top with bean sprouts, carrot, green onions (as many as you like!), and crushed peanuts.

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COMFORT FOOD, CURRY STYLE

Wednesday, November 2, 2005

There are so many different versions of curry that you really never know what you're going to get if you order it at a restaurant. What kind of restaurant helps--Thai curries are generally made with coconut milk, Indian ones with yogurt--but even then, some Thai curries contain potatoes, some contain eggplant; you really just never know. Which is part of what I love about ordering them--always a surprise.

A bowl of curry on a cold night is a richer, heartier version of chicken soup for me--comfort food. I like mine with coconut milk, which gives the broth a silky, creamy texture, and David likes it with beef to give the dish some protein-based substance. I've tried a number of different recipes, and this one is based on the Chiang-Mai Curry recipe from Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford's lovely book Hot Sour Salty Sweet. Many of the ingredients their original recipe are difficult for me to find on a typical Saturday shopping trip, so I've adapted the recipe for what I can easily buy from my local grocer. My version is quick and easy, but I often wish that I made my own curry paste--I haven't been able to find a store-bought version that I really love. Maybe in another life. If you're interested in making your own, you should check out Thai cook extraordinaire Chez Pim; she has many versions with excellent instructions for the pounding of the curry.

If you're looking for an Asian dish to try, this might be a good choice--it's not any more difficult than chicken soup, and it's much more flavorful. The fried noodles on top are completely optional--Duguid and Alford's recipe calls for them, and I like the extra crunch. Also, you may need to adjust the amount of curry paste depending on how spicy you like your food and how hot the curry paste you use is. A good way to decide is to start with less and taste; you can always add more later. Here's the method:

Curried Noodles

12 ounces egg noodles, 1 cup reserved if you're frying them

1 T. peanut oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 serrano chilies, minced (seeded if you don't like your food too spicy)

1 t. turmeric

1 T. sugar

3/4 pound beef, small-diced (meat cut for a stew works fine)

1 1/2 T. red curry paste

14 ounces coconut milk

1/2 cup water

3 T. fish sauce

2 limes

Cilantro, for garnish (or the gingered cabbage mixture from last night)

Cook the noodles until tender; drain, and set aside. In a very large skillet, sauté the garlic, chilies, and turmeric in the oil until the garlic is tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. Add the beef, sugar, and curry paste, stirring frequently until the beef is coated with the paste mixture and begins to turn brown. Add the coconut milk, water, and fish sauce. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir in the juice of 1 lime before serving. While the curry is simmering, you can fry the reserved noodles in 1 cup peanut oil for about 1 or 2 minutes, until they turn golden brown. Salt immediately. To serve, fill bowls with egg noodles. Ladle the curry on, top with cilantro and fried noodles, and garnish with lime wedges.

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WRAPPED!

Tuesday, November 1, 2005

My little sister introduced me to Thai cashew wraps at a little wrap shop called Roly-Poly last summer. They taste fresh and spicy, with the crunch of fresh cilantro and the kick of hot peanut sauce. But something about that flavor combination and a tortilla just doesn't work for me. This sandwich is my attempt to imitate the flavor of the Roly-Poly sandwich, while improving the texture. Naan is a traditional bread served in India; like the chicken, it too is usually cooked in a clay oven.

For this bread, I used the recipe from The Joy of Cooking, but next time I make it, I will use yogurt as a thickening agent, as most traditional preparations do. I also will roll it flatter and rub with more butter and spices--mine is a little too flat and not crispy enough.

It worked well for these wraps, though, and if you're in a hurry, any good store-bought flatbread would do. Here's what I put on them:

Asian-style Wraps

Shredded chicken (I used the leftover Tandoori chicken from last night)

1 cup cabbage, shredded

1/2 cup fresh ginger, minced

1 cucumber, small-dice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 t. sesame oil

1 T. rice wine vinegar

Peanut Sauce (recipe below)

Flatbread

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the cabbage, ginger, cilantro, oil, and vinegar. Lay out one flatbread per person. Top with a handful of the cabbage mixture, then chicken. Drizzle with peanut sauce and roll up. Serve with extra cabbage-ginger salad.

Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 bird chili

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. fish sauce

1 T. brown sugar

1 lime, juice and zest

1 t. fresh ginger

1 t. orange zest

1 t. orange juice

In a food processor, process the garlic, chili, and ginger until finely minced. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. This recipe makes a lot, but the sauce will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks. I'll use some of it on my Pad Thai later in the week.

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ASIAN FOOD, SORT OF

Monday, October 31, 2005

Sorry about my brief hiatus--school is getting the better of my time these days, and David has had to take over the kitchen. This menu is from a few weeks ago when I was not quite so busy, so I thought writing about it might help to wake me from my culinary slumber. Or at least make me hungry enough to get in the kitchen and blow off some academic steam!

I make no pretenses about the fact that my Asian cooking is less than authentic. My office-mate, Sukanya, is from India, and she says the only way to really learn how to cook Indian food is to find an Indian friend to teach you. She has promised to come over and cook with me one of these days, but until she does, I am left experimenting on my own.

I first learned to love Asian cuisine in London, where I had a hard time finding affordable, edible food. Then I discovered Indian, Thai, and Chinese restaurants near our hotel, and eating became a whole other adventure. Since then, I have tried to recreate what I eat when I get Indian or Thai take-out, and while my recipes may be pretenders to the real deal, they assuage my cravings for spicy, aromatic food in a satisfying way. Asian ingredients are sometimes hard to find and can be expensive, so if I'm buying them, I usually plan several meals around them.

This recipe is a hodgepodge of several different ones. Traditional tandoori chicken is cooked in a clay tandoori oven over an open flame, as I understand the process, but in my very Americanized kitchen, I broil it. Grilling would be even better, as it would draw out the smoky flavors of the marinade. I serve this chicken with a big mound of Basmati rice.

Here's my very inauthentic method:

Tandoori-ish Chicken

For the marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 t. ground coriander

1/2 t. black pepper

1/2 t. cumin

1 t. garam masala (Chinese 5-spice powder will do in a pinch, if you can't find the garam masala)

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/2 t. paprika

1 t. chili powder

1 T. fresh ginger, minced (about a 1-inch piece)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

Mix the marinade together thoroughly. Coat the chicken pieces thickly with the marinade. Place in a glass baking dish, cover, and refrigerate for several hours, preferably overnight. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wrap the chicken in foil and cook for about 20-30 minutes. Remove and preheat the broiler. Unwrap the chicken and place under the broiler for a few minutes per side, until the skin is beginning to crisp and the chicken is done in the center. How long this takes all depends on your broiler--just check it frequently.

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