Wednesday, November 9th - a brief trip to Thailand.

Conditions at 5:30 am: 3' and a few clouds, heading for a high of 10' and a mix of sun and cloud

After a much calmer day at work, I was happy to share my time with our community school students. They are such a great bunch of girls that it's truly a fun way to spend the evening. This week we attemped Thai food.
The recipes we used are as follows:

Gai Tom Ka
(Thai Coconut, Ginger and Chicken Soup)
Everyone loves this unique and flavorful soup. Next to Pad Thai, it’s the most popular menu item in Thai restaurants. For this Canadian version, we’ve used grated lime rind for kaffir lime leaves, grated lemon rind for lemongrass and fresh ginger root for galangal. However, don’t substitute soy sauce for the fish sauce. This version is quite hot. For a milder soup, use less red pepper flakes.
• 1 2/3 cups unsweetened coconut milk (1 can / 398 ml)

• 1 cup chicken stock

• Grated rind from 1 medium lime OR 2 kaffir leaves, torn into pieces, discarding stems

• Grated rind from half medium lemon OR1 stalk lemongrass, lower 1/3 only, sliced diagonally into 1 inch/2 cm pieces

• 1 tbsp grated gingerroot

• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes OR ground chili paste OR 1 small hot red pepper, chopped

• 4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced and cut into 1 inch lengths

• 1 cup straw. oyster or regular mushrooms, sliced or halved

• ¼ of a sweet red pepper, cut in thin strips

• 2 tbsp fish sauce

• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice, or to taste
1. In saucepan over medium heat, simmer (don’t boil) coconut milk, stock, lime and lemon rinds, ginger and red pepper flakes for 5 minutes.
2. Add chicken, mushrooms, and red pepper; cook stirring often, until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes. Stir in fish sauce, coriander and lime juice to taste. Makes 4 servings, about ¾ cup each
Taken from Anne Lindsay’s ‘New Light Cooking’


Pad Thai

In Thailand this noodle dish is eaten at any time or in any place – from restaurants to street stalls. Each cook adds a personal touch. This version is lower in fat and uses easily available ingredients
• 8 oz medium-wide rice noodles

• 3 tbsp fish sauce

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar or cider vinegar

• 2 tbsp granulated sugar

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 eggs lightly beaten

• 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

• 8 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 4 oz tofu, sliced in thin strips

• 3 cups bean sprouts

• 6 green onions, chopped

• ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

• ¼ cup chopped unsalted peanuts

• 1 lime, cut in wedges
1. Soak noodles in hot water for 20 minutes, drain.
2. In small bowl, mix together fish sauce, rice vinegar and sugar: set aside.
3. In large non-stick wok or skillet, heat 1 tsp of the oil over medium-high heat; cook eggs, stirring, until scrambled. Cut into strips; transfer to side dish.
4. Wipe out pan. Add remaining oil. Stir-fry garlic, red pepper flakes and shrimp for 2 minutes. Add tofu; stir fry for 1 minute or until shrimp are pink and opaque.
5. Add noodles and ½ cup water; cook, stirring for 2 or 3 minutes or until noodles are tender. Stir in fish sauce mixture, bean sprouts and half of the onions; toss to mix well. Transfer to serving dish. Top with eggs, remaining onions, coriander and peanuts. Garnish with lime.

Makes 4 servings
Taken from Anne Lindsay’s ‘New Light Cooking’

In addition to these two recipes, we also attemped soft spring rolls. While they were a bit of a challenge they turned out quite well.Everyone had a different opinion of what they liked best but they were all a success.It's hard to believe there's only two classes left. Next week they want to learn to make Lebanese food. I've never done it but I'm willing to give it a shot. I've got some homework to do!