Pad Thai with Western Twist

We usually don't order Pad Thai when we go to Thai restaurants, mainly because I find that most restaurants give you lumpy and clump up noodles. I'm not too crazy about the texture of the noodles served in this dish. However, I love the version of Pad Thai that my younger sister makes. She uses Brown Rice Spaghetti for this dish. It might sound a bit awkward but this spaghetti absorbs the flavoring so well and has a good texture. I bought mine from Trader Joe's.

I've had this recipe for some time now but never actually got a chance to make it. I usually request for her to make this dish but with busy schedules and my cravings, I decided to give it a try. It turns out pretty good and we were so hungry and want to eat it while still hot that couldn't even plate it to take picture :). I added some mini sweet peppers as I had a lot on hand and served with some Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi on the side.

Pad Thai with Western Twist

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 pound brown rice spaghetti/fettuccine or White rice noodles
2 tablespoons oil
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon garlic - pressed or finely chopped
1/2 pound firm tofu - cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups bean sprouts
1 pound cocktail shrimp
1/4 cup roasted peanuts - coarsely ground
1/4 cup cilantro - roughly chopped
2 green onions - sliced thinly
3 mini sweet peppers of different colors – thinly sliced lengthwise (optional)
Crushed red peppers to taste

Seasoning:
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
3 tablespoons tamari
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons paprika

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and 1/2 tbsp of oil to boiling water, add noodles and cook until just tender, about 8 to 12 minutes (or according to package directions). Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine all seasoning ingredients and keep aside.
3. Have all ingredients prepared before starting to stir fry.
4. Heat remaining 1 1/2 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry for about 30 seconds or so until it begins to turn golden.
5. Add tofu and sauté for 2 minutes or so, stirring often until tofu beings to brown.
6. Add the prepared seasoning liquid and mix thoroughly.
7. Stir-in the noodles, 2 cups of bean sprouts, shrimp and half of ground peanuts. Toss to mix well, adjust to taste and turn off heat.
8. Garnish with remaining bean sprouts & peanuts, cilantro, green onions, mini sweet peppers and crushed red peppers. Serve immediately.

Variation
For Vegetarian friendly version, skip shrimp. For Vegan version, skip shrimp and replace honey with brown or regular sugar.   

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Tilapia Larb (Tilapia Salad)

I love Thai food and Larb is one of my favorite Thai salads. My dad used to make beef or chicken Larb for us often. Although Larb is usually made from ground meat, I tried making it with fish and really enjoyed eating it. It is quick & easy to prepare and healthy & tasty as well. The ingredients used here are similar to the Thai Grilled Beef Salad I’ve previously posted but this one comes together much faster.

Tilapia Larb (Tilapia Salad)

Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 15 – 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
8 ounces skinless Tilapia fillet
3/4 cup red onion – thinly sliced
1/2 cup green onion – thinly sliced (about 2 green onions)
1/2 cup cilantro – roughly chopped
1/2 cup mint leaves– roughly chopped
2 teaspoons uncooked sweet rice/glutinous rice – toasted on skillet until fragrant and lightly browned; and ground to a coarse powder
2 teaspoons crushed chili pepper - lightly toasted on skillet till fragrant (adjust to taste)
1 lime – extract juice (adjust to taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (adjust to taste)
Black pepper to taste (optional)
Oil spray

Directions:

1. Have all ingredients ready before cooking the fish.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat with oil spray. Once hot, add fish fillets and pan fry for few minutes per side until flaky and cooked through.
3. Smash it lightly using a fork to break into big chunks. Season it with some black pepper, if desired.
4. If you do not like raw onion taste, add the onion and cook for further minute, stirring gently. If not, turn off the heat and remove from heat. Add all the remaining ingredients and adjust according to taste.
5. Serve hot with steam rice and fresh vegetables such as cabbage and cucumber pieces.

Note: I usually make toasted sweet rice and toasted crushed chili pepper in larger quantities (about 1/2 cup or so) and store it in airtight containers for future use.

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Mahi Mahi Tacos

Mahi Mahi is a very flavorful and meaty fish. Since we did not really use this fish back home, I was looking online for different ways of preparing this fish. I came across a Taco recipe few years back and really enjoyed eating them. This is just a perfect combination of all the flavors and I love the idea of using Nectarine in making salsa. I didn’t modify this recipe much other than using smoked paprika instead of cayenne and leaving out avocado in salsa; mainly because I always forget to buy it :).

Mahi Mahi Tacos

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Ingredients:
Spice Mix
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika

Other Ingredients:
4 (4-ounce) mahi mahi fillets
Oil spray
12 corn tortillas
Nectarine salsa (recipe follows)
Zesty sour cream (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Combine spice mix ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. Sprinkle this evenly over both sides of the fish and keep aside.
2. Spray some oil on a skillet and heat it over medium heat. Once it is hot, place the fish and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side until the fish is cooked through. Remove from heat, break it in few chunks and keep aside.
3. In a separate skillet over medium heat, heat the tortillas few seconds per side until warm.
4. To serve, fill each tortilla with chunks of fish and top it up with Nectarine salsa and Zesty sour cream.

Nectarine Salsa
Ingredients:
2 cups nectarine – diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper – chopped
1/4 cup red onion – finely chopped
Few sprigs of cilantro – finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (adjust to taste)
1/2 jalapeno – finely chopped (adjust to taste)
1 clove of garlic – crushed or finely chopped
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, adjust according to taste and serve chilled. 

Zesty Sour Cream 
Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream
Few sprigs of cilantro – finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon hot sauce of your choice
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, adjust according to taste and serve chilled. 

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Vietnamese Spring Roll

Few years back, a friend of mine made these for us and we all loved it. I have tried few store bought versions but I prefer the home-made ones. By making at home, you can add any type of vegetables you want and adjust flavor according to your taste. She gave me the recipes for the sauces but other than that, there is really no fixed recipe on variety of ingredients you choose. You can add as much or as little as you like.

It is fun to make these especially when everyone get to roll on their own. Of course, you’re supposed to fill a little of each ingredient and not over stuff it so that you get a beautiful looking roll. But then again, the fun part for us comes from piling up as much filling as we like, to the extent that the rice wrapper can barely hold it and end up with more of a burrito looking rolls rather than spring rolls. :)

Vietnamese Spring Roll

Makes: 15 to 18 rolls
Preparation Time: 30 to 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 to 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast – cut into 2” pieces
18 medium shrimps – peeled and deveined
4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce (divided), I use Mae Ploy brand
4 cloves of garlic – crushed or finely chopped (divided)
Oil spray
5 ounces rice noodles – cooked according to package instructions
1 whole romaine lettuce – cut few inches from bottom and separate leaves
1 carrot – cut into match stick size pieces
2 Persian cucumbers or cucumber of your choice - cut into match stick size pieces
5 green onions – cut into 3 equal parts
1 cup loosely packed mint leaves
1/2 cup cilantro – chopped (optional)
1 Jalapeño or Serrano - cut into match stick size pieces (optional)
15 to 18 dry rice papers
Asian Chili Garlic Sauce
Serve with Peanut sauce or Spring roll dipping sauce or both (recipes follow)

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine chicken, 2 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce and 2 cloves of crushed garlic.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with some oil. Panfry the chicken pieces for few minutes per side until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and let it cool. Once it is cool, slice it into small strips.
3. In a separate bowl, combine shrimp with remaining sweet chili sauce and garlic.
4. Wipe the same skillet and spray it with some more oil. Heat over high heat and add shrimp. Sauté on high heat for few minutes until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and let it cool. Once it is cool, split the shrimp in half horizontally.

How to Serve:

1. Fill a large bowl or wide opening pot with few inches of hot tap water.
2. Dip a rice paper sheet in the water for few seconds. Remove and place it on a plate (preferably, ceramic or glass plate)
3. Place vegetables, noodle, chicken and shrimps to your preference in bottom 2/3 of the rice paper.
4. Fold the bottom over, fold in the sides and roll to form a tight spring roll.
5. Dip with peanut sauce or Spring roll dipping sauce.

Note: I sometimes like to add the peanut sauce and Asian Chili Garlic Sauce while wrapping the spring rolls. Or, sometimes, I leave out all the sauces while wrapping and later dip it with Spring roll dipping sauce while eating.

Peanut sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons Asian Chili Garlic Sauce (adjust to taste)
1 teaspoon preserved tofu (optional)
3/4 cup chicken stock or water (divided)

Directions:

1. In a microwave safe bowl, combine all ingredients for Peanut sauce with 1/2 cup of chicken stock and microwave on high for 1 minute.
2. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken stock and stir well to combine.
3. Microwave for 1 more minute and mix it well until it is smooth and creamy. Adjust according to taste and desired sauce consistency.

Note: Sauce will get thicker once cool.

Spring roll dipping sauce
Ingredients:
1 red jalapeno pepper – seeds removed and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
4 tablespoons fish sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir well till sugar is dissolved. Adjust according to taste and serve.

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Crab Curry (Burmese Style)

I’ve been craving for crab curry for a long time now and finally got a chance to make it. My sister used to make super delicious crab curries for us in the past. She usually makes it either Burmese style as below or Indian style with different spices. We usually use smaller hard shell crabs back home; buy them alive and cook them fresh. Smaller ones are little more work because you have cut and clean them before cooking and once cooked, you have to know how to get the meat out. Of course it is still fun to dig in with both hands and enjoy. However, since I’m really bad with that, my sister usually take out all the meat for us to eat.

Personally for me, since I don’t dare nor have idea on how to cut and prepare the live crabs, I like to use the King crab legs that are already cooked. The other reason I like the King crab legs is because of their size. You get bigger chunk of meat and also easy to eat, even if you’re not an expert on eating crabs. Since I don’t live close to my sister, these are pretty good for now.

Crab Curry (Burmese Style)

Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
4 large cooked King crab legs, about 1 1/2 pounds
3 to 4 tablespoons oil
1 large onion – grind using food processor
2 large tomatoes – cut in big chunks
6 cloves garlic – cut in half
1 inch ginger – sliced
5 Thai chili or any green chili – roughly chopped (adjust to taste)
2 fresh Lemon Grass
Pinch of salt
6 Kaffir lime leaves (if available) – tear them with hand from middle
2 teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
Fish sauce to taste
Few sprigs of cilantro – roughly chopped
Lime wedges to serve

Directions:

1. Cut the crab legs from joints to a manageable size. Pierce with knife in some parts of the shell so that flavor can go in.
2. With blender or food processor, grind tomato, garlic, ginger and green chili to a fine paste and keep aside.
3. Remove one or two outer layers of lemon grass and cut off few inches from skinny tip and discard. Smash the root ends with a handle of your knife to release flavor and cut it in half.
4. Heat oil in a large pan over low heat and add grind onion. Add a small pinch of salt and sauté the onions over low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes until they are cooked through and lightly golden.
5. Add chili powder and turmeric powder. Stir once and add the tomato mixture and cook for a minute.
6. Add Lemon grass, Kaffir lime leaves, and fish sauce to taste. Stir and cook covered for about 10 minutes on medium low heat.
7. Add Crab and cook covered for another 20 to 30 minutes, stirring few times in between.
8. Garnish with cilantro and cover the pot for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.
9. Serve with steam rice and wedges of lime to squeeze on top.

Note: Taste while adding fish sauce because too much of it will make the dish salty.

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