Thai, it's what's for dinner! : Pad Thai and Tom Yum Soup

Mr. S and I are big fans of Asian food, especially Thai food.  This week, I was battling a terrible cold/sinus infection.  As a lifetime allergy sufferer, I have a personal remedy for allergy flair up -- SPICY food.  So, I decided to tackle two of our Thai favorites:  Pad Thai and Tom Yum Soup.

Over the past 6 months, we have perfected our favorite version of Pad Thai based on an America's Test Kitchen recipe, with a few additions.  The major change is the noodles!  We have always loved Drunken Noodles....particularly the noodle part....they are thicker than normal rice noddles. After much searching, we finally found them at an Asian Specialty store around the corner from our house, called the A-Mart.  They noodles are fresh, refrigerated and only last about a week.  They come cooked and in large sheets and you cut them to the desired size.   The other difficult ingredient to find was tamarind paste/soup base.  We also found this at the A-Mart.

Shrimp Pad Thai Recipe

1 package fresh rice noodles (or 8 oz 1/4 inch wide rides noodles)
1 Tbsp tamarind concentrate/soup base dissolved in 2/3c hot water
3 Tbsp fish sauce
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1-2 Tbsp of Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
12 ounces shrimp (we used 16-20 count shrimp), peeled, tails removed
1 shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2-3 cups of bean sprouts
4 scallions, sliced thin on a bias
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp roasted, unsalted peanuts
Lime wedges

Dissolve tamarind concentrate in water.  Wisk fish sauce, sugar, 1 Tbsp oil, vinegar, cayenne pepper (if desired) and sweet thai chili sauce into the tamarind mixture.

Add 1 1/2 tsp of oil to a non-stick pan and cook the shrimp until pink,  on medium-high heat, about 3-4 minutes (flip to cook on both sides).  Place shrimp in bowl and set aside. Add remaining 1 1/2 tsp of oil to pan.  Add shallot, garlic and cook for about one minute, until browned.  Add egg to pan and cook, stirring constantly for about 20 seconds.

Add noodles and sauce mix to the pan, toss until coated, about 1 minute.  Stir in shrimp, sprouts, and scallions.  Cook until noodles and shrimp are warmed.  Sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts.  Squeeze with lime juice and add additional sweet thai chili sauce if desired.


Tom Yum Soup
This recipe is loosely based on the combined recipes from America's Test Kitchen, Cooking Light, and The Food Network.

WARNING:  This soup is REALLY spicy!  If you're not a lover of spicy food, this is probably not a good recipe to try!  It was definitely too spicy for Mr. S but did the job on my congestion :)

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons panang (red) curry paste (you can use green curry paste if you want less spicy)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 15 -ounce can coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce, plus more to taste

1/2 cup small mushrooms, cut in half
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced (optional)
2 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts, very thinly sliced on a bias
1-2  tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and curry paste and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk and fish sauce; cover and bring to a boil.

Add the chicken and simmer until just cooked through, about 3 more minutes. Add the mushrooms and bell peppers if desired minutes. Cook for 2-3 minutes (you want them to still be someone crispy). Stir in the lime juice and cilantro.  Serve immediately.

We added more lime juice, fish sauce, and cilantro to individual servings.

****Mr. S and I are taking a Thai Noodle Cooking class at the end of April with some friends....perhaps our favorite Pad Thai recipe will be replaced!  Stay tuned!****

Shrimp and Grits! : Bringing a little southern goodness to Batltimore

In the past year or so, Mr. S. and I have developed a love of grits, mostly because of frequent brunch visits to a favorite local farm-to-table restaurant.  We have also been trying to eat healthier.  Often, grits and "eat healthier" don't really go together.   In comes one of our favorite cook books these days:  America's Test Kitchen: Comfort Food Makeovers.  We are definitely fans on ATK and this cookbook is one of their best....every recipe has been fantastic AND healthy!  I took the Shrimp and Grits recipe and changed it a little bit....it was AMAZING!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3-4 scallions sliced thin (keep whites and green parts separate)
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp minced chipotle chile in adobo ( I used a little less, as Mr. S is not a fan of really spicy food!)
• 4 cups of water
• 1/2 cup fat free half and half (you can also use whole milk....or light cream)
• 1 cup old fashioned grits (DO NOT USE INSTANT)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar (we used reduced fat)
• 1 pound shrimp (we used pretty big ones...16-20 per pound

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees and put the rack in the middle position
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Add scallion whites and cook about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and chipotle pepper and cook about 30 seconds.
Stir in water and milk and bring to a boil.  Slowly whisk in grits.  Reduce heat the low and cook, about 15 minutes, stirring often until grits are thick and creamy. 
Take the grits off the heat, add in 1/2 c cheese and salt and pepper.  Transfer to a baking dish (we used a dutch oven).  Nestle shrimp into the grits.  Sprinkle top with remaining cheese.
Bake until shrimp are cooked, about 15 minutes.
Allow grits to cool and set for 5-10 minutes.  Sprinkle with green scallions.

We served the shrimp and grits over some blanched asparagus to add some green! It was delicious and we will definitely be making it again.