Sea Bass with Thai Chilli Sauce (Pla Rad Phrik)

While working in a Thai Restaurant for 3 years, I observed cooks prepare this dish. It seems to be the most popular fish dish for spice lovers. I first mash fresh tamarind in hot water and set aside. I then clean the fish (preferably sea bass or red snapper), pat it dry and gently flour it to get it ready for frying. You can choose to pan fry it or deep fry it. It depends on how you like it. In restaurants, they primarily deep fry it and pour sauce on top. I prefer pan frying the fish even though deep frying will give it a nice crispy texture. While waiting for the fish to cook, I prepare the sauce in another pan. I start from cooking shallots and garlic in olive oil until shallots become translucent. Then I add red pepper (optional; for colour), oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar and tamarind juice that I’ve already prepared on the side. Taste the sauce: it should have 3 flavors (salty, sour and sweet). After tasting, I add chilli sauce (roughly 1-2 tablespoons). Lastly, I add basil into the sauce and save some for the garnish. When the fish is cooked, pour sauce over the fish and granish with the rest of basil.

Thai Spring Rolls

Since I have lived in New York (for a half of a decade now) and have worked for a while in a Thai restaurant, I noticed that spring rolls are a very popular request. I would like to thank the lovely chef (Tukky) who shared her great recipe with me. Cabbage, carrot and bean threads are the basic ingredients of vegetarian spring rolls. First, I shred cabbage and carrots and mix in bean threads that were already soaking in cold water. Then I stir-fried them together with salt, pepper and a little bit of mushroom soy sauce (for fragrance). After that, I spread the filling on a baking sheet and let it cool completely. For the wrapper, I use wonton wrap, but you can use spring roll wrap or rice paper. Finally, I fry them in medium hot oil and keep rotating them for a crispy and golden brown colour.

Spring rolls are usually served with plum sauce, so I try to stay true to tradition, even though my husband likes to add some hot sauce to it. It’s very simple and easy. Simple syrup, one preserved plum (Plum itself is already salty) and a splash of white vinegar boiled together. Break up the plum in the boiling syrup and let it reduce down to half. Let it cool and take the pits and skin out. There you have it!

Nam Phrik Ong

I seriously crave Thai food a few times a week and this time the craving was for spicy ground pork in tomato sauce. This dish originates from the northern part of Thailand and generally uses pork belly. However, I chose to use ground pork loin, and the results were comparable. I cooked chopped shallots, garlic and fresh chilli (the amount of chilli depends on the tolerance of each person) added salt to help them soften faster. I then added ground pork and grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes). I usually put the lid on and leave a small gap, so the sauce reduces to half and the tomatoes fall apart. I like to add salt at the end after I taste it. If you can find fermented soy bean (Tua Nao), it will taste the closest to the authentic version. I like to eat with rice and fresh vegetables such as dill, cucumber and string bean. It’s one way to add vegetables to your diet.

Jook (Rice Soup)

It’s time for weekend breakfast, Thai style or Chinese style (I could say). On weekends, I have more time to create this Thai breakfast for my husband. I miss this rice soup that I had often in Thailand. They were everywhere, but in New York it can be found in Chinatown. I usually marinate ground pork one day in advance with mushroom soy sauce, black pepper, grated ginger, grated garlic, tapioca flour and a little bit of water. Adding water in marinated ground pork is a trick that my father taught me that helps soften pork balls. I boil jasmin rice in water and keep adding chicken stock. When it starts boiling, it requires your full attention. You got to keep stirring and adding chicken stock until the rice becomes mushy and thick. I then add a pinch of salt and pepper. I add marinated ground pork rolled as 1 inch balls into the rice soup (jook). Let the pork balls cook through and serve hot with thinly slice ginger (optional), chopped scallion and soy sauce. This dish requires a lot of patience when stirring the rice until it falls apart.

Sauteed Brussel Sprout with Shrimp

My husband’s the least favourite vegetable is the brussel sprout. I felt compelled to challenge myself to come up with something he would eat and enjoy. The words “Brussel Sprouts” itself scared him when I told him that it will be part of our dinner. I made very simple sauteed Asian style with garlic, freshly chopped chilli, oyster sauce and soy sauce. The trick of this sauteed vegetable dish is heat, so the pan and oil MUST BE HOT enough. You want to feel the crunchiness of the vegetables, but also it must cook through. Another important part is that the shrimp needs to be cooked just done (don’t overcook). This brussel sprout dish makes me proud of myself in that I finally killed his lack of faith in brussel sprouts. This kind of sauteed dish makes him taste real vegetables.

Guacamole with Crispy Pork

Once in a while, I will crave avocado.  I buy avocado 2-3 days in advance to avoid getting rotten avocados from supermarket. I slice pork loin in quarter inch slices and make the simple frying batter. I then make spicy guacamole and top on crispy pork that I have already fried. It tastes good with rice or by itself. This dish has a good balance of protein and vegetables even without eating rice.

Balsamic Ravioli

The Balsamic Vinegar sat in the cupboard for a while after I bought it because my husband and I normally use a citrus dressing for salad. Today, I chose balsamic vinegar to be the main sauce for our dinner. First, I made crispy bacon (as mentioned before : my husband loves crunchiness). I sweetened the vinegar with honey and added salt and pepper to balance the vinegary taste. I let it simmer in the pan until the sauce reduced to half. We bought cheese ravioli from the supermarket, but you can choose or make any of your favourite ravioli. After the ravioli was cooked, I added it to the balsamic sauce and topped it with crispy bacon, toasted walnuts and parsley. Now, the balsamic vinegar won’t be as lonely in the cupboard for long stretches anymore.

Pumpkin Macaroni

I had an idea of making mac and cheese, but I wanted to make it healthy. That’s why I came up with the pumpkin idea because it has an awesome yellow colour much like cheddar cheese. All components are light, but it has a creamy texture from the pumpkin. I sauteed diced pumpkin with garlic and white wine and chicken stock, then I pureed it for a smooth texture. In the same pan, when the pumpkin is off to the blender, I sweated sliced shallots in olive oil with salt and pepper. I then added lemon thyme (from my little herb pot). After the shallots became translucent, I poured the pureed pumpkin back into the pan and added low fat milk to thin the sauce. Macaroni was added into the sauce and mixed together. The final touch is julient basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese to top. TA..DA…no guilt eating this healthy pumpkin macaroni.

New Era Falafel

My version of falafel was inspired by the taste of falafel with a twist of health consciousness. So, I made open face falafel in baked potato skin. I know it sounds strange, but I didn’t use pita bread. I also used peeled monk bean instead of chick peas because they are less starchy. I made my falafel in bite sizes because of my previous experience in having falafel that didn’t look very nice with the filling falling out upon taking a bite. With this, I found out how to enjoy eating falafel without a mess on my face and table.

Craving Heroes

I truly made this dessert from a craving my husband was having. Basically, I thought about something crunchy with ice cream because my husband loves accessories to his ice cream. I baked wonton wrappers in a muffin tray as the dessert containers and let them cool completely. I then mixed sliced banana and chocolate spread ( Nutella) and toasted hazelnuts for the topping. I scooped strawberry & vanilla ice cream, and mixed the banana slices into the wonton cups. Then I topped it with toasted hazelnuts. The combination of ice cream, chocolate and nuts made my husband flip. This dessert is well worth a try for your loved one.