Verdant Victuals - Thai Green Curry (Gaeng Kiaw Wan)

No foray into Southeastern Asian cuisine would be complete without Thai Green Curry or, as it's known in Thailand, Gaeng Kiaw Wan. (Sweet Green Curry)  True, I tend to be a bit of a hot head when it comes to the spiciness of my food, and as a result I am usually more drawn to Thai Red Curry (Gaeng Phet), but I find Green Curry to be quite refreshing on occasion.

Green curry, unlike it's tawny and vermillion siblings (being both Yellow and Red curry pastes) is made with fresh green bird's eye chiles, instead of dried red ones.  This gives it a "fresh" flavor more befitting it's verdant countenance.  Green curry is considered to be a "sweet" curry, so I suggested that you remove the seeds and membranes from the chiles before giving them a serious pounding with your pestle.  If you REALLY want it to be hot, go ahead and leave them, just realize that you will loose some of the subtle nuances of the paste due to the increased heat.  (everything in balance)

Speaking of Pestles....  I highly recommend forgoing the use of a food processor in lieu of the more traditional mortar & pestle.  Food processors simply chop things up while a mortar and pestle grinds, smashes and crushes, releasing more flavor and yielding a far superior result.  Sadly, sometimes technology is a hindrance.

One a final note, I do not fry my Green Curry Paste (as I do with the Red) so I toast the Coriander Seed and Cumin Seed ahead of time.

Go forth and make awesome curry!

Thai Green Curry

(Gaeng Kiaw Wan)

15 fresh Green Bird's Eye Chiles
1 TB Coriander Seed, toasted
1 tsp Cumin Seed, toasted
5 White Peppercorns
1 tsp Kosher Salt (or Sea Salt)
1 bunch of Green Onions, chopped
1 bulb of Thai Garlic
2 TB freshly grated Galangal
1 stalk Lemongrass, sliced thin
1 tsp Kaffir Lime Zest
3 TB chopped Coriander (Cilantro) Stems

1 tsp Shrimp Paste

Cut the tops off the chiles and roll the chiles between your fingers and the membranes and seeds should fall out.

Place the Coriander Seed and Cumin Seed in a small skillet and toast them over low heat, until fragrant.

Toss them into your Mortar with the White Peppercorns and Kosher Salt; allow to cool.

Meanwhile, chop the Green Onion, peel the Garlic, grate the Galangal, slice the Lemongrass, zest the Kaffir Lime and chop the Coriander (Cilantro) Stems.

OK, you are now ready to proceed... but don't forget to place a towel under your Granite Mortar and Pestle to protect your counter tops.

Crush and grind the Coriander/Cumin/Salt into a fine powder, then remove from the mortar to a small bowl and set aside.

Place Lemongrass and Galangal in the mortar and pulverize it.

Once it is crushed well, add the Garlic cloves and grind and crush everything together.

Add the Chiles and pulverize them.

Add Green Onion, Lime Zest and Coriander Stems; continue beating, crushing and grinding to a fine paste.

Once you have achieved a nice paste (a little rustic looking is OK) mix in the ground Coriander/Cumin/Peppercorn/Salt mixture

Now work in the Shrimp Paste.

Spoon into a small bowl and wrap with Plastic wrap....

or store in a jar with a well sealing lid,

and store in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Next up.....  Curried Chicken and Thai Eggplant.  YUM!

Mangia!!
~~

Yum! Yum! Tom Yum Kai - Thai Hot & Sour Soup with Quail Eggs

I have been suffering from an extreme lack of inspiration in cooking lately.

Oh, I have been cooking, but nothing really all that earth shakingly interesting to make it blog-worthy in my view... OK, the panko crusted Razor Clams I fried up last week may actually qualify as blog material, but I have not decided yet.  (it's a messy process)  In my defense, we had 2 weeks of insanely hot weather and I usually resort to a steady diet of salad during those times. (and there is another heat wave on the way even as I type this)

The primary reason for my lack of creativity has been my lack of computer usage.  It's summer and there have been a LOT of things going on. So, aside from the occasional check on email and checking my eBay listings for sales, I have not been engaged in a whole lot of "recreational computing", like social networking.  This presents somewhat of a cooking conundrum for me, as I always find inspiration with my Beeps (BakeSpace Peeps) over on the BakeSpace forums.

I have even been lax in reading my Beeps' Blogs... Not all my Beeps have Blogs, but a healthy chunk of them do...  All summer, I have been missing out on the culinary exploits of Heather at Girlichef, DeeDee at DDPie's Slice, Danielle at Cooking For My Peace of Mind, Cris at Hye Thyme Cafe, Bob at Cooking Stuff, Cathy at Dutch Baker's Daughter, Sheryle at Cookie Baker's Corner, and Dajana at Baker's Corner, just to name a few.....  (sigh)  I miss my Beeps.

Anyway...  With no culinary input whatsoever, I have found that my well of creativity has run dry.  Dry as a roasted bone.  Dry as the pages of the cookbooks to which I so desperately cleave.   Ahem.

That is until now.

I have discovered the joys of Thai food.  OK, I already knew about Thai food (as it's one of my favorites) but I don't really "cook" Thai food.  I tend to remain in my French, Italian, Scandinavian and Greek sphere with occasional forays into Eastern European and North African (mostly Moroccan) and save the Thai food for when I feel like going "out" to eat.

I avoid cooking in the Pan-Asian arena because it requires a completely different pantry than western cuisine. My pantry is only so big and there is only so much room.  I must say, however, that between the Tom Kha I made last year and this foray into Tom Yum, I think Thai food is going to have to start becoming a staple round here.  Time to find a bigger pantry.

Thai food just seems so vibrant and fresh.... Even more so than Chinese. Though I will admit that my knowledge of Chinese is pretty much limited to Sezchuan, Mandarin and Canton.  Just bear with me, I am taking baby steps out of my comfort zone here... LOL

Tom Yum is a delicious hot & sour soup that, unlike its Chinese cousin, contains no cornstarch or tapioca starch.  This makes it a little more "brothy" and less "clingy" in your mouth, giving it a "cleaner" finish. While it still contains rice wine vinegar, it's primary souring agent is lime juice.  Which makes me extremely happy, for I love all things of the lime persuasion.

Usually, Tom Yum contains some form of protein. Sadly, while I have seen Tom Yum made with Chicken and Pork, it usually boils down to some form of fried tofu.  EWW!  Tofu and I DO NOT get along....  As in "Hello, Emergency Room" as I swallow an entire box of Benedryl.  No To the Tofu!

Luckily, the Lily Market on Halsey had a solution for me (they are always so helpful there).  Canned Quail Eggs... Yep, little itty-bitty quail eggs that have been boiled, peeled and canned in water.  I was a little leery at first, for I had only purchased quail eggs in the raw at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in San Diego, but I gotta tell ya, they were perfect for my soup!    Turned out pretty darned tasty if ya ask me. 

Tom Yum Kai

(Thai Hot & Sour Soup with Quail Eggs)

3 fresh Red Birds Eye chiles, seeded and chopped (I actually use 4, but I like it hot)
6 TB Rice Vinegar
2 stalks of Lemongrass, cut into chunks (cause you will want to remove them later)
4 Scallions (Spring/Green Onions), sliced
1 small head of Bok Choy, shredded
1/2 cup worth of Cilantro Leaves (be sure and save the stems for Green Curry Paste)
5 cups Vegetable Stock
4 TB Tamari Soy Sauce
1 TB Coconut Palm Sugar (Jaggery) though you can sneak by with light brown
Juice of 1/2 a Lime
1 can Quail Eggs, packed in water (about 7 oz drain weight), drained
14 oz can Straw Mushrooms, drained

Seed and chop the Chiles.

Place them in a non-metallic bowl (cause they will even react with stainless steel) and add the rice vinegar, allowing them to soak for 1 hour (which gives you enough time to chop everything else)

Like peeling and chunking up the Lemongrass......

Slicing up the Scallions,

Shredding the Bok Choy,

and picking all the leaves off the Cilantro stems.
OK once that is all done, you probably still have about 40 minutes before the chiles are ready....
So, pour the 5 cups of Vegetable Stock into a large sauce pan and add the chunks of Lemongrass, Tamari, Palm Sugar and Lime Juice.

Bring this to a boil, then reduce the flame and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the stock is simmering with it's added flavor components....
Place the Bok Choy in a bowl, add 1/2 the Scallions and the Cilantro Leaves, then toss them together.... (You will add this mixture at the very end of cooking)

Take a short break while everything just kind of hangs out doin it's thing.... the Stock is simmering, the Chiles are soaking and the Bok Choy, Scallions and Cilantro are mingling together in the bowl.
Once an hour has passed and the chiles are finished soaking, go ahead and add them to the simmering stock.

Add the remaining Scallions, the Quail Eggs and the Straw mushrooms and simmer an additional 10 minutes.

Remove the soup from the flame and stir in the Bok Choy/Scallion/Cilantro mixture and stir gently until slightly wilted.

Serve.

Heaven in a bowl!  I kid you not.

And now it's time to tackle Green Curry Paste, for I have a massive amount of Cilantro stems.

Maa Gin Khaao!!
(มากินข้าว)
~~

Hot Soup, Literally - Tom Kha Het

It has been a surprisingly wet and cold summer so far.  Oh, there have been a few hot days here and there, in particular around the 4th of July.  But for the most part, it has been chilly and wet.  To me, cool and damp means soup time.

Soup has the extraordinary ability to warm the cockles of your heart.  This particular soup, however, has the power to warm you from head to toes with it's chili laced goodness.  I speak of the luxurious Tom Kha, basically Coconut Galangal Soup.  Granted you can make it with Chicken (Tom Kha Kai) or Seafood (Tom Kha Thale) and even Amy's Organics makes a vegetable version (Tom Kha Phak), but I prefer the much more subtle flavor of mushrooms, thus this is Tom Kha Het.

It's truly a delightful soup.  Creamy, gingery deliciousness permeated with the tang of lime and lemon grass and laced with the fruity heat of Thai Chilies.  OK, now I am hungry again... so I am gonna sneak another bowl.  Be right back.

Tom Kha Het

(Coconut Galangal Mushroom soup)

2 cups Chicken Stock (or Vegetable)
2 cans Coconut Milk, divided
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 oz Lemongrass, sliced thinly
2 Kaffir Lime Leaves, sliced thinly and divided
4 dried Thai Chilies, seeds removed and thinly sliced
1 inch Galangal, sliced, or rather chipped
2 oz White Onion, diced
4 oz Carrot, cut on the bias
6 oz Napa Cabbage, shredded
8 oz Mushrooms, sliced (if using straw mushrooms, don't slice them)
1 can of Baby Corns, cut into thirds
Juice of 2 Limes
2 TB Nam Pla (Fish Sauce)
1/2 oz Cilantro Leaves

First you need to chop and slice everything up, cause this is a quick soup.

Combine Garlic, Lemongrass, 1/2 of the shredded Lime leaves, Thai Chilies and Galangal in a medium saucepan.

Add Chicken Stock and 1 can of the Coconut Milk.

Place over medium flame and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Strain the "broth" into a larger pot to remove the woody Lemon grass and Galangal.

Add the remaining can of Coconut Milk and bring back to a simmer again.

Once the broth is simmering, add the Onion, Carrot, Napa Cabbage, remaining Kaffir Lime leaves and Mushrooms.

Cover and simmer for an additional 15 minutes to cook the vegetables.

Add Baby Corns and simmer 2 minutes longer to warm them through.

Finish off with Lime Juice

and Nam Pla.

Spoon into a bowl and serve with a sprinkling of Cilantro leaves.

Mangia!!
~~

All Thai'ed Up - Thai Red Curry Paste

A significant amount of time has past since my last post.  Sorry bout that, but I have had to re-prioritize a few things due to my study schedule for one of my Microsoft Certifications.  Basically, I needed to be certified "yesterday",  so I am attempting to cram copious quantities of technical data into my already overtaxed brain.

As a result, dinners are devoid of forethought and resemble a haphazard conglomeration of whatever happens to be in the refrigerator. 

Then "it" happened while I was deeply involved in the creation of SharePoint's Feature Event Receivers.  I had this undeniable craving for Thai food. 

Normally, I steer far and wide of Pan-Asian cuisine, simply because it requires a completely different, and somewhat foreign, pantry full of ingredients.  This can involve a significant amount of financial outpouring to accomplish, but I wanted Thai food REALLY REALLY bad.  So, I decided that since I am "turning a page" in my career, it would be fitting for me to turn a page in my culinary pursuits as well.

Luckily, since my appetite was focused on Red Curry, the list of "special ingredients" is fairly short.  Well, it was short for me at least.  I always have Kaffir (Makrut) lime leaves in the freezer (I use them in my Saffron sauce) and I usually have Cilantro floating around the refrigerator, and Galangal (which is Ginger's more robust cousin) as well as Sesame oil, multiple types of Garlic, Coriander Seed, Cumin and Peppercorns.  In fact, in order to make a fairly passable Red Curry, the only ingredients I needed were Dried Thai Chilies, Lemon Grass and Shrimp paste (though I have been told that you can use Fish sauce or Soy mixed with brown sugar)

So grab a large mortar and pestle, cause I have tried this in a food processor and the results were less than stellar to say the least, and follow along, cause Thai Red Curry is a snap to make... with a little elbow grease.

Thai Red Curry

(Gaeng Phet)

1 bulb of Thai Garlic (or 7 peeled cloves of American garlic)
1 TB Minced Shallot (if your using the American garlic)
2 stalks of Lemon Grass (peeled and thinly sliced pale parts only)
2 inch chunk of Galangal (chipped - this stuff is tough)
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 TB Cilantro (Coriander) Stems (though Cilantro root is better)
4 tsp Coriander (Cilantro) seeds, toasted
1 TB Cumin Seeds, toasted
1 tsp White peppercorns
10 Kaffir (Makrut) Lime leaves (middle stem removed and thinly sliced) or zest of 1 Kaffir lime
For Red Curry - 20 Dried Red Thai Chilies (prik haeng is their name I believe)
2 tsp Shrimp Paste 
2 TB Toasted Sesame oil for cooking everything together.

OK, let's prep first.
Now as far as the dried chilies go....

If you like a "medium" heat, I suggest that you cut the stem end off of 10 of them, and remove the seeds.

Thus reducing the Scoville burn potential of your final paste mixture.

Soak your chilies for about 15 minutes in a little boiling water, then drain.

Meanwhile, peel the Garlic (Please note that the Thai garlic on the right is significantly smaller than the normal American garlic, it also has a slightly milder flavor and a much thinner peel)

Thinly slice the Lemon Grass (Lemon grass has very long fibers so the thinner you slice it the less fibrous your paste will be)

This is Galangal (on the left) and Ginger (on the right).  Galangal's flavor is similar to Ginger, but without the warm "heat" usually associated with Ginger.

Hack thin chips of Galangal (with a VERY sharp knife, this stuff is tough)

Toast the Coriander Seed and Cumin in a dry skillet over medium flame for about 4 minutes (until fragrant)

This is a Kaffir lime leaf.  (it kind of tastes like lime zest but it's more perfume-y)

Remove the stems from the lime leaves,

then slice the leaf lobes thinly.

On a happy note, now you have something to do with the cilantro stems after you have picked off all the leaves.

Chop the stems fairly finely.

Don't forget to grab your shrimp paste....

OK, lets get to smashing and mashing.... 
In a large Mortar and Pestle (preferably a granite one, not a molcajete like I used) smash everything together until it forms a sloppy paste.

Finally, stir in the shrimp paste.
Heat the Sesame oil in a skillet set over medium heat.

Add the curry paste and cook it until it has absorbed all the oil and becomes extremely fragrant. (about 5 minutes)

Remove from the heat and your ready to jar it and store it in the refrigerator for 2 months.

Me, I have some immediate plans for about 2 TB of this curry.  But you will have to check in over the next couple of days to see what it is.   :)

Mangia!!
~~