Thai-Style Pumpkin Carrot Coconut Curry Soup

Tony of SinoSoul gave me two pumpkins from his garden and I knew just what to do with them. (Actually, they're much closer-looking on the outside to butternut squash, but redder on the inside like pumpkins. And since I already titled the pictures and this post as pumpkin, so they will remain!) I couldn't wait for colder temperatures so that I could indulge in some creamy soups. Not that I couldn't do so at any other time, except that if I wanted to use fresh squash, those were only available in the fall and winter.

While pumpkin is already slighty sweet, the addition of a few carrots and coconut milk also boosted the natural sweetness of this soup. I simmered the vegetables in chicken broth to soak in the flavor and then pureed it all. Then I added a few spoonfuls of Thai red curry paste and fish sauce for some savoriness and complexity. You can easily substitute with vegetable broth and just salt for seasoning if you wanted to make this vegetarian. Save some coconut milk for swirly designs at the end if you wish.

Thai-Style Pumpkin Carrot Coconut Curry Soup, a lightened up and reinvented version of this cold weather favorite.

Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cakes)

The green beans the niece grew from seed in preschool yielded a handful if I saved the harvesting for about once a week. Not really enough for a stir-fry, but just enough green beans to supplement something. Just enough for a batch of Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cakes).

Remembering that Shaved Ice Sundays' in-laws are Thai, I consulted her recipe since I remembered liking her use of red curry paste in the recipe. The chopped green beans I've encountered in versions of Thai fish cakes I've eaten before, adding both color and texture. Unlike her recipe though, I minced my own fish instead of purchasing store-bought fish paste. If you buy fish paste instead of making your own, then you can probably omit most of the seasonings in my recipe since store versions already have plenty. Finally, the baking powder in the recipe helps lighten up the texture of the fish. The fish cakes will puff up a little when frying, and then shrink down in size when cooled so don't be alarmed when that happens.

These can be eaten as an appetizer or a side dish, served with a light fish dipping sauce.

Thai Basil Beef Stir-Fry

A 5-minute meal for when you're starving and want a yummy homemade dinner right away.

OK, I lied.

It technically took me six minutes, but that wasn't nearly as catchy. I needed that extra minute to slice the shallots and mince the garlic.

That's not counting the cooking time for the rice, but if you have leftover rice that you could quickly zap in the microwave, then you're good to go. If not, this Thai Basil Beef Stir-Fry goes great in lettuce wraps for those who want to eat right away or are watching their carbs.

Tom Yum Fried Rice with Shrimp Roe and Kaffir Lime Leaves

In the interests of clearing out old pictures, this Tom Yum Fried Rice with Shrimp Roe and Kaffir Lime Leaves dates back to November 2009. I was trying to figure out why I had so many shrimp heads and shells on hand and none of the recipes taken around that time revealed any clues. So I must have already blogged whatever it was I was cooking with all that shrimp.

I normally save the heads and shells of shrimp to use as stock in such dishes as Tom Yum Goong (Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup) because they add so much flavor. That particular day though I was looking for something different, and remembering Miss.Adventure at Home's post about braising shrimp heads with rice and Blazing Hot Wok's Southeast Asian Rice Pilaf, I decided to make Tom Yum in a rice dish instead. So basically the Tom Yum ingredients -- shrimp heads, shrimp, chilies, lime juice, and kaffir lime leaves -- but stir-fried with rice.

The result was a very briny, fragrant rice. If I had to re-do this dish again though, I'd either drastically cut down on the shrimp shells, using only a few shrimp heads for the roe, or just stick with peeled shrimp. Because while the shrimp shells added so much flavor to the rice, it was a pain to pick out while eating. Of course, then you'd miss out on the gorgeous red color the shrimp roe added to the rice. It's a trade-off. The strips of kaffir lime leaves and a squeeze of fresh lime juice at the end helped offset the brininess of the shrimp.

So of course, it probably would have been easier to re-do the pictures with those recipe changes, but I just loved seeing the shrimp heads sticking out of the red rice. Haha. I know, I'm weird. Alternatively, if you want to skip using shrimp heads, just substitute with a tablespoon or two of Tom Yum paste.

Kaffir Lime Leaves

I don't have much to say about kaffir lime leaves since I don't use it too much in my cooking. Kaffir lime leaves add a lovely citrus note to many curries and seasonings without making the food taste too sour. I associate the leaves mainly with Thai cuisine, although there's a random Vietnamese and Indonesian recipe thrown in as well.

The double leaves of the kaffir lime are a little thicker than normal lemon leaves, although in a pinch, I've used Meyer lemon leaves off my uncle's tree with no problems. The leaves can be left whole to stew in curries, or finely chiffonaded and added as a garnish.

So-Yah! Creamy Coconut Curry Tofu Shirataki Noodles

One last item in the goody bag from my Behind the Scenes: House Foods America Corporation - Garden Grove tour was this package of So-Yah! Creamy Coconut Curry Tofu Shirataki Noodles. After being underwhelmed with the So-Yah! Red Vindaloo Curry Tofu Shirataki Noodles, I wasn't too excited to try the coconut curry noodles.

Like the vindaloo noodles, these shirataki noodles were made from yam flour and tofu. They're low-carb at 3 g of carbs and 20 calories per 4 oz serving.

Even though the ingredients were the same as the red vindaloo curry: tofu, yam flour, coconut cream, tomato paste, garbanzo beans, red bell peppers, carrots, and spices, the taste was quite different.

How different?

Thai Red Curry Roast Chicken

This recipe is really easy and very flavorful. On the hunt for new roast chicken recipe, I started rooting around my pantry and then the fridge and then the freezer when I chanced upon some frozen Thai red curry paste. Hmm. What if I rubbed the curry paste all over the chicken as a marinade? I like my curries with coconut milk, so what if I added coconut powder as well?

The curry spices mingled with the chicken juices while cooking to create the most wonderfully delicious taste. So simple. So yummy.

Tom Yum Goong Kai (Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp and Chicken Soup)

A while back, I received an email from a reader named Emily who said she uses the blog to stay in touch with her friend after she moved to Chicago, Illinois, and her friend stayed behind in Orlando, Florida. They browse through the blog, picking out recipes they want to try, and then compare notes.

She said they were talking about how delicious tom yum (Thai hot and sour soup) was and "immediately" searched the blog for a recipe. (I liked how she actually searched for the recipe before emailing me. Ha!)

Unable to find the recipe on my blog, she emailed me to request one. "There are other tom yum soup recipes available online but WE TRUST YOU," Emily said.

Awww. I asked her exactly how she and her friend used the blog to stay in touch?

How to Prepare and Use Tamarind in Recipes

Me (Vietnamese Tamarind) is a common ingredient in several dishes for a slightly sweet-tart flavor. You can buy tamarind pods whole for a few bucks at the Asian or Mexican grocery store. I find the Asian tamarind of better quality than the Mexican tamarind in my area -- pods intact, fresher, sweeter tasting.

You can actually snack on these plain if you wish. They taste like chewy sweet-tart candy.

To prepare tamarind for recipes is pretty simple.

Jazz Cat Restaurant - San Gabriel

I was sad when the original Jazz Cat Cafe - Alhambra stopped letting us cook hot pots table side. Then, they stopped serving hot pots at all. Then, they closed down completely.

Because they had opened a new location in San Gabriel.

Yippee!



The grand opening was in late October. I tipped off Tony of SinoSoul so he could be my guinea pig since he likes to be first. Ha! He complained about the long wait and disproportionately high counter to chair difference at the bar.

But for lunch time with Gourmet Pigs, we only had a slight wait and were seated in a booth. That makes all the difference in my enjoyment of Jazz Cat.

Chai Thai Noodles - Oakland

I guess it was just as well that lil' sis ate all the beef kebabs on the drive up to the Bay Area because cousin Q's older brother took us out for dinner.

Yippee!

He suggested Chai Thai Noodles in Oakland, which ended up being a great choice because I got to try two new things that I've never had before.

After being seated, we were immediately given Banh Phong Tom (Vietnamese Shrimp Chips) to munch on while we figured out what to order.

Pok Pok - Portland - Oregon

After visiting Ramona and Klickitat Street, Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok and I went to the other side of town for lunch at Pok Pok.

Pok Pok, owned by Andy Ricker, has received a lot of coverage by bloggers and mainstream media since it opened several years ago. It was even named restaurant of the year by The Oregonian in 2007. Pok Pok used to be a take-away hut, which replaced a vegan sushi take-away, and is now a full-service restaurant.

Was it the novelty of a white guy cooking authentic Thai street food that lured people in? Or was the food actually that good?

Palms Thai Restaurant - Los Angeles (Hollywood)

Back in September 2008, my brother and his wife, cousin Q, his older brother and his wife, and I dined at Palms Thai Restaurant, home of Thai Elvis.

Don't be cruel. Surely you've heard of Thai Elvis?



Unfortunately, the acoustics in the restaurant were absolutely retched. I couldn't even tell you what Thai Elvis was crooning that evening. Nonetheless, where else can you get pad Thai with a side of "Love Me Tender"?

Bhan Kanom Thai - Los Angeles (Thai Town)

As Teenage Glutster led Gourmet Pigs and me through Bhan Kanom Thai during the Songkran (Thai New Year) Festival - Los Angeles (Thai Town), I did what I always do and started taking photos.

Songkran (Thai New Year) Festival - Los Angeles (Thai Town)

Did you know that Los Angeles has a Thai Town? So designated in 1999. And that it is America's first and only Thai Town? L.A. is home to 80,000 Thai Americans, the largest community outside of Thailand.


I remember the neighborhood designation being big news back then. Though I've eaten at some restaurants in Thai Town, I hadn't really taken the time to explore it. So Gourmet Pigs and I decided to attend the 6th annual Songkran (Thai New Year) Festival on Hollywood Boulevard, between Western and Normandie Avenues.

The Songkran Festival in Thai Town takes place the first Sunday in April. It was soooo hooot! I had to park several miles away up in the hills. Sweltering and long walk, I got my exercise in for sure.

Larb/Larp/Laab/Laap (Lao/Thai Ground Meat Salad)

Larb, also spelled larp, laab, laap, is a Laotian ground meat salad that is also popular in Thailand. Isan, the northeast region of Thailand, is heavily influenced by Laos. In fact, the language of this region is similar to Laotian, although some people consider it another dialect of Laotian, but written in the Thai alphabet. Consequently, there are some cross-cultural influences with the two cuisines. This dish is one of them.

The Kao Kua (Thai Ground Roasted Rice Powder), which you can see in the picture below, is an important part of the salad as it helps to absorb excess moisture from the meat, and also adds a nutty fragrance and flavor.

Bot Thinh/Kao Kua (Vietnamese/Thai Ground Roasted Rice Powder)

Bot Thinh/Kao Kua (Vietnamese/Thai Ground Roasted Rice Powder) is something I've only seen my family use a few times. Once, when my oldest uncle's wife made a vegetarian salad and sprinkled a lot of roasted rice powder. Again, when my mom made be thui (Vietnamese beef with roasted rice powder and bean curd). Ground roasted rice powder adds a nutty flavor and fragrance to salads, while helping to absorb excess moisture.

Thai Red Curry with Roast Duck, Bamboo Shoots, Eggplant, and Pumpkin

As I said, I had a curry craving. Since I was already at the San Gabriel Superstore, I figured I'd experiment and make a red curry with roast duck. I think that's also because I had a weird craving for roast duck. Weird, only because I hardly ever eat roast duck.

Thai Red Curry Paste

Recently, I had a major craving for Thai curry, red curry in particular. And as I stood there in the aisle at the San Gabriel Superstore reading the ingredients of the canned curry pastes, I decided I could make my own for better and cheaper.

The main reason why I prefer to make my own Thai curry paste is because I don't like the taste of galangal. I know purists will say it's essential, but the taste is so overwhelming in packaged pastes that I just don't like it. And actually, even though it's not "authentic," I much prefer the taste of ginger. I also sub regular lime peel for kaffir lime peel since the latter is harder to find.

Banana and Coconut Frozen Yogurt Popsicles

The entries have started trickling in for the COCONUT round of Weekend Wokking, hosted this month by Ivy of Precious Pea. Did you see my entry of Banh Dua Nuong (Vietnamese Coconut Tartlets)? If you've got a recipe featuring any type of coconut, please come play!

Rita of Pink Bites' entry of a tropical parfait featuring mangoes, toasted coconut flakes, and frozen yogurt reminded me of these banana and coconut frozen yogurt popsicles I had made earlier this summer.



This recipe started out as an attempt to recreate Thai caramelized bananas with toasted coconut flakes that I made years ago. But my bananas were too ripe and fell apart. So I added in some plain yogurt and was going to make my Homemade Frozen Yogurt with it instead. But then I forgot about it in the freezer so it solidified. Added all the events together and a light bulb went off. I let the mixture melt, filled my popsicle tray, and made these banana and coconut frozen yogurt popsicles.