Tha One
ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
T
hai foods are more popular
than ever. For good reason.
The aromas and flavors are
fresh, light and a change of
pace from the usual Chinese-style foods
omnipresent for so many years. There's
also a mystique about these combination
plates that may use ingredients we, until
recently, would have never known exist- .
ed, yet alone tossed together.
Additionally, the use of white, almost
transparent rice noodles add another
dimension to the usual dark fried rice
and flour noodles we're so familiar with.
Like other Asian cuisines, flavorings and
seasonings take a front seat in recipes
where small amounts of animal proteins
are more garnishes than main events.
Fresh and dried vegetables paired with
easy cooking techniques make these
dishes very quick and simple to prepare
once the ingredients have been prepped.
Many of the ingredients can now be
readily found in supermarkets. What's
more, many excellent short-cut mixes
are also available. Since many non-meat
ingredients are fresh, such as vegetables,
or pure (not mixed with other ingredi-
ents), such as spices or rice noodles, they
often do not need kosher supervision.
Many common Asian ingredients,
such as soy sauce and hoisin sauce, are
manufactured by companies that have
kosher certification. The following
recipes are simplified, shortcuts to Thai
flavor.
The zesty flavors of
Thailand are more
easily accessible.
Where blatantly non-kosher ingredi-
ents are often traditional in some recipes
— shrimp or fish sauce — substitutions
have been made. You'll find that these
recipes still have authentic flavor that
will satisfy your taste for something a lit-
tle more exotic.
CHICKEN STIR-FRY WITH BELL
PEPPERS AND HOLY BASIL
1 pound skinless boneless chicken
breast, partially frozen
2 T. vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 t. minced garlic
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
2 small fresh red or green Thai chilies,
seeded and minced (wear rubber
gloves)
1/4 cup chicken broth or water
1 T. minced gingerroot
2 t. sugar
2 t. soy sauce
kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh holy
basil leaves or Asian basil
leaves, washed and dried
1 lime, cut into wedges
Using a thin, sharp knife, slice chicken
lengthwise into thin slices. Stack or line
these slices up so you can cut them in
half, horizontally, into shorter pieces. Set
aside.
Heat a wok or large non-stick skillet
over high heat until hot. Add the oil and
heat until very hot. Add onions and gar-
lic and stir-fry until lightly colored,
about 30-60 seconds. Add chicken and
cook, tossing the chicken with a wooden
spoon until just cooked through, about
3-4 minutes.
Add red pepper, chili, broth, ginger-.
root, sugar and soy sauce and continue
cookinab stirring often, for 3 minutes.
Add salt, ground pepper and basil and
cook, stirring, for 30 seconds more.
Serve hot, over cooked brown rice,
jasmine rice or basmati rice with lime
wedges as garnish. Makes 4 servings.
'
PAD THAI
8 oz. thin dried Thai rice sticks or
noodles
3 T. vegetable oil
1 t. minced garlic
8 oz. boneless and skinless chicken
breasts, partially frozen
1 t. paprika
2 large eggs, lighdy beaten
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T. sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup scallions, cut diagonally
into 1-inch pieces
1-2 t. chili oil or hot red pepper sauce
(such as Tabasco), optional
1/4 cup finely chopped roasted
unsalted peanuts
1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
Place noodles in a lage bowl. Pour
very warm or hot (not boiling) water
over noodles. Soak dried rice sticks
until just tender, about 30-40 min-
utes. Drain rice sticks well.
Using a thin, sharp knife, slice
chicken lengthwise into thin slices.
Stack or line these slices up to you can
cut them in half, horizontally, into
shorter pieces. Heat oil in a wok or
large non-stick skillet over high heat.
Add garlic, chicken and paprika and
cook until just cooked through, about
3 minutes. Remove from pan and set
aside.
Add egg, swirling the pan slowly to
make a pancake. Cook for one minute
3/29
2002
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