Supper Club

A lot of people ask me what’s my favorite Thai restaurant in GA.  I have to be honest with you I don’t really go to Thai restaurants much, because I cook Thai food for myself, but this particular question led me to think about the future for my next project which is Supper club.  What is Supper club?  In my terms Supper club is:  I will cook authentic Thai food that most of you cannot find in a regular Thai restaurant.  The menu will depend on the theme of each event which is just like you take a trip to try a food in Thailand.  So I talked to my boss Chef Richard at Bradford’s on bishop.  He loves this idea, so we decided to have Thai Supper club. Starting on friday November 4th, 2011.  We will start with Thai food in the chart of Top 50 CNNGO.com  World's 50 most delicious foods .  Because I just found out that Thai food has 4 dishes in the top 50^th and the menu will be

Salad : 46th Som tum : Papaya salad

Salad :19^th Num tok Moo : Spicy grilled pork salad

Soup : 8^th Tom yum kung : Spicy shrimp soup

Entrée : 1^st Massaman Curry

Dessert : Sticky rice with mango

The dessert is not in the top 50^th but I thought about what kind of meal that doesn’t have a dessert right!!!  So I picked one of the famous Thai desserts to put on the menu to complete the dinner.  I hope you don’t mind to have something extra.  Since this menu is very popular you might think all of this food you could find it in a lot of Thai restaurants, but trust me they do not make this food the authentic Thai style!!!  And this is just the beginning for this supper club you will see all of the authentic menus that you never knew about before.  If you want to join my club please visit http://sunisasthaisupperclub.eventbrite.com Hurry I have limited seating available!!!

Tom-Yum-Kung : spicy and sour shrimp soup.

Tom Yum Kung

         Another famous Thai soup that has gone international!!! Tom-yum made from 2 words in Thai.  Tom means soup and yum means sour and spicy salad, so if you hear tom-yum that means spicy and sour soup, but the most famous kind is shrimp or “Kung” but you can use any kind of meat you like (pork, chicken, fish, seafood).  Almost every Thai restaurant in America has to have it, but not too many make it tasty like the original.  Also they have 2 kinds in Thailand.  One has milk (for shrimp and fish) and another one is without milk (tastes spicier).  The key of tom yum is galangal, Lemon grass and Kaffir leaf.  If you don’t have those 3 we don’t call it tom-yum (it’s going to taste just like sour & spicy water!).  I know it is hard to find it in a grocery store.  You can find them at Thai grocery stores, but trust me it’s worth it to find in a Thai grocery store.  In GA I have found them in a frozen version.  They still almost have the same amount of freshness (but the fresh is still the best!).  Anyway If you really cannot find it, use tom yum paste or tom yum cube (but I still recommend the real thing, it tastes way better). Also the original recipe calls Num-Prik-Pow for seasoning. Num-Prick-Pow is a special Thai chili paste (Not like curry paste) and is made with dried chilis, shallots, garlic, shrimp, tamarind juice and sugar then pan fried.  The paste itself has chili oil in it (comes from pan fried) tastes sweet and is not too spicy (for Thai people).  A lot of Thai folk mix Num-Prik-Pow with rice and eat it with a hard boil egg and vegetables just like that.  You can find it in an Asian grocery store, but if it is too much trouble to find them all just leave those ingredients out of the recipe.

Tom yum kung

½ pound Shrimp (peeled and de-veined)

4 Kaffir leaves (Tear it about 4 pieces per one leaf)

1 lemon grass (pound and cut into 1 inches)

2 pieces galangal (pound)

1 cup mushroom

1 ½  cup water or chicken broth or seafood broth

1 tbsp. fresh Thai chili (pound or chop)

1 lime juice (about 3 tbsp.)

2 tbsp. fish sauce

1 tsp. Num-Prik-Pow (special Thai chili paste)

½  cup of half & half (optional for creamier)

1  tsp.  Cilantro

Cooking Instructions:

1.      In the medium pot bring water or chicken broth or seafood broth to boil add galangal, Lemon grass, Kaffir leaf let boil about 2-3 minute for aroma from herb season the soup.

2.      Add shrimp cook about 2-3 minute or until it cooked.

3.      Add mushroom bring it to boil.

4.      Add chili and half & half at the end turn the heat off.

5.   Add lime juice, fish sauce and Num-Prik-Pow then pour soup into the bowl sprinkle with cilantro.

6.   Serve with jasmine rice.

Note: For me I love to eat tom yum soup with rice and Thai style omelet. Oh yes I can eat it all day long!! 

Chicken coconut soup.

Tom-Soup: Chicken coconut soup.

                Tum kha Gai or Chicken coconut soup is the food from central Thailand that a lot of Americans like.  Actually it means chicken with galangal soup, because the main ingredient is young galangal and chicken.  In Thai we eat with rice and serve at the same time with any food not like in America it is served as an appetizer.  When I first came here (USA) I ordered it in one of the Thai restaurants and it tasted totally different from what I have in Thailand.  I was kind of disappointed.  The original was my mom’s recipe chicken coconut soup which makes it rich and tasty (little bit sour and spicy), but in America (some restaurants) make it too watery and it does not taste good at all (for my opinion).  I find out later that some restaurants just want to make it light so they serve as a soup not for food like the traditional recipe.  So this recipe it will be the original one, but if you think it’s too rich and tasty for you just add more chicken broth.

Note: If you cannot find young galangal don’t worry just use the one you can find and make thin sliced, but if it’s too old and cannot make thin sliced just pound it.

Ingredients

1/2 pound chicken

1 cup mushroom

1 can (14 oz) coconut milk

½ cup chicken broth or water

3 Kaffir leaves (Tear it about 4 pieces per one leaf)

1 lemon grass (pounded and cut into 1 inches)

4-6 pieces young galangal (slice)

2-11 Thai Chilies (it’s up to you)

2 tbsp. cilantros

2-3 tbsp. fish sauce

2-3 tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. sugar

Cooking Instructions

1.       In medium pot add coconut milk and chicken broth or water, bring it to a boil at medium heat.

2.       Add galangal, Kaffir lime leaves,  lemon grass, stir and keep at a boil for about 8-10 minutes

3.       Add chicken, stir 2-3 times till chicken cooked then add sugar

4.       Add mushroom bring it to a boil then turn the heat off

5.       For seasoning add chili and lime juice then stir it till mixed well at last garnish with cilantro.

6.       Serve with steamed rice (for me plus Thai omelet)

Now dig in!!