Tonight I'm meeting up with a few friends for drinks and dinner. Since it's THAT time of year (read: empty pockets), we're going to a little place in Soho that turns out good Thai food. There's not much to the service, and they don't let you sit for long, but it is mighty tasty. And cheap.
I know long before I step through the door what I'll be having. Pad thai. It's my favourite. With heavy doses of that lovely mouth-puckering chilli sauce that sits on every table.
I wonder: is it easy to cook pad thai at home? I consult the all-knowing beast that is the internet.
Stop 1: Wikipedia
Wiki kindly informs me that "there have evolved two types of pad thai": one that originates in Thailand is relatively dry and light, and one in the Western world that is covered in red oil. Okay, not actually that helpful. But it does spell out the ingredients, for those unfamiliar:
Rice noodles
Eggs
Fish sauce
Tamarind juice
Chilli
Crushed peanuts
Coriander/cilantro
And any combo of shrimp, chicken, tofu or bean sprouts
And now for a history lesson - pad thai first became popular in World War II, when the prime minister wanted to reduce the consumption of rice in Thailand. Evidently.
Stop 2: Epicurious
When in doubt, I stop here for a guide on how to make something. I don't always use the recipe verbatim. Instead, I often mix and match. They give me three options:
Pad thai noodles
Vegetarian pad thai
Coconut pad thai
I must say, I like the sound of coconut. But I'm straying off topic. I note happily that the first recipe doesn't sound too unhealthy, with 3 tbsp of vegetable oil and an egg the only fat-based ingredients for four servings. I wonder if this could be reduced even further.
Stop 3: You Tube
Should the idea of cooking the ultimate Thai takeaway still fill you with feelings of uncertainty, why not hit up YouTube for a tutorial:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyH4axkSTT0
I still can't decide whether I'll take this dish on at home or leave it to the humble kitchens of Tuk Tuk Thai in Soho. Given it's a cheap meal out at £5, I'll probably leave it to the professionals.
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A passion for food and love of cooking lures me into the kitchen most nights, cooking for myself and my husband. If I'm not there, I'm trying restaurants both new and old. I live in east London with my husband, and I write about culinary and health-related issues surrounding food and create recipes that are seasonal, healthy and delicious (most of the time!).
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Meet the chef - Jennifer Trent Staves
A passion for food and love of cooking lures me into the kitchen most nights, cooking for myself and my husband. If I'm not there, I'm trying restaurants both new and old. I live in east London with my husband, and I write about culinary and health-related issues surrounding food and create recipes that are seasonal, healthy and delicious (most of the time!).
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How it all started...
It all started here on a lazy Saturday morning. Having been out late for drinks with friends, I was lounging on the couch watching Saturday Kitchen with a cup of tea. I had been thinking about starting this blog for awhile now, but a new job was keeping me busy. But with my husband Pete snoozing away and having time to catch my breath, it finally began.
Some background: food has always been a part of my life. I grew up in Atlanta with my parents, brother and lovely cocker spaniel. My dad is an amazing cook, and as we grew up, it was dad, experimenting in the kitchen. A fisherman at heart growing up on the Gulf coast of Florida, he loves all seafood and would cook it most days if only my mom would allow. My mom is also a great cook but prefers the comfort of a recipe book close at hand and doesn't like wavering from the print.
When I moved to New Orleans at 18 to go to college at Tulane, I began my own cultural food awakening. There were spices and flavors I'd had, some I'd recognized, and some I'd never even heard of. When I finally had my own flat, I had my own kitchen, and I played by my rules. I'd want to cook something, but didn't always know how - so a ring home to Dad gave me the instructions needed. Confidence grew, and I found I wanted to come home to cook most nights. I didn't want prepacked food on the shelves or the nearest takeaway.
By the time I moved to London at 22 (I didn't realize it was permanent at the time, but it has turned out to be) I felt awakened. I was willing to take anything on, try new things. Or so I thought. English food culture turned out to be such an enlightening experience. Thai and Indian food were not a part of my food life - but they're intrinsic to my enjoyment of food now.
Vegetables. Oh my god vegetables. It sounds weird but there isn't anything better. I was a vegetarian for about 5 years - and I swear, I didn't eat nearly as many vegetables as I do now. American use of vegetables in my experience consisted mostly of green beans and corn. Although Americans do a great salad too.
But the English have opened up my eyes to the beauty and simplicity of the vegetable. I now load my plate with things I probably would have considered disgusting in my teenage years. Parsnips. Fennel. I can't think of a vegetable I don't like, to be honest. If I come across one, I'll tell you. But the more I eat, the more I like.
Therein lies the rub. I love food and love experimenting but (like everything else in my life) I can get carried away. Take it that bit too far. One year I gained twenty pounds just because of my love of food. (Lack of exercise probably didn't help!) But over the past year, I have come to realise that you can make gorgeous food with amazing flavours - and it can be healthy - but it's not always easy. You have to work at it, have to experiment, which is exciting in and of itself.
I personally think most recipes don't need half of the oil they call for. Tweaking things to make them healther (and often, more flavorful) is exciting and I love it. I can (almost) always eat my own food. There are notable exceptions.
Cue the husband. Tall, lean, stomach capacity the size of North America. He can eat for days and not show a thing. And as I'm generally the cook in the house, it's been a sub-project to find things I can eat that he'll enjoy too. You'll see as we go along. I have several tactics - but my end goal is that we have nearly the same meal on our plates when we sit down. That involves compromises on both sides - but we're both happy after the meal. If either of us isn't - you'll hear about it.
2 comments:
I just made something that seems to be a mix between Pad Thai and Chicken Noodle Bowl. I look forward to using your recipes!!
I've also been meaning to try this Ken Hom recipe http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/stirfryvegetarianpha_70987.shtml
for ages which looks fairly straightforward. My husband makes a killer red Thai curry so I need to find my own rival dish....
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