Tag: Thailand

tofu pad thai on a plate with a margarita on the side

Easy & Delicious Peanut Pad Thai Recipe & Tamarind Margaritas

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by Myles Katherine ❤

I’ve been wanting to make pad thai forever but I always found it a bit intimidating. It seemed like I would need so many ingredients and I was worried that it just wouldn’t taste as good as it does at restaurants. I ended up surprising myself though, and it was one of the best meals I’ve made in a while! I prefer my pad thai sauce with a little extra peanut flavor, so I created my own peanut pad thai sauce. The recipe I adapted it from was super easy, especially if you have a Vitamix blender. I threw all of the ingredients in there, and voila! A dual use recipe as a dipping sauce for my fresh vegetable rolls (I’ll be posting these tomorrow!) and a pad thai sauce. I also made vegetable spring rolls & had sticky rice with mango for dessert, but I’ll create a post tomorrow about those. 🙂

Pad Thai Ingredients:

(serves 2-4)

Sauce:

  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter, preferably natural
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk or cream
  • 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice, more as needed
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons grated ginger root
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ teaspoon sriracha or other hot sauce
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon plus a pinch kosher salt, more as needed
  • 1/3 cup tamarind concentrate – This is what really gives it the pad thai flavor, so add more as needed for that tangy flavor that pad thai is known for! I purchased it at a local asian food market, along with the pad thai noodles used below.

Dish:

  • 1 package extra firm tofu
  • 1 TBSP sesame oil
  • 2-4 servings of noodles, prepared as needed
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 Egg
  • Cilantro, for garnish
  • Lime, for garnish
  • Fresh bean sprouts, about a cup
  • Crushed peanuts, about 2 TBSP
  • 2-3 green onions, chopped
  1. In a food processor or blender, combine peanut butter, coconut milk/cream, 3 tablespoons hot water, lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, rice vinegar, garlic, sriracha, tamarind concentrate and a pinch of salt. Purée until smooth. Add more lime juice and or salt to taste. Scrape into a bowl.
  2. Sauté the tofu in a pan with the sesame oil until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Prepare the noodles as labeled on the package. I purchased fresh noodles from a local market so they didn’t require pre-cooking.
  3. Add onions and garlic to the pan and sauté with leftover sesame oil and a tsp of coconut oil for about 2 minutes over medium heat, until fragrant.
  4. Add in the tofu, cooked noodles, egg and peanut sauce to the pan and sautee over low heat, just until warmed and egg is cooked thoroughly.
  5. Serve! Garnish with cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedges, crushed peanuts and chopped green onions.

    Tamarind Margaritas Ingredients:

    (adapted from Flaming Tortillas – 4 servings)

    • 4 ounces tequila
    • 2 ounces Triple Sec- or any orange liqueur
    • 1/3 cup tamarind concentrate
    • Sparkling water (optional)
    •  Ice
    • 1 lime (juiced), plus wedges for garnish

1. Fill glasses with ice.
2. In a cocktail shaker (or blender) with ice add the tequila, triple sec, tamarind juice, and lime juice.
3. Pour into the salt-rimmed glasses (I’m not a salt fan, but most people are!) and top off with sparkling water and lime wedges, if using.

Tip: I like my margaritas pretty sweet, so I added extra Triple Sec and tamarind concentrate!

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment below if you’ve tried the recipe, and let us know what you think!

❤

Asian Fusion Chicken Curry Noodles

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curry 3

By Natalie Anne ❤

This is probably the tastiest dish I have ever made, and I want to eat it over and over and over again.So you should make it and love it too.

I used the following ingredients from my Japan and Thailand Try the World boxes:

Akagi Soba Noodles, Massaman Red Curry Paste, Umami Ponzu Soy Sauce, Nori Seaweed Sheets

curry 1

The recipe was adapted from Table for Two (serves 3-4):

Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • 1-2 tablespoons honey (I like it a little sweet!)
  • 1 tablespoon of (dark) brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger

Dish Ingredients:

  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken strips cut into pieces
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 egg (optional)
  • chopped cilantro
  • 2 Seaweed sheets

curry 2

  1. Boil the Soba noodles in lightly salted water for 5-6 minutes (I used the 9.5 OZ package of noodles) and drain.
  2. Mix the following sauce ingredients all together in a bowl and set aside.
  3. In a pan over medium heat add 3 cloves of minced garlic, chopped red onion, and a tablespoon of coconut oil. (Optional additions: carrots and mushrooms)
  4. After simmering for 5 minutes, I scrambled in an egg to the mixture for two minutes and then added the chopped chicken. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through.
  5. Add the sauce mixture over everything, stir well and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
  6. Toss the Soba noodles and shredded seaweed with everything.
  7. Top with cilantro leaves (maybe even bean sprouts and/or peanuts) and enjoy!

curry 4

 

Red Curry with Chicken and Avocado + Jasberry Rice Pudding with Mango

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by Myles Katherine ❤

Curry is one of my favorite dishes to make because you can improvise using whatever vegetables you have in your house. I could hardly wait to try the Red Curry from my Try the World Thailand Box (read more about Try the World here) because I’ve heard such great things about it. For dessert, Jasberry Rice Pudding with sliced mango. My sister made the Jasberry Rice Pudding with Banana slices earlier this week. If you don’t want to sign up for the subscription boxes, you can still order these ingredients (like the Jasberry Rice and Nittaya Curry Paste) from their online store!

I adapted the recipes to serve 2 instead of 4, and used chicken instead of beef. I also didn’t have fish sauce so I used soy sauce for the salty flavor. 🙂

RED CURRY WITH CHICKEN AND AVOCADO

Ingredients:

From the Try the World Thailand Box

– 2-3 TBSP Nittaya Thai Curry paste (can be substituted with other curry pastes)
– 1 cup cooked Jasberry rice (can be substituted with white or brown rice)

From Your Pantry

– 1 14.0z can of coconut milk
– 1 TBSP soy sauce or 1 TBSP fish sauce
-2 TBSP Tamarind Concentrate or 1/2 TBSP Tamarind Paste
– 1 TSP sugar

Fresh Meat & Produce:

-4 Fresh Kaffir Lime Leave (optional)
– 1 Russet Potato, peeled and diced
– 1 Sweet Potato, peeled and diced
– 1 Large Carrot, cut lenthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thin
– 1/4 cup basil (with stems)
– 1/2 pound boneless white chicken, sliced
– 1/4 small onion, thinly sliced
-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
– 1/4 red bell pepper, sliced, for garnish
-1/2 avocado, diced

Directions:

  1. Heat a skillet over moderate heat. Combine 3 to 5 tablespoons of the thick coconut cream from the tops of the can with the curry paste and lime leaves. Transfer to a pot and cook until fragrant and browned, about 3 minutes.
  2. Add the remaining coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, carrots and basil leaves and continue to boil until reduced by a quarter, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Add the chicken, onion, garlic, soy sauce or fish sauce, tamarind concentrate and sugar. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the chicken and vegetables are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

4. Add the avocado and mix in until warm. Transfer to two plates, garnish with bell peppers, and serve with the cooked rice.

redcurry-8

 

JASBERRY RICE PUDDING WITH MANGO
(adapted from Try the World – serves 2)

Ingredients:

From the Try the World Thailand Box

-1/2 cup Jasberry Rice

From Your Pantry

-1/4 TSP salt
– 1/2 13.7 oz can coconut cream, stirred
– 1/8  cup brown sugar
– Fruit (optional), for garnish

Directions:

  1. Bring the rice, salt and 2 and 1/4 cups of water to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and let simmer for 35 minutes. Strain, then return to the pot. Stir in 1/2 cup of coconut milk and the sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce and let simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. Let cool.
  2. Transfer to two bowls, add the remaining coconut milk, and garnish with fruit.

redcurry-9

Jasberry Rice Pudding with Coconut and Honey Banana Slices

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By Natalie Anne ❤

I woke up this morning with the sun streaming into my apartment after what seemed like a never-ending row of days with rainy and cloudy weather. I had a hair appointment at a new salon I was kinda nervous about…But once I got my hair cut and colored, I knew I finally met my hair guru/stylist soulmate. When I got back to my apartment with a new cut and fresh attitude, I knew it was time to try Try the World‘s Jasberry Rice Pudding recipe from their Thailand Box. I wanted to add a side of fruit to it, so I found a recipe for fried bananas and incorporated that into the dish.

I followed the Try the World recipe except I added a spoonful of white sugar to the brown sugar and a little bit of their coconut flower syrup to the pudding as well as a few drops of vanilla extract after I removed the pudding from heat at the end.

Ingredients:

  • ⅔ cup Jasberry rice
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 13.7 oz. can coconut milk, stirred
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • Fruit (optional), for garnish

Rice pudding 2

Directions:

1. Bring the rice, salt, and 3½ cups water to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and let simmer 35 minutes.

2. Strain, then return the rice the pot. Stir in 1½ cups coconut milk and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce and let simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.

3. Let cool. Transfer to 4 bowls, add the remaining coconut milk, and garnish with fruit.

Fried Bananas in Coconut Oil topped with Honey and Cinnamon (recipe borrowed from PaleoLeap

Ingredients:

1 sliced banana

2 Tbsp. Honey

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

Directions:

  1. Combine the honey with ¼ cup of warm water and mix well.
  2. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet placed over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the banana slices to the skillet and fry for 2 minutes on each side.
  4. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the honey mixture on top.
  5. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.

rice pudding 1

Bon Appetit!

 

Review: Why you should Try The World!

Published on by C'est le Brie4 Comments

By Natalie Anne ❤

Ever since moving into a studio apartment by myself in Washington, DC, I have felt lonelier than usual. I have resorted to writing letters and trying out new subscriptions that I have found on Pinterest which offer free deals for signing up. I first became intrigued by Try the World when I was able to get a Japan box (a $39.99 value) for free by subscribing to the company and thought why the hell not. I had the option to cancel after receiving my first box in the mail, but there is no way I could ever part with this magical box of love. I immediately told my sister about it and now we are devastatingly hooked on our subscriptions.

Try the World is a subscription box of treats that comes right to your door once every 2 months for $39.99. Every box comes with 7-8 food items from a particular country, all of which are unique and thoughtful and with a wide array of nutritional content. The flavors range from sweet and sugary to salty and zesty. They are also sure to throw in something starchy to tie it all together too! Every element offers something different but at the same time the box remains cohesive. Every colorful box offers a country guide too that tells you about the chef and food professionals they teamed up with and offer recipes and ideas to send you on your way to creating your own personal yet exotic culinary haven.

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My Thailand box has certainly been one of favorites! Thailand has always been at the top of our travel bucket lists and being able to explore the flavors of the country made me want to go even worse. My box included a packet of organic Tom Yum soup ingredients, a bag of dried Jack Fruit (so delicious), Thai spicy flavor rice balls, red curry paste, Jasmine rice, coconut flower syrup, Chaidim tea, and sweet orange coconut crispy rolls.

TTW2

I absolutely fell in love with the coconut flower syrup as it adds an extra bit of sweetness to any dessert or treat. My favorite use for it is to drizzle it on waffles or pancakes. I recently made Mickey Mouse waffles with dark chocolate morsels and topped them off with this coconut syrup and it melted in my mouth.

TTW3