Thai Spice Crispy Edamame

Thai Spice Crispy Edamame (from The Law Student’s Wife, Servings: 4, Total Time: 45 minutes)

Ingredients

·         12 ounce package frozen, shelled edamame

·         2 tsp. olive oil

·         1 tsp. sesame oil

·         1 ½ tsp. lime juice

·         1 ½ tsp. Thai red curry paste

·         ½ tsp. brown sugar

·         ¼ tsp. soy sauce

·         1/8 tsp. garlic powder

·         1/8 tsp. ground ginger

Directions

1.      Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the edamame into a colander and rinse under cold water to thaw. Drain and set aside.

2.      In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, sesame oil, lime juice, curry paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder, and ginger until well blended. Add edamame and toss well to coat.

3.      Spread the edamame into the bottom of a 9x13 inch-baking dish. Bake 15 minutes, then remove from oven, stir to rotate the beans, and return to oven for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I served this as an appetizer to the Sweet and Sour Smoked Tofu and Pineapple en Papillote dish.  My husband and I both enjoy edamame, so I figured instead of just serving the regular pop beans with salt, I would opt for some different spices to coat them.  We both liked the outcome.  There is a slight, building heat to the beans – from the red curry paste.  I liked that they stayed nice and crispy, even when coated with the different spices and oils.  This dish was easy to make and do plan on making it again.

Red Thai Curry Soup (slightly adapted from Amuse Your Bouche. Servings: 4+, Total Time: 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 16 oz. mixed stir-fry vegetables (I used a frozen Asian blend), cooked

·         2-3 Tbsp. red Thai curry paste

·         14.5 oz. can light coconut milk

·         ½ 16 oz. pkg egg noodles, cooked

·         Salt

·         Black pepper

·         14.5 oz. water (fill the can from the coconut milk)

·         2 Tbsp. fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions

1.       Add the curry paste and cooked veggies to a large frying pan, mix well (I used 2.5 Tbsp. curry paste so that my husband could handle the dish) over medium heat.

2.       Add the coconut milk and the noodles, and season to taste with salt and pepper. I also added around 1 can of water – just add what you need to get the curry/soup to your desired consistency.

3.       Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, simmering very gently, until the curry is hot.  Add the coriander and serve immediately

I converted the numbers from the original recipe using an online calculator (the oz. were in ML and grams) and I think that the proportions were slightly off.  I used a whoel bag of noodles, which is why I suggest half a bag in the ingredients list.  One bag was way too much and made this a curry, not a soup.

The taste of this dish was just OK for me, not as spicy as I woul dhave liked and not with the depth of flavor that I am used to from my other curry dishes.  I don’t think that was just the noodles.  Maybe extra coconut milk instead of water or maybe some other spices would help.  I did use dried coriander instead of fresh (2 tsp.), but I don’t think that affected the taste.

Anyways, the dish was OK, but I don’t think that I’ll make it again.  I did look at some other recipes on this site and they look delicious.  Stay tuned for more!

Spicy Eggplant with Cauliflower and Basil

Spicy Eggplant with Cauliflower and Basil (from Real Simple, Total Time: 45 minutes, Servings: 5-6)

Ingredients

·         1 ½ cups rice

·         kosher salt

·         2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

·         1 tsp. dried ginger

·         1/3 cup olive oil

·         2 tsp. Thai red curry paste

·         3 small or baby eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut lengthwise into wedges

·         ½ head cauliflower (about 1 pound), broken into florets

·         1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

·         2 cups bean sprouts

·         ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions

1.       Heat oven to 450º F.

2.       In a large saucepan, make rice according to bag or box.

3.       Meanwhile, whisk together the garlic, ginger, oil, curry paste, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, and ½ cup water. Toss with the eggplants and cauliflower.

4.       Transfer to a roasting pan in a single layer. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding the chickpeas during the last 5 minutes.

5.       Remove the vegetables from oven and toss with the bean sprouts and basil. Place 1 cup of rice on each of 4 plates and top with some of the vegetables.

I have two main issues with this recipe.  First, it is not spicy the way it is – not even my husband thought it was.  Second, the eggplant gets really mushy and it is kind of a gross texture.  That said, adding a bit of Sriracha definitely helped spice up the dish.  The overall taste is OK – I cannot really pinpoint a specific taste, but the different spices work well with the curry paste so that there is no overwhelming flavor.  I like the addition of the bean sprouts – adding a vegetable that I am not used to eating is always nice.  The chickpeas and cauliflower remain crisp and crunchy, which is a nice change from the mushy eggplant and soft rice.  I do not think that I will be making this recipe again.

Kenzo Japanese & Asian Fusion Restaurant - Chambersburg, PA

One of my friends in Chambersburg, PA told me that she had been to Kenzo once and did not enjoy their food.  I completely disagree with her assessment.  My husband and I ate there and I loved the food that I had!  The service was a little lacking – there were about five tables seated at one time and the two waitresses on staff proceeded to serve all of the food to the tables that had already been sitting.  They did not even ask us for a drink order!  We waited about 15 minutes until somebody finally came to get our order.  I was on the verge of walking out, but I am glad that I didn’t.  The food was worth the wait!

Kenzo is a small restaurant in shopping complex that also houses Montezuma (one of two locations in Chambersburg) and a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins combo.  It is a small restaurant, with only about 10-12 tables (which makes the slow service even more confusing).  There is a small sushi bar with four or five seats at the back of the restaurant before the kitchen.  The atmosphere is quiet and a tad romantic (maybe because of dimmer lighting and dark-colored walls).  I felt comfortable, like it was a place I belonged.  I will give the servers and cooks some credit, though, they did get our food out rather quickly and were attentive after our initial wait.

I ordered the Vegetable Gyoza and a House Salad to start, followed by the Thai Original Curry (I picked green curry with tofu).  My husband ordered Roti Canai (Indian Pancakes) as an appetizer and some sushi as his main.  The Salad came out first – it was mixed greens with ginger dressing, simple, but the ginger dressing had a good flavor to it.  It was quite thick and they went heavy-handed with it.  I recommend asking for it on the side.   The Gyoza and Roti Canai came out next.  I ordered the Gyoza because during my adventures in Tokyo, my boss kept telling me I should try Gyoza, but we could only find meat-filled ones.  The Vegetable Gyoza at Kenzo are pan-fried and full of cabbage and spring onions.  I really enjoyed their taste, but the dipping sauce that they provided added a nice spicy kick to it.  It was a little too spicy for my husband, but I loved it!  The Roti Canai, according to the menu is a flavored Malaysian version of pancakes with curry dipping sauce.  I find the bread similar to naan, but slightly thinner with a bit of a fried crust.  The curry dipping sauce was yellow curry and had a hint of spice.  It was  very good.  My husband could not stop eating it!  He mostly ate that entire dish himself – I think I got two small pieces of pancake.

Now, on to my main dish – Thai Original Curry!  I am not sure which curry is the spiciest, but they had the options of yellow, green, and red.  I have had green curry before and found it to be just at the edge before I start to sweat.  The green curry at Kenzo was not quite to that level, but it had a delicious, beautiful curry taste with a kick of spicy heat.  The tofu was lightly fried and definitely not in short supply.  There was an abundance of green peppers and onions mixed with the curry and tofu and a little touch of potato.  They served the dish with a small side of rice;.  My mouth is watering just thinking about the food – the tofu was slightly chewy, the potatoes soft, and the onions and peppers slightly crunchy.  The curry soaked into the tofu and potatoes and clung to the peppers and onions.  I cannot wait to go back to Chambersburg to eat at Kenzo again!

Ubon Thai Cuisine - Wilmington, DE

Ubon Thai Cuisine (Wilmington, DE) - http://www.ubonthaicuisine.com/

My husband and I have been meaning to go to Ubon since it opened.  The opportunity was finally “forced” upon us when we ran a 5k on the Wilmington Riverfront.  Even though there was food after the race, we could not pass up the opportunity for quality Asian food.  We sat on the patio, which was intimate, even with people walking past on the Riverwalk.  I did not go inside, being sweaty and all, but I did get a look at the bar, which looked like a nice place to hang out.

I ordered the Som Tom salad (medium spicy) and the Kaeng Khiao Wan with tofu (also medium spicy).  The salad consisted of green papaya with tomatoes, long beans, Thai herbs and spices, and peanuts.  I didn’t really enjoy it, I thought it was a little too sweet, due to the papaya.  I did enjoy the Green Curry Tofu, and actually broke out into a little sweat while eating it.  The curry paste was mixed with vegetables, Thai basil, and chilies.  It was definitely spicy, but also very delicious.  The tofu was slightly fried and the vegetables were sautéed with the curry paste.  I think that I would choose this dish again – I’m kind of hooked on the spice!