August 13th -Thai

I'm always up for Thai Food, so August 13, 7:30, my house, bring it!

Main: Masman Curry (Missy)
Appetizer: Spring Rolls (Hannah) RECIPE HERE
Side: Coconut Chicken Soup (Lindsey--I'll bring bowls, too)
Salad: Thai Beef Salad, "Yum Nuea" (Jeri)
Desert: Mango Sticky Rice...mmm: (Sarah)

Yam Nuea
literally means "tossed beef"

Salad:
1 lb beef (top sirloin, flank steak... anything you would put in a stir fry)
1/4 cup thinly sliced onions, separated
2 tomatoes, wedged
2 thickly sliced cucumbers

Sauce:
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced ginger
3 tablespoons chopped coriander/cilantro (including the roots)
1/2 cup chopped green onions (spring onions)
2 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon chili oil

Combine all sauce ingredients in blender, pulse a few times to combine but don't puree it. Let it stand for a few hours before you make the rest of the salad so that the chili peppers combine with the rest of the ingredients.

Cook the beef in a frying pan or on the BBQ until medium-rare (slightly pink in the middle.) Remove from heat, sprinkle with salt and pepper and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Thinly slice it into bite sized pieces. Lay over the rest of the salad ingredients. Spoon sauce over and toss all together.

The sauce recipe called for 1/4 cup of fish sauce which I did not have and it did not sound good. So add it to yours if you want. Also I used jalapeño peppers instead of the Thai chili peppers. I liked the dish how I made it so that's the recipe that I wrote here.

Massaman Curry

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken thigh
• 3 tbsp masaman curry paste (I only used 1.5 T)
• 1 cup coconut cream
  
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 5 potatoes, carved and boiled
• 5 small onions, carved
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
  
• 5 roasted cardamom pods (I omitted this)
  
• 1 roasted cinnamon stick about 1" long
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp palm sugar (Can use brown sugar instead.)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (Omitted - I had the same opinion as Jeri on this)
  
• 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate
  
• 3 tbsp lemon or lime juice
• Bay leaves for garnish

Preparation

1. Preheat the coconut milk over medium heat until boiling, add chicken thigh, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until tender.
2. Preheat the coconut cream over medium heat until oil surfaces. Add the curry paste, and saute until fragrant. Transfer to the chicken pot, add peanuts. Season to taste with sugar, fish sauce, tamarind juice and lime juice.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, and simmer until everything is tender and cooked through

Mango Sticky Rice
* 1 cup Thai Sweet Rice
* 1-2 ripe mangoes, cut into bite-size pieces
* 4-5 Tbsp. palm sugar OR brown sugar
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 1 can good-quality (thick) coconut milk
* water

Preparation:

1. Soak the rice in 1 cup water for 20-30 minutes, OR up to 4 hours.
2. If steaming the rice: Drain and transfer the rice to a banana leaf-lined colander or bamboo steamer placed over a pot of boiling water. Sprinkle the salt over and stir in. Cover and steam on high for 30 minutes, or until rice is soft and translucent.
3. If you prefer to boil the rice: Do not drain. Simply add 3/4 cup (more) water, plus 1/4 can coconut milk, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar. Stir this into the rice.
4. Bring to a gentle boil, then partially cover with a lid (leaving room for steam to escape). Reduce heat to medium-low.
5. Simmer in this way for 20 minutes, or until the coconut-water has been absorbed by the rice. Turn off the heat, but leave the pot on the burner with the lid on tight. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. (For step-by-step instructions with pictures, see my: How to Cook Sticky Rice.
6. To make the sauce, warm (do not boil) the rest of the can of coconut milk over medium-low heat (5 minutes). Add 3 Tbsp. sugar, stirring to dissolve.
7. Taste-test the sauce for sweetness, adding more sugar if desired. (note that it will taste less sweet when added to the rice).
8. To serve, place some sticky rice into each bowl. Top with pieces of fresh mango, then pour a generous amount of warm coconut sauce over everything (be generous with the sauce, as the rice will absorb some of it).
9. Alternatively, for even "saucier" rice: Add rice (portion out 1 scoop per person) directly to the sauce pot and stir over low heat, gently breaking apart large lumps, but leaving smaller lumps/chunks). Now add the mango pieces and gently stir until everything is warmed through. Portion out into serving bowls, making sure everyone has equal amounts of rice, mango, and sauce. Enjoy!