Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)

Sometimes I think about the things my family eats for dinner, and it makes me laugh.  I've said before how many times my mom has come to my home to babysit or stay for a while, and she always comments on the strange ingredients that have become staples at my house.  Fish sauce, 3-4 different curry pastes, black bean paste, sriracha sauce, pesto, and the list goes on and on and on.  I've had this discussion with James many times how the most exotic meals we had as kids growing up was hard shelled tacos with orange shredded cheese every Weds. night.  This is by no means intended as a slight to my mom or James' mom.  That was all that was available at the time.  When you had a salad it was with Iceberg Lettuce.  Now I have so many lettuce options just at my local small town grocer it's crazy!
The world has become so small. My family can eat from 3-4 different countries without even having to order take out.  I can make it in my own home.

My brother-in-law Dave served an LDS Mission to Thailand and is the person I credit with my family's love of Thai food.  He's the one that showed us how simple making these dishes at home could be.  He introduced James and I to our first Thai restaurant as well.  I remember Dave making this salad on a beautiful summer day on the beach at Bear Lake.  Out of the tailgate of his Suburban he threw together this salad in a Ziploc bag, and we feasted!  It was so tasty!

I will say that finding green papaya IS a little tricky.  I have a favorite Thai Food Market in Ogden that always has green papaya, and sometimes you can buy bags of it pre shredded.  If you don't have access to green papaya (And regular papaya isn't the same.  Sorry!) you could substitute shredded cucumber, or shredded cabbage for a Thai Coleslaw version:)  This salad is best served with Thai Sweet Sticky Rice, but regular Calrose, or Sushi rice would work great.  It's great served on its own as well.  It's raw, and fresh, and full of really great flavors.  Enjoy!

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)

adapted from this recipe

1 small green papaya, OR 1/2 large about 2- 2 1/2 cups

1/2 cup roasted peanuts or cashews chopped

1 carrot grated

1 to 2 tomatoes, cut into thin wedges or long strips

3 spring onions, chopped

handful of fresh cilantro

1 red chili, sliced, seeds removed (totally optional)

DRESSING:

2 Tbsp. fish sauce OR soy sauce for vegetarians

3 Tbsp. lime juice

sugar to taste- I used about 1/8 c.

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. chili flakes or sriracha sauce

Preparation:

About Green Papaya: You may be able to find an unripe papaya in your local supermarket - it should have greenish-orange to green skin. If not, the best place is an Asian food store or market. It should be firm on the outside; inside flesh will be white to light orange. 

Use a sharp knife to peel the green papaya, then slice it in half and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Using the largest grater you have, grate the papaya, or you can use a potato peeler to create thin, ribbon-like strips. Place in a large bowl.

Add sliced tomato, spring onion, chili/cayenne,  basil. Pour over the dressing, tossing well to combine.

Add nuts and toss again. Taste-test the salad. If not sweet enough, add a little more sprinkling of sugar. If not flavorful enough, add a little more fish sauce or soy sauce. If too sweet or salty, add more lime juice. Add more chili for a spicier salad.

To serve, scoop into individual bowls or onto serving plates. Top with cilantro and a sprinkling of more nuts. Serve immediately with rice or on it's own and ENJOY!

Chicken Coconut Ramen Soup

I love Top Ramen.  I have loved it my whole short legged life.  It is the perfect after school snack, and I have passed my love of these curly noodles onto my children.  I'm such a good mom:)  I remember as a kid one of my favorite cousins would babysit us every Sat. night.  I think there was just a standing arrangement.  Lynette would come over and we would do the same thing every week.  First we'd watch Solid Gold.  My mom was on a date so she never objected.  We had the whole backside shimmy down as good as our favorite dancer.  She was the beautiful black woman with hair to the ground almost, who usually had her dance leotard a little too low and a little too high in all the wrong places, but boy could she shake.  We'd sit acting a little shocked, but then Hollie and I would replicate that shimmy like no body's business!  After that, was Love Boat of course, and then we'd watch Fantasy Island and get ourselves scared to death.   Lynette would then have to lay on our bed and tell us stories of all her broken bones, and stitches and stuff.  They were the greatest nights.  We'd make Top Ramen a lot on these nights as well.  But of course we'd set the table nice, and divvy up the bowls real even, and enjoy every slurp.  Maybe that's why I love Top Ramen so much.  Very happy memories:)

So this is a glorified Ramen recipe.  I've seen the idea floating around Pinterest lately and last night I was in need of some dinner help.  I love the Thai soup Tom Ka Kai, which is a chicken and mushroom soup so I just played around with that idea as well.  What appeared was delicious!  The kids loved it, James loved it and so did I.  And it was super easy.   Give it a try, and see if you can impress your Ramen loving loved ones as well.

Chicken Coconut Ramen Soup

4-6 c. chicken broth

1 c. sliced mushrooms (just regular or shitake if you have them)

1 c. sliced carrots

1 large tomato chopped

(you can add just about any veggie.  Bok Choy, sliced red pepper, zucchini.  Whatever is on hand)

1 14 oz. can coconut milk

1/4-1/2 c. sugar

1 T. curry paste (You can find the paste in the Asian Food section in any grocery store.  Yellow, green, red or musaman work fine, or just the powdered kind.  If you go the regular powdered route add a little ground ginger as well.)

2-3 T. lime juice

1 c. snow peas

1/2 c. chopped cilantro or fresh basil if you have it

1-2 c. chopped or shredded chicken 

2 packages Top Ramen
a little fish sauce or soy sauce if it needs a little salt

In a large pot add the chicken broth, mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, and any other veggies except for the snow peas.  Bring this all to a boil and let bubble away for 5- 10 minutes.  Once the veggies are tender add the curry, and coconut milk.  Slowly add the sugar.  Taste it to see if it needs more or less.  Start with just 1/4 c. and then go from there.  Once the broth is where you want it add the Top Ramen.  It only takes 3 minutes you know.  Before serving add the cilantro, basil or cilantro, and the shredded chicken.  

Pad Thai

So here it is.  The last day of May and I have no inclination in the world to do my visiting teaching.  None! Zip!  Nada!  Don't I have a good excuse?  Dang it................I look like Humpty Dumpty, and I am not going to be relieved of that anytime soon.  Actually, I'm putting my positive affirmations to work here today.  I will have a baby soon.  But I'm still not going visiting teaching.  I'll tell my ladies I love them on May 32, 2011.  That totally works:)

So instead of visiting teaching I made my favorite dish in the world.  As of today that is.  Tomorrows favorite will be different, but today it is Pad Thai.  And according to my Thai speaking brother in law it is pronounced, "Put Thai".   I try to say it correctly every chance I get.  I'm honing my foreign language skills.  If you've ever been to a Thai restaurant this is one of the safest things on the menu.  As a first time Thai restaurant goer 18 years ago, this is the first thing I ever ordered.  I remember it coming out with lots of limes, sugar, peanuts, and fish sauce so that you could doctor your dish up just the way you liked it.  I remember thinking it was delicious, and I order it almost every time we eat Thai.  That's the good thing about having 4 children.  At a Thai restaurant at least one of the dishes can be Pad Thai, as well as a number of other goodies.  I've noticed as of late, that everything you need for Pad Thai can be purchased at any grocery store.  They've got it all now a days.  I hope you like it, and if you make it sometime soon, as you bless your food, pray I have this baby soon.  I'm tired of looking like Humpty Dumpty.

Pad Thai

1 (12 ounce) package rice noodles

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/8 tablespoon crushed red pepper

2 cups bean sprouts

1 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup crushed peanuts

3 green onions, chopped

handful fresh cilantro chopped

1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

Soak rice noodles in hot water 20 minutes, or until soft. Drain, and set aside.

Heat butter in a wok or large heavy skillet. Saute chicken until browned. Remove, and set aside. Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Saute bean sprouts and carrot shreds.  Crack eggs into hot oil, and cook until firm. Stir in chicken, and cook for 5 minutes. Add softened noodles, and vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and red pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Mix while cooking, until noodles are tender. Add green onions and cilantro just before serving.

Footnotes

Garnish with crushed peanuts, more chopped green onions, cilantro and wedge of lime.  I serve with more sugar, vinegar, and fish sauce.  Everyone likes their Pad Thai just a little different.

Studio 5 and Spring Rolls

Darin, Me and Jimmy

Yeah I am just giving my fellow loved ones a heads up.  I have gotten in trouble the last few times for not mentioning that I'm going to be on Studio 5 from my family, so here's your notice.

Studio 5

Date:  Monday March 14, 2011

Time:  10-11 am

Place:  KSL Channel 5

Menu Item:  Spring Rolls

Who:  Me and James will be cheering me on from the sidelines!  I love him!!

The actual filming of the segment.  

We're going to be having a Spring Roll bar!  I posted about this last year and I'll do it again.  It's that good. I hope some of my friends tried these and maybe after watching how easy it is, more of you will make them.  Last year I called them Winter Wraps since we had received so much snow, and I'm starting to feel the same this year, but maybe calling them by their given name, that will usher in some warmer weather.  It's always fun to do a Studio 5 segment.  Darin Adam's was a friend way back in our Pocatello days and it is always fun to laugh with him.  And Brooke.  Well she's as fun and nice in person as she is on TV.  Hey Katie do you want to come down with me?  Anyways I hope you enjoy the recipe and the segment come Monday.  (I'll leave a link Monday for those of you not in Utah who would like to see the segment.)  I love all your guts!!  Lisa

(Original post from last year!)

They're actually called Vietnamese Salad Rolls, Thai Spring Wraps, or Summer Rolls but maybe I'll just call them Winter Wraps since it seems to be winter around here. I think we've received close to a foot of new snow. What an April Fools. A few weeks ago James and I attended a convention for Great Harvest in Napa Valley. It is a beautiful place even if you don't drink, but a favorite part of the trip was being able to take a cooking class at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. It was fantastic!! The building is the most amazing old wine cellar that has been converted into the most beautiful cooking school and restaurant around. Our class was very intimate. Only about 19 people, and the class was on Vietnamese Salad Rolls. I asked the instructor what the difference was in Thai Spring Wraps and Summer Rolls and he said it just depends on what country you're in. All of the above are one in the same. I've wanted to learn how to make these for quite some time, but I've just never got the courage up to do it by myself. Well I'm never going to let those little wraps intimidate me again. They were so tasty and really easy.

There really is no cooking involved with making salad rolls, but we learned a lot about flavors blending together. Each one of us had a little tray with all the goods to make the salad rolls and a dipping sauce. It was amazing how everyone's dipping sauce tasted so different. We all started with chopped garlic, sambal chili sauce, sugar, lime juice and fish sauce. If you don't know what fish sauce is, it is exactly what the name states. Barrels are filled with fish and then layered with salt, more fish, salt and on and on until it's full. The barrels are then left in the sun for months. The liquid is then drained off and bottled. Wa-La! Fish Sauce! It sounds sick and it smells sick, but it tastes lovely. It is what countries like Vietnam, and Thailand use instead of soy sauce.

Each one of us was then asked to create a sauce using all of the ingredients and varying how much of one thing we used to balance with the other ingredients. I like my sauce sweet and James' was a bit more salty. I also thinned mine with a little water and James used his straight up. It was so fun and so tasty. I was so excited to try it out at home.

The Saturday after we returned home we set up a wrap station in the kitchen for lunch and the kids went wild. I wasn't sure if the little boys would like the rolls so much. It's a ton of veggies, but they devoured about 10 wraps together. If you have all of your ingredients already chopped and ready to go the making of the rolls is quick. We made them again a few days later they were that good. I've been able to find all the ingredients for these wraps in my regular grocery store. An Asian market is always fun to visit as well. The picture below of the finished wraps is two wraps cut on a bias. Emma actually made one and I made the other. These little love nuggets are dang good and super duper healthy. Tons of raw veggies, some rice noodles (I added coconut milk and curry to mine.) and a protein of choice. We used shrimp in Napa, but chicken was perfect at home. You are going to love these babies!

Vietnamese Salad Rolls (AKA Winter Rolls)

1 (8 ounce) package rice vermicelli

8 ounces cooked, peeled shrimp, cut in half lengthwise (Or chicken)

8 rice wrappers (6.5 inch diameter)

(They are round disks that have a basket weave texture on them. You can find them just about anywhere.)

1 carrot, julienned

1 cup shredded lettuce (I used spinach)

chopped Napa Cabbage or purple cabbage (I used both. It was pretty.)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or mint or cilantro

Directions

Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Remove from heat. Place rice vermicelli in boiling water, remove from heat, and let soak 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Drain, and rinse with cold water. I then added a can of coconut milk, a little sugar, curry powder or paste and a dash of fish sauce. I cooked the noodles until they had absorbed the coconut milk.

Fill a large bowl with hot water. Dip one rice wrapper in the hot water for 5-10 seconds to soften. You don't want them too soft. They'll be totally soft by the time it is ready to roll up. Lay wrapper flat, and place desired amounts of noodles, shrimp, carrot, lettuce and basil in the center. Roll the edges of the wrapper slightly inward. Beginning at the bottom edge of wrapper, tightly wrap the ingredients. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Serve the spring rolls with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

Chopped garlic

Sambal chili paste

sugar

lime juice or vinegar

fish sauce or soy sauce

Add little amounts of the above ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. Taste before using and add what you think it needs. I like it a bit sweeter. Experiement!

TV With A Fabulous Pasta Salad

Here's the link to the segment on Studio 5.

Just thought I'd post the recipe I'm making tomorrow for Studio 5. I've posted this salad before, but what a fun springy salad to get you in the mood for some good weather. The recipe is originally from Jamie Oliver and then adapted by The Pioneer Woman and then further tweeked by me. So in the words of my brother Marc, "So it's not the same salad at all, is it?" Well..........no! It's just the way I like it. A little bit of coconut curry noodles with tons of fresh veggies in a fabulous Asian dressing. My granny always said that's how a cook is born. She (or he) finds something and reincarnates it into a new life. I hope you love this salad. Actually I know you will.

Pasta Salad With a Thai Twist (origninal post from last Sept.)

A few weeks ago one of my loved sister-in-laws (I have 9 of them) brought the most amazing salad to our family get together at the lake. I have to tell you, we were all licking our plates clean, and there wasn't even a bean sprout left to be seen. Since, I have found the recipe on line, but it originally came from Jamie Oliver. He is a British guy that's probably in his 30's, has a hairdo like my brother Marc, and makes the most amazing stuff out of his garden. His show comes on every Sat. mornings at the crotch of dawn so I never view it then. I've DVR'd Jamie's Garden, and Nigella Feasts and Emma and I usually have a great afternoon someday during the week watching the two shows. Emma is starting to use all that British verbage, and could fit in quite nicely in England I'm sure:) Anyway the salad was amazing, but I thought I could make it with a nice little twist. How about a Thai twist!!

I am absolutely smitten with Thai food. It all started years ago when J and I were in school and lived in a cute little house on the busiest street in town. We were in love, and it didn't matter that we were robbed more than once, and had to call the police numerous times with crazy women trying to break into our house. I can still remember the woman screaming through the door, "Baby I love you!! Let me in!" I knew I was J's only baby and this woman didn't belong at my door. The police escorted her away quickly thank goodness and we survived. We lived across the street from a great little Thai restaurant though. I had never tried Thai food, but J's brother had served an LDS mission to Thailand years earlier, and I thought if he liked the food it really must be good. We would go there for lunch and I was in love. Phad Thai, Chicken Coconut Mushroom soup, Panang Chicken Curry, Green Papaya Salad, and especially Mango Rice. It is amazing. We went there one day with a neighbor and he loved hot food. I remember watching him sweat buckets as he slurped down every lovely bite of food. What a memory:)

J's brother soon introduced us to Thai cooking and I invested in a Thai cook book or two, but actually Thai food is really simple to make. A few choice ingredients and you are set. My mother is horrified at the sight of my fridge. She looks in there and says she recognized nothing. I'll admit there are three different colors of curry paste, some Thai chili garlic sauce and numerous other Asian influenced products, but it makes amazing food dang it. My kids are growing up in a home that gives their little taste buds some global influences. Ask them what they love and they might just tell you it's Baklava:) Maybe that will come in handy when they are sent to Timbuktu on their missions someday:)

On to the recipe. If you've had Phad Thai it is a very popular noodle dish that you can get at any street vendor in Thailand I'm told. I used that as inspiration, but I had to add the flavors I love of Thailand most. Coconut and curry. You'll love it. It is loaded with tons of fresh veggies and stuff, but the coconut curry noodles make this salad. I may make it again tonight for the Clawson 4th annual Labor Day Festivus! I hope they like it.

Pasta Salad With a Thai Twist

1 lb. of linguine pasta cooked or 1 lb of rice noodles softened in hot water for 10 mins. (I like the rice noodles best, but sometimes they're hard to find in a regular grocery store.)

1 can coconut milk

1 T. green, yellow, or red curry paste or just use curry powder.

1/2 c. sugar

1/8 c. fish sauce or soy sauce

(fish sauce is the Thai version of soy sauce. It is just what it says it is. They take fish and put them in a barrel and let it ferment for months and then drain off the liquid. It smells horrible, but it sure makes the food taste good:)

In a big sauce pan place the coconut milk and curry paste and bring to a simmer. Add the sugar and fish sauce or soy sauce. Taste and adjust to your liking with more sugar, or more soy sauce. Add the hot cooked noodles and toss. You want the noodles to absorb all the coconut milk and then cool down.

In a really large bowl ( I love my IKEA honking huge silver bowl) add:

1 head Napa cabbage chopped

peppers sliced (A combination of red, yellow, and orange is best. You know it's all about the presentation!)

purple cabbage

matchstick carrots if you don't have colorful peppers

fresh bean sprouts

a bunch of green onions sliced

some cucumbers sliced

1 bunch of cilantro chopped or a lot of chopped fresh basil (Basil is best!)

sliced water chestnuts

a few big handfuls of baby spinach (you can add more or less of this to stretch the salad)

Any of the veggies can be adjusted to your liking. If you don't have something don't worry. Just improvise or add a little more of something else. Once the noodles are cool toss them in the bowl with all the veggies.

Dressing

1 c. olive oil

3/4 c. rice wine vinegar

1 T. soy sauce

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 t. seasame oil (optional)

1/2 t. ground ginger

Toss the salad all together and make all sorts of yummy sounds! Sprinkle a handful or two of chopped peanuts, or sugar glazed almonds. Taste it. I usually add a little more sugar, but it's up to you. This salad is huge so make sure you have a big group since it doesn't keep at all. 22 Garner's slicked it right up!

Pasta Salad With a Thai Twist

A few weeks ago one of my loved sister-in-laws (I have 9 of them) brought the most amazing salad to our family get together at the lake.  I have to tell you, we were all licking our plates clean, and there wasn't even a bean sprout left to be seen.   Since, I have found the recipe on line, but it originally came from Jamie Oliver.  He is a British guy that's probably in his 30's, has a hairdo like my brother Marc, and makes the most amazing stuff out of his garden.  His show comes on every Sat. mornings at the crotch of dawn so I never view it then.  I've DVR'd Jamie's Garden, and Nigella Feasts and Emma and I usually have a great afternoon someday during the week watching the two shows.  Emma is starting to use all that British verbage, and could fit in quite nicely in England I'm sure:)   Anyway the salad was amazing, but I thought I could make it with a nice little twist.  How about a Thai twist!!

I am absolutely smitten with Thai food.  It all started years ago when J and I were in school and lived in a cute little house on the busiest street in town.   We were in love, and it didn't matter that we were robbed more than once, and had to call the police numerous times with crazy women trying to break into our house.  I can still remember the woman screaming through the door, "Baby I love you!!  Let me in!"  I know I am J's only baby and she didn't belong at my door.  The police escorted her away quickly thank goodness and we survived.  We lived across the street from a great little Thai restaurant.  I had never tried Thai food, but J's brother had served an LDS mission to Thailand years earlier, and I thought if he liked the food it really must be good.  We would go there for lunch and I was in love.  Phad Thai, Chicken Coconut Mushroom soup,  Panang Chicken Curry, Green Papaya Salad, and especially Mango Rice.  It is amazing.  We went there one day with a neighbor and he loved hot food.  I remember watching him sweat buckets as he slurped down every lovely bite of food.  What a memory:)

J's brother soon introduced us to Thai cooking and I invested in a Thai cook book or two, but actually Thai food is really simple to make.  A few choice ingredients and you are set.  My mother is horrified at the sight of my fridge.  She looks in there and says she recognized nothing.  I'll admit there are three different colors of curry paste, some Thai chili garlic sauce and numerous other Asian influenced products, but it makes amazing food dang it.  My kids are growing up in a home that gives their little taste buds some global influences.  Ask them what they love and they might just tell you it's Baklava:)  Maybe that will come in handy when they are sent to Timbuktu on their missions someday:)

On to the recipe.  If you've had Phad Thai it is a very popular noodle dish that you can get at any street vendor in Thailand I'm told.  I used that as inspiration, but I had to add the flavors I love of Thailand most.  Coconut and curry.  You'll love it.  It is loaded with tons of fresh veggies and stuff, but the coconut curry noodles make this salad.   I may make it again tonight for the Clawson 4th annual Labor Day Festivus!  I hope they like it. 

Pasta Salad With a Thai Twist

1 lb. of linguine pasta cooked or 1 lb of rice noodles softened in hot water for 10 mins. (I like the rice noodles best, but sometimes they're hard to find in a regular grocery store.)

1 can coconut milk

1 T. green, yellow, or red curry paste or just use curry powder.

1/2 c. sugar

1/8 c. fish sauce or soy sauce 

(fish sauce is the Thai version of soy sauce.  It is just what it says it is.  They take fish and put them in a barrel and let it ferment for months and then drain off the liquid.  It smells horrible, but it sure makes the food taste good:)

In a big sauce pan place the coconut milk and curry paste and bring to a simmer.  Add the sugar and fish sauce or soy sauce.  Taste and adjust to your liking with more sugar, or more soy sauce.  Add the hot cooked noodles and toss.  You want the noodles to absorb all the coconut milk and then cool down.

In a really large bowl ( I love my IKEA honking huge silver bowl) add:

1 head Napa cabbage chopped

peppers sliced (A combination of red, yellow, and orange is best.  You know it's all about the presentation!)

purple cabbage

matchstick carrots if you don't have colorful peppers

fresh bean sprouts

a bunch of green onions sliced

some cucumbers sliced

1 bunch of cilantro chopped or a lot of chopped fresh basil  (Basil is best!)

sliced water chestnuts

a few big handfuls of baby spinach (you can add more or less of this to stretch the salad)

Any of the veggies can be adjusted to your liking.  If you don't have something don't worry.  Just improvise or add a little more of something else.  Once the noodles are cool toss them in the bowl with all the veggies.  

Dressing

1 c. olive oil

3/4 c. rice wine vinegar

1 T. soy sauce

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 t. seasame oil (optional)

1/2 t. ground ginger

Toss the salad all together and make all sorts of yummy sounds!  Sprinkle a handful or two of chopped peanuts, or sugar glazed almonds.  Taste it.  I usually add a little more sugar, but it's up to you.  This salad is huge so make sure you have a big group since it doesn't keep at all.  22 Garner's slicked it right up!