Thai Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles with Basil and Peanuts

As I have said several times before Thai food is my favorite after Italian (and of course Indian) cuisine. I like everything about the cuisine - the ingredients used, the flavor, the way it is cooked, the fresh herbs and aromatic spices and above all the way it tastes. Another reason for my soft corner for Thai food is the familiar spices that inspire flavors similar to my very own Indian cuisine. Among the different Thai dishes the variety of curries definitely top the charts. The unique burst of flavors and the gorgeous color is so appealing and appetizing. Hubs, kiddo and I are all BIG into noodles so the Pad-Thais and other kinds are definitely the highlight of our trip to any Thai restaurant or takeout. I have shared quite a few Thai recipes that you can see here and this is my very own version of spicy Thai noodles with aggressive yet subtle flavors and simple basic ingredients. The chilli-garlic oil is definitely the highlight of the recipe. It gives the noodles the clean and crisp taste and yet the spicy kick it renders definitely kicks it up a couple of notches.

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Thai Massaman Curry (Vegetarian)

his one time, soon after we got married and I came to the US, hubby and I went to a wedding ceremony of one of his colleagues. Strangely enough they did not have much food. Only some light snacks and drinks. So after the ceremony on our way back we decided to get lunch. He said he knew a Thai-Japanese place that was pretty good. At the restaurant we saw they had vegetarian sushi on the menu. I got all excited about it and we ordered it. When it arrived, it looked really pretty, got me even more excited to try it out. Hated it. I almost spit it out in my napkin. I kid you not. To my surprise though, hubby seemed to like it. Well anyway that was end of Sushi for me for a very long time. Well that was until we went to another Thai restaurant and this time hubby knew better than to order Sushi. So he ordered, you guessed it, Massaman curry. That was the day I was completely hooked to Thai cuisine. Thai is now definitely my favorite after Italian (and of course Indian) cuisine. I like everything about Thai cuisine; the ingredients used, its flavor, the way it’s cooked, the fresh herbs and aromatic spices and above all the way it tastes. And another reason for my love affair with Thai food is the familiar spices flavors with my very own Indian cuisine. Among the different Thai dishes, the varieties of curries definitely top the charts. The unique burst of flavors and the gorgeous color is so appealing that I order it over and over again whenever I am at any Thai restaurant. Not quite so popular as its more popular cousins Red curry, Green n Yellow Thai Curry, but heartier and a lot more aromatic is the unique Massaman Curry. It’s a sort of fusion between Thai and Indian food :)The tamarind, coconut and spices give it a distinct Indian flavor.

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Pad Thai

ad Thai is Thailand's ubiquitous street food that needs little introduction. I believe if you really want to get a real taste of the food and culture of a place you should try its street food. The street food of a place defines the food and culture of a place and is usually the best the culture has to offer. Thai cuisine is definitely my favorite after Italian (and of course Indian). Pad Thai has all the qualities I like and more. It contains noodles, lots of veggies, crunchy roasted peanuts and is simmered in a tangy, sweet and spicy tamarind-soy based sauce. It is my second favorite Thai entrée after red thai curry which I order every time I visit any Thai restaurant. It is one of the national dishes of Thailand and is perhaps the most beloved of all Thai dishes and also the favorite of vegetarians like me. One put off for me being a veggie is the fish sauce/shrimp paste used in the preparation so lately I have making the dish at home without the fish/shrimp and you get the clean tasty dish custom made per your liking not to mention it is a breeze to make.

The term 'Pad Thai' literally translates to 'fried thai', but it really refers to (usually) flat rice noodles fried with thai spices and seasonings.

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Thai Red Curry

To quote: Chat Mingkwan, in Buddha’s Table: Thai Feasting Vegetarian Style-

“This dish is the most often cooked curry in the Thai household. If a home chef can’t decide which curry to prepare that would please all family members, he or she will end up making red curry. Its paste can be easily made with staple ingredients in the Thai pantry, such as dried chilies, garlic, shallots, and dried herbs and spices. The paste also pairs well with nearly all ingredients, especially any vegetables that grow near the house or those that have been left in the refrigerator.”

Thai is definitely my favorite after Italian (and of course Indian) cuisine. I still remember the first time I gave Thai cuisine a thought was when I was watching Priyanka Chopra's interview after she was was crowned Miss World and the whole Indian media went crazy after her... all TV channels were filled with her biography, interviews, childhood pictures, repeat telecasts of her crowning moment (which was actually 10,000 times lol) and then during one such interview someone asked her about her favorite food and she answered "Thai". I only tasted it after coming to the US and I am totally with Priyanka, at least on her  choice of food... love it! Among the different Thai dishes, the vegetable red curry definitely tops the charts. The unique burst of flavors and the gorgeous color is so appealing that I order it over and over again whenever I am at any thai restaurant.

There was this Thai restaurant about a couple of miles from my place. They were famous for this curry. You would pick your own veggies from a buffet line and the chefs would make it right in front of you in large woks over ceiling high flames. As my luck would have it, they went out of business :( We were craving this curry for sometime now... my hubby challenged me if I could make my own version... I of course accepted it. With a little assistance from my friend and guide *google* and my own memory of the taste of that curry, I tried making it with whatever ingredients I had that time and made it the same night for dinner. Hubby dear was bowled over. We enjoyed it with some Thai sticky rice and had Thai sticky rice with mango for dessert!!  Now, I can  proudly add the world famous Thai red curry to my resume :) Thai cooking is fast, super easy and absolutely heavenly... if you have the paste ready. As I said before, in this version, I used the ingredients that were handy so I have substituted some of the classic thai ingredients (see notes for details).

So, here it is, my version of the classic-

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Thai sticky rice with mango

e ate sticky rice  with Thai curries all the time at our local Thai restaurants . Never really gave it much thought. After all it was just rice, just a little more sticky then usual, right?

Wrong. One day when watching Top Chef on Bravo I saw one of the contestants actually being sent home for not getting this rice right, I remember the dish was Thai sticky rice with mangoes. I wondered 'how can you mess up rice even if you are a basic cook, let alone a chef'. That's when it got my curiosity. When I started looking at how to make it that is when I realized it is not as easy as I thought. I looked around a bit more and ever since have thought of giving it a shot. The desire came back when I saw the Sticky rice with Mango post on Priya's site. The dish looked perfect the way she had made it and having a good detailed explanation definitely helped make it appear do-able. Here's my attempt to recreate the dish as described by Priya. The rice package I bought however required a sticky rice steamer to make it. Since I did not have it, I just used my regular rice cooker with its steamer attachment. Have included the details below.

Thanks darling, we relished it, it tasted awesome.. and  I can now proudly add sticky rice to my resume :)

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