Duke's Pad Thai restaurant in Cayce

 

Viv and I popped into Duke's today for a late lunch.  This is definitely my No. 2 Thai place in town.  Sorry, Duke's, but Mai Thai has held my loyalty for many years now, but I like you guys too!

Viv is a big fan of the Thai Tom Yum soup at Duke's, so that's her go-to when we come here. Their description is spicy sour base with mushrooms, red peppers, basil and cilantro.  Viv likes hers with extra mushrooms. Also, she likes to order the large bowl, so there's more for supper tonight. 

I chose a dish I haven't had in quite a while and have missed.  Pad See Eew. Duke's description of this dish is wide rice noodles with egg, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, and zucchini in a Thai soy sauce.  Mine today also had some bean sprouts, so BONUS! It was delicious and as good as I remember. 

If, by chance, you haven't made it across the river to Duke's, get on it!  They also have a separate, yet together restaurant on site that specializes in bahn mi. The two are under one roof, open to each other, so you can order from either side or both.  This is great for when you're with friends and someone might want pho or curry and the others wants boba tea and bahn mi sandwich.  Check them out!

Passionate about Panang!

I LOVE THAI FOOD. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

 Panang Curry is one of my all-time favorites.  Recently, I saw Jet Tila making Chicken Panang on his show.  I found his recipe online, modified a bit, and made a fantastic dinner tonight.  Panang is rich and deeply flavored with coconut, basil and fish sauce.  One thing I changed about Jet's recipe is that I had to omit tamarind paste because our lame ass grocery stores act like this is an ingredient that I made up.  Not having the time or energy to go across town for it, I omitted it. He calls for the ever-exotic (NOT) bamboo shoots. My Publix, which has been sucking tailpipe lately, had no bamboo shoots at all.  I broke down and had a little "Come to Jesus" meeting with the manager over this. I also had no makrut lime leaves, so I subbed in basil, in chiffonade. 

Look at these beautiful ingredients!  I thinly sliced the chicken at a bias, so it cooks in no time.  Basil from my dad's giant plant. Jet Tila calls for red bell pepper, onion, zucchini and basil.  I used all that, but added pea pods and carrots. 

Before I tell you how I put all this together, here's an important detail I learned from Jet. When you are using coconut milk, DO NOT SHAKE IT UP first. Open the can and scoop off the cream that rises to the top. You'll use this to start your curry sauce, or "roux" if you will, then stir up the milk in the can.

Chicken Panang Curry

• 2 boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 2 cans full fat coconut milk, 3 TBS cream set aside
• 4 TBS Panang curry paste (see your Asian market)
• 6 large basil leaves (or lime leaf if you can get it) cut into ribbons (chiffonade)
• 1/2 c. onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 zucchini, sliced
• 1/2 c. bamboo shoots
• 1/2 c. pea pods
• 1/2 c. sliced carrots
• 1/2 c. chopped basil

1. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat coconut cream over med-high. When it starts to sizzle, stir in the curry paste, like you're building a roux.  Add in the onion and half of the lime leaf, or basil ribbons. Stir fry the paste until it starts to thicken, dry out and becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. If it starts to sputter, add a small amt of coconut milk to keep the paste moving. Cook until it's about the consistency of peanut butter.
2. Stir in remaining coconut milk. Increase heat a little (don't walk away from it!) and bring to a good boil. Allow the curry to boil until it reduces by about 25%, or coats the back of a wooden spoon, 10-15 minutes.
3. Reduce to a simmer. Add chicken, fish sauce, sugar. Let chicken cook a couple minutes, then add the pea pods, bell pepper and carrots and cook another 3 minutes or so. Then add in your zucchini and bamboo shoots. Stir in the chopped basil. Serve over jasmine rice and garnish with the remaining basil ribbons. 

At first, I worried that the curry was going to be too spicy for Vivian, so we had milk at the ready, but after getting all our vegetables and chicken in the sauce, it all leveled out and she didn't need the milk after all. It still had a little punch to it, but in a good, balanced, level way. This is one of the best Thai curries, in my opinion. It's got all the elements that Thai cooking is known for: sweetness, spiciness, protein and veggies all together in harmony. And, it takes practically no time to make this dish. You'll be so happy with yourself when you make it. 

Thai Food: Simple and Quick

 Funny how so many of us think "ethnic" cooking must be difficult.  But, it's really not.  I think people can easily become overwhelmed when they see a long list of spices/herbs, but think about it.  We're talking about taking some small bottles out of the cabinet and employing a measuring spoon.  Piece of cake, right?

Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines of the world.  I have a fantastic cookbook entitled Quick and Easy Thai. 

Its author spent 3 years in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer.  Her book features an array of true Thai dishes but easy for American cooks.  One of my new favorites from her book is simply called "Chicken with fresh basil."  

Check how easy this is to prepare:

You saute some chopped onion and garlic in a bit of oil. As soon as it all starts smelling good, add in some chicken cut into bite sized pieces. I usually use about 12 oz of chicken breast. Get your meat browned then add some fish sauce, soy sauce, a bit of water and sugar, and a chopped up serrano or two.  Stir in about a cup of fresh basil leaves to wilt, then serve. Not sure, but I'd be willing to bet my vegetarian friends could do all this with firm tofu. 

It's great on its own, or over some jasmine rice.  In the photo above, you'll see that I accompanied mine with marinated edamame.  I warmed the edamame in some boiling water for a few minutes, then added it to a mixture of garlic and soy sauce to marinate for about an hour. 

Obviously, I had some prep work: chopping onion and garlic, cutting up chicken and chopping the pepper, but actual time to cook the dish was probably about 12 minutes.  If you want rice, remember to start it first, since you need to give it about 20 minutes to do its thing. 

If you're a fan of Thai food, go seek out this cookbook.  I freaking love it!  The recipes are literally quick and easy so that you can whip up great tasting Thai on the proverbial weeknight.  Here are a few of my other favorite recipes from this book: Pad Thai, Red Curry Shrimp with Pineapple, Mussamun Curry Beef with potatoes & peanut, Green Curry Chicken with zucchini, and Chiang Mai Curry Noodles. I could go on and on...

I hope you will seek out this book. It can give your everyday cooking repertoire a nice shot in the arm! 

Kid's at Camp; Let's Thai One On!

While my sweet girl is, and always has been, an adventurous eater, she's still a little on the mild side.  Since her father is on the Carolina Reaper side of life, I have to modify our food and he "enhances" everything with his own insane pepper oils.  Everything.

So, since the kid's at lacrosse camp, I decided to make some Pad Thai, as directed. It was spicy, rich, nutty, all the good stuff you want your Thai food to be, frankly.  

For those of you here in Columbia, you may be familiar with the amazing house dressing at our Miyo's Chinese restaurants. It is astounding and if you ask nicely, you can buy some from them.  And if you ask really nicely, your waitress might just give you some... 

So, this evening, the ol' ball-n-chain and I dined Chez Akre with some Pad Thai and a simple green salad with Miyo's dressing.  Even though Neil hates how our house will smell like fish sauce for a few days, the food was good.  Damn good.

Pad Thai cooks quickly, so it key to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go.  What you see here is about 8 large shrimp, 4 oz. chicken in bite-sized pieces, 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, 3 chopped green onions, 1/4 cup chopped unsalted, roasted peanuts, 2 Tbs fish sauce, 3 Tbs soy sauce, 1 Tbs sugar, 2 garlic cloves minced, lime and some bean sprouts. 

Start by sauteeing your garlic in about 2-3 Tbs veg oil.  Add your chicken and shrimp and cook 'em up.  

Oh, oops, I forgot to tell you about the noodles.  Take about 4 oz. dried rice noodles and put them in boiling water.  Take off the heat and let them steep for 5 min.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Then, add them to your meats in the wok.

Add fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and red pepper flakes. Mix in well then throw in about 1 cup of bean sprouts and your chopped peanuts. When the noodles are tender, push them aside and add 1 beaten egg.  Scramble it and mix it into the Pad Thai.  Lastly, add your green onions and the juice of one lime.  

And, viola!  You have a wok full of delicious Pad Thai.  Serve right away with some raw bean sprouts sprinkled on top and with a couple wedges of lime.  I think you'll find this rivals any restaurant Pad Thai you've ever ordered.  

My Thai

Heavenly ingredients!

Thanks to Neil's Asian market shopping-trip-on-steroids, I was able to whip up an awesome green curry this week.  Having good curry paste on hand makes this such an easy task.  Tasting Thai curries in a restaurant probably makes most people think it's impossible to make at home.  But, trust me, find some good curry pastes, keep them in your pantry and on busy weeknights you can gather up whatever veggies and meats you have available and crank out a delicious and different meal.  If you're anything like me, different is important.  I get bored very easily!

Here's one little trick. 

Thai Lotus..uh,hmmm

Ok, so I know that Thai Lotus is not new.  In fact, it's been around for quite awhile. Since I haven't lived on that side of town since I graduated high school (that would be 1986 folks...can you believe how terrific I look?), I've never actually darkened the door of this restaurant. I've meant to; it just hasn't come to pass.  In fact, years ago, I had a real estate closing in Camden (y'all do know I'm a Realtor(r) right?  And a damn good one, I might add.) and the buyer was a military guy whose mom was Thai.  He told me back then that Thai Lotus was the most authentic Thai food around.  I've remembered it all these years, but once again, just hadn't made it over there.

Green Curry...No Worry!

I mentioned on Facebook the other day that Neil found an Asian mega-market on his weekly trip to Atlanta.  I'm not exactly sure how long he was in that place, but I received many-an-iPhone pic that day as he explored.  Tables piled high with fresh ginger, noodles a-plenty, every curry paste known to man and wacky ass fruits that none of us know what to do with!  While the pictures were plentiful, they didn't even make a dent into all the stuff he brought home! 

This isn't even all of it; we've already been tapping into the supply!

 Tonight, I worked until 7:00 so when I arrived home, Chef Neilix had already sprung into action.  Prep was done, sauce was made, house was smelling divine...ready to whip up some homemade green curry!  He used the remainder of the fresh shrimp we had in the fridge, some chicken breast and some thinly sliced steak.  Then, he prepared sliced zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers, chopped water chestnuts, baby corn, peas, chopped carrots and onions.  Next, he prepared a green curry sauce using green curry paste (duh), coconut milk and I'm not sure what else...I'd ask him but he's tucking in the little beetlebug at the  moment!  :-)

So, as I arrived, he cooked up some thin rice noodles, stir fried the veggies and meats, tossed it all together with the sauce and there it is folks, magic on a plate! 

Variety of meats and tons of veggies

[Side note: for the Vivver, he omitted the curry sauce altogether and just stir fried her proteins and veggies in soy sauce.  Of course, know-it-all-Mommy insisted that she try the curry sauce on her finger because I wasn't convinced that she'd find it spicy.  Suffice it to say I was wrong on that point.  Ok, live and learn. At least she tried it!] 

The green curry was a wonderful success!  To round it out, Neil served it with veggie egg rolls that we find in the fridge case in the Publix's deli area.  They are made by Amy Food and for a store-bought egg roll, we think they are pretty darn good.  If you find them in your store, you may want to give them a shot if you don't have time to make your own.  Bake them and they are delicious.   


P.S.  Wacky ass fruits with Chinese writing on them: Vivian and I are giving the Asian pear and "bread fruit" an emphatic double thumbs down.  The pear was just a mild, bland and crunchier-than-we're-used-to variety that just didn't do it for either of us.  The bread fruit...avoid this anomaly at all costs!  I just don't even know how to describe it.  Brown and lumpy like a shriveled up coconut, dry and spongy on the inside.  Just believe me...no bueno on this one.

Chicken Satay makes my day

It's an interesting phenomenon: I think most people are intimidated by ethnic foods.  Not about trying them, but feeling like there's no way they could make it at home.  For instance, when was the last time you walked into your neighbor's house to find her whipping up some chicken saag and naan?  I know, if you had a nickel for every time...

I am an enthusiastic ethnic eater.  I think it's because I simply have to have variety.  I can't function with a food schedule like "sandwich night" and "taco night."  We have to mix it up around here.  If you guys ever find me routinely making the same dish on the same day of the week, you can be assured I've had some kind of neurological event.  

This all brings me to Thai food; one of my favorites.  I found an awesome cookbook a few years ago.  Of course, with my sense of time, it could've been a decade ago for all I know!  It's written by a woman named Nancie McDermott.  She's lives in N.C. of all places but knows Thai cooking like a pro from the 3 years she spent there in the Peace Corps.  The cookbook is fantastic...the recipes are easy to use, easy to modify and definitely help us shake up our palates!  

Last night, I made chicken satay from her book.  I haven't made this in ages and was thinking that Vivian would like it because of the peanut sauce on the side.  Interestingly, she ate the chicken happily, but of the peanut sauce she politely stated, "I don't care for it."  I served it with simple jasmine rice and steamed green beans.  We're big on green beans at our house.  I have to have green.  Anyway, I posted a comment on Facebook about the satay and my high school friend Marie asked for the recipe.  Here's the recipe from Quick & Easy Thai, by Nancie McDermott.

Marinade

• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 lb boneless chicken breasts (I used cutlets so I didn't have to pound and trim a lot)

Combine coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar and curry powder in a mixing bowl or ziploc.  Slice chicken lengthwise into 1/2" strips.  Place in marinade and cover.  Refrigerate 30 min or as long as overnight.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 Tbs red curry or mussamun curry paste
• 2 tsp roasted chili paste (nahm prik pao; optional)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
• 1 Tbs fish sauce
• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter or very finely ground peanuts
• 1 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice or tamarind liquid

Bring coconut milk to a gentle boil over med-hi heat.  Add curry paste and roasted chili paste and cook 4-5 minutes, mashing and stirring to dissolve them.  Add chicken broth, fish sauce, brown sugar, peanut butter and lime juice.  Cook 1 minute more, stirring well to make a smooth sauce.  Remove from heat & set aside.  May be served warm or at room temp.  Or cover & refrigerate, reheating gently just before serving time.

Chicken
Thread the chicken on bamboo skewers in an "s" pattern.  Cook on a lightly oiled grill or under the broiler, turning often, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes or so.  Serve with peanut sauce.

**Disclosure:  I didn't add the red curry paste for 3 reasons.  1) I didn't have any, 2) I didn't have all the stuff needed to make it from scratch, and 3) most importantly it would be too spicy for Viv.  Same thing with the chili paste.  So, I did add some pinches of curry, ginger and cumin to the coconut milk as I cooked it** 

Bye bye Bangkok

Back in the early to mid 90's, my best friend Heidi and I were in our early 20's and were just starting out as "real adults."  She and Lloyd finished grad school and moved to Atlanta.  Being single, I could jump in the car and head to ATL pretty much at a moment's notice to hang out for the weekend.  Not only were these trips to spend time with "The Hoser" and "The Barber" (it's a long story) but for all the cool dining that Atlanta offered that Columbia didn't.  

On one trip, Heidi took me to my first Thai restaurant.  As a former Thai delegate to the Model U.N., I couldn't be more excited!  (Ha Ha...can you believe that?)  It was a place in  Virginia Highlands and was completely new to me.  I loved every second of it.  But, malheureusement, there were no Thai restaurants at home.  But, somewhere along the way in the mid 90's, my dad found Bangkok.  

It was (and still is) a small place in a strip mall on Garner's Ferry Rd.  I remember going there first with him and mom and was overjoyed to find the place.  I have been there many times and ordered many dishes, but haven't been in years.  I always had positive memories and sentiments about the food.  I met Neil there today for lunch, as he was working nearby.  Alas, my discovery of Mai Thai has prejudiced my palate and Bangkok has either changed for the worse or my memory was just being generous.

Bangkok is still small, which I always find endearing.  But, it's showing age and frankly, neglect.  Dingy carpet, cheap chairs, crack-n-peel numbers on the wall over the booths, a cashier stand crowded with junk and a kitchen door that needs paint and a proper door handle were the first things that caught my eye.  We were given a table but then Neil had to get up to get menus for us. Now, here's what alarmed me about the menu.  They've always had Chinese stuff on it and that's ok.  So, they have it separated out into the Chinese lunch menu and the Thai Special lunch menu.  The Thai menu doesn't have ONE SINGLE curry dish on it!  What?  How in the world can you NOT have curries on a Thai menu?  They do have Pad Thai, Pad See-iw, some other noodle and rice dishes, satay and one noodle soup, but this stuff is all "mainstream" Thai.  Frankly, this is what everyone was introduced to back in those early 90's days.  Now that Thai is so well-known in America, I can't believe the lunch offerings are still so rudimentary.  It was a disappointment.


The server irritated the #*&%! out of me.  She's one of those hurried people that rushes up to you and immediately says something charming like "What do you want to have?"  I asked her if we could get a lunch size curry and she said "yes." Great!  I proceeded to order a Panang Curry with Shrimp.  As I saw her write on her pad a figure that started with '12',  I asked her again.  This time she said, "no."  Well, that's what I just asked you lady!  So, I fell back and punted with the Pad Thai.  After all,  I'd remembered that their version was good.


Well, disappointment again.  The shrimp were nicely cooked on the grill, but the dish just plain lacked flavor.  I know the peanuts were there because I could feel them, but they had no taste whatsoever.  That can only mean they weren't fresh.  The green onions were cut into 1 1/2" pieces, cut right across the scallion.  So, they were like green onion stalks.  Not really edible that way.  The bean sprouts tasted completely raw.  I can eat raw sprouts; my mom used to grow them in a dark kitchen cabinet.  But in a dish, they should be at least slightly cooked and warmed.  Overall, this pad Thai just tasted bland and honestly, looked bland too.  Thumbs down.

Just didn't cut it!

Next, Neil's dish:  he decided to go the Chinese route and ordered pepper steak and asked if they could make it extra spicy.  As you all know, he likes EVERYTHING spicy!  Really spicy.  So, when he asks if you can do it and you say yes, then do it.   Well, you guessed it...no spiciness at all!  Pepper steak is pretty straight forward; bell peppers, onions, thinly sliced steak.  Neil reported that the entire dish was merely "okay."

No color: bell peppers are green but they are hidden in this mess

To wrap up, we both decided that we're taking Bangkok off our restaurant radar.  When it comes to Thai food in Columbia, we just have no restaurant that measures up to Mai Thai.  They have our loyalty.  

**Restaurant Review** Mai Thai-West Columbia

Well, this isn't totally like a review since I've been there a zillion times. It's one of my favorite places in Columbia. I kind of discovered it by accident a couple years ago and it was instantly on my list of killer restaurants. If you haven't checked it out, here's my two cents' worth.

First, and foremost, it's a family owned business...yea! Secondly, the food is simply fantastic...vegetables are meticulously cut to the right size/shape (I've been told the chef is really picky about it and fusses if the others don't get it right), all fresh meats/seafoods and the perfect Thai balance of sweet and hot. And thirdly, the service is impeccable.The restaurant is a comfortable place to be too. It's dimly lit, well decorated and small.

So, yes, I've been there a zillion times, so why is it on my mind today? I picked up dinner on my way home last night and just felt like sharing. Neil is super spicy guy and if you know the Thai people, they can blow your head off to any degree you wish. I ordered him Red Curry with chicken with a hot scale of 4. Turns out, he could've had and would've preferred a 5. I should've known. The red curry has a nice coconut base of course, then that awesome red curry burn to it afterwards! Mix in the spice of basil, bell pepper and tender bamboo shoots...Yum! I ordered Pad Ba Mee with shrimp. This is a mild noodle dish (the little one loves noodles, so I knew she'd want to share) that is packed with vegetables...zucchini, pea pods, baby corn, carrots. It's absolutely wonderful. It makes you feel so comfortably full but never stuffed. Other faves include Panang Curry, Drunken Noodles, Green Curry and of course, the coconut soup and Tom Yum soup!

If you're unfamiliar with Thai food, you're really missing out. It is NOTHING like Chinese. Their cuisine has an intricate balance of herbs, citrus, sweet and spicy. And, the food is actually pretty. If you go and check them out, I'd love to hear what you have to say.