Posted by: Site Administrator : Category:
Entrees,
soup
Lately, I’ve been taking a more active interest in learning to cook Thai. I’ve got a pretty good handle on Thai Basil Chicken and am branching out. My current reference is Judy Bastyra’s book, “Thai: the essence of Asian cooking“, which is has drool-inducing photographs, as well as a good overview of ingredients and techniques. This recipe came from the book, and I deviated from the recipe on occasion due to ingredient availability. It is a regional dish of Northern Thailand, and was delightful on a cool and gray fall day.
Prep Time: under 30 minutes
Serves 4
Heat 1 quart of vegetable stock (I used chicken stock, as I used the last of my vegetable stock last week) in a pan and prepare the chilli paste by pureeing the following in a small food processor:
4oz sliced shallots (I was all out of shallots, so I used chives)
10 drained bottled green peppercorns
1 fresh green chili pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste (available from a good oriental grocery)
(I used canned green chillies in lieu of fresh and the peppercorns)
Peel and cube a smallish butternut squash (about 12 oz). and cut 4 oz green beans into 1-inch pieces.
Add the squash, green beans, and 2 oz dried banana flower (I have no idea where to get this, so I skipped it). to the stock and cook it for 15 minutes. This would be a good time to cook up some rice (If you’re doing brown/red/black rice, you’ll want to prepare this ahead of time. White rice only takes 15-20 minutes).
After the stock and veggies have cooked for 15 minutes, add:
1 tbsp fish sauce (Nam Pla)
12oz prawns or shrimp (I used frozen from Costco, but fresh works too)
small bunch fresh basil
Simmer for 3 minutes and serve over rice.
In the KC area, there are two asian groceries that I like. One is at 103rd and Metcalf in Overland Park, the other is across from the park & ride on Grand at City Market.