The CuisiNerd

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.

This was a spur-of-the-moment creation, with a given set of ingredients. Kinda like Iron Chef. 🙂

The key was to have some shrimp, and use up some of the fresh veggies from the CSA. We’d had squash for a few nights in a row, sautéed in olive oil with fresh basil, so tonight was a good night to use up some fresh green beans.

In a large nonstick skillet, put in 2 tablespoons of olive oil on high heat. When the oil is hot, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup minced garlic (depending on taste) and sauté for a minute or so. Add 1 lb of medium shrimp (30-40 count) and 1 lb fresh green beans. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh if possible) and continue to sauté until shrimp is cooked. Add a splash of white wine or mirin and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Continue cooking until liquid has evaporated.