J and J Pad Thai

Jaime has always been great at experimenting with Asian foods, so when she told me we’d be making Pad Thai for dinner - I wasn’t surprised. The end result was incredible! Consequently, Pad Thai has turned into a family favourite. It’s so simple and pleasing. So if you’re one of those individuals who always orders Pad Thai when dining out, or you just love Asian recipes, then this one is for you!

What You’ll Need:

8 oz. dried Pad Thai rice noodles, OR enough for 2 people (linguini-width)
Tofu cut into cubes and fried

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

Chinese cabbage or Bok Choy, roughly chopped

Broccoli, chopped

2-3 carrots, chopped
2 cups bean sprouts
2 green onions, sliced
Fresh coriander/cilantro
1/4 cup ground (or well-chopped) peanuts (OR substitute cashews or slivered almonds)

PAD THAI SAUCE:

3/4 Tbsp. tamarind paste (available at Asian/East Indian food stores)

1/4 cup hot water
3 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce, we like Braggs Liquid Amino (or gluten-free soy sauce)
1/2 to 2 tsp. chili sauce (to taste), OR 1-2 fresh red chilies, minced
3 Tbsp. brown sugar or 2 palm kernels
3 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter

OTHER:

3-4 Tbsp. oil for stir-frying 2-3 Tbsp. vegetable stock
lime wedges for serving

What You’ll Do:

I like to make my sauce first so it’s ready when everything else has been cooked. Start by dissolving the tamarind paste in the hot water. Add the other sauce ingredients and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add as much or as little chili sauce as you prefer, but don't skimp on the sugar (you’ll need it to balance the sourness of the tamarind). Reserve.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and remove from heat. Soak noodles in the hot water for 6-10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Tip: Noodles are ready to drain when they are soft enough to eat, but still firm and a little bit "crunchy". The noodles will finish cooking when they are fried.

Place your wok (or large frying pan) over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp. oil plus the garlic and onions. Stir-fry 1 minute to release the fragrance. Add broccoli and carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Add the Bok Choy plus the stock. Stir-fry 2 minutes, or until Bok Choy is bright green and slightly softened. Add fried tofu.

Now add the drained noodles and 1/3 of the sauce. Stir-fry everything together for 1 minute using 2 utensils and a tossing motion (like tossing a salad).

Add a little more sauce and continue stir-frying in the same way for 1-2 more minutes, or until the noodles begin to soften and become sticky. Reduce heat to medium if noodles begin to stick and burn.

Add the bean sprouts plus the remaining sauce. Stir-fry to incorporate everything together for 1-3 more minutes, or until noodles are done. Noodles are cooked to perfection when they are soft but still deliciously chewy and a little bit sticky.

To serve, scoop noodles onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with the green onion, coriander/cilantro, and ground nuts. Add wedges of fresh-cut lime on the side. Serve immediately and ENJOY!

Sweet Rice and Mangos

Recently we had some new friends over and I wanted to make something special for our Asian themed evening. My son wanted Sweet Rice with Bananas (yes, we’ll get that recipe up soon) but I wanted something a bit more refreshing. So I decided to replace the bananas with mangos. I switched the Banana Sweet Sticky Rice recipe up a bit and came up with this light and sweet delectable treat. It so simple and delicious, I just know you are going to love it as much as we did.

What You’ll Need:

1 cups uncooked sweet rice 2 cups water
1 can (13.5 oz) of coconut milk (cream and all)
¼ cup sugar
2 mangos, peeled and sliced

What You’ll Do:

Combine the rice and coconut milk in a rice cooker and cook. Should only take about 10-15 to cook.

Mix the sugar into the hot rice. Portion the rice into 4 bowls. Top with mango slices. Enjoy this sweet refreshing treat. Your guests will rave over it, mine did.

Thai Style Vegetables with Peanut Sauce

For those of you who love creamy dessert like peanut sauce you will love this dish. The combination of this sweet creamy peanut sauce with fresh veggies and coconut rice is simply delicious and crowd pleaser.

Peanut Sauce:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 Tbs soy sauce
4 Tbs lime juice
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 Tbs rice vinegar
4 palm kernels (found in Asian markets) or 2 Tbs agave syrup
Peanuts

Combine all ingredient in a medium size pan. Heat on medium until all ingredients dissolve. Turn heat to low, keep warm until vegetables and rice are ready. Remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes to thicken before serving.

Vegetables:
16 oz firm tofu, cut in cubes
Medium size bok choy or napa cabbage, chopped
3 large carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups of chopped broccoli
Any other vegetables of your choice

In a large wok or saute pan cook tofu until golden. Add vegetables and cook on medium heat until tender about 10-15 minutes. Place cooked vegetables in a shallow bowl and cover with peanut sauce, add peanuts as a garnish.

Reserve peanut sauce can be used as a nice alternative for dipping veggies.

Coconut Rice:
3 cups of uncooked rice
4 cups coconut milk
2 cups water

Combine ingredients in a rice cooker or medium size pot. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until rice is done. Serve rice on the side.