Fresh Summer Rolls with Tamarind Sauce

Serves: 40-60 (as snack or side dish) | Preparation Time: 40 minutes | Cooking Time: 2-5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 package rice wrappers small, round

Filling

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown, palm sugar or muscovado
• 1 cup thin vermicelli rice noodles, cooked and rinsed in cold water, drained
• ½ cup cooked shrimp, finely chopped
• ½ cup fried tofu, julienned
• ½ cup roasted chicken, shredded
• 1 cup lettuce, julienned
• ½ cup cucumber, julienned
• ½ cup fresh Thai basil, roughly chopped
• ½ cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup carrot, shredded or julienned
• 3-4 spring onions, finely chopped

Tamarind dipping sauce

• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon tamarind paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon arrowroot or cornstarch powder, dissolved in 3 tablespoons water
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 green or red chili, finely sliced

Directions

1. First, prepare the dipping sauce. Combine all the ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a near-boil and reduce heat. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Adjust the taste as needed. Remove from the heat and set it aside.
2. Set aside rice wrapper.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, fish sauce, and sugar. Set this mixture aside as well.
4. In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients. Pour in the soy sauce mixture and toss to coat.
5. Take a rice wrapper and submerge it in hot water (it should be tolerable to the touch). The wrapper should be of the right softness in 30 seconds.
6. Place the wrapper on a clean, flat surface and another wrapper from the package into the hot water.
7. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling about half an inch from the bottom of the wrapper. Spread out the filling to form a small rectangular shape.
8. Fold the bottom flap of the wrapper over the filling and tuck in the sides. Keep the roll tight as you roll from the bottom upwards. Moisten the top flap with a little water to seal.
9. Arrange the rolls, sealed side down, on a platter. You may slice the rolls diagonally in half to reveal the colorful filling.
10. Serve with prepared tamarind sauce.

 

 

Chicken Pad Thai

Serves: 4 | Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) box pad Thai rice noodles
• 10 tablespoons pad Thai sauce, store-bought OR make your own
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
• 8 ounces chicken breast fillet, trimmed and sliced thinly
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup bean sprouts

Pad Thai sauce ingredients

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili sauce or Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste OR 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil

For garnish

• Cilantro, chopped
• Lime wedges
• Toasted peanuts, crushed

Directions

1. Soak the noodles in hot (not boiling) water for about 10 minutes and drain (or follow the instructions on the package). Set aside.
2. If not using store-bought pad Thai sauce, whisk together the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat a wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and sauté the garlic, shallots, and chicken.
4. Cook until the chicken is done, about 10 minutes. Remove from the wok.
5. Add remaining oil to the wok and scramble the eggs.
6. Reduce the heat and add the pad Thai sauce, then the noodles, and toss to coat evenly.
7. Add the chicken mixture and stir until heated through.
8. Serve with cilantro, peanuts, and lime.

 

 

Yellow Curry with Beef

Serves: 4 | Preparation Time:  5 minutes plus 1 hour preparation of homemade curry paste | Cooking Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients

Yellow curry paste

• 4 large shallots, whole and peeled
• 4 large heads of garlic, whole, outer skin removed
• ½ cup fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 5-20 whole dried Thai chilies
• 1 ½ tablespoons salt
• 2-3 tablespoons turmeric powder
• 2-3 tablespoons mild curry powder
• 2 teaspoons roasted ground coriander
• 3 tablespoons lemongrass paste
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves and stems, packed

For curry

• ⅔-1 pound beef steak, cut into thin, bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 ½ tablespoons yellow curry paste (homemade or store-bought), or to taste
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
• 2 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• Juice of ½ lime
• Cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

Directions

For the yellow curry paste

Note: Use rubber gloves when handling chili peppers to avoid pepper burns

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Do not separate the garlic into cloves. Slice off the pointy tops but leave the heads whole.
3. Drizzle the shallots, garlic, and ginger with oil.
4. Wrap the shallots and garlic separately in foil.
5. Arrange the ginger slices in a layer and wrap with foil.
6. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the ginger as it should already be tender.
7. Turn up the oven temperature to 400°F and continue roasting the shallots and garlic for 30 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant.
8. Meanwhile, soak the dried chilies in water for 15 minutes to rehydrate. Drain.
9. Place all the paste ingredients in a food processor or blender and process to make a paste. Keep refrigerated in glass jars.

For curry

10. Heat a saucepan or wok over medium heat and add the oil.
11. Stir-fry the curry paste until fragrant.
12. Add the beef and onion, and mix well to coat with curry paste. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.
13. Stir in the coconut milk and bring it to a boil.
14. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Beef should be tender.
15. Add potatoes and carrots and simmer another 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
16. Add the tomatoes, fish sauce, and lime juice. Stir well to combine, and remove from the heat.
17. Garnish with coriander and serve with rice.

 

 

Salmon Teriyaki

Serves: 4 | Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless salmon fillets
• 2 cloves garlic, grated and pounded to a paste
• 1 thumb (1-inch piece) fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 5 tablespoon soy sauce
• 5 tablespoon mirin (rice wine) or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon golden caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil

Directions

1. Wipe the salmon fillet dry with paper towels.
2. In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and ginger into a paste.
3. Transfer the paste to a bowl and add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Whisk to blend and to dissolve sugar.
4. Preheat a grill or heavy skillet. Coat or brush the skillet with oil.
5. Dip the salmon in the sauce just to coat. Transfer the rest of the sauce mix to a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
6. While simmering the sauce, grill the salmon over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, brushing occasionally with the sauce. Continue simmering the sauce until thickened and sticky.
7. Turn the salmon over, for even cooking. Remove from the grill when done and transfer to a serving dish.
8. Pour the thickened sauce over the salmon and serve.

 

 

Banana Fritters

Serves: 2-4 | Preparation Time: 5 minutes | Cooking Time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas (plantain bananas are also good), peeled and sliced lengthwise

For batter

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons rice flour
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup water
• ½ cup grated coconut
• Oil for deep frying

For garnish/topping

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
• Coconut (or flavor of choice) ice cream, optional

Directions

1. In a bowl, sift the rice flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt together.
2. Add the water gradually while whisking, until there are no more lumps.
3. Stir in the grated coconut and mix to distribute evenly.
4. Heat the oil to 350°F in a deep pan, wok, or fryer.
5. Coat the banana slices with batter and fry, flipping over a few times, until golden brown.
6. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
7. Serve with scoops of coconut ice cream (optional).

 

 

 

 

***These recipes and more can be found in Lina Chang’s Thai Takeout Cookbook: Favorite Thai Food Takeout Recipes to Make at Home. To get your copy, click on the cover or click here.

 

 

To download a copy of the featured recipes, click here.