T is for Thailand: The First Bite Experience

floating market in Thailand 

For as much as I love to eat and cook, there is something quite sad about the entire experience, and that is that the first time you have a really good dish it will be the best it will ever taste.  Even after the second bite, the taste diminishes a bit. It’s just not as exciting as the first bite. The flavors are new, and you don’t know what to expect. This does not make the meal bad by any means. Think about it…. hasn’t it ever happened to you that you order an amazing meal at a restaurant, and it is just the most delicious thing you have ever had, and then the next time you go and get the same meal, it doesn’t give you the same satisfaction as the first time you had it. This is my sad story with pad thai.

Thai basil 

I can clearly remember my first experience with pad thai. I was 19. I just finished my freshman year at OSU. I wanted to escape Ohio, I wanted to assert my newly found independence, I just needed an adventure. So I left. Far, far away to Phoenix, Arizona. My good friend Erika and I packed up my car and began a 5 day road trip out west, our destination Arizona.

It was a scorching hot day…we were hungry, and wanted to be in air conditioning. A man at a thrift store we were rummaging recommended a local Thai resturant down the way. I had never had Thai food, and was done with the adventure. We walk into a quaint room buzzing with the rush of professionals out for lunch. Not ever having Thai food I choose the popular pad thai, and man, was I not disappointed. It was sweet, yet sour, crunchy, and soft, with just a slight kick of heat. Never again have I had pad thai as delicious as this. Maybe it was because it was my first time, or maybe because I was destined to never eat good pad thai, but this week was dedicated to finding out.

Thai lemongrass 

Thailand is a large peninsula off the coast of the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand. Situated between Cambodia, Laos, and Burma, Thailand was the only Southeast Asian country never colonized by the West, which has allowed it to maintain control of their unique cooking style. They do, however, take influence from their Chinese descendents and their Indian neighbors. India passes on not only Buddhism but also, seasonings such as cumin, cardamom, curry and coriander. From China comes the heat in Thai food as well as the most important staple in Thai life, rice! According the International Rice Research Institute, Thai people consume over 220 pounds of milled rice per person per year, and are the world’s largest exporters of rice!

But rice alone does not constitute as meal. Thai cuisine blends five fundamental tastes, sweet, salty, spicy, sour and bitter. The use of ingredients such as garlic, limes, chilies, fish sauce, lemon grass, basil, ginger, help create a carefully balanced dish to bring out all five flavors.

So back to pad thai. Pad thai is he famous example of a Thai dish beautifully composed of five balanced flavors. There is the sweetness of the palm sugar, the saltiness of the fish sauce, the spicy of the chilies, the sour of the tamarind, and the bitter of the lime. There is also the wonderful contrast of the soft rice noodles and the crunch of the bean sprouts and peanuts. The dish done right is perfect, and has something for everyone’s palate.

tamarind plant 

On my quest to recreate my first pad thai experience I checked out two local Thai restaurants in Columbus, Thai Lotus and Bamboo Cafe. Mind you, in the past I have also had pad thai from 3 other locations in Columbus, Tai’s Asian Bistro, Basil, and Bangkok, and only Bangkok was the only one out of the three could step to the plate (like my pun?).  I would avoid Thai Lotus altogether. This was your typical $5 cheap Americanized Asian food. It was too mushy, and didn’t even come served with green onions or peanuts. Luckily, my experience at Bamboo Café was a world of difference. Not only was the ambiance relaxing, yet exotic, the food was delicious. The pad thai was pretty good. Not too spicy, balanced flavors, but I had a major gripe with the shrimp that was just sadly overcooked.

Sadly, I never found a pad thai that brought that same excitement of my first pad thai, and I probably never will. But that the sad dilemma of a foodie in search for delicious meals. You can never recreate an experience, because the excitement is taken out, which is really half the fun. But I am okay with this….it just means I get to explore new restaurants and new dishes.   

RECIPE TIME:

pad thai sauce 

Asian markets are your best friend!! Asian products are way overpriced at regular super markets, so when cooking Asian, shop Asian! Pad thai calls for tamarind pulp, a sour fruit used to make the pad thai sauce. Just my luck, my local Asian market was out of tamarind pulp (didn't known tamarind pulp was a hot commodity...)....but they did have a pad thai sauce imported from Thailand..so yes, I cheated a little...but to my defense, I (well..Helen) had to figure out how to calm the heat because it was SPICY! So we added a little water and rice wine vinegar to the sauce. Then the best moochers in the world, my sister Jennifer and Emil (kidding kidding, i love you both), came to enjoy in the feast. Helen was also kind enough to bring some delicious white wine that she earned from baby sitting. The wine helped cool the heat of the pad thai.  The meal was absolutely delicious, easy to make, and inexpensive. Definitely one to make to share with friends.....or moochers :) 

Pad Thai

serves 4

Ingredients: 

bean sprouts

rice noodles 

• Pad thai sauce
• Rice stick noodles
• 1/2 lb shrimp
• 4 eggs
• bean sprouts
• carrot, chopped
• 1/4 cup peanuts, ground*
• green onions, sliced
• 2 limes, sliced
• oil

* I put the peanuts in a ziplock bag and took a hammer to it until the peanuts were in small pieces.

Directions:

1. Chop the carrots, green onions, and ground the peanuts. Also, water down the sauce if it is too spicy, and start boiling a pot of water for the noodles.
2. Place noodles in boiling water until noodles are soften. 
3. Drain noodles and rinse in cold water. Begin heating a wok or large saucepan with oil. 
4. Saute shrimp and carrots until shrimp is slightly pink. With a slotted spoon take remove the shrimp and carrots from the wok. 
5. Add noodles to the wok. Push noodles to the side and crack the eggs and scramble.
6. Mix the eggs with the noodle and add carrots, bean sprouts , shrimp and sauce.  Stir until evenly mixed.
7. Plate, and garnish with peanuts, green onions, and a wedge of lime.

Enjoy with a glass of white wine! 

S is for Syria: My Last Meal

Damascus market place

The other day my a few of my sorority sisters and I somehow got on the subject on what our last meal would be if we were soon to be executed (I’m really not sure how our conversation became so morbid). My sister’s recounted their childhood favorites, foods like Mac and Cheese and fried chicken. Foods that basically reminded them of their youth, of their homes, back when life was easy, and figuring out where you were going to ride your bike was the hardest decision of the day. At the time of the conversationg I said I couldn’t choose one. But now as I sit and write, I know exactly what I would choose…something earthy, wholesome, that reminds me of my childhood…Syrian food!

Confused? Let me explain…

lebneh

Yam and Gaea

A few of my post have touched on the amazing diversity that I grew up with.  For most of my childhood, I also grew up Syrian. If I wasn’t at home, or in school, as a youngster I could be found at Yam and Gaea’s house, two Syrian twin girls that are basically family to me. After school I would go to their house, eat Syrian dinner,  sometimes listen to them argue with their parents in Arabic, and then get into some harmless trouble. I grew up on hummus, rice with toasted pasta, Syrian bread, lebneh, a soft cheese made from yogurt, and my favorite, yebra, better known as stuffed grape leaves. Now, even the mere smell of Arabic spices spurs feelings of nostalgia.

The cuisine in Syria is absolutely fantastic. It really has something for everyone. You can eat lamb and chicken, or choose from an array of vegetarian dishes. There are cold, fresh salads, tangy yogurts and cheeses, and of course the sweets and cakes. The food is wholesome, earthy, and most of the time, really healthy. Their food culture has been refined for thousands of years. Damascus, Syria’s capital (and where Yam and Gaea were born) was founded around 1000 BC and is thought to be the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city. Needless to say, they have had some time to practice their cooking techniques.

kibbeh

Just like Lebanon, Syria’s national dish is kibbeh (see Lebanon). Syrian food in America is often referred to as Mediterranean, but the flavors are very distinct. The kibbeh of Syria is not the same that I made in my blog. In Syria the ingredients are more or less the same as the Lebanese dish, ground beef or lamb, mixed with burghul, and roasted pine nuts. However Syrian kibbeh is molded into a fancy Syrian meatloaf shape, baked, and sliced, like a delicious meat,  cake, instead of being deep fried.

Saj

Essential to Syrian cuisine is saj and baharat. Saj, Syrian bread, are light, airy pitas that are eaten with just about everything. They are a far cry from the traditional pita found it grocery stores that are thick, flaccid, and sweet. Saj can be found in the Arabic grocery stores, and are much larger than traditional pitas. Baharat, on the other hand, can be easily made. Known as the “seven spice mix”, baharat goes in basically everything. When cooking with Gaea and her mom for my blog I was going through their spices and found a jar of spices encrypted with Arabic. When I asked my very unhelpful cooking buddy Gaea what is was she answered oh-so nonchalantly “Oh..just some Arabic spice..”. Thanks Gaea. I now realize it was baharat, a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pimento, black pepper, and cumin. 

freekeh

Another major ingredient is burghul, but I gave the run down on it in my post on Lebanon, thus I want to introduce a super special, traditional Syrian grain that I learned in my research. Freekeh is an ancient grain prized for its high protein, vitamins, and fiber content. What makes this grain so awesome, other than being super nutritious is that way it is prepared and harvested. The wheat is harvested while the grains are yellow and seeds are still soft. The wheat is soaked, piled, and then sun-dried…but, right before they are completely dry, it is char grilled (basically set on fire) to give it a beautiful, smoky flavor. The wheat then does some more sun bathing in the sun, with the end result being a nutty, smoky grain with a bite. It is a unique and healthy substitution to rice.

I am newly addicted to this great Australian food show, Food Safari. Each episode explores the foods of immigrants in Australian (brilliant!). Speaking of Syria, the host Maeve O'Meara said t” “the concept of hospitality in Syria is so strong that every family is ready to cater to an army at a moments notice”.  Everyday after school I can clearly remember Yam and Gaea’s quaint kitchen beautifully decorated with an array of foods. As soon as walked through their glass sliding door her mother showered us with the most delicious meals. The food was new, fresh, and exciting, and to this day, it still is. Syrian cuisine is famous for a love of eating; therefore, it's not a surprise that the International Academy of Gastronomy in France awarded Aleppo its culinary prize in 2007. So before you turn your nose to Syrian cuisine, just known it was a food capital long before Paris.

RECIPE TIME:

No resturant in Columbus has come close to the food that Yam and Gaea’s mom makes, so why pay for some mediocre “Arabic” food when I can have the real thing for free? One beautiful, sunny day my sister Jennifer and I took a trip back to the area where we grew up. Granted, it’s only like 15 minutes from our campus homes, and it isn’t the same apartment we spent our childhood, it is very close to our high school alma mater. When we walked in food was already on the table….oh, how I sometimes wished I lived at home (well, their home). Yam’s new baby, the cutest thing known to mankind, was only a quick distraction to the assortment of food that surrounded the table. Hummus, okra stew, grilled meats, lebneh, saj, rice, and salmon…what a feast! Shortly after, Gaea and I, under the lead of her mother, began the process for yebra, aka stuffed grape leaves, aka my favorite meal. I always order them at restaurants, and while I have had some “okay” ones, I have never had any as delicious as the one their mom makes, thus it was time for me to learn.  The process was long, intricate, intense, and sooooo worth it.  Like a good Arabic girl, I ate the grapes leaves with Gaea all while smoking hookah (I was taught well).

Yebra

makes about 50 rolls

Ingredients:

• a jar or can of grape leaves
• 1 cups of rice, cooked
• 2 lbs ground beef
• baharat, or your own personal choice of spices, a few tablespoons
• like 10 cloves of garlic (more or less depending on how garlicy you want it), peeled
• 1/4 cuplemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt

Directions:

1.Wash grape leaves with cold water, and strain in a colander

2.Mix the rice, meat, and spices together to form a "meat paste".

3. Assemble grape leaves. This is super complicated so I made a video to show you how its done. Thank you Gaea for the narration. 

4.Place the stuffed leaves tightly in a large pot. Place garlic 6 cloves between leaves. 

5. With a mortar and pestle grind the rest of the garlic into a paste.

6. Add the lemon and oil and pour over leaves.

7.Add water to pot just enough to cover leaves. 

8.Put a small plate on top of leaves to prevent unwinding, and put a rock (yes a rock) or something heavy on top of the leaves so that the plate doesn't move. You want your plate to be inside of the pot.

9. Cover pot and simmer on a low flame for about 45.

Eat warm or cold with yogurt.