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Fruit Dips, Thai Style


Quite a few readers have written me regarding Thai-style fruit dips saying how they wish there wasn’t any dried fish or fish sauce involved. Actually, the way the comments were worded is a little more interesting, a weird cross between disbelief and curiosity with a tiny, tiny tinge of disgust. I don’t blame them; I know how that feels. When I was invited to my first American thanksgiving dinner, I swallowed hard — and not in a good way — when I saw roasted turkey with gravy sitting between a pile of candied yams with broiled marshmallow topping and a quivering blob of fruit jelly called, “cranberry sauce.” I, of course, grew more accustomed to that combination and even came to like it. But, admittedly, the first encounter was pretty rough.

Our view regarding what should and shouldn’t be is all conditioned by culture. Tart green mangoes and a sticky dip containing fish sauce, palm sugar, and dried shrimp together are to most Thai people what apple pie and vanilla ice cream are to most Americans. In other words, fish and fruits work for us.

But if you don’t like it, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Besides, there are other Thai-style fruit dips that don’t have fish products in them. Please allow me to introduce to you the most common three that go very well with tart fruits. Continue Reading →

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Spicy Green Apple Salad (ยำแอบเปิ้ล)

thai salad
I made this impromptu salad the other day as the topping for a piece of pan-fried halibut. It was nothing special — just a simple salad that is normally made with grated green mangoes. Actually, I think I’ve come to like this version made with tart and crisp Granny Smith apples much more.

It’s the crunch. I like the crunch. Continue Reading →

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Pad Bai Horapha (ผัดใบโหระพา)

not pad ka prao

Slivers of red long or bell peppers in this would be nice; I didn’t have any at that time.

After the post on Pad Ka-prao went up, my inbox has seen quite a few emails asking why I ‘frown upon’ people making “Pad Ka-Prao” with different kinds of basil other than holy basil. After all, “it tastes just as great,” you say.
 
I agree. I also disagree. Let me explain. Continue Reading →

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