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Thai Grilled Chicken: The Heroine Upstaged by Her Sidekick

By on May 24, 2013 in She Deglutenizes, She Grills, She Rants and Muses, She Thais

Thai Grilled Chicken by SheSimmers.com
When people think of Thai cuisine, images of coconut-based curries, warm herbal soups, and stir-fried noodles are often the first to pop up in their minds. Meanwhile, balking indomitably from a place of neglect is a vast repertoire of grilled chicken traditions from every region of Thailand. It is noteworthy that Thai sweet chili sauce, arguably the most famous Thai condiment the world over, is known to the Thai people as “nam jim kai” (น้ำจิ้มไก่) literally, “dipping sauce (for) chicken” with no other formal name.

This points to one thing: the sauce’s raison d’être is to accompany grilled chicken. The fact that the sidekick’s international fame has surpassed that of the heroine adds insult to her injury and puzzles the local observers. Continue Reading →

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Stir-Fried Pumpkin with Eggs (ผัดฟักทองใส่ไข่)

By on April 16, 2013 in She Deglutenizes, She Fries, She Thais, She Veges

20130416-pumpkin-stir-fry
This may look like nothing special, but the fact that this no-frills home-style dish is a rice-curry shop staple in Bangkok tells you a lot.

Kabocha squash, also known as Japanese pumpkin, is the best choice of pumpkin/squash for this, in my opinion. The flavor is mild and sweet. Its low moisture content makes the texture dense and starchy, yet soft and fluffy — almost like chestnut. The skin, once cooked, becomes soft enough to eat as well. (In fact, I could have left the pumpkin skin on when I made this.) Any type of pumpkin or squash that becomes soft and watery once cooked will not be appropriate here.

Stir-fried pumpkin with eggs is easy and quick to make and requires only six common ingredients. This is a perfect weeknight meal. Continue Reading →

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Tom Kha Gai, the Rustic Way

By on March 12, 2013 in She Deglutenizes, She Rants and Muses, She Simmers, She Thais

Tom Kha Gai
Yesterday afternoon, as I was hacking up a chicken with a cleaver to make this pot of Tom Kha Gai, my mind wandered off to one of my older posts on Serious Eats on chicken massaman curry and the comments it had elicited (which I find very educational). That had led to this impromptu post.

One of the biggest culture shocks I experienced during the first few months in the United States had nothing to do with differences in terms of language (though that was — still is — a challenge), the use of symbols and figures of speech (I’d learned along the way how to handle that), or etiquette.

It was the bonelessness and skinlessness of meat dishes I noticed. Continue Reading →

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