Since I was cooking the tofu pad thai, I decided to make a curry to go with it. I used similar ingredients to the pad thai including tamari, tamarind concentrate and palm sugar.

I marinated the shrimp simply in garlic and tamari. Tamari is a great ingredient that provides a delicious saltiness to any dish. It is a more concentrated version of soy sauce so a little goes a long way.

I used a yellow onion and lemon grass for extra flavor and coconut milk provided a delicious creaminess even though I used light coconut milk. I always have it on hand and I end up using it for a lot of dishes including rice.

The curry was really good and complemented the pad thai really well. It would go really well with just plain rice since it has a lot of flavor on it’s own.

Try this easy coconut shrimp curry next time you are in the mood for Thai food…

• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, cleaned, deveined and sliced in half
• 2 teaspoons tamari
• 3 garlic cloves, minced

Place the shrimp, tamari and garlic in a zip lock bag. Marinate for 2 to 3 hours.

• 2  tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
• 2 stalks lemongrass, peeled and the insides minced- yields about ½ cup
• 1 14 oz can light coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar
• 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
• 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• Salt
• ½ lime, juiced

Heat a wok like pan and add the olive oil. Add the marinated shrimp and sauté on high heat for a minute. Take out and keep aside.
Add the onions and lemongrass. Saute on medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tamarind concentrate, coconut milk, fish sauce, palm sugar and sriracha sauce. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add the fresh basil, cilantro and shrimp. Cook for 2-3 minutes till the shrimp are cooked. Taste for seasonings, add salt and lime juice.

I have been eating pad thai for years now and love ordering it at restaurants. I have always thought this dish as extremely complicated and hard to make.

Since I had to replicate a dish, I decided to take this one on. After a bit of research, I realized the noodle dish is really not hard to make- it just has a lot of ingredients. Once you have them on hand- it doesn’t take that long. You can control the amount of fat and salt when you make popular take out dishes at home.

In this case, I made it super healthy with tofu, bean sprouts and garlic chives. I had most of the ingredients at home- like tamarind, fish sauce, tamari, etc. I decided not to add any meat but it will be delicious with chicken or shrimp.

If you love eating pad thai in a restaurant, definitely make this homemade version- it is delicious.

• 10 oz extra firm tofu, cut into thin strips about an inch long
• 2 teaspoons tamari

Place the tofu strips in a zip lock bag with the tamari and marinate for 2 to 3 hours.

• ½ pound rice noodles- soaked in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic

Mix the tamarind, fish sauce, palm sugar and chili paste in a small bowl and keep aside,

• 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 2 medium shallots, sliced thin
• 3 green onions, chopped (white parts only- save the green parts for the garnish)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup garlic chives, cut into 1 inch long segments (optional)
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 2 eggs, beaten with 1 teaspoon salt

Garnish

• 1 cup chopped salted roasted peanuts
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• 3 green onions, chopped (the green parts only)
• One lime cut into wedges

In a large frying pan or a wok like sauce pan heat the olive oil and add the marinated tofu. Saute on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or till the tofu is golden brown. Add the shallots, white parts of the green onions and garlic. Saute on medium high heat for a minute. Add the garlic chives and sprouts and mix well. Move all the mixture to the side of the pan and make a well in the middle. Drop the eggs and scramble for 30 seconds and then mix with the rest of the mixture. Add the drained noodles and mix well. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tamarind mixture and mix well. Add the peanuts, cilantro and green onions. Mix well and check for seasonings. Squeeze the lime and serve.

As I was thinking, potato cakes came to mind- especially since I also had the leftover mango salsa.

I added panko bread crumbs, an egg and some cheddar cheese to the salad and mixed it all really well. I shaped them into small cakes and sauteed them with a little oil. It took almost no time to make- and so easy. The best part was that they tasted delicious with the mango salsa. For myself I drizzled a bit of sriracha sauce which added a nice tangy, spicy aspect to the dish.

We had the potato cakes for lunch. I made a salad on the side- perfect for a weekend meal.

• 2 cups left over Thai style potato salad (chopped small)
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• ½ cup shredded cheese (cheddar)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil

Mix the potato salad, bread crumbs, cheese and the egg. Mix well and form into 3 inch rounds (makes about 5 to 6).
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan. Saute the cakes, browning on both sides- about 4 to 5 minutes each.
Serve with the leftover Thai style mango salsa.

To complete a well-balanced menu, I was going to make a coleslaw dish with the Thai style burgers and potato salad. The recent Bon Appetit issue had a whole article on tamarind and it’s virtues. I am quite familiar with tamarind as I use it for all different things including using it in drinks, dressings and as a condiment.

They talked about pairing yogurt with tamarind concentrate to make a delicious, tangy dressing. I added my own twist by adding roasted cumin to the creamy dressing which gave the dish a nice nutty flavor. Overall, the dish went well with the burger and the potato salad.

What else do you need? Yes, I know what you are thinking- where is the dessert??? Stay tuned for tomorrow and you will have a great recipe for a dessert as well…

• 1 pack 10 oz shredded green cabbage
• 1 pack 10 oz shredded carrots
• 5 persian cucumbers, 1 inch match stick pieces
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup green onions, chopped

Mix the cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, cilantro and green onions in a large serving bowl. Keep aside.

Tamarind Dressing

• 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• ¼ tamarind concentrate
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 4 tablespoons honey
• Salt
• 2 teaspoons roasted cumin seeds, crushed

Mix the yogurt, tamarind, lemon juice, honey, salt and roasted cumin in a small bowl. Keep aside till ready to serve. Add the dressing to the cabbage mixture and mix well. Taste for seasonings and add more salt if needed. Serve room temperature.

I started with ground turkey, although ground chicken will be delicious as well. I added sweet, savory, spicy and tangy components to the meat including some ground peanuts. Almost like a chicken satay…

I bought brioche rolls for the burgers as they have a bit of sweetness to them which went perfectly well with the spicy, savory patties. For condiments we had sliced tomatoes, onions and some wild arugula.

For the best part of the burger- the mango pineapple chutney- it is a great addition to this dish. The chutney is cooked with shallots, canned pineapple, fresh mangoes, ginger, garlic, and lots of other delicious ingredients. This fresh condiment really took the burgers to a whole new level. I would encourage you to make this chutney with any kind of burgers you end up serving for this holiday.

Overall, the Thai style burgers were a huge success- make these for the fourth of July weekend…

Burgers (Makes about 16 to 18 patties)

• 3 pounds ground chicken (dark meat)
• 2 limes, juiced and zested
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 inches ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup green onions, chopped
• 3 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 cup salted peanuts, chopped
• 1 tablespoon tamari
• 2 serrano chilies, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
• Salt

Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl and divide into 16 to 18 patties, depending on the size.

Garnish

• 4 cups wild arugula
• 3 large tomatoes, sliced
• 2 small red onions, sliced
• 12 to 16 brioche rolls, sliced

Mango Pineapple Chutney

• 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
• 1 big shallot, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 inch ginger, minced
• 1 cup mango, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup canned pineapple
• ½ cup pineapple juice
• ½ cup mango lemonade
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Salt

Heat a small frying pan. Add the olive oil, shallot, garlic and ginger. Saute on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the mango, pineapple, pineapple juice, mango lemonade, apple cider vinegar and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes covered. Turn the heat off and blend the mixture till smooth in a blender. Taste for seasonings and add salt if necessary. Take out in a bowl and let it cool before using it for the burgers.

To assemble the burgers, place a burger on the sliced brioche. Spread the chutney on one side with the arugula, slice tomatoes and onions.