So here is my interpretation of one of our favorite dishes. We all love Thai cuisine and almost every trip to a Thai restaurant includes panang curry. I love the perfect balance of sweet, sour, savory and spicy. It is delicious. We drive 45 minutes every couple of months to our favorite Thai restaurant- Pad Thai in Highland Park. It is a bit far but the food is totally worth it. A few years ago, my daughter would wonder why we travel all the way there but now she gets it.

The food there has been consistently good for over 15 years. I know I just dated myself by making that statement, but that is okay.

Anyway, I usually don’t end up making too many Thai dishes at home but somehow I got inspired and decided to make this dish. The flavor is very similar to what we eat but it is not the same.

This dish does require a lot of ingredients but once you buy them, you have them for a while. So, definitely make this dish.. totally worth the effort…

Curry Paste

• 2 to 3 dried chilies, soaked in warm water until soft and seeds removed
• 1 inch galangal, grated
• 3 to 4 stalks lemongrass, grated
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 small shallots
• 2 tablespoons cilantro stems
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ¼ cup peanuts
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
• 1 teaspoon salt

Roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and peanuts in a small frying pan till aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Take out and grind in a spice grinder. Add to a mortar and pestle. Add the soft red chilies to the spices in the mortar and pestle.
Add the grated galanga, lemongrass, cilantro stems, garlic and shallots to a small food processor and process till smooth. Add the mixture to the mortar and pestle. Add the shrimp paste to the whole mixture and pound the paste till incorporated together and relatively smooth. Add the salt and keep aside.

• 1 can low-fat coconut milk
• 3 to 4 kaffir lime leaves, sliced thin
• 1 ½ pounds chicken breast, sliced thin on a bias
• 1 cup haricot verts (green beans), cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• Juice and zest of one lime
• ½ cup basil, shredded

Heat a saucepan on medium heat and add the curry paste. Add ¼ cup of coconut milk and sauté on medium heat while stirring constantly. Make sure the milk does not burn. Keep adding as the liquid evaporates and more is needed. This should take about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beans and bring to a boil and cook for a minutes. Add the chicken and bring to a boil. Simmer and add the lime leaves, palm sugar, fish sauce, juice and zest of the lime. Mix well and check for seasonings. Turn off as soon as the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with basil and serve with rice.

One of the predominant flavors in this dish comes from lemon grass. I absolutely love the lemony flavor it provides to Thai and Vietnamese dishes. For a while now, I have been buying fresh lemon grass from Whole Foods but not until recently is when I realized how to get maximum flavor out of the herb.

The trick is to cut the green part out and peel the outside layers of the white part. The internal tender white part is the one to use. It can be smashed with the back of a knife and chopped. I used the white aromatic part to make this delicious stir fry.

I used cornstarch and salt to coat the firm tofu and sauteed it lightly in a non-stick pan. I then cooked it with the snow peas and added the flavorful sauce consisting of tamari, fish sauce, palm sugar, etc.

I loved the subtle flavors of the fish sauce, lemon and orange juice coming through loud and clear. I served it with some delicious brown rice and it was a yummy, healthy meal.

• 1 (12 to 16 ounce) block firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon salt

Add the cornstarch and salt into a zip lock bag. Add the tofu and shake the bag until well coated.

• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil

Heat a non-stick frying pan. Saute the tofu till all sides are golden brown, about a minute or two on each side. Place the tofu on to a lined plate.

• 4 stalks fresh lemon grass, tender part only, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoons chili paste
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar (or 1 tablespoon honey)
• Juice of one navel orange
• 1 teaspoon corn starch

Mix the tamari, fish sauce, chili paste, palm sugar, orange juice and corn starch in a small bowl. Keep aside.

• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 2 cups snow peas
• Juice of a lemon

Heat a wok like saucepan and add the oil. Add the lemon grass and garlic. Saute on high heat for a minute. Add the onion and sauté for another minute.
Add the snow peas and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the tofu and mix well – gently, making sure not to break the tofu.
Sprinkle the lemon juice and serve.

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
• 2 tablespoons 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.

I came upon a Thai theme for this holiday. I find it a lot easier  to come up with recipes if I have a central theme established. For this theme, mangoes came to mind. Usually for an appetizer, I like to do a salsa and chips. It is easy and delicious and not too filling. It also goes well with beer, wine and any other mixed drinks you may be serving.

I decided to make a Thai style salsa- what does that mean? Well,  you essentially add Thai ingredients including fish sauce, sweet chili sauce, cilantro, lemon juice and you have a Thai style mango salsa! I served it with rice chips I purchased from Trader Joes.

Try it for the upcoming fourth of July holiday….

• 3 to 4 cups ripe mango, chopped
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Salt

Mix the mangos, cilantro, green onions, fish sauce, sweet chili sauce, lemon juice and salt in a small serving bowl. Let sit for half an hour before serving.
Serve with rice chips (any kind of Asian crackers will do).