Some Tasty Thai ~ Cooking 129

Thai food is not about simplicity....it's about creating a balance of flavor with an insane number of ingredients.

That pretty much describes these Thai Fish Cakes with Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce and Sriracha Aioli. A shit load of ingredients, killer delish and worth the effort, this masterpiece was our first course for the Thai Cooking Class.  

My girls, Linda and Vicki nailed the fish cakes! Tom and Kitt made the Nuoc Cham, even though they couldn't say it and Scott and Shawna made a great sesame vinaigrette (recipe courtesy of Pisces award winning chef, Nia) for the greens and when it all came together it was everything you would expect to find in great Thai cuisine. But don't get too excited just yet because I'm not posting the recipe for this dish until next time...This is just a teaser....so read on.

Kim, serving it up.

February's Thai Cooking Class was probably one of the all time favorites for the Sauce du Jour chefs. We started the night with Mango-Curry Shrimp Salad, which is a recipe I first posted here a couple of years ago. I usually serve this salad in wonton or phyllo cups but this time I served it in spoons. Using cooked shrimp and mango chutney, this appetizer comes together in minutes. Click here for the recipe, or find it under the appetizer tab.

My Coconut-Curry Soup was the big hit of the night! I made several test runs trying to perfect this soup before I came up with this winning combination. With three curries in it, plus lemongrass, shiitakes and chicken, it really is a party in your mouth. Remember what I said about an insane number of ingredients? This is what I'm talkin' about. Jaynee, Lisa and Kim tag teamed it and made their momma proud!

Jaynee, workin' the soup spoon

Almost everyone agreed it was one of, it not the BEST soup they had EVER eaten...I mean EVER!!! Don't miss out on this one and don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients. That's typical of Thai, but it really doesn't take too long to pull it together so line up the ingredients and go for it.

My Pad Thai recipe has been up on this blog for quite awhile and it's the perfect combo of sweet, spicy, salty and sour. If possible use authentic palm sugar (it's a paste - not granular, like brown sugar) and tamarind paste. Amazon is your friend if, like me you don't live within 500 miles of an Asian grocery store. You can find the recipe here or under the Pasta Tab.

We whipped up two big batches with Connor and Cristina on one side of the stove and Brandy and June on the other side. What you see ↑ is the beautiful result of  Pad Thai SdJ style.

We wrapped up the night with a traditional Thai dessert of sticky rice and mangoes with coconut cream.

Click on the links below for the recipes for the Coconut-Curry Soup, Pad Thai and the Mango-Curry Shrimp Salad. Fish Cakes coming up later.

PRINT RECIPE:  Coconut-Curry Soup with Lemongrass, Shiitakes and Chicken

PRINT RECIPE:  Pad Thai

PRINT RECIPE:  Mango-Curry Shrimp Salad

Sticky Rice with Mango in Coconut Cream