Monday, October 4, 2010

Thai Food, My New Kick.

"Kick" is actually a very good way to refer to Thai food, now that I think about it.
I had been wanting to try more Thai food after having some Drunken Noodles at Basil House in Texas City that was absolutely, scrumptiously delicious. It still shocks me that College Station doesn't really have a Thai restaurant. We have so many, and yet, no Thai. I had read some about it and heard a lot of claims like, next to French cuisine Thai was the best in the world. I had to know more. So I went to Half Price Books (a really great place to find cook books for a good price btw) and found a Thai cook book called "True Thai" by Victor Sodsook. I only had about 10 minutes in the book store so I chose it without knowing too much about it but it looked like a good one that was actually real Thai recipes and not just the super-easy-10-minute-Thai-on-the-go-for-a-busy-mom-in-suburbia...ya know? Turns out, I really like it. It's written by a Thai-American chef who understands Thai cuisine but also understands that Americans don't always have access to the same ingredients. I think he (Victor Sodsook) does a really good job of finding the balance between what is legitmately Thai and what we can find here. There are a lot of recipes and it even breaks down lots of different types of homemade curries, which is pretty awesome. So, I bought it and have been rather thrilled by what I've found inside. So far, I've done a lot of looking and reading and researching and only made 2 dishes but they've both been really yummy. I made Drunken Spaghetti (this book's version of Drunken Noodles, my inspiration) and Chicken with Red Chili and Cashews. Tomorrow, I'm making Pork with Garlic and Crushed Black Pepper. I've come to find that Thai food is pretty unique and interesting and so far seems to be almost a mix between Japanese and Italian. Considering these are two of my favorites, it's pretty exciting! It's very heavy on the garlic, which is something I didn't quite expect but love. It's also extremely spicy. I mean, really. When I made the drunken noodles I ended up cutting down the peppers in the recipe considerably and it was still quite a sinus cleanser. Not all of it is spicy but a lot of it is and when it is, it really is. I've only made these two recipes so far because I have to kind of spread out my new-to-everyone dishes throughout the week. Also, some of my family doesn't do spicy too well which cuts back on how many of the recipes I can make.
Anyway, I'm excited about all things Thai right now!
I'll post pictures of tomorrow's dish if it turns out well. Cheers!
-Sabrina

2 comments:

Søren said...

Everly directed my to your fair blog (which I didn't know existed til now!) because I was telling her how much I love Thai food! I enjoyed reading your notes on the food; it really is quite flavorful, like you say. Lately, a 'Thai House IV' moved into our downtown during the summer and we've eaten there alot since there. All really tasty food, obviously! But I do remember in 9th grade, for a school 'world culture' project, my sis Lizzie & I made a big Thai dinner from our Dad's old International cookbook. Yum! It was a bit of work, but it was a hit. ;) Lots of peanuts and spice & some coconut too!

Anyway, that's how I got hooked. :)

Sabrina Bleu said...

I'm glad you agree with me on Thai food! I am jealous of your Thai restaurant! You're right, it can be a lot of work. So far, everything I've made has been in the wok so it's lots of preparation but really quick cooking. Anyway, I'm so glad you stopped by my blog! Thanks! :)