Anyone have some good Thai recipes? Maybe something that I can kick up to *****? :)

Some basic and authentic curry or noodle dishes would be excellent ;)

Some basic and authentic curry or noodle dishes would be excellent ;)

I don't know about "authentic" but here is a great recipe for Eggplant Green Curry
2 Japanese eggplants cut in bite sized pieces
2 1/2 T green curry paste 3 Kaffir lime leaves
1 can coconut milk 1 lemongrass stalk cut in pieces
1 can bamboo shoots 1 T brown sugar
1/4 c Thai Basil leaves 1-3 Thai chilies, depending on heat preference
1 red bell pepper sliced into sticks 1 T fish sauce
Cook eggplant in oil over high heat tell lightly brown and insides soften. Remove from heat, set aside.
Place 1 T vegetable oil in pan over med heat and add curry paste--it will cause oil to spit--for 20 to 30 seconds. Add half of the coconut milk and mix, simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the lemon grass, Kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, brown sugar, and remaining coconut milk and bring to boil. Add bamboo shoots, cooked eggplant, and bell pepper. Cook for 4-5 min. Stir in chilies and basil and remove from heat. Serve over rice. **Note: Oriental food store is a good place to buy the lemongrass and lime leaves.

I need to find an oriental food store! I still haven't found any Thai basil anywhere.

I still haven't found any Thai basil anywhere.

You can substitute sweet basil if you can't find Thai basil.
When I typed in the ingredients they didn't run together like they did when it printed out. Hope you can read the ingredient list ok.

No, but this post is making me hungry for some vegetarian or vegan Pad Thai. Yum.

Not sure if my friend's vegan mom knows a recipe, but they are all in Vegas right now.

Some basic and authentic curry or noodle dishes would be excellent ;)

This is not authentic, but I've made an Asian inspired vegetarian dish with noodles, stir fry veggies, tofu, a little bit of soy sauce, and an egg. The dish was topped with sweet and sour sauce about a minute or two before taking it off the stove. It is what I order when I go to those Mongolian Barbeque places, so I was trying to make an at home version.

This is one of our favorite Indian curries:

Curried Lentil Soup

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Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons curry powder
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups dried lentils, washed and picked over
Salt and pepper
1 13.6-oz. can coconut milk
Chopped cilantro, optional

Directions:

1. In a large pan, warm oil over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot and celery, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; sauté for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add curry powder; sauté for 2 minutes longer.

2. Stir in broth, lentils, 2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are very soft, about 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

3. Stir in coconut milk and reheat gently over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally; do not boil. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped cilantro just before serving, if desired.

I would recommend borrowing or buying the book 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. It is not all vegetarian/vegan, but pages 311-646 cover legume and vegetable curries and there are also chapters on appetizer curries and contemporary curries which also have some vegan dishes. I made the Aloo Tikki Chaat, basically potato patties with 4 simple sauces (2 with yogurt). You eat all 4 sauces in eqch bite: Mint Yogurt Sauce with Chiles, Red Chile, Garlic, and Shallot Sauce, Sweet-Tart Tamarind-Date Sauce, and Yogurt Sauce with Black Salt. Yes, this book will require a trip to an Indian or Asian market, but once you have stocked up with a few things, you'll be ready for a variety of recipes. The only ingredients in the latter recipes I can't find in my grocery store are tamarind paste and black salt, both inexpensive & with a long shelf life.

Another book I've had great success with that covers the Thai and authentic part of your request is Hot Sour Salty Sweet: a culinary journey through southeast Asia, by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. One of my favorite desserts -- Coconut Milk Sticky Rice with Mangoes, is here. Also classic Pad Thai, Thai Fried Rice, Chiang Mai Curry Noodles, Simple Dali Cauliflower, etc. I'm not sure what the vegetarian substitute for fish sauce is, but there must be something comparable out there.

From Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking, I will post Spinach with Ginger and Green Chiles if you'd like.

Now I'M getting hungry and will have to cook something Thai this week! Good luck.

Tamsyn

Well, my book wishlist is a few items longer now :)