Russian Beet Salad

This is a salad my husband loves.  In fact, he entered this one in a international potluck competition at a gathering in Asheville several years ago, and won first place.  He says he ate this a lot in Tashkent, Uzbekistan back in the '90s.  And I know we had a variation of this on our visit to Moscow in 2007.  It's very good, and can be a great complement to other dishes.

Here's a simple recipe:

Boil and peel a few medium-sized beets
Cut them into small strips (or grate them) and put in a big bowl
Let the sliced beets chill in the fridge for at least an hour
Add mayo, a dash of salt and some fresh minced garlic
Mix together, taste, and then adjust ratio of mayo and garlic to suit your taste

If you need something more exact, here's a recipe for an easy Russian beet salad. 

Here's the write-up from the competition in 2008:

I do want to recognize the winners of the international potluck food cook-off. They were awarded fun prizes at Zambra's.  Well, those who attended claimed prizes!  Belated congratulations to the following:

Most #1 Votes
Russian Beet Salad, yours truly, 4 votes
Moroccan Lentil Soup, James 2 votes
French Crepes, Tracey, 2 votes

Most Total Votes
Russian Beet Salad, very yours truly, 8 votes
Japanese Aveline Kushi, Lesley Anna, 7 votes
Lebanese Fatoosh, Sarah, 7 votes

Just to show how interesting Asheville is, the people there (at the cook-off) were from Alabama, Long Island, Brooklyn, Canada, South Florida, North Carolina, the U.K., Chicago, Oregon, etc.,  

Red Velvet Cake

This was my first ever Red Velvet Cake.  Everything made from scratch.  I used a friend's recipe, but the cream cheese frosting was something I adapted from a few ideas I got online.  My husband and friends said the cake was delish.

Yum MAMA (Spicy Noodle Salad)



 

 

This is one of our favorite dishes, and it can be eaten hot or cold.  It's a modern Thai dish using instant MAMA brand noodles.  You can do many variations of this salad.  Experimentation is desired!  For example, we love fresh apples.  The texture and taste of apples gives the noodle salad a very nice touch.  Once you view the video, take a look at this recipe. 

Packaged instant Ramen noodles are also being turned into some amazing dishes.  See here.

Pork Satay

A few summers ago we went to an Asheville park with some friends.  We each brought a dish.  My dish was Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce.  I did all my marinating at home, and set the skewers for the barbecue ahead of time.  Although it was my first time preparing this dish, everyone said it was quite good.  See the video below to learn how it's prepared.  In Bangkok, people eat this dish all the time.  It's a comfort food.  The pork satay is usually served with a pickled cucumber salad - vinegar-based, sweet and a little spicy.  

 



Here's some Pork Satay we tried on a trip back to Thailand

 

a video we made of our favorite Thai comfort foods 

Food, Beer & Friends

Cucumber Bites*, Matcha (Green Tea) Cake Balls**, Nut Mix, Cherries

Red Curry with Chicken
Jasmine Rice
Spicy Seasoning Sauce

Kale Cole Slaw

Strawberry Chocolate Tart

Wicked Weed Beer (courtesy of Anthony)

Bouquet of Flowers (courtesy of Lisa)

I will link my dishes to some recipes soon.

  

* a raw food I make at Greenlife

** sent to us from Kana, a Japanese friend from Kyoto

Comfort Food Galore

A colleague/friend and her daughter came over for dinner recently.  This is what I served up.  I will put up some recipes for some of these dishes very soon.

 

Stir Fried Glass Noodles  (Pad Woon Sen)

Salmon Sour Curry Soup

Jasmine Rice 

Spicy Seasoning Sauce

Iced Lemon Tea (Thai style)
Sweet Corn Pudding (Thai dessert)

Buttermilk Cake w/ Lemon Glaze

Butter Cookies

Lovely Flowers (from guests)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Secrets of Thai Street Food

Nine years ago, Australian chef and Thai food expert David Thompson was paid the ultimate compliment. He was invited by the Thai Government to establish a restaurant showcasing Thai food in the centre of Bangkok. But his invitation was not about teaching the Thai people how to cook, they wanted to learn how to take the food from the streets back into restaurants. David hit the streets of Bangkok to explore the culture of Thai street food.

 

Here's an example of street food that I purchase near my home in Bangkok.  My husband is filming me placing an order.  Incidentally, this video has 53,092 hits on YouTube.

Dinner w/ Friends

 Sliced Pears Topped w/ Parrano Cheese

Fresh Strawberries

Thai-Style Pasta w/ Meatballs

Russian Pickled Tomatoes

Cucumber Salad

Lime Meringue Pie

Vodka (served in Russian shot glasses!)

Margaritas

 

 

Thai Kale Coleslaw

Traditional American fare accompanied by a modern Thai dish and one tasty margarita.
When we eat beef, we try to use free-range meats.

Thai Kale Coleslaw
a living food

I got this recipe at the Raw Food Café in Bangkok, where we had lunch earlier this year.  The café is part of Rasayana Retreat, a holistic health center in the Thai capital.  I have since introduced this dish at Greenlife in Asheville, and it's been a very, very popular item.  Below is a video of the retreat.

 

Green Curry w/ Pork

 
My Green Curry w/ Pork – Gkaeng Kiow Wan Moo (or Kaeng Kiew Wan Moo)
Here's an easy Recipe

Sunday Evening Fun

Now that Spring is here to stay (we hope!), it was time to have dinner with some friends.  Everything was made from scratch. 

Our friend Sarah made the margaritas and the photos!

 

Margarita (per drink)

2 ounces Tequila

1 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice

1 ounce Cointreau

a splash of Grand Marnier

 

Put these ingredients and ice into a cocktail shaker, and shake away.

Then pour and enjoy.

Put salt around glass rim, if that's what you like.

 

Oh, and she also made the delicious kimchi on the left.  I made a spicier version.

K-Pop stars show how to make kimchi, here.

A chicken stir fry, served over rice with a fried egg placed on top.  Chicken stir fry ingredients:  chicken breasts, bamboo shoots, carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms, Thai basil, fresh garlic, red curry paste, fish sauce, seasoning sauce and oyster sauce. 

 

My husband always seems intrigued by the way I fry eggs.   But it's just the way everyone does it in Thailand.  Here's a video example.

Raw Food Salad.  Ingredients:  zucchini, cucumber, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, carrots, dill, parsley, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Something very close to what I do at Greenlife.

 

Dark Chocolate Strawberries.



Mango Sticky Rice

Sweet Mangoes are readily available in Asheville this time of year. The best ones can be found at Smiley's in Fletcher. You can get a case of a dozen or so large mangoes for just $12. Just keep in mind that Smiley's is open only on weekends.  Like the Smiley ones, they are Mexican, and are very sweet -  as sweet as any you can get in Thailand.  You can also find Marathon brand mangoes at Greenlife/Whole Foods.  My husband and I love to eat mangoes - freshly cut and sometimes chilled. We also love to make mango shakes and lassis. If we have leftover mango and/or they're ripening too quickly, we like to cut them into small chunks and freeze for later use.  Dehydrating mango strips is something else we love to do.  By far, though, our greatest love is Mango and Sticky Rice, a sweet dish found all over Thailand. I made some the other night (photo below) for a dinner party at a friend's house. It topped off a wonderful meal.  For the really curious, you ought to google Durian and Sticky Rice. 

Mango Sticky Rice

Asheville has about a 3-4 month mango window, where the best of very sweet Mexican mangoes make it into most supermarkets and farmers markets at reasonable prices.

I will let my husband Allen share his perspective on mangoes:

This is my favorite way to eat very sweet mangoes.  Kade's a machine when she cuts them.  And Thais know how to cut their mangoes, a fruit that's available year round in the "Land of Smiles."  When hungry, I can eat four whole mangoes a day.  The first really sweet mango I ever tried was in New Delhi.  I had a lassi, in fact, and it was incredible.  I remember returning to Headland after my stint in Central Asia and that travel experience in India, and I discovered from Uncle Watty that he loved mangoes.  The ones he would buy, because really good fresh ones weren't available, were actually chilled mangoes in a jar.  He loved them!  Years later, I remember visiting him on my returns home from Thailand, and feeling kind of sorry for him because he would not ever be able to eat a super fresh, super sweet mango that you might just take for granted if you were Thai.  Nowadays, golden Mexican mangoes are making it into our markets, and they are just as sweet as Thai ones.  All I can say is stay away from the reddish-green variety of mangoes in the supermarket, and only buy the golden or champagne mangoes - that is, if you want sweet ones!  When not eating mangoes freshly cut, we sometimes dehydrate them using an Excalibur.  Other times, we make shakes using the Vitamix 5200.  

 

And when the mango gets really nice and dry, box it in plastic.  Stores forever.

Stir-Fried Pork with Red Curry Paste

You might be familiar with Pork with Basil, which is a very popular dish among Thais. There's another basil dish that Thais also love very much. It's cooked with a different type of basil, and it has a wider range of vegetables. Also, unlike Pork with Basil, a red curry paste is added.



Ingredients

1 lb. ground pork (you can use chicken, turkey, seafood,tofu)
1-2 cups fresh Thai basil
1 medium can bamboo shoots
1/2 red bellpepper
4-6 cloves fresh garlic (finely chopped)
1-2 Tbsp. red curry paste
1/2 yellow onion
6-8 mushrooms (sliced)
2-5 Thai chilies
3 Tbsp. oyster sauce (depends on the flavor you like)
fish sauce (to taste)
seasoning sauce (brand Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce)
1 Tbsp. sugar

Directions

1. Smash chilies with a stone mortar & pestle if you have one, You can also use the side of knife to do the smashing. When finished with the chilies, go ahead and smash the garlic. Leave these to the side for now.
2. Pick the leaves and flowers off the Basil and discard the stems. Rinse the leaves and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a pan (or wok) until it's very hot. Toss in the chilies & garlic. Let the garlic get brown.
4. When the garlic is ready, add the red curry paste. Let it saute (perhaps two minutes) until you can really smell the fragrance.
5. Add the ground pork. Use your spatula to mixed it around, so that it cooks evenly. Cook until it's no longer red.
6. Add all vegetables, except basil. Let this cook a bit. Stir well.
7. Add sugar, soy sauce & fish sauce. Stir and let absorb.
8. When dry, add water and the basil leaves. Stir until basil is wilted, and serve on rice.

This dish is also excellent without the chilies (for those who don't like spicy foods). Also, in Thailand, it's common for this dish to be served with a fried egg on top. As you're cooking this dish, perhaps you can fry an egg on the side (slightly runny is best).

Shrimp with Garlic Chives

This is a simple dish, and one of my husband's favorites. I buy my shrimp and garlic chives (also known as chive flowers) at Fresh Seafood Market. This new Asian market is located in the River Ridge Shopping Center.



1 teaspoon sugar
1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined (I prefer heads on)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
3/4 lb Chinese chive flowers, cut

Heat a wok or a pan on high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil. After the oil heats, add the chopped garlic and stir a bit. After the garlic starts to golden, add the shrimp. Stir to get the shrimp somewhat cooked. The shrimp shoud start to get a little pink, but not fully pink or cooked. Next, add the chive flowers and stir well with the shrimp. Add fish sauce and sugar. The flowers shouldn't take long to cook. Don't overcook the flowers. You want them to retain their crunchy texture. When the color turns bright green, it indicates that they are cooked. Turn off the heat and serve the dish over rice. Enjoy!

See me in Verve!

Thai One On, with Kade Espy

Kade Espy grew up in Bangkok and moved to the Asheville area three years ago after she married her husband Allen Espy. Now she works at Asheville’s Greenlife Grocery and also does Thai cooking classes and demonstrations in people’s homes.

Common misconceptions about Thai food: “Most people think Thai food is hot and spicy. Part of that is correct, but there are so many Thai foods that aren’t spicy and are very good. My husband doesn’t like spicy food at all. When I make Thai dishes for him, I just leave the chillies out.”

Don’t try this at home: “People should try things that they really like. If you buy a Thai cookbook, find one where the author is someone who’s Thai or someone who’s been living in Thailand a long time. You don’t have to be an expert. I don’t have a degree from culinary school. I just love cooking.”

Other tips for the home cook: If you like something at a restaurant, write down the Thai name of the dish. It will be easier to look up in a cookbook or on the Internet. Also, choose your basil wisely. Many people assume Thai basil is best, but not always. “I like to use holy basil in my dishes. I use Italian basil as a substitute. Thai basil is often best in green and red curries.”

Thai ingredients that are hard to find: Galanga. “It looks like ginger but tastes very different. Some people call it Thai ginger.” It’s a main ingredient in coconut soup. You can often find dry galanga at Asian markets. Lemongrass, an essential, is easier to find, and so are kaffir lime leaves."

by Mackensy Lunsford

Vegetarian Thai

For those interested in Vegetarian Thai dishes, this article might interest you.

Cooking in Moscow

On a trip to Russia last year I made a Thai dish to complement the amazing meal we had at the home of my husband's friend. The plump cherry tomatoes were perfect for the Coconut Soup with Chicken.

Harvesting Basil

I dropped by a friend's house to gather some lovely basil that started growing earlier this summer. Basil grows very well in this climate.

Stir-fried Chicken with Ginger (Phat Khing Gai)

Ingredients

• 3-4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 15 g dried black fungus, soaked and drained
• 25 g fresh ginger, julienned
• 1 lb chicken breast fillet, sliced
• 4-5 Tbsp. chicken stock or water
• 1 small sweet onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 2 green onion (scallions), diagonally sliced
• 1 Tbsp. sugar (to taste)
• 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce (to taste)
• 1 Tbsp. thin light soy sauce (to taste)
• ground white pepper, for spinkling
• a few cilantro leaves, for garnishing
  

Preparation

• Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and stir the garlic over a medium heat until light brown.
  
• Add the meat and stir until the meat is cooked.
  
• Add oyster sauce, fish sauce, thin light soy sauce and sugar and stir.
  
• Add ginger, black fungus, sweet onion and chicken stock or water. Stir for a few minutes.
  
• Taste, then adjust the seasoning if necessary. Stir in the green onion.
  
• Sprinkle with ground white pepper and cilantro leaves before serving.

Makes 3 to 4 Servings

Last Night's Grub

Pork with Basil

Tom Yum Goong 

(Hot Spicy and Sour Soup with Shrimp)

Southern Pecan Pies

Thai Dinner Party in Highlands, North Carolina

Rimson and Charlotte Solomon get their mountain home ready.

My Thai spring rolls and homemade sweet chili sauce were a hit! A great recipe awaits if you simply scroll down the page.

Wine, Spring Rolls, Conversation

Glass Noodle Salad was course # 2. This dish is a combination of bean thread noodles, shallots, green onions, Chinese celery, cabbage, ground pork, dried shrimp, peanuts, lime juice, fish sauce, chillies, sugar, lettuce, and shredded carrots.