The milder side of Thai

When most people hear 'Thai food" they generally think spicy. But not all Thai is spicy. Mind you, personally I really like something with some heat, but I know many do not tolerate spicy well. I found out just how diversely the phrase "is it spicy?" could be interpreted when I had my cafe, The Antique Oven. When I made chili I had to make a huge pot using only about 1 or 2 TBL chili powder for the WHOLE POT! Then I'd take some of that out to save, and to the remaining  add more chili powder, peppers, etc. for the "normal" crowd. Then I'd take some of that out and add the fun stuff: jalapeno peppers, more chili powder, habenero sauce, etc.. I would still have some people say the boring stuff was too hot. Oh my goodness! Really?!! All that to say that "hot" is very subjective. No matter your preference of spice level, all will like this menu as it has lots of Thai flavor and none of the heat.

The menu consists of Spiced Cilantro Chicken, Sesame Green Beans, Grilled Garlic Bread, and Carrot And Mango Salad. The main seasonings used are sesame oil, cilantro, lime, ginger, coconut milk, green curry paste and ginger. 

First I marinated the chicken overnight to really infuse the flavors of the marinade. This recipe and the Carrot Mango Salad were taken from my favorite Thai cookbook, Greatest Ever Thai,easy and delicious step-by-step recipes by Parragon Publishing- ISBN #1-40543-121-0.


Spiced Cilantro Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
2 garlic cloves (I used more)
1 fresh green chili (I didn't have this so I used 2 tsp green curry paste)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1" piece fresh ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
Juice and zest from 1 lime
2 TBL soy sauce
2 TBL sugar, honey or Agave syrup
3/4 cup coconut milk

Place chicken in zip lock bag.
Place remaining ingredients in blender and process until smooth.
Pour over chicken. Seal bag and knead to coat the chicken.
Refrigerate for 2 hours up to overnight, kneading bag occasionally to distribute marinade.
Broil or grill until done.

This next recipe is great for my vegan and vegetarian friends. Even my guests who are "traditional" eaters loved it (even though it had tofu. lol) It is a visually appealing salad.

Carrot and Mango Salad
4 carrots, peeled or scraped and grated
1 small ripe mango, peeled and thinly sliced or chopped
7oz firm tofu, drained and cubed
1 TBL fresh chives, chopped
Dressing:
2 TBL orange juice
1 TBL lime juice
1 tsp honey (I used 2)
1/2 tsp orange flower water ( I couldn't find this so left it out)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
(I added 1" fresh ginger roots, peeled and pressed through a garlic press)

Combine carrot, mango, tofu and chives in a medium bowl.
Blend well all dressing ingredients and pour over salad.
Stir well and allow to rest for at least 1/4 hour for flavors to blend, stirring occasionally.

Finally, I made Sesame Green Beans by simply stir frying Haricot green beans (whole young tender beans) in sesame oil and tossing some sesame seeds over when beans are crisp tender. Add a little sea salt and fresh pepper and you are good to go.

Oops- almost forgot that I also Grilled Garlic Bread. I purchased an artisan loaf of garlic bread with whole cloves of garlic baked right into the bread. Slice the bread, butter one or both sides and grill on low heat.

I had extra carrots so I made a carrot cake for my hubby. I'll post that recipe on the DESSERT tab in a bit.

So, my final words for you are: Be bold, daring and open to trying new things. Don't assume you won't like something without actually trying it! Experiment with your foods, flavors and nationalities. You just might find a new favorite.