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Monday, March 5, 2012

Homemade Thai Feast

Los Angeles is the land of sunshine, beautiful people and opportunity. It’s a melting pot of cultures and attitudes. To expect delicious worldly cuisine here goes without saying.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with Los Feliz, it’s a culturally vibrant, creative hotspot adjacent to Hollywood. My one-room studio apartment overlooks the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Hills. There is plenty of natural light and a modest kitchen. The all-white kitchen is replete with fridge (a luxury here in the world of Los Angeles rentals), Gas Cooktop, Gas Match-light Oven (affectionately referred to as "vintage"), Sink (also "vintage"), and one power outlet. There is no microwave, nothing is reheated, and all the food is fresh.

What we lack in luxury and fine technology we make up for with creativity and flavor. Even if you find yourself in a tiny space in an expensive city, there is no reason to settle for so-so food and no excuse for not eating fresh, homemade, and in season.

On this particular Thursday night we whipped up one of our favorite take-out specialties. We made drunken noodles with shrimp and steamed shrimp dumplings. Drunken noodles or Pad Kee Mao is a traditionally spicy, Chinese inspired dish that one would find in a Laotian or Thai kitchen. If you find yourself without the means to visit our friends in the East you can pick up a delicious interpretation at Pattaya Bay on Vermont Ave. or try your hand at this simple recipe!


Steamed Shrimp Dumplings

Dumpling Wrappers (found in the refrigerated section of your local grocer)
½ small head of Green Cabbage
½ lb Shrimp
6 cloves Garlic
2 tablespoons chopped Ginger Root
Sesame Oil (a bit pricey but worth it. If you must, cut it 50/50 with a cheaper oil)
Black Pepper
Green Onions
1 Egg

You cannot have too much fresh ginger or garlic in a steamed dumpling, so don’t hold back. We cooked the fresh ginger, garlic, green onion, cabbage and shrimp in a generous amount of sesame oil. After it was done cooking we tried chopping it to get the fine consistency that you normally find in a dumpling, but this proved to be very messy. A whirl in the food processor is a better bet.


The key to successful dumpling folding is raw egg. Crack your egg into a cup or bowl. Every time you reach for a fresh dumpling wrap, use your fingers to coat the inside of it with raw egg; it’s like delicious dumpling glue!

If you don’t have a steamer try this: strainer on top of a soup pot with a lid! Make sure you coat the strainer with a generous amount of oil or cooking spray. Otherwise the dumplings will stick and you will find yourself with yet another delicious mess. Also dumplings will stick together so unless you oil your dumplings avoid letting them touch in the steamer, or risk messy, ugly, albeit delicious dumplings.




Drunken Noodles with Shrimp

Jalapeno Pepper
Serrano Chili Pepper
Thai Chili Pepper
Basically any spicy pepper you can get your hands on
Large Red Bell Pepper
Sweet Onion
Thai Basil (or regular basil)
Shrimp
A ton of Garlic (about 10 cloves for one pack noodles)
Fresh Ginger
Soy Sauce
Fish Sauce (WARNING: Do NOT smell the fish sauce)
Brown Sugar
Wide Flat Rice Noodles
1 Egg

Sauce: For one pack of wide flat rice noodles we use less than ¼ cup fish sauce, 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar and about 1/4 cup of soy sauce.

It's important that you do not boil and strain your wide flat rice noodles. Place the noodles in a large pot or bowl, pour hot water over them and let them soak for about 30-minutes. Stir occasionally so they don’t stick together.



Cook your peppers, onion, garlic, and ginger in a generous amount of oil. Once they are about ¾ of the way cooked, add your brown sugar, basil, soy sauces, and fish sauce. WARNING: fish sauce smells TERRIBLE my cat wouldn’t even eat it. When you smell the fish sauce don’t fret, your food is not ruined. Like strong vinegar, when you reduce the sauce the pungency cooks out and it’s delish.

Once your noodles are soft enough, drain the water and toss them in with the egg and the rest of your ingredients. Serve the searing hot mixture over a bed of lettuce or cabbage.

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