For a change of pace we’re eating something a bit un-all-american. We’re eating my personal take on the Thai dish Larb. The dish was made with browned ground turkey simmered with chopped mushrooms, onions, carrots, red peppers, panang curry paste, chile fish sauce, and rice wine vinegar. After the meat simmered it was tossed with fresh diced jicama, tomatoes, and green onions. The larb is served with whole leaves of napa cabbage to eat it on and cilantro for a garnish.

T: this was fun and tasty. I enjoyed scooping the goods onto the lettuce and eating it that way. I understand why that method of eating is all the rage these days.
A: these days? i’m pretty sure this method has been around for quite some time. it is fun though! and mega tasty…. and easy! woo hoo!
T: it just seems like it’s gotten more popular lately, especially with the low carb craze. I gotta say, though, as tasty and fun as it was, I needed some additional carbs when it was all over.
A: thank god for cheezits!
T: we only had like 4 cheezits left if you’ll recall. Thank god for old dry bread. mmmm… actually, the bread was pretty good once I scooped this meaty concoction onto it. That stuff was goood.
A: kind of like the thai version of sloppy joes! only it’s on cabbage. i really dug it too. this is something the chef made at harvest, a restaurant that used to exist in baton rouge, when i was working there and i remember liking it. then i forgot about it! funny how that happens. he mentioned it to me a few months ago and since then i’ve been meaning to give it a whirl.
T: I’m glad you did. It’s always fun when a meal is eaten in an unusual vehicle.
A: yeah, like when i eat and ride my moped… or when i eat and ride my tricycle…
T: you must have another life that I don’t know about cuz I’ve never seen you on a moped or a trike. And that’s good because I would be afraid of you wrecking and dying a horrible death.
A: you’ve got a point there. anyway, it is fun to use things other than the standard utensils for eating. and cabbage rocks the hiz-ouse.
T: Do you have anything to mention about the meaty concoction that went on the cabbage?
A: other than what was mentioned in the intro text?
T: ok, i’ll take that as a no. well, I rate this one a 4.49/5. It was tasty, and had a lovely vessel on which to travel to my mouth. It was a plus, too, that it was turkey. That means I can allow myself to eat some kind of quadruple cheeseburger for lunch tomorrow w/out feeling too bad. What’s your rating?
A: heheh um, i’m not sure that’s how the whole eating something healthier works, fyi.
T: sure it is. i’ll take one step forward and 2 steps back instead of just taking 2 steps back. That’s something to feel good about.
A: true dat! okay, i’m going to rate this meal a 4.55/5. it was really tasty. maybe not for those who can’t handle a bit of sodium though. between the canned panang curry paste and the chile fish sauce, it’s definitely well-seasoned without having to add any salt. the ease of this meal is appealing to me too. it might not be a meal you can bust out in thirty minutes but there is nothing challenging or too time consuming. i think the cabbage, jicama, and tomatoes really helped “lighten-up” the flavors and the cilantro added a freshness. overall, i am totally game for eating this again.
T: me too. now beer me!
A: aye aye capt’n.

Recipes in this post:

• Turkey Larb (the gringos version)

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2. Chipotle Brined Grilled Butterflied Turkey
3. Super Easy Sriracha-Peach Chicken Wings

In an attempt to break away from the heavy holiday foods (for at least one meal), we’re eating a spicy thai jicama salad filled with finely shredded fresh jicama, granny smith apples, red onions, brussels sprouts, and jalapenos. For an extra added kick the salad is tossed with a chili-lime vinegarette. The salad is crispy, spicy, and sweet all at the same time and the asian peanut oil really allows the peanut-y flavor to shine through and bring the whole dish together.

A:Alright guys, this one is perfect for a pre-holiday meal, considering the loads of heavy food one is bound to consume during the month of December! T & I really dug into this salad with gusto and were left wanting some more so badly that i had to make it again the next day! We did what i suggest in the recipe, and served it with thin slices of chicken breast. That’s definately a great way to go. Now this salad isn’t exactly for the whimpy at heart… if you can’t stand the heat get the hell out this salad! okay, i suppose you could also just eliminate the shaved jalapeno, but personally that’s one of my favorite parts! I wish everyone a very delightful holiday season, what ever you may celebrate!

Recipes in this post:

• Spicy Thai Jicama Salad

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Whenever the weather turns chilly and the sniffles start appearing around our household, it’s a clear sign soup is in order. On this occasion, we ate thai chicken soup made with a slowly simmered homemade chicken stock packed full of veggies, chicken, kaffir leaves, peppers, and other spices. The soup was finished by shredding the chicken and simmering the stock with sliced onions, panang curry paste, and coconut milk, then serving it over basmati rice. Sliced green onions, jalapenos, and cilantro leaves were served on the side to add freshness and a little extra kick to the meal.

A: t, you know how when you first start to feel sick, for some reason your body just screams for chicken soup?
T: yeah.
A: well, that’s the exact reason we got to eat this particular soup! last week my immune system just didn’t want to battle any germs. But a nice healthy dose of spicy thai chicken soup sure did the trick….
T: yeah i’m seriously glad you didn’t get sick… that always sucks. getting sick is for the birds.
A: no joke. and inevitably if i get sick, you’re gonna get sick. so, yay for brothy chicken soup!
T: i don’t know if it is inevitable that i would get sick if you got sick. I do eat a diet exceptionally rich in pork fat.
A: hmm… i didn’t know pork fat was a known immune booster…
T: neither did I, but I’ve been eating carnitas for lunch everyday, and I haven’t gotten sick in ages. There might just be something to be said for fatty pork!
A: alright! from this day forth, i shall eat nothing but fatty pork… (in order to keep my immune system up, of course)
T: it takes more than fatty pork to stay really healthy, though… throw in some sour cream and french fries and fatty beef. You’ll be good.
A: yowsers. i don’t know if my immune system is quite ready for this diet! i’m gonna have to slowly ween myself on to this one. i’ll start with eating some bacon tomorrow! i can definately handle this diet.
T: of course chicken soup is another way to stay healthy. I have a question about this particular soup… what makes it a thai soup, and how authentic do you imagine it to be?
A: well, being a white-bred american, i don’t really imagine it’s too authentically thai. but what makes it thai in my mind is the broth… which has quite a strong flavor of kaffir leaves. it also has coconut milk and panang curry paste in the soup… and yes. the panang curry paste is imported. (god i love the 99Ranch)!
T: well i thought the soup was quite tasty. I love the brothy yet milkiness that you get from using the coconut milk. Plus, I love stirring in fresh jalapenos. That makes it a choose your own adventure. I give it a 4.4/5. Super good, probably has some evolving left before it hits the ultimate level though. Whatcha think?
A: i agree, the first time i make something like this is always a learning experience. the outcome always lets me know what i could do better next time. in this case, i would actually have liked to add more panang curry paste (although i didn’t have more). all the fresh add-ins really do make the dish. it’s very similar to Pho in that respect. but there’s nothing like fresh cilantro, green onions and jalapenos. I give the soup a 4.25/5, for pretty much the same reasons. It was definately tasty, but there’s certainly room to grow!
T: you said something about Pho… what is pho, ho?
A: well, bi-atch, Pho is a yummy beef brothy vietnamese soup that is served with similar add-ins on the side, you know, cilantro, jalapenos, etc…
T: sounds like fun times. You know what else is fun times?
A: eh?
T: Burgers. Didn’t you say a while back that you were definately making burgers in the next 2 weeks? I think it’s been longer than 2 weeks… so.. umm… how do i say this.. umm… when are you making some damn burgers woman?
A: if you had let me get a word in, i would have told you that i bought everything to make burgers last weekend (when b came into town), but we just haven’t had time to make them. then i was planning on making them TOMORROW… but now we’ve a brunch date! the burgers are coming… i swear it!
T: to all the guys out there… do you see what I’ve done here? I demanded burgers while making her feel guilty for not making them sooner, and now she’s promising to make some soon.
A: listen here, butt-munch. if you send out any more messages like that, telling men to treat there significant other like that, there ain’t never gonna be no damn burger… you hear me, son?!?
T: I was concerned until you winked. Now I know that you’ll make the burgers no matter what. There’s another lesson for you guys out there.
slapp
T: and don’t worry about being slapped. It’s kind of fun.
A: well, i never!!!
T: ok, ok, ok… i would never ever promote being mean or demanding of your significant other. Although being slapped is still kind of fun.

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T: Man this was great… The perfect level of spice. Spicy Spicy.
A:MMMM MMMM….. I can always eat some yummy Thai food.
T: it’s great that you can make all this Thai and Indian food these days.
A: thanks, I have to admit I do it for my own pleasure. I LOVE this shit. We have a huge number of Thai restaurants here in San Diego and I think nearly every week we visit one.
T: yeah and uh, your Thai curry is competitive with the rest of them
A: cool….. I actually think that a lot of the restaurants must be using canned curry paste and not making there own, because tonights dinner really did taste a whole lot like the curries we eat out.
T: so can you find that curry paste in a regular grocery store?
A: ummmm… I don’t know. I know you can find it in asian markets though. Whole Foods probably carries a selection of curry pastes. They probably don’t have thirty varieties like they have at the asian markets but…. I know even in baton rouge you could get curry paste before whole foods came along, so its not that uncommon
T: makes me want chocolate.
A: yeah. curry and chocolate are a match made in heaven.
T: hmm what alcohol would fit the curry and chocolate combination?
A: I dunno? sake maybe?
T: mmm (sounding uncertian) I think the sake would be a little syrupy to go with the chocolate.
A: you have any guesses?
T: I’m thinking just a good golden eagle, is that the name of it?
A: yep. We had golden eagle beer on saturday night at the Star of India
T: it’s a traditional indian beer.
A: it sure is. it was perhaps the best part of our meal on saturday.
T: yeah since there was a family feud going on amongst the staff.
A: perhaps one of the WORST dining experiences i’ve had in a long time.
T: I cannot say that that’s the case, for me. true the service was wretched, but the food was so much better than most of what I eat in leucadia for lunch.
A: heheheh sucks to be you. the service was the worst part (we didn’t even get drinks for like half an hour). but we asked for very spicy curry, and it came out fit for a nursing baby.
T:which isn’t saying much since most of the nursing babies I know really enjoy spicy food. – Oh wait – i forgot… i don’t know any nursing babies. however walter and ellen’s baby is due soon.
A: how old are they when they stop nursing? those little creatures?
T: usually between five and ten years.
A:hehehehehhe then Neila has a nursing baby too. The Comeaux’s are just bursting with nursing babies.
T: yeah before you know it, brian’s gonna start nursing a baby.
A: all he needs to do is get a pump. the leche group has been hounding men to start pumpin’ for years.
T: I’m not even going it ask.
A:it’s probably better that you don’t.
T: and word up to Allison. Feel better, hope everything is alright.
A:for sure. ditto. Maybe we should give the readers what they want…like a decent foodblog… hehehe…
T: we’re beyond decent.
A: hehehehe alright then, well how about rating this little rascal.
T: i give it a 4.75/5. It was really good, and I was impressed that it was that good on your first time making it. It was fun to have a fish curry.
A: did you think my choice of mackrel was a little too fishy for the dish at all?
T: I can handle a slightly fishy fish, so my answer is no.
A: Awesome. I was worried it might be too fishy for you. I dug it too. I give it a 4.4/5. It rocked the Casbah.
T:and it rocked my….buds.
A: I think we will definately see this meal in the future. It’s a cinch to make, seriously like a thirty minute meal and some day now i’ll have a real job and won’t want to cook all day.
T: In a way that will be sad.
A: I agree. But it will be good for me to start making some bank again.
T: word
A: alright hommies, peace out and again, word to Allison, we’re thinkin’ about you.

Kwaherini mabibi na mabwana

Recipes in this post:

• Panang Curry

No related posts.