Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce

Peanuty perfection.  This dip hits on some amazing flavour points: salty peanuts, zesty lime, spicy cayenne, creamy coconut milk, sharp garlic, rich sesame oil and soy sauce.  Trust me, you need to find something to dip in this, STAT. Preferably Veggie Rice Paper Wraps. 

And since the creaminess comes from coconut milk, this recipe qualifies as vegan.  Imagine being able to accommodate your vegan friends with this gem of a dipping sauce?  Serve it with the above mentioned Veggie Rice Paper wraps and Pho Bo, and you’ll be sure to win the vegan dinner party!

Prepare your ingredients…

Thai Peanut Sauce ingredients

Load it all up in the food processor, and it turns into this:

Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce

Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce Recipe

1 Cup dry, unsalted, roasted peanuts
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or Thai chili sauce
1/3 cup Coconut Milk (the light stuff works fine, but makes consistency a bit runnier)

1.  Combine all ingredients in food processor. Add more liquid or spice to desired consistency and taste.

Thai Green Curry

Thai food is still a work in progress for me.  I love it deeply, but I can never make it taste like it does in restaurants.  This makes me a little nervous to think about how much cream, coconut milk and oil they must be using…but anyways, until I get to the bottom of this mystery, this recipe will more than do the trick when the craving for Thai food kicks in.  Which is almost daily if I’m being totally honest.

Get your ingredients lined up…

Thai Green Curry Ingredients

Get a good flavour base going with some oil, shallots, garlic, curry paste and salt and pepper.

Curry Base - Shallots, Garlic and Curry Paste

Add some chicken and cook until nearly done, then add your coconut milk, lime juice and soy sauce and cook until sauce thickens a bit.  Just before you’re done cooking, throw the veggies for a few minutes on a hot, high heat to finish everything off at the same time.

Thai Green Curry

Serve with basmatti rice and fresh basil 🙂

Thai Green Curry with Basmatti Rice

Thai Green Curry Recipe

2 Large chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or butter
1 – 2 tbsp green curry paste
¼ cup shallots, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
Salt and pepper to taste
14 ounce can coconut milk
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 cups fresh veggies, chopped
¼ cup crushed peanuts
2 tbsp fresh basil

1.    Heat oil or butter in large skillet or frying pan.  Add shallots, garlic, salt and pepper.  Heat on med-high for a few minutes until semi-soft and golden brown. Add curry and stir for a minute or so, until everything is combined.
2.    Add chicken to pan and cook for 8 minutes or so until almost cooked through.
3.    Add coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce and bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce and cook until desired consistency is reached.  About five minutes before cooking time is done, throw your fresh veggies into the pan so they will be tender-crisp at serving time.
4.    Garnish with crushed peanuts and fresh basil.

Som Tum Thai

Som Tum Thai is easily my favourite Thai restaurant in Ottawa.  That might not be a completely fair statement, since every time I crave Thai food I go directly to Som Tum.  I haven’t really given the other Thai places much of a chance.  I have a hard time spending money on something that might be less delicious than something that I know is guaranteed to be delicious.

So my brother and his family were in town last week, and we decided to get take out.  Otto, his 2 1/2 year old son (and famously picky eater) tried some of his mom’s veggie pad Thai and declared that it was “really good”, and that he wanted more.  That’s a tough critic to please!

Anyways, here is a peak at our feast.

Poa Pia Kai & Kai Krob - Chicken Spring Rolls & Crispy Chicken with chili and basil sauce

Otto’s favourite!

Vegetarian Pad Thai

This curry is what I usually go for.  It’s so flavourful, and so spicy it’s almost too hot to eat.  But oh so flavourful.  Did I already mention that?

Pa Nang - Dry red curry with chicken and coconut milk

In keeping with the rest of their dishes, this one is just straight up delicious. Not sure what kind of oil/seasoning they use, but I would love to figure it out some day.  It would save me a great deal of money.

Kao Pad - Fried Rice with Chicken, Egg and Vegetable

Run!  Run to Som Tum Thai!

Thai Peanut Soup

Thai Peanut soup is so flavourful,  and all the different veggies bring a satisfying crunch and variety of textures.  Perfect for a filling lunch or a lighter dinner.  Adding the veggies at the last minute keep them tender-crisp and delicious.

Simmering Soup

Top with peanuts, green onions, fresh bean sprouts, basil and cilantro.

Halfway there - so tasty 🙂

Thai Peanut Soup Recipe

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
4-6 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 Cups Roasted Chicken, bite size pieces
1 sweet red pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass (white portion only)
1 teaspoon chopped red chile (to taste)
2 Cups each chopped broccoli and cauliflower
14 ounces chicken broth
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup fresh basil, chopped

1.  Heat oil, Cook onion, and garlic until softened.  Add red pepper, ginger and lemongrass until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the red chili, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add broccoli and cauliflower, stirring until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add chicken broth, coconut milk and soy sauce, lime juice, and stir to combine well. Add the peanut butter. Keep stirring until well combined (the peanut butter will go kind of stringy, but it will melt in after a bit). Heat until hot and bubbly.

Serve with chopped fresh roasted peanuts, cilantro, bean sprouts and green onions as a garnish.