Ballard Community Kitchen -Thai

Here are the recipes that we used for the Thai Community Kitchen I did.  We covered a few ways to make the ingredients more local.  Two of which are growing your own.  You can grow ginger and lemongrass here in the Northwest if you bring them indoors for the winter.  We also used Lemon Balm instead of Kiffer Lime leaves. Not the same but local and since the leaves were completely unavailable our only option.  The curry pastes turned out very well.  The red lentil-sweet potato dip was a hit. Boy was it a long night.  Making a batch or curry paste that is multiplied by 20 takes alot of time even with many hands. I unfortunately forgot to use the camera that I brought...next time.

Green Curry

2 T Coriander
2 T Cumin
16-20 small green chilies, seeded
4 lemongrass stems, white part only
2-inch piece of galangal
8-10 kaffir lime leaves (we used Lemon Balm)
2 kaffir limes, zest only (optional)
10 garlic cloves, chopped
8 small shallots, chopped
10 cilantro roots, chopped
2 handfuls of basil
1 T salt
Vegetable oil

Dry roast the coriander and cumin for 1-2 mins. Grind with mortar and pestle.

Place chilies, lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves and/or zest in cuisinart. Grind to a paste. Add garlic, shallots, and cilantro roots.  Grind again to paste.  Add ground spices, salt and basil.  Add oil as needed to achieve a smooth paste.

Use as needed. Will keep for one week in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer. 

 

Red Curry Paste

15 red chilies, dried or fresh
1 t white peppercorns
2 t coriander seeds
1 t cumin seeds
1 T salt
5 shallots, chopped
10 garlic cloves, chopped
2 lemongrass stems, white only, sliced
1 inch piece ginger, chopped
6 cilantro roots, chopped
6 kaffir lime leaves, sliced (we used Lemon Balm)
Vegetable oil

Soak the chilies for 10 mins in boiling water if dried. Remove seeds and roughly chop.

Dry roast the peppercorns, coriander, and cumin.  Grind the spices with the salt until smooth.

Place the chilies, shallots, garlic cloves, lemongrass, ginger, cilantro and kaffir lime leaves in a food processor and grind until smooth. Add oil as need to process.  Add spice mixture and mix.

Place in air-tight container.  Can be stored for 2 weeks in a refrigerator or 6 months in a freezer.

Sweet Potato and Lentil Dip

1 lb sweet potato
1 T vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 t ginger, grated
1 T red curry paste
½ c red lentils
1 ½ c water
½ t salt

Bake sweet potatoes at 350 until soft. Split and scrap the flesh into a bowl. Set aside to cool.

Heat oil in a saucepan. Add onions and sauté until softened, approximately 3 mins. Add garlic, ginger, and curry paste. Stir until aromatic (30 secs).  Add lentils, water and salt. Cook over low heat for 10-15 mins, stirring often.  When the lentils have softened and most of the liquid is gone mix into the sweet potato mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Satay

Assorted vegetables
Skewers

1 T oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 T Red curry paste
1 (10 ounce) can coconut milk or same amount of veg stock
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 t honey

Saute the onion in the oil until browning around the edges. Add the curry paste. Stir until aromatic (30 sec).  Add the peanut butter.  Stir until the peanut butter changes color.  It will be a darker color but not caramelizing. Slowly mix in your liquid and honey until it is a nice thick sauce.

Grill your vegetables and serve with the sauce on the side as a dipping sauce or bake with the sauce over the vegetables.

Miang Kham

Filling Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
1/2 cup roasted unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup diced ginger (about the size of a pea)
1/3 cup diced shallots or onion the same size as the ginger
1 lime, cut into small peanut-size wedges, including both peel and juice sacs
3 garlic scrapes
10 Thai chiles or 6 serrano peppers, cut into thin half circles
1/3 cup cilantro leaves

One bunch spinach/kale/leafy lettuce

Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup roasted shredded coconut
1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
1/4 cup date palm, coconut sugar, honey
2 T bragg’s/soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
1/2 cup water (if using honey use 1/4 c water)


Wash and dry spinach. Remove stems.  You want a 3-4 inch piece of leaf.

Prepare all of the filling ingredients and place in small individual dishes.

Sauce: Grind the peanuts and coconut separately. Place the water, bragg’s and honey in a small sauce pan bring to a simmer, mix in coconut and peanut. Stir frequently. Cook until the sauce is smooth and has thickened to the consistency of a thin batter. Cool to room temperature.

Place the spinach leaves around a large serving tray.  Place the filling ingredients around the tray and place the sauce in the middle.