A summer day for us means tubing in the refreshing New River, hiking to take in the mountain views on the Blue Ridge Parkway or swimming in in the pool with a backdrop of the picturesque mountains.
But after a day full of summer fun, do you always feel like the warm sun put a snuggly blanket on you, and all you want to do is curl up somewhere cool and fall asleep? The last thing you want to do is go behind the stove and cook something that takes any effort or is hot.
Nam prik ong is a life-changing, spicy Thai tomato and pork stir-fry. Its tantalizing smells of fried shallots, Thai dried chili and garlic, and its sounds of ground pork sizzling in the wok and popping cherry tomatoes, always brings me back like a time machine to Thai Hubby’s grandma’s house in Sukhothai, Thailand.
Most “Thai” recipes created by Americans that I see when I’m scrolling through Pinterest have some sort of Thai peanut sauce made of sugary peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes (none of which are used in a Thai peanut sauce you would find in Thailand?!).
I often wonder, “Oh wow, do most Americans think that almost all Thai food has peanut sauce, and that it tastes like this??” Continue Reading
Lemony lemongrass, spicy Thai chilis, crisp red onion, power greens, fresh cilantro, a kick of ginger, and of course a little garlic and fish sauce, and….
canned tuna.
What?! Thais use canned tuna in their cooking and still make it taste like a flavor explosion of healthy goodness?! Continue Reading
Isn’t it frustrating when translating something from one language to another and the power behind the words in one language just disappears once it’s translated?
Yam Khai Dao, translated from Thai to English as Fried Egg Salad, just doesn’t have the same magic in English as it does when I think about it as Yam Khai Dao.
Anyone get me?
Continue Reading
I don’t know about you, but when I’m traveling abroad for a few weeks, if I start craving any kind of American food, it’s usually not something healthy, instead it’s Chick-Fil-A spicy chicken sandwich, homemade gooey brownies, or crispy sweet potato fries.
My Thai Hubby’s grandma did all the cooking at his house growing up. Most of her meals were what my Thai Hubby calls, country-style Thai food, which means simple, homey Thai food. Continue Reading
One of my favorite parts about having my sister-n-law, Oi, from Thailand in town for the last month was cooking with her. I’ve never seen Dom’s mom lift a pan or Chef’s knife, unless she was slathering it with soap and water at the sink. Continue Reading
The first time I had Yum Woon Sen I cried, and it wasn’t from tears of joy.
It was my first week in Bangkok, and I was eating at a random restaurant maybe on the third floor of CentralWorld, one of the huge malls in Bangkok. I had just met my boss, but hadn’t started work, and the two other Thai friends I knew from my UNC-Chapel Hill days were working that day, so I was exploring downtown Bangkok on my own.
Yesterday I got highlights done in my hair while learning how to make som tum, Thai papaya salad. It was the best haircut highlight session of my life. Continue Reading
