The Thai invasion

Complex flavours with simple techniques — the cuisine has a lot more to offer than just Thai curry
As Pan Asian cusine takes the city by storm, the popularity and influence of Thai food has been most pronounced. Spice, sour, heat and coconut creaminess come together in an explosive mouthful, fragrant with lemongrass, kafir lime, fresh green pepper and other aromatics.The flavours are accentuated and vibrant enough to appeal to the heat-friendly Indian palette.
Internationally acclaimed, Chef Ian Kittichai from the Thai specialty restaurant Koh at the Intercontinental, talks about trends to watch out for and changing tastes of the Indian foodie. Try your hand at one of his faviourite easy-to-make recipes.
What global trends do you foresee for 2012?
Different formats of Asian cuisines are opening up, even in the West; Asian barbecues, Asian Tapas, Asian bistros. This year, Mumbai will see more international brands openings, making the city a preferred gourmet destination.
Are Indians getting fussier about their tastes?
Today’s guest is well travelled and understands international standards well. He is willing to pay a price and expects a certain quality. Indian guests expect a huge variety in vegetarian and Jain options, which is a challenge for international chefs. I like to take fussy guests as a challenge.
A few basics one must have stocked in their kitchen for a Thai meal...
In my kitchen, lemongrass is the most indulgent ingredient because of its versatility. It gives a fresh aroma and welcoming flavours to the recipe and lends itself equally to sugar and spice. Bird eye chilli, bai makrut lime and galangal ginger are the other necessary ingredients.
Pandan wrapped chicken loin
Ingredients
500 gm Chicken breast
20 gm Coriander root paste
10 gm Garlic
White pepper powder to taste
10 gm Palm sugar
5 ml Light soy sauce
5 ml Sesame oil
10 Pandan (paan) leaves
For the sauce
10 gm Palm sugar
5 ml light soy sauce
5 ml dark soy sauce
20 ml water
Method
-Leave the skin on and cut the chicken into small pieces.
-Grind garlic, peppercorn, coriander root paste together in a blender to make a paste.
-In a bowl, add soy sauces, palm sugar, and sesame oil to the paste and mix well.
-Add the chicken pieces and mix well. Marinade for an hour in the fridge.
-Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan and set aside.
-In a pan, simmer all the sauce ingredients on a slow flame till it thickens.
-Wrap the chicken in pandan leaf and deep fry until done.
-Serve with the sauce separately, as shown.
Pad thai noodles
Ingredients
120 gm Rice noodles soaked in cold water
60 gm Bean sprouts
50 gm Spring onions
30 gm Roasted peanut
30 ml Tamarind juice
10 ml Tomato paste
20 gm Palm sugar
2 tbs Soy sauce
1 tsp Seasoning sauce
½ tsp Dried chilli
1 tbs Preserved sweet daikon/ raddish
¼ cup Diced firm tofu
50 ml Oil
Method
-Make a sauce with tamarind juice, ground cashewnuts, palm sugar, soy sauce, tomato paste, seasoning sauce and dried chilli. Cook it and reduce until thick.
-Dice the tofu and fry it until light brown. Drain and dice the daikon.
-In a wok, sauté garlic chive. Add the sauce, soaked and drained rice noodles and toss.
-Add the daikon, fried tofu, spring onion greens.
-Check seasoning and toss again.
-Garnish with bean sprouts, crushed peanuts and spring onion greens
Chef’s tip: Non-vegetarians can add prawns or chicken as desired
Spicy sea food soup
Ingredients
200 ml Vegetable stock
30 gm Diced prawns/bassa
15 gm Button mushroom
5 gm Lemon grass
2 gm Kafir lime
5 gm Cilantro/corriander
5 ml Fish sauce
1 tbs Lemon juice
1 tps Sweet chilli paste
Method
-Make a vegetable stock.
-Dice the bassa and prawns and the mushrooms.
-Pour the stock in a sauce pan. Add lemongrass, kafir lime leaves, diced fish and mushrooms.
-As the fish cooks, add in fish sauce, lemon juice and sweet chilli paste.
-While serving garnish with cilantro leaves.
Chef’s tip: Vegetarians can substitute fish with carrots, beans, zucchinis, etc.
Divashri.Sinha @timesgroup.com