February 14, 2012

Kao soi


Kao soi (sometimes spelled Khao soi) is a curried noodle and chicken soup from Chiang Mai, Thailand. When I went to Thailand a few years ago as an undergraduate student to do water quality research, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Aside from the amazing research experience, I also met wonderful people and fell in love with the cuisine and culture. My absolute favorite new food was Kao soi. We would often eat it for lunch just after doing our morning field work in the rice paddies and before going to the lab. The first time I ate this dish, I was blown away. It seemed so simple - a big bowl of curried broth and noodles along with a chicken drumstick, but the flavors were anything but. And, as with much Thai food, there's a big plate of adornments to add on top: cilantro, thinly sliced onions, lime wedges, chili sauce, and soy bean paste.

A couple of years ago, my Thai friend came here to do a semester exchange, so I got to see her a lot. She brought along with her some special Thai yellow curry so that she could try to teach me to make Kao soi at home. Luckily, we have a substantial Asian population in our area, and lots of little Asian markets. So, after we visited a few of these, we gathered up suitable ingredients to attempt to make this dish. It was wonderful! While we were making it, I was making some mental notes and she was writing down a list of ingredients. Since then, I have not tried to replicate Kao soi on my own. Mainly because I felt like I'd be disappointed if I didn't get it "right" and also because I couldn't find the special yellow curry paste.

Recently, I received a copy of the cookbook Thai Food for my birthday. In it, there is a recipe for Kao soi. So I decided to give it a try again, this time all on my own. I went to an Asian grocery and asked if they had a Thai yellow curry paste, and they did - the writing was all in Thai and I never would have known that's what it was... I also found a package of fresh Asian style noodles. With those in hand, the rest of the ingredients are easily available at most large grocery stores. You can find Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste and it's actually pretty good. While I have made green curry paste before, I have not attempted red or yellow - it can be hard because finding galangal and keffir lime can be difficult, and the store-bought pastes already contain these ingredients. The result was a success - the smell made me so happy and the taste made me quite ecstatic. It was very close to my memory of eating Kao soi from a small noodle shop in Chaing Mai.

On the the recipe... This is a combination of the cookbook recipe, my friend's recipe, and my memory. Many of the measurements are not exact because of the heat/spice levels -- taste and adjust to your liking. This recipe will make about four servings.

 

February 7, 2012

Spinach-artichoke dip

Dish of spinach artichoke dip.

Spinach-artichoke dip reminds me of being in high school or even early college... it's the appetizer we would get when my friends and I first starting eating out by ourselves (i.e., without parents around). It was really popular at every chain sit-down restaurant (and probably still is). I haven't had spinach-artichoke dip in years and I've never made it at home until now. I've looked at recipes for it over the years, but I always found them to be full of mayo and just not that appealing when it was broken down into its ingredients. But, I recently saw a recipe on the Smart Cookie's blog that inspired me to make some spinach-artichoke dip at home. I loved this recipe - it was soooo gooey and creamy, but it also had a lot of spinach flavor as well as a slight onion and garlic flavor. Underneath that layer of golden cheese is a ton of spinach. It was way better than any dip I remember eating in those restaurants back in the day.

Forgive my not-so-pretty dish -- I don't have that many broiler safe dishes. Also, there was no way we were waiting to eat this dip while I tried to get a great shot or transfer the dip to a different serving dish. You want it while it's hot and bubbling! Serve this dip with corn chips, celery sticks, and any other vegetable of your choice. Make it for your next gathering - it's perfect for a game night or while watching a movie. Everyone will be happy to dig in to this old favorite.