#tom kah gai my love

[reaperseal-archive]

i’m soooo hungry and just thinkin abt how i wish i had more access to cuisine of other cultures but i live in bum fuck nowhere and the most ~cultural~ restaurant we have is the chinese takeout place attached to the bar in town

[sisterspooky1013]

Only One Choice, Part 2, Chapter 10

Read it here on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic

From: dscully@fbi.gov

Sent: April 28, 1997 10:46am

To: mreyes@fbi.gov

Subject: Coffee?

Hi Monica,

It’s Dana, from pathology. I was wondering if you’d like to get coffee tomorrow around lunchtime? I have a break in classes from 11-2, so anywhere in there would be fine.

I hope things are going well with VICAP.

-Dana

From: dscully@fbi.gov

Sent: April 28, 1997 10:48am

To: fmulder@fbi.gov

Subject: Wednesday/Thursday

Hi,

I’m mildly shocked that you hadn’t already emailed me before I got in today. Are you alive?

If you’d like to meet up for lunch or coffee this week, I can do Wednesday or Thursday, sometime in the 11-3 timeframe. Let me know which works for you and I’ll block the time out so nothing else ends up on my schedule.

From: mreyes@fbi.gov

Sent: April 28, 1997 11:12am

To: dscully@fbi.gov

Subject: RE:Coffee?

Hi Dana,

I’m so glad you reached out. I’d love to get coffee tomorrow; I can meet you just outside the autopsy bay at 1pm, if that works?

I look forward to it.

-Monica

From: fmulder@fbi.gov

Sent: April 28th, 1997 12:16pm

To: dscully@fbi.gov

Subject: RE:Wednesday/Thursday

Hi Scully,

I see that my exceptional self control has paid off in spades. I am alive, and have resisted emailing you this morning through a combination of sheer will and a two-hour budget meeting.

Wednesday sounds perfect, I’ll be there at noon. Don’t ask me how many hours that is from now because I haven’t calculated it and I have no idea.

———

About an hour after returning from her coffee date with Monica, which was very pleasant and is something she hopes to repeat, she starts to feel just a little bit achy. She pushes through the rest of her work for the day and by the time she slumps through her apartment door at six, there’s no denying that she’s sick. She takes some Tylenol and goes to bed, hoping it will have passed in the morning, but when she wakes up it’s even worse. She calls in sick to work and goes back to sleep.

When she wakes again, the phone is ringing. She ignores it, only for it to start ringing again the moment the machine picks up. Dragging herself out of bed with a pained moan, she trudges to the hallway, retrieving the cordless phone and walking back to her bedroom as she answers.

“Hello?”

“Scully! Are you okay?”

“What? Yes. Mulder?” She burrows herself back under the covers with the phone tucked against her ear.

“Yes, it’s me, you didn’t answer my emails all morning and never showed up for our coffee date. I was worried.”

“Shit, Mulder, I’m sorry. I came down with something yesterday and called out sick. I totally forgot we were having coffee today.”

“You’re sick?” he asks, clear concern in his voice.

“Yes, just a virus or something, I’ll be fine.”

“Can I bring you something? Soup? Juice? Bad movies?”

She chuckles a little. “No, you don’t need to do that.”

“Who's gonna take care of you?”

“Mulder, I’m a grown adult with a cold, I can take care of myself.”

“Are you sure?” She can tell by his tone that he wants to do this more for himself than for her.

“Yes, I’m sure. I don’t want you to see me all sick and disgusting, Mulder. It’s too soon to ruin your image of me,” she says somewhat sarcastically.

“Seeing you sick is not going to change how I feel about you, Scully,” he says very tenderly, and she knows he means it. Still, she doesn’t like the idea.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? Sorry to make you drive an hour for nothing. Rain check?”

He sighs noisily. “Okay, fine. I think you inadvertently left ‘stubborn’ off your list of flaws, though.”

“Well, I didn’t want to ruin all the surprises,” she replies with a smile.

He reluctantly says goodbye, and as soon as he hangs up, she calls the first number on her speed dial.

“Hello,” calls Missy in her typical singsong greeting.

“Missy, can you come over?” she whines, little sister mode in full effect, “I’m sick.”

Missy arrives forty five minutes later and fusses around, gathering a glass of water, Tylenol, and the thermometer that is buried in the bottom of a bathroom drawer. Dana has relocated to the couch, and makes a face around the thermometer propped under her tongue when Missy sets four crystals of different shapes and colors on the coffee table, along with two herb-filled capsules. The thermometer beeps angrily and Missy plucks it out of her mouth, shaking her head.

“One hundred and two,” she says with a frown, “here, take these,” she holds out two Tylenol and two of the herb capsules with a glass of water.

Dana takes the Tylenol and leaves the others.

“Whatever those are, I’m not taking them. And you can pack up your crystals,” she says to Missy as she pops the Tylenol and chases them with a big gulp of water.

“They’re just echinacea, Sis, they won't kill you. And neither will the crystals.”

“But they also won’t help,” Dana says dryly, setting her water on the coffee table and burrowing back under her blanket.

“Well, I’ll just leave them right here,” Missy says, standing and going to the kitchen. “Why’d you call me, anyway? Shouldn’t playing sick maid be Mulder’s job now?” She’s looking through cupboards, pulling out a pot and a can of soup.

“It’s too soon for him to see me all congested and disgusting,” Dana replies, stifling a shiver. “He wanted to come over, but I told him not to.”

There’s a knock at the door. Dana sits up, exchanging confused looks with Missy.

“Did you order food?” Dana asks, and Missy shakes her head, moving to the door.

Dana watches from the couch as Missy opens the door to find no one on the other side. She looks at the floor, then down the hall one direction and the other. She stoops down and picks something up, then walks back to the couch with a paper bag.

“What is that?” Dana asks, and Missy shrugs, setting it on the coffee table and sitting at Dana’s feet. There’s a sheet of paper stapled to the bag, and Missy plucks it off, opening it while Dana explores the contents; a carton of tom kah gai soup.

Missy’s face is a mask of confusion as she reads whatever is written on the paper.

“What does it say?” Dana asks, and Missy hands it to her.

Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear. Your mind is my treasure, and if it were broken, it would be my treasure still.

Dana’s chin puckers as her bottom lip sticks out in a pout. “Oh my god,” she gushes, “it’s Mulder.”

“What the hell does this mean?” Missy asks, taking the paper back and reading it again. “Does he write poetry or something?”

“No,” Dana answers, pulling the lid off the container and breathing in the spicy coconut smell, “it’s a quote from Jane Eyre.”

“Oh my god,” Missy says with a disgusted look, “you two really are meant for each other. This is sickening, Dana, you realize that, right?”

Dana is smiling, taking sips of the hot Thai chicken soup that he somehow knew she needed. “Yes, he’s also a giant nerd, if that’s what you’re saying. But beyond that, I don’t think we have much of anything in common, actually.”

“You both work for the FBI,” Missy offers.

“Yes, but in totally different areas. And he’s an atheist, and believes in unverifiable phenomena like aliens and spontaneous human combustion. And he’s impulsive and easy going, and he makes decisions with his gut,” Dana lists off Mulder’s attributes like she’s describing the trim level on a car. He’s cute, and he has a leather interior.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t use any of those words to describe you,” Missy says pointedly, setting the note on the table, where Dana plucks it back up and reads it again. “But there’s something to be said for being with someone who’s different from you.”

“I don’t really buy into the idea of ‘opposites attract,’” Dana says flatly. “I think that’s just a lie people tell themselves to justify horribly mismatched partnerships.”

“I think ‘opposites attract’ implies that your qualities clash, like the odd couple. One is messy and the other is clean,” Missy replies, propping her elbow on the back of the couch. “But I heard about this idea of ‘perfect opposites’ which is more like someone who complements you, or helps kind of level you out. So perhaps you lean to the extreme in some areas where Mulder leans to the other extreme, and you learn to meet somewhere in the middle.”

Dana gives her a doubtful look. “What is the middle between believing wholeheartedly that Bigfoot exists, and knowing that he doesn’t?”

Missy takes this under serious consideration. “I think,” she says without a hint of sarcasm, “that the medium would be accepting that it’s possible that he exists, and possible he doesn’t, but there's no way to know for sure.”

“So a Bigfoot agnostic?” Dana asks, and Missy nods in confirmation.

Dana shakes her head. “Maybe you should have gone out with him, I think you two might be better suited.”

“Don’t give me any ideas,” Missy says with a coy smile. “Speaking of which, does he have any single friends?”

Dana shrugs around a gulp of soup. “I don’t know, I haven’t met any of his friends.”

“Well, when you do, keep an eye out would ya? Now that I’ve lost my single buddy, I may as well get back out there. God knows it’s torture enough hearing your lurid tales from the bedroom.”

“Missy, I haven’t told you a single lurid tale,” Dana chastises.

“I know, what’s up with that?” Missy retorts in mock offense, “speaking of, what happened when he took you out to dinner Sunday night?”

Dana shakes her head.

“Oh come on, Dana. I have no life, let me live vicariously,” Missy whines.

Dana shakes her head again. “The only thing I’ll say is; maybe don’t eat off the kitchen counter,” she says before giving Missy a guilty look.

Missy’s mouth drops open.

“Wow, I’m not sure if I’m more grossed out or jealous,” she says as she stands, “I’m gonna get out of here, if you’re good. I think I need to go pick up a guy at a bar for some meaningless sex.”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks for coming by. If you need a condom there are some in the bathroom,” she adds with a sarcastic smile, and Missy sneers at her.

“Ha, ha,” Missy replies as she slips on her shoes and opens the door, “last time I checked, you can’t get pregnant from a vibrator.”

Dana gives her a sympathetic pout and Missy pulls the door closed behind her.

———

It’s a quarter past eight when the phone rings, and he pushes Priscilla onto the floor to retrieve it from his desk.

“Hello?”

“I can’t find it,” says a garbled voice.

“Hello?” he asks again, “who is this?”

“It’s really cold. It’s also too hot,” the voice says around a sound like fabric moving over the mouthpiece.

“Scully?”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

There’s a pause. “Mulder?”

“Yeah, I’m here. Are you okay?”

“Mulder, where are you?”

“I’m at home. You called me at home. Is Missy there?”

“No, she had to take her vibrator to a bar,” she answers, and it’s clear that she’s completely delirious.

“Scully, I’m coming over,” he says, standing up to find his shoes and wallet. “Hey, Scully, I need you to do something for me, okay?”

“Hmmm?”

“Can you stand up, and walk to your front door?”

She sighs. “That’s very far.”

“I know it is, but I need you to unlock the door so I can get in. I don’t think your super would be very happy if I broke it down.”

He hears her groan and her voice becomes quieter, then disappears. He waits, and just when he thinks she may have hung up, she picks the phone back up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, did you unlock the door?”

“Mulder?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Mulder, where are you?”

He snickers a little. “I’m on my way over, did you unlock the door?”

“I...I don’t remember,” she says, and she sounds exhausted.

“That’s okay, go back to bed. I’ll figure it out. See you soon, okay?”

“Okay, bye, Mulder.”

He waits but the line doesn’t go dead. He hears her shuffle around a bit and then it’s quiet for a long time. Setting the phone on its cradle, he drives over to her apartment.

The door is, thankfully, unlocked, and all the lights are off.

“Scully?” he calls out, not wanting to scare her. “Scully, are you awake?”

When he gets no response, he slips off his shoes and makes his way to her bedroom, calling out her name intermittently. He finds her twisted up in her sheets, and one touch to her forehead has him jerk his hand away with how hot she is. He strips the blankets off of her, finding her in only a T-shirt and panties underneath. Next he finds a washcloth in the bathroom and soaks it with cold water, then grabs two Tylenol and a glass of water. When he returns to the bedroom and drapes the cloth over her forehead, she starts and opens her eyes momentarily, but then closes them again.

“Scully,” he says softly, shaking her shoulder, “I need you to wake up, honey. I need you to take these.”

Her eyes open slowly and she blinks at him with heavy lids.

“Mulder?” she asks groggily, and he gives her a sympathetic smile.

“I’m here. Can you sit up and take these?”

He helps her prop herself up just enough to swallow the Tylenol and a sip of water before she collapses back against the pillows.

“I feel like shit,” she complains, but her eyes are already closed and she’s on her way back to sleep.

“I know. Get some rest. I’ll be here.”

———

She wakes up to harsh beams of sun pouring directly through her eyelids. Her first thought is that Ethan forgot to close the blinds again, but then she remembers that she and Ethan aren't together anymore and he doesn’t live here, so she must have forgotten to close them. She moves to roll out of bed and is met with the shock of aching muscles, and remembers that she had been raging with fever last night. She probably shouldn’t have let Missy leave, but thankfully the fever seems to have broken during the night. She rolls away from the window, no longer motivated to get up and close the blinds, and finds herself nose to nose with a sleeping Mulder.

“What the hell?” she says out loud, and he opens his eyes and smiles at her.

“Hi,” he says softly, “how do you feel?”

She gives him a perplexed expression. “Confused. How long have you been here?”

He chuckles “I knew you were out of it, but I didn’t think you were that far gone. You don’t remember?”

She shakes her head ruefully.

Mulder rolls to his back and stretches, then turns back to face her. “You called me last night, totally out of it, and I came over to make sure you were okay.”

“How did you get in?” she asks skeptically.

“You let me in.”

Her eyes widen.

“You were burning up, I just force fed you some Tylenol and kept an eye on you. Around 3am you started shivering, so I think that’s when the fever broke.”

She is quiet for a moment, taking in her surroundings. “Mulder...am I not wearing pants?”

He holds up his hands in self defense. “That’s how I found you, Scully, Scout’s honor.”

“What time is it?” she asks, feeling disoriented.

He peeks at his watch. “A little after nine.”

She sits up too quickly and gets dizzy. “I’m late for work,” she says, one hand to her head.

“Scully you were delirious with fever six hours ago, you’re not going to work. I called for you,” he says, sitting up too.

She gives him an incredulous look. “You called out sick to work for me?”

He nods.

She sighs and looks away from him. “I got the soup, and the note,” she says, “thank you.”

“Of course,” he answers, rubbing a palm over her back.

She looks back at him, taking in his sleep rumpled hair and second day stubble. She furrows her brow, a slight scowl on her mouth.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“You’re my boyfriend, aren’t you?” she says with a defeated tone, and he laughs.

“I’d sure like to be, if you’ll have me.”

She groans and slumps against him, sighing as he wraps his arms around her, petting her hair.

“Okay, fine,” she says flatly.

“Well don’t sound so excited about it,” he teases, and she pulls back and smiles at him.

“Thanks for taking care of me,” she says softly.

“Thanks for letting me,” he replies.

[missguomeiyun]

❆ SEATTLE (ep3): dinner @ Noi

Our 1st meal in Seattle~

Noi Thai Cuisine, located at: 1303 1st Ave.

The interior was VERY dark! We quickly realized that Noi was more like a pub/lounge type of place. They are family-friendly; however, the atmosphere screamed date night or catch-up sesh with friends type of place.

Got a table by the window, facing The Harbour Steps.

Loved these lights!

Let’s take a look at the dinner menu (we happened to just miss the happy hr menu).

oooooOOh interesting.

I know the menu text is too small for you to actually read, but I still included them here so you can get a sense of how ‘fancy’ they are haha the pictures are all coloured & the menu paper is nice & glossy.

They have a very good description of what each dish is underneath the name of the dish.

Honestly, the menu was more like a food magazine than a menu :P

Look at that curry photo

Menu continues. ..

If you can’t tell by now, they are a fusion Thai restaurant.

*me thinking: “where is the pad thai?” *

Ahh. .. finally entering the noodle/rice section.

This is probably the section that was most familiar to me.

Noi also offers a number of vegetarian dishes.

We ordered our food & it came out pretty fast, despite the place being very busy!

The appetizer sampler~ Not gonna lie, DL & I were both intrigued by the ‘egg shell presentation’ lol but we also wanted to try other appetizers so the sampler was the best option. Let’s take a look at each part individually.

A. Crab wontons. Super crispy & filled with *real* crab meat (& cream cheese). The filling was creamy but had thin bits of crab meat.

B. Thai-style shrimp cakes. I’m a loyal fish cake girl so this shrimp cake . .. I was quite indifferent abut it. I was imagining something like the shrimp-stuffed bell peppers or eggplants that you could get at dimsum, where the shrimp is bouncy. But this fell short of that- there was a mushiness to it bcos the shrimp paste was made into some sort of paste/batter, rather than a primarily-shrimp paste. Does that make sense? Anyway, I though it’d be pure shrimp but it wasn’t, & I felt a little cheated.

C. Crispy taro rolls. This was better than expected. I thought it only had taro inside but it had some shrimp or prawn mixed in it as well!

D. Cock-A-Doodle-Doo. (Negligible) hint of spiciness from the tom yum bisque with deep fried prawn (bits) & tobiko. Sooooo sooo creamy mixed with crunchy & ‘popping’ textures. This was very satisfying from a textural perspective.

Of the 4 items, my order of preference: C > D > A > B.

Honestly opinion about the 4 items in general. .. I didn’t really get much “Thai” flavour in any of the 4 items :S I feel like these things could be ordered from any western restaurant, especially with more & more western pub/lounge places offering Asian-inspired appetizers/flavours. Wonderful presentation but altogether, not bad, but not great. I would recommend getting the Cock-A-Doodle-Doo on its own if you were to come here. It is different & I think it’s worth a try!

Original Tom Kah Gai. “This soup feature chicken, straw mushroom caps, lemongrass, spring onions, cilantro and enticing taste of galangal roots infused with coconut milk.” (copied directly from website)

From our personal Thai cuisine experiences, we have not seen/heard of this milky soup, so we decided to try it. The appearance looked so creamy & harmless, but this soup actually had quite a sharp flavour to it! Nevermind the ingredients used (nothing spectacular about it) but the soup was like WOWWW! Very citrus-y & strong lemongrass flavour will hit you first, & then it fades, & that’s when the subtle coconut flavour comes out. I really liked it!

Clay Pot Crab with Glass Noodles. (they say glass noodles but it’s the thin clear vermicelli noodles that you often find in spring rolls, aka cellophane noodles, not the stuff you use for japchae)

“A century old Thai favorite dish includes a combination of spiced crab, bacon, ginger, cilantro, white pepper on top of stir-fried glass noodle with our delicious homemade sauce.” The sauce was too zesty-spicy for me, so I actually didn’t eat the noodles with the sauce, but others might like it. I wasn’t a big fan of this dish; flavour was good (but did not scream “Thai” to me.. . honestly, it was just like a stir-fry that one could make at home using soy sauce + fish sauce), & abundant crab meat (more than I had expected!)... the biggest concern was the noodles =/ it was stiff! You know when you cook noodles sometimes & then it cools .. . & then it becomes dry & takes the form of the bowl? Well, this was like that. The noodles weren’t loose; it was stuck together. You literally needed to CUT a section out bcos using fork/chopsticks to take some was nearly impossible (you’d be taking out all the noodles with you). I was disappointed by this.. .

So yeah. .. ummm .. lol not the best 1st meal. However, the soup was very delicious & enjoyable!

Fun fact: they are a popular stopover spot for Thai Airways crew!

[callmekittyc]

Chiang Mai Life

Have you ever seen the commercial or ad or whatever that says "Tiny keyboard, Big headache"? Well let me just say that's how i feel about typing these blog posts from my phone. We all know I'm more of a novelist... so that is why I have been slacking. Also I'm on vacation, and this somehow feels a bit like work. So this is for all 14 of my loyal followers, you're welcome. Let me give you an update on things:

1. Holy temples! Chiang Rai is the bees knees!! If you want to see some of the most bizarre, yet detailed oriented, and slightly questionable artwork I highly recommend the White Temple and the Baandam Museum (aka the Black House). Let me break them down for you and ed-u-ma-cate you.

         A. The White Temple: My thoughts, "Do I really want to go to another temple? There's going to be so many tourists... ugh. Guess I'll go." Please excuse my American Millennial slang when I say OMFG! THAT SHIT WAS DOPE AF! Seriously. The amount of time and detail that's put into this is crazy. So this temple got started in 1997 by some master artist that has an odd obsession with all things pop culture and politically questionable. It is a 90 year work in progress! As in, most people reading this will be dead when it's completed. (Sorry for the bluntness) But yea you can see for yourself what I mean by artistically gifted. I only wish they would have allowed me to take pictures of the murals that line the insides of this "sacred place".  Inside you'll not only find a wax figure of Buddha, but hidden gems like Pikachu, Hello Kitty, and even, the attractive Keanu Reeves. If you go to any temple at all, it should be this one because the artwork speaks for itself. I'm slightly disappointed I only paid 2 cents to get in.

         B. The Baandam Museum is truly one of the most extensive collection of animal bones I've ever seen. "Baan" means house, while "dam" translates to black so it literally translates to Black House. This was by far my favorite "museum" I've ever been to. It probably would seem creepy to most, but the artist lines the walls of 43 structures with animal bones, skulls, skins, and the most detailed woodworking I've ever seen. Bones are assembled in an almost ritualistic way. It's beautiful.

2. While the title of this post is "Chiang Mai Life", Chiang Rai is where I had my self- actualization moment. I had some seriously deep thoughts in the mountains of Chiang Rai that really has changed my perspective on quite a few things. I also experienced the most beautiful thing in my life. I'm not kidding. I was speechless for the first time. I think everyone has at least one of those moments in their life where the world quite literally stops for you. All is quiet. And you can't think of anything more beautiful. Maybe it's holding a child you just gave birth to, maybe it's experiencing love for the first time, maybe it's jumping out of a plane.... everyone has a moment and I had one. Watching the sunset at one of the highest peaks while the full moon reflected in the background was breathless. It was my moment. My world stopped.

3. I met this stranger in a coffee shop. An older gentleman i had never seen and will most likely never see again. We had some of the most meaningful conversation and it made me realize several things. Travelers are a whole different people. I'm one of those people. We don't just travel, but we experience. We do things to learn more about the world. We make ourselves uncomfortable and do things others wouldn't normally do. We are wise and infinitely young. We live by doing, not by example. Although travelers are all so different and we each have our own story, we have a commonality in that we are always searching for new knowledge and new experiences. We revel in learning and doing. We love being.

Sorry for the deep thoughts here, but the post is called "Chiang Mai Life"...

4. Going back to Chiang Mai, I decided it's time to start doing. Even if it meant the touristy things, but YOLO and who knows if I'll ever come back to this magical place... so I booked a cooking class, a trekking tour, and a ziplining excursion. I'll break them down for you..

         A. Cooking Class: This was awesome. It was Christmas day for me and I was kind of feeling sad and lonely. Well turns out, I ended up being the only person in that cooking class. I liked it though. The owner was very cool and took me to the local market and explained ingredients to me and showed me how to shop for the best items. We all know I come from a cooking household, but let me just say Thai cooking and ingredients are a brand new experience. Asia has so many fruits, vegetables, and spices I've never even heard of. After the market, I talked to a local about cooking methods, and after using a mortar and pestle for about 30 minutes, I have a new appreciation for pre-made chili paste. I almost boiled my arms because they were noodles at that point. I made 6 items: Cashew Chicken Stir-fry (Gai Pad Med Mamuang), Northern style chicken curry (Khao Soi), Coconut Milk and Chicken Soup (Tom Kah Gai), Spring Rolls, Mango Sticky Rice, and Red Chili paste.

        B. Trekking Tour: Made for beginners or out-of shape people like me, this little tour was perfect. We started at this phenomenal waterfall in the famous Doi Inthanon National Park. Then we trekked about 3km through the jungle to a hill tribe village, belonging to the Karen people. We passed fields of strawberries, rice, chrysanthemums, and coffee plants. We crossed bridges made of bamboo and even caught a glimpse of an electric green python native to Southeast Asia. After we got to the village, we were able to watch how the coffee was roasted, hand ground and brewed. From there, we went to two pagodas honoring the queen and late King. Our tour concluded with a visit to a hill tribe market overflowing with fresh produce and local honey.

        C. Zipling: Please see my Google rating for "Jungle Flight Chiang Mai" for a more detailed description. Ha. Kidding. Although the review is way more kickass than this. Ziplining was awesome yet slightly terrifying. I'm pretty sure I've once before mentioned the safety protocols in Thailand... they're non existant. I'm pretty sure OSHA would have something to say. (Harley maybe you shouldn't visit) But damn I'm glad it was questionable because flying through the mountains was exhilarating. Getting slung around on a zipline roller coaster left me squealing with delight! To the losers that said, "I like more extreme sports." You're missing out!

Sorry if this post was too short but honestly, the experiences have just been so much fun! I don't have any complaints or overly funny stories because I'm living in the moment... Although my instructor for the ziplining course said I need to use my ass more. He's quite right though. Looking at my inflated pancake ass has me longing for a stairmaster and a salad. Damn Northern Thailand and their delicious food... Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year! I promise I've thought about every single one of you.

[sheylafethurva]

SOUPer

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE soup.

It doesn’t matter if the weather is cold, warm, raining or not, soup is comforting and nourishing.

I want to share with you my personal favourite.

Hope you can treat yourself making it someday ;)

The history behind my choice

In 2005 I had Thai food for the first time. I was living in Seattle with a cousin, and he took me to have a Pad Thai because he loves it and wanted me to taste it. At first, I didn't enjoy it. He was so excited to present me this peculiar cuisine and  I really wanted to enjoy it as much as he did. But the truth is that I hated it. I remember saying that it was all minty (don’t ask me why) and I felt like drinking perfume. Oh, if I could talk to “past Sheyla”. If I could tell her to enjoy that Pad Thai because it was from a super authentic restaurant and  I’m sure it was divine. 

 Fourteen years have passed, and now I  realize how my taste was primitive by that time. But, Its fascinating to see that our ability to taste, appreciate and recognize flavours is like a muscle. You need training and workout, otherwise, you don’t see any progress. I’m still a work in progress, always looking for an unknown spice, fruit or exotic protein, all to be able to identify as many ingredients as possible and continue to develop my palate.

  As a Brazilian, I grew up eating good but very mild food. Brazilians don't actually have the habit of adding herbs or spices to their food. Most of the Brazilian recipes only require salt, pepper, and garlic as seasoning. Most of the dishes are very flat in flavor either sweet or salty; no nuances, no complexity, it’s all pretty straight forward. Of course, some regions explore more of herbs, spices, and plant extracts to build more elaborate flavours (in the North region, for example), but in general, we are not quite used to it.

Through the years, I saw  Asian cuisine as an inspiration to explore the unknown. I rediscovered the Thai cuisine and I fell in love with it. Their dishes are diverse, aromatic, complex and flavours blend as a dance inside your mouth.  One dish that inspires me to understand how flavours have to be built and well combined is Tom Kha Gai soup. This precious and rich liquid  means "chicken galangal soup." 

So first things first, what is galangal?

Thurler, C.(photographer).(2020).Downtown Toronto, ON.

It's a rhizome...wait what? =O

Well, a rhizome is essentially a stem, but it grows underground.

 As you may see in the picture above, it looks like ginger, and that's because ginger is also a rhizome. Both are super fragrant and have a unique taste.

Differently from ginger, galangal has a more citric, sweet, and less pungent taste, so if you think you can substitute one for the other, you better think twice.

So let’s see what else we need for the soup:

Thurler, C.(photographer).(2020).Downtown Toronto, ON.

                                           Tom Kha Gai soup

Serves: 4 -5 people (200 -250ml per serving)

                            2 cups homemade stock

                            200g chicken thighs cut in medium pieces

                            1/2 stalk lemongrass cut diagonally (about 3 cm) 

                            7-10 thin rounds fresh ginger

                            10-15  thin rounds galangal

                            4-5 Kaffir *leaves

                            5-7 Thai basil leaves

                            1 Thai chilli with seeds (the amount is up to you)

                            1 can coconut milk 

                            3 tbsp fish sauce

                            1 1/2 tbsp palm sugar

                            150g sliced Oyster mushroom 

                            100 g  sliced Paris mushrooms                                                          1 Red and green bell pepper (medium slices)

                             1 Tbsp lime juice 

                             Salt to taste

*don’t forget to bruise them before adding to the pot, it helps to release its incredible aroma

Why making this soup?

I have had Tom Kha Gai many times through the past years and my standards are high. In Seattle, London, and NYC, years later, I could visit some authentic Thai restaurants so I knew that trying to replicate any of their traditional dishes would be a challenge. I was always afraid of making this specific soup because of the layers of flavour. Building all those layers and reaching the perfect balance would be hard to achieve. Back home, there are some Gourmet stores where it’s only possible to find a limited range of ingredients. Once, and only once, I decided to make it, using a ready- to- use Tom Kha seasoning mixture, since not even in a million years would I find galangal in my city. The result was ok. It was tasty, but it was missing the authenticity of the proper ingredients. Since I came to Toronto, I felt blessed to have so many ingredients within reach; it's amazing, a real privilege. And even more amazing is the fact we are studying stocks and soups for the past two weeks. Making Tom Kha Gai became a mandatory mission at this point, so bellow I'll describe how I finally made mine.

First, here’s a piece of advice if you are a soup lover: make your chicken/vegetable stock and freeze them for future use. You never know when you are going to crave some chicken noodle soup, a minestrone and now some Tom Kha ;) I, fortunately, had some, and I used it to make my soup.

Here's the chicken stock recipe:

                                                Chicken stock

                                    The carcass of one chicken

                                     2 medium onions

                                     1 medium carrot

                                     2- 3 stalks celery

                                     1 leek (white part)

                                     1 bay leaf

                                      Peppercorns

                                      Parsley stems

*Personally, I don't add bouquet garni with thyme and other herbs, because I like my stock less provencal and more neutral

Method:

Place all the ingredients together in a pot, cover with cold water, and let it simmer for about 3 - 4 hours or until it reaches the ideal flavour. Keep an eye on it, removing the foam that is accumulated on the surface. Don’t worry too much about the time, if your stock is ready it will have body (that comes for collagen), savory flavour and clear appearance.

Strain it through a fine sieve and let it cool before store it.

Once you have your stock, you're all set. The most time-consuming ingredient is now ready to be used.

So here we go:

 Tom Kah Gai Method:                                                       1. Add the chicken,  chicken stock, kaffir, ginger, galangal, basil, and lemongrass to a pot and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. You can add a little salt at this point to start building and enhancing all the flavours.

Thurler, C.(photographer).(2020).Downtown Toronto, ON. 

  2. Once the chicken begins to look cooked, add the coconut milk, palm sugar and fish sauce. Let the sugar dissolve, and the coconut milk blend in. If you taste the mixture, you are going to feel the coconut flavour very pronounced; don't worry; it's normal at this point. Let it simmer for about 10 min.

Thurler, C.(photographer).(2020).Downtown Toronto, ON.

3. Then add the green/red bell peppers and the mushrooms. Let it simmer for about 15 min. The goal is to keep their texture and original flavour.  4. Check the level of salt, spiciness, and balance in general, then add the lime juice as a final touch of acidity. Let it simmer for about 3 min and taste it again. 5. Once the soup is ready, serve it hot and garnish with beautiful Thai basil leaves.

* if you want, you can take out the ginger, galangal, and lemongrass right before serving, because they can be harsh to eat, and also, the texture of the lemongrass is not very pleasant in the mouth. I don't mind leaving the leaves. They give colour and aroma to the dish.

Thurler, C.(photographer).(2020).Downtown Toronto, ON.

Thurler, C.(photographer).(2020).Downtown Toronto, ON.

Talking about results:

I know that all this information and ingredients can be a bit overwhelming, but believe me, this soup is worth trying. Not only because it is really delicious and considerably easy to make - method wise- but because it is a feast in the mouth. All the flavours are well represented in this, at first look, simple thin soup. So, in terms of appearance, the soup must be fairly off- white, almost beige and opaque. And what is really amazing about it is that judging by the colour, we would expect it to be hearty, creamy, cheesy, and mild in taste, but it turns out that Tom Kha is nothing like it. Well, it can be considerate hearty because of the sweetness and creaminess of the coconut cream, also the flavourful and quite fat chicken thighs. But the galangal, ginger, kaffir, and lemongrass take this soup to a fragrant, fresh, and citrussy level that you would not expect just looking at it. The aroma helps you to anticipate what kind of taste you would be savoring. Once the soup is ready in front of you, properly warm, and exhaling steam, you'll recognize the citric aroma coming from the galangal, kaffir leaves, ginger, and lemongrass. You may not know (yet) how galangal smells like, but your nose and tastebuds will sense it for sure. At the first sip, you will notice the sweet and smooth taste coming from the coconut, aligned with the acidic balance from the leaves, lemongrass, ginger, and lime juice. With a subtle delay, the spiciness will start taking place, gently enhancing your appetite for more. Then comes the flavourful, soft chicken thighs, adding that warm sensation that embraces the stomach, together with the bitter-sweet respectively green, and red bell peppers. Mouth-feel is enriched by the mushrooms that bring umami to the picture and also a little smokiness coming from the king oyster mushrooms. All of those flavours in just one bowl, enhanced with the right amount of salt and elevated with the complexity of the fish sauce. I can't say how much I like this soup and how satisfied - in all senses- it makes me feel. As I said before, my goal as a chef is to evoke sensations in my future costumers, and for me, Tom Kha Gai is the perfect example of it. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to find all the ingredients so easily here in Toronto, and I couldn't be happier with the results. My perfectionist personality doesn't allow me very often to truly appreciate a dish I make. This time was quite different because when, throughout the process, I noticed that the layers of flavours were being built and it was turning out to be exactly the way I want it to be, I felt fulfilled.

Thurler, C.(photographer).(2020).Downtown Toronto, ON. 

  This experience was even more special because I decided to make a "date dinner" out of it and asked my husband to be my guinea pig, as he really enjoys Thai food and is also by my side trying new dishes and discovering good restaurants.

Here is his testimonial:

“Having tried this Thai soup about half a dozen times before, I sort of knew what to expect. I had tried it at different places with different levels of satisfaction. In my mind, it is supposed to carry a lingering spicy punch, but not something overwhelming since this is considered a starter after all. And it is supposed to deliver a certain complexity of taste and aroma.Right from the start I had a very good impression, because it looked like it was supposed to. Its aroma felt somewhat fresh and I couldn't wait to try it.

At the first spoonful, I immediately felt like this was the real deal. It tasted a lot like the ones I had at the better places. I felt an acidic taste rounded out by what must have been coconut milk. It also came accompanied with a spicy after taste. Among the ingredients, I recall there was chicken, peppers, mushrooms, and what I think were bamboo shots and lemongrass. If I could change anything, I would have liked it to be even more sour on the sour side. The initiated Thai food lovers probably could have liked it even more spicy, but I felt it was spot on at least for my taste. In the end, I can say I found it delicious and really enjoyed it thoroughly. It was definitely not behind some of the best that I've had before.”

                                                 Carlos E. Thurler da Silva, February 1st, 2020.

The result was beyond my expectations, and I could visualize how important it is to respect each ingredient itself. Also, finding the right balance among so many unique ingredients made me feel more secure about my culinary sensibility. I had researched many recipes, found so many versions, but I can say that this is my adaptation and own version of a dish I love and respect deeply.    

[hunterssauces-blog]

Hunters Sauces

Chinese Cooking - Sauces & Spices

Sauces and spices are the input any cooking. They would not be tasted great without by any meals. The only exemption is the fact that some beach creatures might be boiled or merely steamed before serve. Because they're salty already in their body well, that's. Imagine eating water shrimp that is steamed? I'dnot bother!

I'd like to introduce some of spices and the hottest sauces that daily is used by us. You could possibly already know a number of them, but I guess you haven't heard of others.

Sauces

Bean Curd Sauce (Dou Fu Ru):

Fermented bean curd, full of meats. Could possibly be maintained for time that was fairly long. Is available in two sorts - red. Crimson is usually used to make Braised Chicken. Bright preferences hot and is commonly employed like a side dish along with noodles, buttocks, or congee. Some want to offer with vinegar and soy sauce for beef dumplings, hotpot recipes, yet others. Well-liked by north and northwest of China.

Shrimp Sauce:

Gas from baby shrimp dried and fermented. Use for dishes that are sauteed. Employed seriously for recipes from south of China.

Sauce:

Fat from oyster. Heavily salted. Use for dishes. Popular in Hongkong, Cantoon (Guang Dong, to be correct), and a few regions in south of China whilst not employed at all in northern and west of China with the exception of hotels and some restaurants.

Sesame Sauce (Zhi Ma Jiang):

Ground sesame seed with flavor that is strong. Used for cold meals.

Hot Pepper Sauce:

Hot sauce produced from combination of beans and warm spices. Red or brown in-color. Use sparingly in meals or dishes. In north, people frequently blend this sauce to stir fried minced meat and offer with noodles (ensure it is Crackers with Meat Sauce).

Oil:

Taste is too powerful for use in ing that is frying. Utilize limited to boosting taste of cold and baked dishes, noodles, hot pot marinade, soups, etc.

Pepper Oil:

Created from sesame oil and red pepper. Assist with meat dumplings, buttocks, etc.

JiangXi Vinegar:

A particular vinegar stated in JiangXi province. Lighting amber in-color using a distinct smell. Use for recipes that are cold and beef dumplings.

Spices

Salt:

Mixture of pepper dust with sodium. Offer with fried chicken, meat, and bass.

Raw-food sauces are (you have noticed this term before) delightful and healthy. For instance, my formula for organic Fettuccine Alfredo dresses clear ribbons of light green zucchini using a gravy made from a delicious spice blend and soaked cashews. Trust me; you may not miss the cream or perhaps the butter (or perhaps the fat and calories).

One among my personal favorite raw food sauce dishes could be the Fake Peanut Sauce that I made for Organic Food Made simple for one or two People. Typically, this sauce demands roasted peanuts, but organic butter is used by me instead. As well as keeping more vitamins, I do believe the menu is truly tasted better in by raw almond butter.

Try my organic Pesto if you prefer your sauces inexperienced in the place of white. Such as the initial, my recipes calls for pine nuts , olive oil, garlic and leaves. The distinction is the fact that the nuts are natural as opposed to roasted.

Pepper:

Dry brown round tart. Included infrequently in poultry and beef could take away the uncomfortable smell (bad smell). May also be employed for making even or pickles some deserts.

Five Powder:

Celebrity fennel, a mixture of pepper, clove, cinnamon, and dried peel. Modestly found in beef and cooking seafood.

Celebrity Fennel:

Fashioned brown incolor, like nine cornered star. Use for cooking with offal, meat, chicken and seafood.

You can make Your own almond butter it in shops. Only ensure you select natural almond butter.

Mock Peanut Sauce

* 1/2 glass natural almond butter

* 1/4 cup water

* 1 tablespoon lemon juice that is fresh

* 2 tablespoons pure MARINADE SAUCE maple syrup

* 2 teaspoons tamari

* INCH/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

* 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh cinnamon

* Rush cayenne

* Dash salt

* place-all the components in a blender and procedure until smooth

This natural gravy that was basic might be retained for five times within the refrigerator. Drizzle it at your next celebration at lunch or dinner or utilize it as being a dipping sauce to include Asian flair towards the crudites your serve over your preferred veggies.

Jennifer Cornbleet is an internationally known raw-food instructor and cooking, as well as the composer of the top-selling cookbook Raw Food Made simple for 1 or 2 People. She presents hands-on, talks, sessions courses, and consultations nationwide. She's at Living Light Culinary Arts Institute in Fort Bragg, a faculty coach.

The food that is trick to Thai count on two things, Thai Herbs and Thai Gravy. Herbs are about the fragrance nevertheless the mouth-watering style comes from the sauce. Tasty Thai dinners originate from Spanish sauce dishes that are excellent. You are on the road to preparing ideal Spanish Food, in case you get the combination right.

The next time you will find on your own in a Thai diner, lookover to your neighbors' table. Generally occasion, you will discover small extra British sauces in those recipes, unless your distinct British restaurant provides exclusively to low-Thais. I imagine what I am saying is, the more Spanish sauces the more reliable Japanese food you'll get is found to the tables by you. It truly is often an indicator that is good if these sauces while in the tiny dishes taste great. You'll be able to believe that other sauces possibly arises from a well-built marinade dishes. In addition to this, if you notice condiments with herbs and Japanese gravy on the table, you realize this diner is rather genuine. Thai cooking is all about sauces , spices, and mixing herbs . There is no greater solution to provide all the types that are intense than Thai marinade. Indian sauce is divided into two group, sauce and cooking sauce.

Sauces:

Sauce

* Prik Naam Pla (fish sauce with sliced soup and lime juice) - a worldwide sauce that goes with almost every grain meals. Some restaurants included it while in the condiment.

* Prik Naam Som (chili & vinegar marinade) - condiment used to flavor crackers

* Naam Prik Pao (roasted chili paste) - condiment found in selection of dishes (sauces, salads, stirfries). Some Thais use Prik Pao as jam exchange to distribute on toast.

* Aa-jaad (pickled cucumber Salad) - excellent dipping sauce for fried fish cakes, satay, as well as other fried snacks

* Naam Jiem Saate (peanut gravy) - one of the most widely used British sauces out side of Thailand. It likes so excellent folks don't simply utilize it to swim Satay but put it to use as much more, pizza sauce substitute, pad-Thai sauce substitute, and salad dressing. The American must contact it " Notice " sauce, what ever food you view you soak in this sauce.

* Naam Jiem Talay (Fish Marinade) - yes, you've thought it. Jiem Talay is actually a dipping sauce for all you seafood need. Transfer melted butter! Get ready for a fiesta in your mouth. This badboy is saturated in taste and when you take a bite, the intense mix of hot, poisonous, salty and special will knock-your socks off (if created right).

* Naam Jiem Buoi (plum sauce) - common among baby and individuals who cannot handle spicy food. Jiem Buoi is Great for any fried dishes.

* Lure Choe (vinaigrette soy sauce) - use for making warm and bad soup and dipping sauce for potsticker and Dim-Sum.

* Naam Jiem Gai (chicken dipping sauce) - sweet and hot sauce. Good with BBQ chicken

* Naam Jiem Seir Rong Hai (crying lion gravy) - Crying Lion is among the popular dinners in the US. Seared medium rare meat served with sauce, consists of soy sauce, ground-roasted almond fish sauce, and limejuice.

Sauce

* Nam Pla (seafood marinade) - for putting salty flavor. Used in soups, stir fry, and creating sauces. You will find seafood marinade in meals like Tom Yum (warm and bitter soup), Tom Kah (coconut soup), and station krapow (stir fry sacred basil).

Use within sauces, wrong and special stir fry.

* Pad Thai Sauce - use for cooking station Thai. Pad Thai menu will be offered inside our post that is later.

* Phu Khao Tong (Natural lid soy sauce) - flavored soy sauce. one of the critical gravy which included in several Indian stirfry sauce recipe

* Notice iew Dum (Nice black soy sauce) - for making Station Discover iew (Special friend fried noodle with chinese broccoli and meat). Compound in Khao Mun Khai (Broiled chicken beef over tasting grain) dipping sauce

* Observe iew khao (gentle soy sauce) - significant sauce in many dipping sauce.

Juice - significant component in pad thai sauce. Contained in some dipping sauce and Thai Khang Som soup (Bad soup with tammarin based)

Gravy - ingredient in lots of Thai stir fry sauce recipe including bad and lovely stirfry.

* Curry substance - All curry pastes have spices and similar herbs but unique percentage.

Thai menu is going to be granted in our guide that is later.

* Green curry paste

* Orange curry paste

* Reddish curry paste

Curry paste

* Panang curry paste

* Khua Kling curry paste (Southern Thai food)

* Khang Pa curry paste (Not preferred in international place)

* Khang Som curry paste (Not popular in foreign state)

Actually the recipes, unique percentage that is same produce a big difference in flavor. why marinade menu could be the key to separate superior Spanish food from excellent Indian treat, this is exactly.

Japanese food count generally on Indian marinade, while you can see from your record above. If you combine and match sauces, they become many different dinners.

Like I mentioned " you're on your way to preparing perfect Spanish Food, in case you got that combination right ".

Why Food?

That's a problem that is great. Now here's a good remedy: we like Japanese food. Well basically, we love Japanese food. And we enjoy Indian food so much that individuals feel you ought to think it's great also. Therefore it really is our goal to provide everyone who enjoys Indian food - or anyone who enjoys food in general - with an easy and fast way to discover the food they appreciate.

What is Regional Thai Food?

The answer is rather basic: delightful and hot Indian food close you'll be able to smell it! Well, not that near to load oneself on food that is excellent, and fast. You notice, the work of LocalThaiFood.com would be to assist you to pick the one which best fits your Japanese food needs, and also to assist you to find British restaurants which can be in your immediate location, or as close that you can.

Who Loves Food?

We do! And hopefully you are doing - or, at the very least develop you will shortly! Anyways, LocalThaiFood is run of us people here in California by simply a number and we might want to satisfy with you!