Pumpkin Thai Curry with Shrimp

Recently, I borrowed a copy of the Beat Bobby Flay cookbook from my local library. Sorry, Bobby, but why buy the cow when I can get the milk for free? The book has some good recipes, and I was particularly attracted to the pumpkin red curry with seafood--but not as written. It seemed like it would be better as a soup, so I made the appropriate adjustments. Cuz that's what I tend to do.

I wondered what the warm spices (cinnamon, etc.) brought to the table and found that they transformed a Thai red curry to something more like a Massaman curry. I adore red curry, Massaman not so much, so if I make this again, I will leave out the cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg, perhaps replacing them with lemongrass and makrut lime. Bobby used eggplant and sweet potato in his version, but I swapped in regular potato for both. 

Supermarket red curry paste, like Thai Kitchen brand, is pretty mild, heat-wise. I had just received a shaker of McCormick's roasted garlic/cayenne/onion/pink salt blend and thought that would be a good way to boost the heat while also seasoning the soup. You all know how much I like chili crisp, and this stuff gives some good chili crisp vibes, only without the oil. I used a teaspoon in the soup, but added some at the table as well, which gave the dish just enough of a kick. I quite like this seasoning, and will be using it a lot. It comes in a ginormous container, too, which is useful.

Thanks for the recipe, Bobby. I won't be buying the book though.

Pumpkin Thai Curry Soup with Shrimp

I knew this would make far more soup than two people could eat in one meal. I didn't want to deal with rubbery shrimp in reheated leftovers, so I only added as many as I thought Mr Minx and I could eat at one time. The leftovers equaled approximately 5 cups, which I tucked in the freezer for future use, perhaps with chicken or another different protein. 

Soup:

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

Pinch of kosher salt

2 t extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t ground allspice

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t ground ginger

1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg

2 T Thai red curry paste (if you're using a supermarket brand, like Thai Kitchen, use 3 T)

1 15-oz can pumpkin puree

1 13.5-oz can light coconut milk

2 shrimp, chicken, or vegetable bouillon cubes; if using Knorr XL (double) cubes, just use one

2 medium new potatoes, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon McCormick Roasted Garlic and Cayenne Pepper with Onion and Himalayan Pink Salt, plus more for the table

1 t smoked Spanish paprika

12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Garnish:

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted

1/4 cup shelled pumpkin seeds, toasted

3 T pomegranate seeds

1 scallion, white and light green part sliced into thin rings

Plain yogurt, sour cream, or creme fraiche

Make soup: Saute onion and a pinch of salt in olive oil over medium heat until translucent, stirring regularly. Add the dry spices and the curry paste and stir to combine. Cook a couple minutes, stirring constantly, to toast the spices, then add the pumpkin puree and coconut milk. Add 3 pumpkin cans of water to the pot (about 6 cups) with the bouillon. Bring to a simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld and develop. Add the potatoes; cook 15 minutes and test the potatoes for doneness. Once they are tender (might take a few minutes more), add the McCormick seasoning and smoked paprika. 

Add the shrimp and cook until they are pink and firm, 3-4 minutes.

Make garnish: In a bowl, combine coconut, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate, and scallion. 

To serve: Ladle soup into bowls. Dollop with yogurt and sprinkle on some garnish. Season with additional McCormick seasoning, if needed.

Makes about 2 1/2 quarts.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

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Flashback Friday - Thai Red Curry Chicken Burgers

This post originally appeared on Minxeats.com on May 2, 2014.

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We have a ton of stuff on our freezer. Other than ice cream, I mean. There are several quarts of gumbo from Cajun Kate's, leftover pork shoulder from that 8-lb behemoth I cooked last month, half a roast duck from the Great Wall grocery store in Catonsville, a leg of lamb, pasta sauce, various types of sausages (chorizo, andouille, lap cheong, hot dogs), ground beef, a skirt steak, bags of nuts, yeast, coffee, and bread, and more. And this is one of those standard above-the-fridge freezer jobbies, not a big ol' chest freezer. (So don't believe me when I say we have nothing in the house to eat. What I really mean is that there's nothing that I feel like defrosting and cooking.)

There was a pound of ground chicken in there too. I can't remember why we bought it exactly, maybe to make some laab, but there it was, looking slightly freezer-burned, buried under a pile of other foodstuffs. I determined that if it was not indeed funky with freezer burn, I'd make chicken burgers with it. And not just chicken burgers, but Thai red curry chicken burgers. We had two open jars of Thai Kitchen red curry paste in the fridge, and I've been looking for a way to use the stuff up. We also had a partial jar of  Maesri "chilli paste with basil leaves" and a jar of sliced Kaffir lime leaves. I love that chilli paste stuff and have used it in a number of things over the years. As for the lime leaves--have you noticed how difficult they are to find in the supermarket? And when you do find them, you have to use them right away or they'll go bad? Then I found sliced ones in a jar at H-Mart. They're not quite as powerfully-flavored as fresh, but they'll do in a pinch. And I think their flavor is an essential match to red curry paste.

So...back to the burgers. Ground chicken can often be unpalatably dry, so I always add some chia seeds soaked in water to add moisture. The omega-3 boost doesn't hurt, either. The curry paste also helps to make the meat moist. In fact, the raw mixture will be very moist, so don't be anal about trying to get perfectly round patties. Refrigerate them for a while before cooking so the flavors meld and the patties firm up a bit.

These were a big hit. The burgers were not only moist, but also super flavorful. We ate them both on bread and as-is with a salad, using the special sauce as dressing.

Thai Red Curry Chicken Burgers

2 teaspoons chia seeds soaked in 1 tablespoon water
1 lb ground chicken
1 tablespoon coconut milk powder
4 teaspoons Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
2 teaspoons finely minced Kaffir lime leaves
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well to incorporate the chia and curry paste. Form into patties, between 4-8, depending on the size of your rolls, number of guests, or appetite. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour so the flavors will meld.

Heat canola oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. When hot, add the chicken patties. Cook for 4 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook an additional 3 minutes.

Serve with Special Sauce.

Special Sauce

3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Maesri Thai chilli sauce with basil
1/2 roasted red bell pepper, diced
2 scallions, white and green part, chopped

Combine all ingredients. Serve with Thai Red Curry Chicken Burgers.

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Flashback Friday - Thai-style Crab Cakes

This post originally appeared on Minxeats.com on July 6, 2012.
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Sometimes I have a hankering for crab, and on those days, even mediocre crab will do. I have found that in the world of mediocre crab (the canned stuff that Phillips puts out, for instance), claw meat tends to have the most flavor. It's also more reasonably priced than lump. I bought a can of crab claw meat for the okonomiyaki I made a couple of weeks back, but didn't use all of it. The rest became crab cakes.

Our Thai basil was growing like gangbusters, so I thought I'd make a cake with Thai flavors: lemongrass; red curry paste; basil. I realized I should probably use a bit of breading, since claw meat tends to be on the moist side. I didn't want to use up the bit of bread earmarked for Mr Minx's lunch the next day, so grabbed the next carby thing I found - a box of corn Chex.

It worked quite well. After a long rest in the fridge, the cakes stayed together in the pan, and they formed a nice crispy crust, too.

My favorite thing about using Chex as a crust: getting out my frustrations by beating on them with a meat tenderizer.

Thai-Spiced Crab Cakes

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Thai Kitchen red curry paste
1 teaspoon lemongrass paste
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
12 ounces crab claw meat
1/2 cup Thai basil, cut into a fine chiffonade
1/2 cup crushed Corn Chex cereal
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a large bowl, mix together mayo, red curry paste, lemongrass, and Sriracha. Fold in crab, basil, and cereal. Add salt and pepper to taste. Form into 6-8 patties. Refrigerate for several hours; overnight is best.

Heat oil in a large saute pan. Add crab cakes. Cook for 10-12 minutes, turning over once, until heated through and browned on both sides.

Serve with peanut sauce.

Peanut Sauce

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon lemongrass paste
1 tablespoon milk
lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped scallions

Warm peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl or ramekin until runny. Stir in Sriracha, lemongrass, and milk. Add enough lime juice to create a drizzle-able texture (3 tablespoons or so). Stir in scallions.

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Thai Red Curry BBQ Sauce

It's football time again, and the Ravens have a ton of 1 pm games. I hate that. It really cuts into my ability to make interesting weekend food. You see, I only cook on the weekends (Mr Minx has weeknight kitchen duty) and I like to spread my prep and cooking out over a long period of time. If I spend a big chunk of the afternoon with my eyes glued to a football game, that gives me much less time for prep. So I tend to resort to either long-cooking recipes like chili or fast things like nachos, both of which are rather boring. To me, anyway.

I also like to make things like pulled pork. A pork butt has to cook for hours, so I pop it in the oven before gametime and by the time it's all over, the meat is ready for shredding. But I can't use bottled bbq sauce. I haven't really found one that I like. Most are too sweet, or too smoky. And I figure if I can't make an entirely inventive meal on Sundays, I can at least make one component from scratch. Like bbq sauce.

I like making sauces, and bbq sauce is easy if you have the basics: ketchup; onion; brown sugar; an acid. Mr Minx picked up a bottle of McCormick Red Curry seasoning recently, so I used it to make a Thai-ish bbq sauce. We already had fish sauce and lime juice on hand, so it was pretty easy to throw together and refrigerate before the game. Afterward, I shredded the boneless mini pork butt that was cooking in the oven and made a salad with a bag of broccoli slaw and leftover peanut sauce.

Easy, time efficient, and somewhat interesting. Oh, and tasty, which of course is the most important part.

Thai Red Curry BBQ Sauce
This sauce would also be a great glaze for chicken wings.

Olive oil
1/2 ripe bell pepper (I used yellow), roughly chopped
1 cup roughly chopped onion
Kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2-3 teaspoons McCormick Thai Red Curry seasoning, or more to taste
Small handful torn cilantro
1/2 cup ketchup
6 ounces (1/2 12-oz jar) apricot preserves
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
Juice of 1 lime
Fish sauce
Brown sugar

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a sauce pan and add the pepper, onion, and a pinch of salt. Cover pot and cook until vegetables are wilted, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir well to combine. Cook an additional minute until garlic is fragrant. Add a teaspoon of McCormick Red Curry seasoning to the pan and stir well. Add the cilantro, ketchup, preserves, stock or water, and lime juice and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat until reduced and thickened to ketchup consistency. Season with additional 1 or 2 teaspoons of curry seasoning, and a few tablespoons of fish sauce. The sauce should be fairly tangy, but if you prefer a sweeter bbq sauce, add a tablespoon or so of brown sugar.

Remove from heat and blend to a fairly smooth puree with a stick blender. Alternatively, use a regular blender, but be very careful with blending hot liquids, as the heat buildup in the blender jar can cause the lid to pop off. Either let the sauce cool a bit, or take the center plastic cap off the blender lid and hold a kitchen towel over the lid while blending.

Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to one week. Makes about a pint.



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Thai Red Curry Chicken Burgers

We have a ton of stuff on our freezer. Other than ice cream, I mean. There are several quarts of gumbo from Cajun Kate's, leftover pork shoulder from that 8-lb behemoth I cooked last month, half a roast duck from the Great Wall grocery store in Catonsville, a leg of lamb, pasta sauce, various types of sausages (chorizo, andouille, lap cheong, hot dogs), ground beef, a skirt steak, bags of nuts, yeast, coffee, and bread, and more. And this is one of those standard above-the-fridge freezer jobbies, not a big ol' chest freezer. (So don't believe me when I say we have nothing in the house to eat. What I really mean is that there's nothing that I feel like defrosting and cooking.)

There was a pound of ground chicken in there too. I can't remember why we bought it exactly, maybe to make some laab, but there it was, looking slightly freezer-burned, buried under a pile of other foodstuffs. I determined that if it was not indeed funky with freezer burn, I'd make chicken burgers with it. And not just chicken burgers, but Thai red curry chicken burgers. We had two open jars of Thai Kitchen red curry paste in the fridge, and I've been looking for a way to use the stuff up. We also had a partial jar of  Maesri "chilli paste with basil leaves" and a jar of sliced Kaffir lime leaves. I love that chilli paste stuff and have used it in a number of things over the years. As for the lime leaves--have you noticed how difficult they are to find in the supermarket? And when you do find them, you have to use them right away or they'll go bad? Then I found sliced ones in a jar at H-Mart. They're not quite as powerfully-flavored as fresh, but they'll do in a pinch. And I think their flavor is an essential match to red curry paste.

So...back to the burgers. Ground chicken can often be unpalatably dry, so I always add some chia seeds soaked in water to add moisture. The omega-3 boost doesn't hurt, either. The curry paste also helps to make the meat moist. In fact, the raw mixture will be very moist, so don't be anal about trying to get perfectly round patties. Refrigerate them for a while before cooking so the flavors meld and the patties firm up a bit.

These were a big hit. The burgers were not only moist, but also super flavorful. We ate them both on bread and as-is with a salad, using the special sauce as dressing.

Thai Red Curry Chicken Burgers

2 teaspoons chia seeds soaked in 1 tablespoon water
1 lb ground chicken
1 tablespoon coconut milk powder
4 teaspoons Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
2 teaspoons finely minced Kaffir lime leaves
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well to incorporate the chia and curry paste. Form into patties, between 4-8, depending on the size of your rolls, number of guests, or appetite. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour so the flavors will meld.

Heat canola oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. When hot, add the chicken patties. Cook for 4 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook an additional 3 minutes.

Serve with Special Sauce.

Special Sauce

3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Maesri Thai chilli sauce with basil
1/2 roasted red bell pepper, diced
2 scallions, white and green part, chopped

Combine all ingredients. Serve with Thai Red Curry Chicken Burgers.










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Thai-style Crab Cakes

Sometimes I have a hankering for crab, and on those days, even mediocre crab will do. I have found that in the world of mediocre crab (the canned stuff that Phillips puts out, for instance), claw meat tends to have the most flavor. It's also more reasonably priced than lump. I bought a can of crab claw meat for the okonomiyaki I made a couple of weeks back, but didn't use all of it. The rest became crab cakes.

Our Thai basil was growing like gangbusters, so I thought I'd make a cake with Thai flavors: lemongrass; red curry paste; basil. I realized I should probably use a bit of breading, since claw meat tends to be on the moist side. I didn't want to use up the bit of bread earmarked for Mr Minx's lunch the next day, so grabbed the next carby thing I found - a box of corn Chex.

It worked quite well. After a long rest in the fridge, the cakes stayed together in the pan, and they formed a nice crispy crust, too.

My favorite thing about using Chex as a crust: getting out my frustrations by beating on them with a meat tenderizer.

Thai-Spiced Crab Cakes

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Thai Kitchen red curry paste
1 teaspoon lemongrass paste
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
12 ounces crab claw meat
1/2 cup Thai basil, cut into a fine chiffonade
1/2 cup crushed Corn Chex cereal
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a large bowl, mix together mayo, red curry paste, lemongrass, and Sriracha. Fold in crab, basil, and cereal. Add salt and pepper to taste. Form into 6-8 patties. Refrigerate for several hours; overnight is best.

Heat oil in a large saute pan. Add crab cakes. Cook for 10-12 minutes, turning over once, until heated through and browned on both sides.

Serve with peanut sauce.

Peanut Sauce

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon lemongrass paste
1 tablespoon milk
lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped scallions

Warm peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl or ramekin until runny. Stir in Sriracha, lemongrass, and milk. Add enough lime juice to create a drizzle-able texture (3 tablespoons or so). Stir in scallions.

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Sous Vide Chicken

After owning the SousVide Supreme™ for several months now and not really using it all that often, I thought it was time to change that. Our freezer is full of all sorts of sous-vide-able meats - pork belly, beef heart, boneless leg of lamb - but it was high time to try chicken. Boneless, skinless, flavorless chicken breasts, to be exact. I checked out the optimal temperature for cooking chicken in a water bath, marinated a couple of BSCBs, and commenced to cooking.

The result: the most tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken breasts I have ever eaten. The meat had a subtle garlic flavor from the marinade, and really didn't need the sauce I made for it at all, except to make it pretty (in other words, hide its naked ugliness).

I can't picture myself using any other method for chicken breasts from now on.

Sous Vide Chicken with Leeks and Red Curry Peanut Sauce

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon lemongrass paste

Combine ingredients in a zip top bag. Marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, preheat water oven to 140°F. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry. Place each breast in its own quart-sized sous-vide bag, or use a half-gallon bag for both, and vacuum seal. Cook in water oven for at least 1 hour 35 minutes and up to 10 hours.

Leeks

2 leeks, light green parts only, halved, sliced, and well-rinsed
1 cup chicken stock
olive oil or butter
salt and pepper to taste

Place leeks in a sauce pan with the stock. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook at a simmer until leeks are very tender, about one hour. Bring back to a boil to cook off any remaining stock. Remove from heat. Add a bit of butter or olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Red Curry Peanut sauce

Red curry paste
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemongrass paste
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

Serve chicken on a bed of leeks, napped with sauce. Or vice versa.

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Exotic Dinner Party

Had I made it past the first round of Project Food Blog, this would have been my third post:

When I read that the third challenge was to hold a "luxurious dinner party where guests would discover new tastes and exotic flavors," I was immediately struck by the word "exotic." My favorite cuisine, one that is still pretty exotic in the greater Baltimore area, is Thai food. I can't begin to tell you how much I love the intense flavors of lemongrass, kaffir lime, and chiles commingled with creamy coconut milk, the scent of fragrant, nutty, jasmine rice perfuming the air along with garlic and galangal, and the aromatic wonder that is red curry.

:::closing eyes and taking a deep, imaginary sniff::: Ahhh!

My favorite Thai restaurant closed a few years ago, leaving me heartbroken. Where was I going to get my fix of tom yum goong and Thai iced tea? While there are still a couple of pretty decent Thai places around, sometimes I find it easier to concoct something at home. And while I love authentic food, the inauthentic certainly has a place in my heart, too. Definitely in my kitchen. I thought it would be fun to have a party featuring not only Thai food, but also Thai flavors in dishes of other ethnic origins, to make them more accessible to my inexperienced friends. The Thai food virgins.

I was happily surprised to find that eight of the fourteen friends and family members I invited were eager to experience the flavors of Thailand. Counting Mr Minx and I, that would make ten diners.

And six dining-room chairs.

Rather than a sit-down dinner party, I thought it could be more fun to have a finger food buffet, that way, I could accommodate everyone, while making food prep a bit easier on myself.

The first thing I do in a situation like this - well, in any party situation - is to go through my cookbooks to get ideas for dishes. What authentic Thai dishes did I want to include? What other party food could be transformed with the flavors of lemongrass and Kaffir lime? How much coconut milk and red curry paste could I get away with using without making everything taste similar? What could be enjoyed cold or at room temperature? What dishes best fit the various dietary requirements and allergies that would be in attendance? And what do *I* really want to prepare that both shows off the ethnic flavors I wish to showcase...and my cooking talents?

And then I had it - the menu:

Thai red curry and Thai basil deviled eggs
Laab chicken salad wraps
Smoked Tofu lettuce wraps
Thai coconut gazpacho
Roasted eggplant with tofu and basil
Trio of Thai dips with crudités
Cucumber relish
Thai pork sliders (Tod mun mu)
Thai "babaganoush"
Jasmine rice salad
Coconut trifle

The whole spread.

One of my all-time favorite Thai dishes is tod mun pla, fried fish cakes studded with bits of green beans and seasoned with Kaffir lime. These little beauties are aromatic, crunchy, and fried - a triumverate of perfection. I always thought they would make terrific sliders. So I concocted a Minxian variation, substituting ground pork for ground fish. Served on mini potato rolls and topped with a traditional cucumber salad, these tod mun mu (mu being the Thai word for pork) were little bits of burger heaven.

A tod mun mu slider topped with cucumber relish and cilantro.

Another twist on Thai flavors is found in my coconut gazpacho. I whipped some of this up a few weeks back, when I had a surfeit of coconut milk on hand. The flavors are gorgeous, and a chilled but spicy soup is perfection on these still a bit too-warm early Autumn days.

Because Mr Minx isn't a fan of deviled eggs, I seldom get to eat them. But with seven egg-loving party guests (and one hater), I thought it would be a good occasion to break out my fancy deviled egg plate. (No good Southern girl should be without one, so I've been told!) I flavored half of the filling with Thai chilli basil paste (one of my all-time favorite condiments) and half with red curry paste. All were incredibly good, and I had to stop myself from eating most of them.

Yeah, they're not pretty. Almost every yolk was way off-center, which caused the
whites to tear when I removed them. And I didn't have a piping bag.

The egg-hater happens to be an eggplant lover, so I made a couple of dishes with her favorite vegetable. One was a fairly straightforward Thai stir-fry of roasted eggplant and tofu, and the other a Thai-ized babaganoush, with almond butter standing in for the tahini.

Babagawhash?

Can't have a dinner without dessert, right?  I contemplated making some of that decadent coconut custard that is usually served in tiny little two-tablespoon-sized bowls, but instead decided that a trifle would be just the thing.  I cheated a bit and used Bird's Custard, but mixed with two cans of coconut milk rather than cow's milk, and an Sarah Lee All Butter Pound Cake. Plus fresh pineapple and mango. It was a smash hit.

The verdict?

Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, and I received several requests for the recipes, which I'll be posting here in the near future. Two of the three dips were completely decimated, with the third being too spicy for most people. And people who didn't like coconut milk were eating...coconut milk.

Personally, I was very happy with the way just about everything turned out. The sliders were probably my favorite, followed by the gazpacho and the eggs (which made for a killer breakfast on Sunday).

If you liked this post (or even if you didn't), please leave a comment!

Charm City Chowhounds Dinner at Bangkok Garden

I've whined here on many an occasion about the dearth of really fine Thai food in my area. While most restaurants serve some variation on some of my favorite dishes - panang curry, tod mun, tom kha gai - the curry and soup are usually far too sweet and the fish cakes are greasy. So when given the opportunity to try dishes from the "secret" menu at Bangkok Garden, in Columbia, Mr Minx and I jumped at the chance.

We were not disappointed.

We started out with a trio of appetizer-type dishes.

Som Tum Thai - green papaya salad with marinated crabmeat. I really didn't notice much crab meat (although we did get a couple of random legs). I'd never eaten green papaya before, and I'm happy to report that it doesn't have the same vomitous pre-digested quality as the ripe stuff. However, the crab and lashings of fish sauce gave the dish a "garbage" essence. But as one of my dining companions, Kwan, put it - "garbage in a good way."

Yam Makheua Yao - warm salad of smoky grilled Thai eggplant. I loved this! The meltingly soft eggplant paired with red onion and mint in a bright citrus dressing was heavenly. I could easily have eaten a whole order myself.

Naam Prik Plaa Raa - fermented fish paste dip with sliced raw vegetables. This was my least favorite of the dishes. While it was tasty enough and not too fishy, it was difficult to eat as a dip, particularly with thin slices of bamboo shoot. It just didn't scream, "more" at me.

Next came the entrees.

Khang Som Cha-Om Kai Sai Koong - hot pot of sour red curry broth with shrimp and acacia omelette. This was simply delicious. I loved the bits of spongy omelette that had absorbed some of the rich, tangy, and tomatoey broth.  I scooped every last drop out of the hot pot because it was too good to waste.

Pla Muk Pad Kra Pow - squid stir fried with sweet basil leaves. This was very good, with fairly tender squid that had been scored in the traditional Thai style that leaves it looking a bit like ginger flowers after cooking. I thought the dish could have used a tad more basil, but the dish was a favorite around the table.

Panang Kai - red curry with chicken. Before this dish came to the table, I mentioned to the group that although I love penang curry, I find it is often too sweet. And such was the case at Bangkok Garden. Sweet indeed, but it still had a nice depth of flavor that put it above other such dishes I've eaten elsewhere. (But still no match for the aromatic perfection at Bangkok Place.)

Raat naa taleh - wide noodles with seafood. The components of this dish came in a thick gravy-textured sauce that was quite different from all of the other sauces; unfortunately I think the preponderance of sauce made the noodles soggy. This was, however, better than the too-tough undercooked noodles we had at Bangkok Delight last Fall.

We also had a dish of pork with garlic and white pepper. I wish they had brought a bigger portion for our table of 7 people because I enjoyed this one very much. It was simple and flavorful.

Finally, we shared a dish of perfectly ripe mango and still-warm sticky rice topped with a bit of coconut milk, one of my all-time favorite desserts.

Overall, I give this meal a pretty high score. I loved the variety, and the chance to try things I might not normally try. I had originally thought that the heat level would be incendiary, since we were ordering from a menu that was written in Thai, but found that the heat level was perfect for me. Ok, I gasped twice, but a bit of rice mellowed things out nicely.

There will definitely be trips to Bangkok Garden in my future.

Bangkok Garden
5810 Robert Oliver Pl
Columbia, MD 21045-3740