Earlier this year, we went on a 10-day adventure to Asia that took us to the likes of Bangkok, Cambodia and Hong Kong. While the sight-seeing was great, I found myself more appreciative of the opportunity to immerse in foreign cultures filled with new and flavorful cuisines.
After landing in Bangkok and adjusting to the time difference (12 hours) , we signed up for a cooking class with an authentic Thai chef at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. What a great experience! Turned out that the recipes that day included Chicken with Basil (stay tuned for that recipe). The others (this dish!, a dessert and a soup) were new to us but we figured it would be fun to try new things.
in the kitchen, Bangkok style!
Tuk Tuks
This recipe, which I still have no idea how to pronounce, is downright delicious. It is easy, flavorful and healthy. The sweetness of the corn and spice of the curry powder balance one another so well that you can eat a million of these guys.
Best of all, you can convert this into a vegetarian dish easily by omitting the chicken (just make sure to cut the salt contribution in half).
Sweet Corn, Straight from Union Square Farmer's Market
The Secret Ingredient = Curry Powder
Recipe
Serving Size (2 people)
Estimated time: 30 minutes (20 minutes prep, 10 minutes stir fry)
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon garlic, diced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro root (substitute: 3/4 cilantro stalk (no leaves), 1/4 ground coriander)
- 1 cup of sweet corn, thinly shaved. this is about 1 large ear. if you want, you can substitute frozen but I prefer fresh
- 1/4 cup chicken breast, diced into small pieces
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 cup roasted unsalted cashews, chopped (you can pulse a few times in a food processor if you want instead)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 3 teaspoons curry powder (be generous here)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (cut in half if omitting chicken)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- bag of Tostito’s Schoops chips
*green highlight denotes ingredients you will likely need to buy fresh while black text includes ingredients you should either have stocked in your pantry or ingredients that have a lengthy shelf life.
What You’ll Need:
- wok or large frying pan
- medium bowl
Directions:
- make sure you have all of the ingredients prepared before you begin to stir fry. stir frying is all about HIGH HEAT and SPEED
- heat oil in wok on high heat and stir fry garlic and cilantro root (or substitute) for a few seconds
- add the chicken and saute until cooked (3-4 minutes). stir constantly
- add onion, corn and cashews, continuing to stir
- season with curry powder, salt and sugar
- stir a few times and remove from heat
- scoop the cooked ingredients into Tostito’s Scoop chips and serve
Tips:
- make sure you have all of the ingredients prepared before you begin to stir fry. stir frying is all about HIGH HEAT and SPEED
- to shave the corn: remove the corn husk and stand corn vertically in a bowl. take a knife and cut down the corn, shaving off thin slices into the bowl. repeat around until all of the corn is removed.
- cilantro roots are hard to find unless you buy the bushel at a farmers market or grow it your own. this is because the cilantro you buy at a supermarket usually has the roots cut off.
- did you know? cashews are one of the lowest fat nuts and packed with the same heart-healthy mono saturated fats as olive oil?
