Make vibrant and tasty Thai dishes in a flash
This past weekend I re-discovered the beauty of some old recipes I had written years ago for Ger-Nis while re-purposing them for a mango cooking class I taught at the Sacramento Natural Foods Coop, which also happens to be one of my favorite grocery stores in the country.
The class, part of Crespo Organic Summer Mango Mania events, Fresh Summer Thai, featuring mangoes- reminded me of how lucky we are to have Mexican mangoes in peak season in the dead of our summer time. It also reminded me how Thai inspired recipes are some of the tastiest, healthiest and easiest recipes to whip up when it’s hot. I tend to forget how hot it gets throughout the USA and Canada, because I live in the one part of the country where cool foggy summers are the norm, where hot soup feels comforting to eat on the 4th of July.
These recipes were revamped from one of my most popular classes back in Brooklyn, where hot steamy summers were the norm and these refreshing, mango-centric dishes offered a cooling and joyful effect. By using them in the class myself, I was able to make some new alterations to the recipes and improve them. Making them even more tastier and even simpler than they were before!
Ginger-Red Curry Mango-Peach Coconut Coolers
Makes a pitcher
Ingredients
For the Sweet Ginger Red Curry
½ inch piece of ginger, chopped fine
1 red chili, chopped fine (seeds and pith removed)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
10-12 fresh mint leaves, ripped into small pieces
¼ cup cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon dried or fresh coconut, grated
1 teaspoon lime zest
juice of 1 lime
1 cup chopped mango
2 peaches, chopped
½ cup honey
2 cups coconut milk
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
Directions
Make the Sweet Ginger Red Curry first. Combine the ginger, chili and sugar in a mortar and pestle and crush and grind into a smooth paste . Add the mind and grind them into the paste. Set Aside. Combine the mango, peaches, honey and coconut milk in a blender with a few cups of ice. Blend until a smooth ice constancy is formed. Pour into a glass and swirl a little of the curry pesto into the glass. Garnish with slice of peach or cubed mango.
*You can also blend the pesto in a blender if you don’t have a mortar and pestle.
Green Tea Mango & Cucumber Coolers with Thai Basil Pesto Drizzle
Makes a pitcher
Ingredients
Zest of 1 lime
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 5 limes
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped mango
½ cup honey
handful of mint leaves
2 cups light green tea
Sparkling or Flat water for mixing
Cucumber Wheels (garnish)
Thai Basil (Sweet) Pesto, recipe follows
Directions
Place zest, lime juice, cucumber, mango, honey, mint leave and water in a blender and blend until liquefied. Strain and discard solids. Refrigerate until cold, a few hours. Serve over ice, mixed with sparkling or flat water with a ratio of 1:1. Place a cucumber wheel on top, drizzled with a little sweet Thai Basil Pesto on the top.
Sweet Thai Basil Pesto: In a mortar and pestle pound a big handful of thai basil leaves, few sliced or spicy red chili, zest of 1 lime, pinch of salt and a tablespoon of sugar until a thick paste forms. Mix in the juice of one or two limes and mix well.
Cucumber & Pepper Salad with Roasted Chili Peanuts
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 english cucumbers, peeled and chopped fine
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped fine
1 medium red onion, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
1 red chili, chopped fine
½ cups fresh mint, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Salt
Roasted peanuts, chopped coarsely
Directions
Toss together in a large mixing bowl the cucumbers, garlic, ginger, red onion, bell pepper, red chili and chopped mint. Squeeze lime juice on top and add the sugar and the vinegar. Mix together well and season to taste with salt. Garnish with roasted chopped peanuts.
Mango Summer Rolls
Makes 12 rolls
Ingredients
12 rice paper wrappers
12-15 tender lettuce leaves
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch matchsticks
½ cup scallions, chopped fine
½ English or serpent cucumber, sliced very thin
½ cup fresh mint leaves
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup fresh thai basil leaves
*Cucumber & Pepper Salad with Roasted Chili Peanuts (recipe below)
Directions
In a large bowl of warm water, dip the rice paper wrappers for about 7-10 seconds. Take out and shake off excess water and lay flat on a kitchen towel. Place one wrapper down and arrange lettuce leaves on top, and then lay out a few mangoes, , carrots, scallions and mangoes and then add a few fresh herbs. Place some cucumber pepper salad on top. Wrap the roll up like a present, like wrapping a burrito. Serve garnished with dipping sauces.
Thai Cucumber Salad with Roasted Peanuts
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 english cucumbers, peeled and chopped fine
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped fine
1 medium red onion, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
1 red chili, chopped fine
½ cups fresh mint, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Salt
Roasted peanuts, chopped coarsely
Directions
Toss together in a large mixing bowl the cucumbers, garlic, ginger, red onion, bell pepper, red chili and chopped mint. Squeeze lime juice on top and add the sugar and the vinegar. Mix together well and season to taste with salt. Garnish with roasted chopped peanuts.
Yellow Chili, Mango Sriracha
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients
4-5 yellow chilies, seeds in tact and chopped ( substitute red chilies)
1 yellow bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 teaspoons tamari
1⁄3 cup rice vinegar, yuzu flavored preferred
¼ cup water (more as needed)
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons lime zest
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup fresh mango
1-2 tablespoon fresh mint leaves (optional)
Directions
In a medium sauce pan add chilies, bell pepper, garlic, tamari, vinegar, water and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let boil gently on low for about 10 minutes. Take off heat and allow to cool, add lime zest and lime juice and blend together in a blender until smooth and all is incorporated. Strain using a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. Combine the strained juice with the mango and fresh mint back in the blender and blend until smooth. Place in a squeeze bottle or container and refrigerate. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
*Use red chilies or green chilies if you cannot find any yellow ones.
Spicy Mango Almond Dipping Sauce
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients
¾ cups almond butter- creamy or chunky
½ cup chopped mango
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 medium red or green chili, chopped
2 tablespoons rice vinegar ( yuzo flavored rice vinegar preferred)
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 2 limes
¼ cup tamari
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons peanut or sesame oil
¼ cup very hot water
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
Directions
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy adjust spiciness by adding more fresh chili. Adjust saltiness by adding more tamari.
Cold Garden Pad Thai Salad with Mangoes
Serves 6
Ingredients
12-16 ounces flat rice noodles (pad thai noodles) (pre-soaked and cooked until soft)
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 tablespoon yuzo rice vinegar
½ cup tamari
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
¼ cup turbinado sugar
½ cup water
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 shallot, chopped fine
1 bunch green onions, sliced fine
1 cup bean sprouts
½ cup zucchini, matchsticked in two inch long pieces
½ cup carrots, matchsticked in two inch long pieces
1 cup fresh cubed fresh mango
½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped
½ cup cilantro leaves
Lime wedges
Directions
Make sure the noodles are not over soft they should be soft but not overly soft. In a mixing bowl whisk together the tamarind paste, vinegar, tamari, lime juice, sriracha, brown sugar and water. In another large mixing bowl toss together all salad ingredients (garlic, shallots, green onions, bean sprouts, zucchini, and carrots) until well mixed, set aside. Combine the noodles and the vegetables and toss together with the dressing. Let stand about 4-5 minutes and toss with fresh mango and cilantro leaves. Garnish with lime wedges.
Coconut “Sweet” Chutney over Mango-Lime Granita
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 cup coconut, freshly grated (sub grated dry)
Zest of one lime
Juice of one lime
2 curry leaves
1 thai-chili
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup water ( if using the dried coconut)
Directions
In a small sauce pan add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stirring constantly until thick and creamy. Cool. Serve over Mango-Lime Granita.
Mango-Lime Granita
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 large ripe mangoes, chopped
Zest of one lime
Juice of 4 limes
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ cup water
Directions
In blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into a shallow metal pan and freeze, making sure to scrape with a fork while freezing to result in an icy freeze.
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