Thai Fresh Spring-Summer Rolls

Here is another yummy thai dish I made few weeks ago. 

I was planning to make spring rolls for our guests, but couldn't find spring roll wraps in our local grocery store. So, I had to work with rice wraps. When we tried these wraps for the first time in a restaurant few months ago, it took us some time to realize that the rice wraps were edible :). 

I searched online for the recipe and found some very good vegetarian thai dishes at http://thaifood.about.com/ The recipe I have written here is adapted from the website. 

Ingredients:

1 package of large dried rice wrappers

1 cup firm tofu (cut into strips)

3-4 oz thin dried rice noodles 

1 cup boiled broccoli (cut into small florets)

2 spring onions (sliced thinly, lengthwise)

1 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)

1/2 cup fresh basil (chopped)

1 small onion (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tbsp grated ginger 

1 tsp oil

Sauce:

2 tbsp vegetarian fish sauce (available at vietnamese stores)

2 tbsp black bean & garlic sauce (optional)

2 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp chili sauce

2 tsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp honey 

3 tbsp water

Thai sweet chili sauce for dipping (available in the asian aisle at the grocery store)  

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and fry chopped onions, garlic and ginger. Add tofu strips and broccoli florets. Add some water if the mixture gets too dry.
• Mix the sauce ingredients together and add to the pan. Stir-fry for a while and remove from the heat. Do a taste-test. Add some sauces if needed. If it is too salty, add some lime juice.
• Place a pot of water on stove. Bring the water to boil and add rice noodles. Turn off the heat and let it stand for 8-10 minutes. When the noodles are soft, drain them and wash with cold water (to avoid sticking). Keep aside.
• Pour some hot water into a large bowl (large enough to soak rice paper). Make sure it is not too hot, as you will be dipping your fingers into it. 
• Place a rice wrap into the bowl and let it soften. This will take about 30-50 seconds. Lift the wrapper and put it on a flat surface (cutting board) for rolling. 
• Lay out little bit of tofu-broccoli mixture, rice noodles, spring onions, cilantro and basil leaves as shown in the picture.
• Start by folding at the end and then go for the sides. Now lift the long side of the wrapper and tuck it over the filling to create a roll. Press the end down to secure the roll.
• Serve with sweet chili sauce.

These rolls can be made quite in advance. Wrap them in a wet towel and put in the fridge. Remove from the fridge about 30-40 minutes before serving.

I would like to send this over to DK's  Culinary Bazaar for  A.W.E.D. Thai Event.

Enjoy!!!

Thai Red Curry

I fell in love with Thai food the first time I tried it!!:) We had gone to a restaurant called 'Bangkok Balcony' here in Pittsburgh. I am not a huge fan of coconut, so I was a bit skeptical about trying the curries, but all the dishes were so yummy!! Since then, it has became my favorite cuisine.  

We recently invited some of our friends for Thai dinner and the menu was Thai iced tea, Thai fresh summer rolls, Spring rolls, Cucumber salad, Thai red curry with brown rice, Pad thai noodles. Luckily for us, everything turned out quite good:). 

I am starting with the Thai red curry recipe. I'll be uploading other pics and recipes soon...

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetarian red curry paste( the one I use is by 'Thai Kitchen')

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 cups unsweetened light coconut milk

2 tsp oil

3 cloves chopped garlic

2 tsp ginger paste

2-3 chopped chillies

1 cup cubed firm tofu

2 cups stir-fried vegetables( green-red peppers, water chestnuts, broccoli, mushrooms, baby corns, carrots, soy beans)

10-12 roasted cashews, 2 chopped scallions for garnish

Method:

• Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute the vegetables until cooked. Add tofu and mix well. Set aside.
• Reheat the pan with remaining 1 tsp of oil over medium heat. Add the curry paste and stir to combine. 
• Add brown sugar and 1 cup of coconut milk. Add ginger, garlic, chillies, vegetables, tofu and remaining coconut milk. Cook for 10-12 minutes.
• Garnish with cashews and scallions and serve with jasmine rice.

I would like to send this to A.W.E.D. Thai Event hosted by DK's Culinary Bazaar.

Enjoy!!!