Pad Thai

I'm serious. It is my favorite food of all time.

noodles

The market in Lexington, where you can get all of these wonderful things.

noodles. soaked over night.

This is Kookie.

Me trying to cook and getting confused.

slightly less confused

sauce. yum.

beautiful

To close out the year I will post about my all time favorite food, ever. It is Pad Thai. You might have guessed that from my title.

My mother is something else, let me tell you. She got sick over the weekend. It was the same sickness that hit my sister the week before.  The week before she didn’t let Lucy (my sister) stay home. On Sunday my mom decided to stay home. That did not sit well with my sister. And therefore my mother thought it was reasonable to let my sister stay home with her. Then, out of fairness, she said I could stay home to. I waffled. Then I decided, what the hell, I’ll skip. The next morning I woke up feeling like poop. We decided it was Karma.

I had been craving Pad Thai for weeks. It is my favorite food so I can only go around a month without eating it and my month was coming to an end. (Not having it was one of the few horrible things about living in Germany. The other horrible thing was the salsa.) As a surprise my mom went out and got me Pad Thai from Jasmine Rice while I was working on a fascinating set of notes about Indian fighting elephants. Then. Right as I was inhaling my still steaming box of deliciousness, she told me that she had arranged for me to go to the restaurant for senior shadowing day. Now don’t go thinking it was out of pure love and selflessness, she had her motives. One: I require a lot of Thai food and it was breaking the bank. Two: She wanted me to actually shadow someone on shadowing day rather than go to waffle house with my friends because she had told our class thousand times to not whimp out and to actually do something. Did I mention she is my teacher? Long story.

Anyways, she and her personable self was talking to the owner and convinced her to teach me how to make Pad Thai. So on shadowing day I went to the restaurant an hour before it opened and made me some Pad Thai.

Here is what happened:

·      Me: Knocked on door (3 times- no problem, just panicking that mom was pulling some harsh elaborate prank on me to disappoint me forever). Door is opened. I say hi to the owner, Kookie. She is nice. We go back to the kitchen. I am amazed.

·      We start talking. She tells me things. Like: She started the restaurant when she lost her job in 2009, even though she always wanted to work with kids and old people. She started a restaurant because her mom made street food in Thailand and she knew how to cook. Its been going for three years. (I knew that because I have been having Pad Thai there since freshman year.) Her favorite food that she makes is Pad Se Ew, I think.  Before she opened her restaurant she worked in Thai restaurants around town to gain experience. She moved to the US in 2002. She plans on staying in Lexington because she has a family here. And she likes it here.

·      The whole time we prep and cook. This means the conversation lasted around 20 minuets, a record for someone who is uncomfortable in such social situations.

This is how to make Pad Thai:

1. Turn on the heat under the giant wok. It is very hot. Like 400 degrees hot.

2. Add the oil. Make sure it heats up to crazy temperatures. Even hotter than scalding coffee. Which is pretty damn hot and scalding.

3. Crack an egg into the oil. Then wait for it to scramble/ cook.

4. Add chicken, which has already been half cooked.

5. Then add around a serving of noodles that have been soaked in water overnight.

6. Add your sauce. Hers was made of sugar, vinegar, salt, oil, chicken broth, and 1-2 drops of yellow food coloring. It might contain other stuff that I didn’t catch, but that is what I got.

7. Next add the vegetables. Aka the tiny bits of shredded carrot and cabbage and sliced green onion.

8. If you aren’t allergic add peanuts. And if you don’t cry when you eat spicy food, add some spice.

9. Put in take out box.

10. Garnish and enjoy.

Pretty simple. But here is the devastating fact that I learned: you CAN NOT make Pad Thai at home. Well, you can but it won’t be good like it is from a restaurant. This horrible piece of news is because stoves at home don’t get nearly as hot as they should be to make it. I was upset.

So now everyone has to order his or her Pad Thai out. If you live in Lexington, you should go to Jasmine Rice because it has kick ass Pad Thai. They have other food too, and it is also good. And Kookie is super nice. If you don’t live in Lexington and you would like to sponsor a trip for me to go sample all the Pad Thai in your city, I will be willing to negotiate with you.

So here's to a great year. And many more years, like it. Full of Pad Thai.

Kufteta - Bulgarian Pork Patties or Meatballs

*This is best made the night before to increase flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion - finely diced
• 2lbs ground pork
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 ½ tsp savory
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 pinches of fresh parsley
• ½ tsp cumin
• water to mix - about a ½ cup
• If you want to fry them, then enough flour to cover them lightly.
• The “fried” amount of oil to fry them in. Lol. Puns.

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, add water to make mixing easier. It is best to mix with hands.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Form patties, dip hands in water before forming each patty. Take a chunk (¼ cup) of the mix and form into ball. Then press flat until they are about a half inch flat.
   
3. If you want to go crazy, make them into small meatball like shapes. This is great for a party.
4. Either fry in olive oil. Or, weather permitting, grill.
5. Fry/grill until cooked through.
   

Banitsa: My Fav Recipe as a Present for You

This is one of my favorite foods ever. Of all of the places I’ve been, Bulgaria does filo dough best, and Banitsa is the best of the best. Seriously, I wrote about it in a journal that I was supposed to use for German words (2011). Here is what I said:

I’ve already tried it, so I know that it’s awesome. That is why it was my first recipe. Backstory: first time I had it was our St. Patty’s day party. It was the only thing I had due to a badly timed walk with Lusi and MPD. It was fine though because that it’s that good. That was the same day that Lusi and MPD chased Frank’s friend around the block until I’m pretty sure he cried. I don’t think he ever hung out with Frank again. Good times. Second time: Pastry bought by [Lusi’s dad], eaten in apartament in BG to Next to Normal soundtrack and Burn Notice. Third time: I made it by myself, [my host mom] ate two slices in one sitting

Anyways what I have learned from this: Banitsa; the chase-inducing, delicious, guest-mother seducing appetiser is quick and easy to make. I think I should start a food blog. You know, ‘cause I’m funny and interesting.

Isn’t this a gem? So I guess this is the fourth go…?

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup sunflower oil
• 1 ½ cups plain greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 7 ounces of silene (Bulgarian cheese). Feta works fine too
• 1 packet of phyllo dough (do not open until right before use)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a small bowl, mix the yogurt and baking soda until it begins to bubble.
   
3. Add eggs and mix.
4. Crumble cheese (with a fork) until you have medium size chunks. Add to the yogurt mixture.
   
   
5. Coat the bottom of a 9” round baking pan (any size or shape works fine) with oil.
   
6. Add first sheet of phyllo dough. Make it slightly ruffled, not flat. Have fun with it.
7. Add a tsp of oil after each layer of phyllo dough.
8. On top of first layer of phyllo dough add two side by side. (It should be one one the bottom, and two crumpled up next to each other on top of it.)
   
9. Add more oil and 3 spoonfuls of the yogurt mixture.
   
10. Alternate. 1 dough, oil, 2 dough, oil and mixture, 1 dough, etc.
1. Make sure to get the edges covered with mixture too. Spread evenly
11. Continue this pattern until you have no more mixture. Cover with a sheet of phyllo dough and add a teaspoon of oil to the top.
    
12. Bake for 30 min or until golden brown on top.
    
13. Slice and serve.
    

Hope you are having a wonderful holiday and a great break! What are you're favorite recipes, any great holiday dishes?

Fasul - Bulgarian Bean Stew

Ingredients:

• ½ lb of dry beans
• ½ medium onion
• 2 red peppers (bell pepper)
• 2-3 carrots
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp savory
• 2 tbsps sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp paprika

Directions:

1. Wash the beans and put in large pot, cover with water.
2. Boil for 30 min, then throw the water out.
• Do not add the salt until the beans are almost done, otherwise they will be undercooked.
• Beans ready when they start peeling.
3. Fill with new water.
4. Set beans aside and let boil for another 30 minutes, depending on the type of beans.
5. Finely dice the onion, red peppers and carrots.
6. Add the vegetables to pot and cook another 30 min.
   
   
   
7. Add oil, salt, paprika, and stir. Add savory if you want to.
8. Cook for a little while longer for flavors to mix.
9. Serve in bowls.

Estimated prep time: 10 min

Estimated cook time: 1 hour 30 min

This is considered a prime element of Christmas dinner in Bulgaria.

"Snow White" Salad

Snejanka (this means snow white salad) The walnuts are supposed to be mixed in.

Ingredients:

• 4 large cucumbers
• 500 grams strain yogurt (we used Fage)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• a handful or two of walnuts, depending on preference
• salt, to taste
• a lot of dill (your preference) better if fresh
• tbsp. of safflower oil

Directions - as written by Lusi:

*rule: salad shouldn't be watery so drain cucumbers and yougurt.

1. Peel the cucumbers. Finely dice. Really small. I mean it.
   
   
   
2. Set cut cucs in a bowl with a paper towel underneath so water is soaked up (around 30 min)
   
3. Mash cloves of garlic.
   
4. Beat/kill/pulverize walnuts. (this means mash them)
5. Transfer cucumbers to a bowl and add 500 grams of yogurt.
   
6. Add walnuts, garlic and salt. Mix
7. Add tbsp. of oil and mix one more time.
8. You’re done! Shape into ball-form, BG Style.

Estimated prep time: 7 min.

Estimated total time: 37 min.

Our Bulgarian Dinner Party Plan

My new favorite ladybug (or kalinka in BG) slippers.

  

 None of us like these pictures. Neli is lucky that she didn't get sucked into out bad luck.

Idk what this is, but its from Bulgaria.

This is it. Are we not majorly accomplished?

When we do a dinner party, we go all out.

When I asked Neli and Lusi to teach me to cook Bulgarian food, they asked me what to make. I told them simple staples that they make often, but aren't too complicated. (That was redundant.) This is the menu they came up with. Literally, a full, three course meal. Applause is in order, because not only was it fancy and amazing, but it was easy.

Salad - “Snow White” phonetically spelled “snejanka”

Banitsa

Bean Stew - Fasul

Pork Patties/Meatballs - “Kufteta”

I went over at around five and they already had the beans on the stove. I threw on a pair of lady bug slippers and got to work. We made the pork first, then the banitsa and then the salad and stew. All while rocking out to Mamma Mia.

We reminisced, cooked, and took notes. Lusi was my scribe. She did a great job and I am considering hiring for all of my next projects. I will be using some of her quotes in the recipes.

Around seven my mom came by and we had a mother-daughter dinner party. In the dining room no less! It was grand, and must be repeated soon.