Country : Thailand

I love Thai food! Hands down one of my favorites (besides breakfast). The spices, the details that go into this cooking blows my mind, especially when you think about how QUICKLY you actually cook everything.

I have never spent the 23+ hours flying to Thailand, but I want to! There is a festival all about celebrating monkeys, this is the land of Siamese Cats, and get this ALL men ( regardless of social ranking) use to become Buddhist Monks for at least a short period of time. This was seen as good karma for the family.

Let’s get to the food though, shall we?

Appetizer: Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Main Course: Pad Kee Mao
Dessert: Mango Sticky Rice
Cocktail: The Hangover Martini

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Satay is one of the best most simple foods. Grill it, dip it in AMAZING sauce and eat it. So easy and SO good! I tried to keep this recipe as simple as possible. Also, don’t forget to soak your skewers if you are using wooden ones!

Ingredients:
Skewers:
3 chicken breasts, cut into long, thin strips
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
7oz coconut milk
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Satay Sauce:
3 heaped tbs smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp fish sauce
7 oz coconut milk
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 two coriander
juice of 1 lime

Directions:
1. Make sure you have soaked your 8 skewers for at least half an hour
2. Place sliced chicken in a large bowl and add the remaining skewer ingredients, mix together well and massage sauce into chicken. Cover and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes
3. While meat is marinating, place all satay ingredients (EXCEPT lime juice) into a small pan and heat over medium, stirring with a wooden spoon. When sauce approaches a boil it will start to thicken, do not let sauce boil and turn down heat and stir until thickened to liking. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.
4. Thread chicken onto skewers and place on grill. Cook 8-10 minutes until browning, turn these a couple of times during cooking. When cooked through plate with a small bowl of peanut sauce, top with red pepper flake, cilantro, and sesame seeds and serve.

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Pad Kee Mao or Drunken Noodles are seriously SO good. These can be made super spicy, so if ordering out proceed with caution. Making it at home you can control the heat and I love heat, but this had me sweating. This dish also cooks VERY QUICKLY so have everything ready in advance and ready to go!

Ingredients:
Chicken & Marinade:
12oz sliced chicken breast or thighs
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp oil
2 two cornstarch
Dish:
8oz wide rice noodles
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar, dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
3 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
pinch of white pepper
3 tbsp oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 shallots, sliced
1 scallion, sliced
4 Thai red chili peppers, deseeded and sliced
1 cup Thai basil
5-6 pieces baby corn, split in half
2 tsp Shaoxing wine

Instructions:
1. Place chicken in bowl with marinade ingredients and mix until chicken is evenly coated and set aside for 20 minutes. Prepare noodles according to directions on package
2. In small bowl stir together dissolved brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and white pepper, set aside.
3. Heat wok or large pan until it is close to smoking and add 2 tbsp oil around pan. Add chicken and cook through. Remove the meat and set aside. Add remaining oil to pan along with ginger and garlic, cook for a few moments before adding shallots. Stir fry for 30 seconds and add scallions, chili peppers, basil, baby corn, and wine. Stir fry another 30 seconds and add noodles. Using a scooping motion, mix everything together and heat noodles through.
4. Add the prepared sauce mixture and stir fry at high heat for about 1 minutes or until noodles are uniform in color. Add chicken back to pan to reheat. Serve

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For as much as I like cooking and baking, I cannot cook rice correctly to save my life. We are pretty lucky this turned out anywhere near as delicious as it did. You will likely do a much better job. Prepare your rice in advance!

​Ingredients:
1 ripe mango
10oz sticky rice
2 cups water
1/2 cup coconut milk
3oz white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Sauce:
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp water

Directions:
1. Wash the rice until the water runs clear and soak for 2 hours, then cook in your desired method
2. In a pan mix together coconut milk, sugar, and salt until dissolved without heat. Once dissolved turn heat to medium low until bubbles start to appear on the surface and then turn off heat. Add the sticky rice to the pan and stir carefully to combine. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes, turn cover back up and leave for another 10 minutes. Remove from pan
3. Repeat the above process to make a second batch of sauce. In a small cup mix together cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry. Add this to the pan and combine. This will help to thicken the sauce. Transfer to a canister to cool.
4. Slice the mango as desired and plate next to rice. Pour sauce over rice and top with nuts or seeds to decorate

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A lot of love and hard work went into this martini, but it was SO worth it. Many of the ingredients you will need to make at home so think ahead with this one

Ingredients:
3oz Chivas 18
1oz Green Tea simple syrup
1oz Green apple juice
1/2oz Martini & Rossi
1 tsp Rosemary Honey

Directions:
1. Combine ingredients in shaker with ice and shake well. Pour into a martini glass and serve with a sprig of rosemary