A Birthday Getaway
Yesterday was Rene's birthday, and to celebrate, I wanted a departure from the Asian cultural themes that have become so pervasive in our lives in recent months. So I decided to put together a Classical Greek/Egyptian adventure.

Thursday afternoon, we took Highway 1 down to Pacifica, just south of San Francisco, where we stayed in a nice little room with an ocean view. Thursday evening, we went down to the beach to watch the sunset, then out for a simple little sushi dinner right there in town. (I know, I know, it was supposed to be all Greek and Egyptian, but we couldn't resist. We were tired from our drive, and the Japanese restaurant was right across the highway from our hotel.)

The next day, Friday, we drove down to San Jose and visited the Rosicrucian Museum of Egyptian artifacts. What a wonderful experience. There's a full-scale replica of an Egyptian tomb, and they even had several real mummies on display, along with hundreds of everyday household items from Egyptian civilization that are over 3000 years old. Amazing.

Friday evening, we went out for a Middle Eastern dinner at Pasha in San Francisco. We had Fatoosh, Seafood Bastilla, Rack of Lamb and Shrimp Brochette. We sat on a cushioned banquette at a low, brass tray table, and enjoyed a belly dancing show while we dined. A truly delightful experience.

Saturday, we went back down to the beach in Pacifica for a little picnic lunch, and while we were enjoying the sea breeze and the sound of the waves, Rene spotted three whales swimming just offshore. We could see the spray from their blow holes, followed by the curve of their humps as they surfaced and plunged back into the deep. Rene had even remembered to bring along his binoculars, so we got a really good look at them. It was a first for both of us.

Afterwards, on our way into the city, we drove up to Twin Peaks for the most spectacular view there is of the San Francisco Bay Area. It was a perfectly clear afternoon, albeit windy, and the whole city was laid out at our feet. Fantastic!

To wrap up our little getaway, we went to a Greek Food Festival out in the Noe Valley district of San Francisco. It was held in the courtyard of the Greek Orthodox church on Valencia Street. We ate Grilled Lamb Chops, Souvlaki, Spanikopita, Dolmas, and Roast Chicken. We also got lots of other Greek goodies to go, including several yummy desserts.

We picked up Will on our way back through American Canyon and returned home to find all safe and sound. A truly wonderful weekend for a guy who definitely deserves to be spoiled on his birthday.

And now...back to work on my Suriyothai Dinner & a Movie!
11:59 AM PDT Permalink |

Taking Photos
As always, we'll be taking photos of my Thai dishes as they come out of the kitchen. My son Will is my photographer again this month, and I think he's finally getting the hang of using the digital camera. Another factor is the ambient light, and last month, I discovered that if I photograph the table just as the evening sunset begins, the room is illuminated with a golden glow that adds a magical quality to glassware and brass.
11:49 AM PDT Permalink |

Deciding What to Wear
Although this is my favorite time of year, it's been so hot here in Napa these past few weeks, when it comes to clothing, the lighter and looser, the better. So my dinner attire this time will probably be a bandeau top and a sarong. Rene has to work at Six Flags that day and won't be arriving until afterwards, so my Suriyothai Dinner & a Movie is going to be very informal.
11:48 AM PDT Permalink |

Special Cookware
For my Suriyothai Dinner & a Movie, I don't think I'm going to need to buy any special cookware. However, I'm thinking of serving the meal buffet style. So I will prepare the Pad Thai noodles in my crock pot, I'm planning to cook the Peanut Satay skewers at the table with my little electric grill, I'll use my electric rice cooker for the Coconut Rice. The cold salad can be served on a platter, and if we make it to dessert, perhaps I will prepare the Banana Fritters in the kitchen at intermission. The only dish that remains to be planned is the Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-Fry. For that, I may even go shopping for an electric skillet/warmer, or perhaps a chafing dish. I figure, as long as I'm going to be cooking an elaborate Asian meal every month, I might as well invest in the requisite cooking and serving equipment.
12:16 AM PDT Permalink |

Beverages to Go With my Suriyothai Dinner & a Movie
Thailand is known for a variety of beverages, including tropical fruit drinks, iced teas and coffee, beer, and whiskey. The most common and popular beer brands are Singha, Kloster, Amarit, Beer Chang, Beer Thai, Leo, Black Tiger, Phuket Island Lager, and Bangkok Beer, which is for export only. Rice whiskey similar in taste to rum includes Mekong, Kwangthong, Hong Thong, Hong Ngoen, Hong Yok, and Hong Tho. A distilled white liquor called Lao Khao comes in both commerically bottled legal varieties, as well as illegal moonshine varieties. Another type of Thai liquor is an herbal infused spirit called Lao Yaa Dawng. Thai varietal wine is very scarce, with most wine in Thailand being imported from Europe. However, a label called Chateau de Loei, near Phu Reua in Loei Province makes a Chenin Blanc that is available on wine lists in some of the finer Thai restaurants.

I seriously doubt that I will be able to find even one Thai beverage in the town of Napa, so I will probably have to settle for another Asian beer, or perhaps a compatible Napa Valley wine, such as Reisling, Gewurtztraminer or White Zinfandel. Maybe even a demi-sec sparkling wine, since we'll still be celebrating Rene's birthday.
12:25 AM PDT Permalink |

Designing the Table Setting
For my Suriyothai Dinner & a Movie, I want the table to be colorful with lots of gold and brass decorations. I think many of the things I used for last month's Indian dinner will be appropriate for a Thai table. But I will still probably go and poke around in our local thrift shops for a few more trimmings.
02:27 AM PDT Permalink |

About the Fresh Ingredients
I always like to use the freshest ingredients possible, and for this meal, they include Shrimp, Limes, Jalapeno Peppers, Shallots, Garlic, Mint, Cilantro, Watercress, Red Onion, Radishes, Cabbage, Ginger Root, Coconut, Scallions, Lemons, Bean Sprouts, Peanuts, Carrot Juice, Carrots, Snow Peas, Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Bok Choy, and Bananas. And as always, I'll be shopping the day before the dinner, so that I can do some of the preparations the evening before.
12:06 AM PDT Permalink |

A Little Background on the Film
Suriyothai is a Thai epic, which centers around the woman for whom the film is named. Written and directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol, Suriyothai tells the 16th century story of a beautiful young Thai princess who becomes the wife of King Mahachakrapat. In addition to the family dynamics within the palace walls, Suriyothai also focuses on the ongoing struggle between Thailand and Burma. Having taken a sneak peek at the first few minutes of the film, I can already tell that the production quality is excellent, the settings and costumes are rich and exotic, and the actors are gorgeous. I can't wait to watch it after a delicious Thai meal.
10:24 AM PDT Permalink |

About Thai Cuisine
Thailand is located in Southeast Asia, on the same peninsula with Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Its proximity to India and China has had a strong influence on the cuisine, however, Thai cuisine has its own distinctive characteristics.

Rice is the primary starch, topped with modest amounts of curry, and other spicy sauces. Since Thailand is a coastal nation, seafood is commonly featured in many Thai dishes. Two flavoring ingredients, an Asian fish sauce called Nam Pla, and a shrimp paste called Kapee, are an essential element of nearly every dish. In addition to Nam Pla and Kapee, Thai cuisine is also flavored with ginger, garlic, onions, tamarind, hot chile peppers, cilantro, basil, lemongrass, cumin, black pepper, palm sugar and coconut milk. A typical Thai dish combines the four basic flavor elements: sweet (sugar, fruits, sweet peppers), spicy hot (chiles), sour (vinegar, lime juice, tamarind), and salty (soy sauce, fish sauce).

The most common methods of preparation are stir-frying and steaming in a wok, or grilling over an open fire. A Thai meal may include many dishes, but is not typically served in sequential courses. And unlike many Asian countries, the use of chopsticks is not common in Thailand, where meals are eaten with a spoon.

The most popular Thai dishes are:

Tom Yam Gung - hot & sour soup with seafood
Tom Yam Gai - hot & sour soup with chicken
Tom Kha Gai - hot sweet soup with chicken and coconut
Satay - grilled meat served with peanut sauce
Pad Thai - pan-fried rice noodles with various ingredients
Gaeng Pet - hot curry made with dried red chiles
Sweet Green Curry - made with fresh green chiles and cumin
Massaman - yellow curry
Som Tam - grated papaya salad
Larb - various salads with meat
Gai Yang - marinated and grilled chicken

02:15 AM PDT Permalink |

Eureka!
I've made a most wonderful and convenient discovery. My favorite gourmet grocery here in town, the place where I often shop for the best and most exotic produce for my Dinner & a Movie, also offers free home delivery! So...as an experiment, well in advance of my Suriyothai Dinner & a Movie, I gave them a try. They offer free delivery on orders of more than $100 (which I can easily spend at the grocery store on any given day), so I made up a list of mostly basic stuff and phoned it in.

At about 2 p.m., there was a knock on my door. My first home-delivered grocery order had arrived. The whole transaction was over in less than two minutes, and I sent the delivery lady on her way with a personal check and a generous cash tip. However, upon reviewing the grocery receipt, I discovered that $9.03 worth of pecans had been added to my bill, which I not only hadn't ordered, but also weren't delivered. Now, being a southern gal, I love pecans, but $9 bucks for less than two pounds of 'em...and I didn't even get the pleasure of eating 'em. Yikes! A call to the dispatcher was all it took to resolve the problem: $9.03 will be deducted from my next order.

There were also a few other problems...I got sliced sandwich pickles instead of whole dills, whole-milk cottage cheese instead of fat free (but boy is it a guilty pleasure!), fancy albacore tuna instead of regular water packed, and in every case, top-shelf brands instead of the budget varieties. So, as my Mom always said, I'll be dining 'high off the hog' for the next couple of weeks.

Nevertheless, it was an interesting learning experience. For the convenience of having someone else perform the chore of shopping for my groceries, I have to relinquish a certain measure of control... Not an easy task for a Type-A diva like me. I also learned that my grocery delivery will only be as accurate as the order that I place, so I have to be mindful in specifying exactly what items I want delivered.

But gosh, for a few minutes this afternoon, I felt like spoiled royalty.
12:37 AM PDT Permalink |

Tracking Down Exotic Ingredients
This month, I think I already have all the exotic Asian ingredients I need except the Thai Curry Paste. But since I have a very low tolerance for strong spices, I may skip it altogether. I already have Nam Pla Fish Sauce, Sesame Oil, and Soy Sauce. Dried Shrimp, Coconut Milk, Jasmine Rice, and Cellophane Noodles can all be gotten locally. So shopping is going to be easy this time. But for those of you who need to stock up on hard to find Asian ingredients, AsianFoodGrocer.com is an excellent online source.
12:08 AM PDT Permalink |

A List of Ingredients
Specialty Ingredients:

Nam Pla Fish Sauce, Thai Curry Paste, Dried Shrimp, Coconut Milk, Jasmine Rice, Cellophane Noodles, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil

Fresh Ingredients:

Limes, Jalapeno Peppers, Shallots, Garlic, Cumin, Corriander, Peanut Butter, Curry Powder, Mint, Cilantro, Watercress, Red Onion, Radishes, Cole Slaw, Ginger Root, Grated Coconut, Large Shrimp, Scallions, Lemons, Bean Sprouts, Peanuts, Carrot Juice, Carrots, Snow Peas, Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Bok Choy, Bananas, Shreded Coconut

Basics:

Brown Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Corn Starch, Eggs, Butter

12:10 AM PDT Permalink |

Deciding on the Dishes for a Thai Dinner
Appetizer: Peanut Satay
Soup: Pad Thai Noodles
Salad: Thai Spring Rolls over Fresh Greens
Main Course: Stir-Fry Shrimp and Vegetables with Coconut Rice
Dessert: Banana Fritters

03:12 AM PDT Permalink |

Designing the Menu
For my Thai dinner, I'd like to serve several dishes that fairly represent the cuisine. The Fried Fish Cakes sound good, and Peanut Satay seems like a must have. And I have lots of wrappers left over from previous dinners to make Spring Rolls. I definitely want some kind of light vegetable salad, and Pad Thai Noodles seem like a good choice for the soup. For the main course, probably some kind of shrimp stir-fry dish with rice. Of course, this sounds like way too much food, but leftovers are always a welcome treat for the next day, when the last thing I feel like doing is cooking.
12:03 AM PDT Permalink |

Looking for Recipes
The Thai recipes featured in The Joy of Cooking include Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce, Lime Chili Dipping Sauce, Chicken Coconut Soup, Thai Beef Salad, Thai Vinaigrette Dressing, Coconut Rice, Pad Thai Noodles, Poached Shrimp with Carrot Juice, and Fried Fish Cakes. The Recipes in Essentials of Asian Cuisine include Curry Paste, Peanut Satay, Fried Black Chili Sauce, Spicy Shrimp Soup, Jasmine Rice, Coconut Rice, Sweet and Crispy Vermicelli, Pad Thai Noodles, Curry Soup, Pork Noodle Soup, Thai Spring Rolls, Cucumber Shallot Salad, Pork Curry, Chicken Curry, and Banana Fritters.

Between the two cookbooks there are so many recipes that I can surely put together a Thai dinner without looking any further. And I may even serve it buffet style.
02:47 AM PDT Permalink |