like an old friend

I hope, dear reader, that you have picked up on the fact that I LOVE Thai food. I hope you have picked up on the fact that I enjoy learning how to cook Thai food and I especially enjoy EATING Thai food! The spicier, the better, in my book and no, I haven't always felt that way! So, you may wonder why I have been content to shop at local grocery stores for the past 1 1/2 years when there are several Asian grocers in Orlando that have the exact ingredients needed to make the delicious Thai dishes that I love. There are a couple reasons. One, I never took the time to go off and find said Asian grocers...most are a good 30 minutes away and in the downtown sector where I rarely venture. 2) I am usually with the kids...thus shopping at an Asian grocery market just doesn't sound fun to me to take all three of my precious bundles. Three, I thought for sure it would be a waste of my time. But, probably the number one reason is that my friends have kept us well stocked with Thai curry pastes and other goodies that have held us over.

Yesterday, however, I turned the page and embarked on a journey that as I write this today, still brings a huge smile to my face! I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and so was kid free and decided to make the trek downtown to one of the Asian grocers. I found it with no problems and actually have driven right past it several times on my way to various homeschooling events. I had my list in my hand (of items I was specifically looking for and hoping for). The carts where lined up right outside the door and so I grabbed one and went inside. As soon as I walked inside, I was REALLY glad I didn't have ANY of my children with me! I am sure PJ and Calvin (on their own) would have been fine but I was still glad. This store was packed wall to wall with food stuff from countries all over Asia. I walked in and was welcomed by all the Thai/Japanese/Korean snack foods that readily greeted us wherever we went in Thailand. I smiled. And then I didn't stop smiling until...well, I am STILL smiling! =) As I walked the aisles and saw familiar ingredients (fresh!) I would smile some more or chuckle to myself and say, "wow". Yeah, I think others in the store probably thought something was wrong with me. But, it was like being reunited with old friends! Seriously! I saw unripe papaya for 59 cents/lb (which I didn't think was a bad price). Now, most Americans if they are familiar with papaya are used to it being ripe and fruity. In Thailand, we eat it that way too. But, it is probably mostly enjoyed unripe in a Thai Isaan salad known as Som Tam which is eaten with sticky rice and grilled chicken...yeah, it's good stuff (and the more bird peppers you can eat in it, the more the Thais admire you!). I have a friend who eats her Som Tam with 15 bird peppers!!! Let me tell you that is really, really, really hot. I eat mine with 2, maybe 3, and remember, I like spicy!
I finally found galangal or "kha" as it is known as in Thai. Galangal is a main ingredient in the Thai soup Tom Yum Kung (a favorite of Paul's which I haven't been able to make since returning because I could never find galangal).
I also saw pigs feet and ears for sale in the "deli" along with other animal body parts I daresay most Americans wouldn't eat. That, too, made me chuckle!
So, I came home with everything on my list...but now that I am home I wished I had picked up some other things that I decided to leave. I guess that way my way of saying, "I have to come back, so I better leave this here for next time."
You may be wondering what inspired this trip. Well, tonight we are having dear friends over for a Thai feast (of which I am cooking) and I wanted to make some different dishes and so here's the menu...it's a lot but leftovers are always good!
*Tom Yum Kung (spicy shrimp soup) pictured at left.
*Tom Kha Kai (chicken in coconut soup)
*Kai Phat MetMamuanghimaphaa (cashew chicken)
*Kai Phat Kraphrow (holy basil and pork stir fry)
*Kai Satay with Yam Tengkwaa (chicken satay with cucumber salad)
*Khai Ciaw sai Muu (pork and egg omelette)
*Cantaloupe
*brownies (ha, ha, I know, not very Thai of me...but give a girl a break!)

Let's hope that all these dishes turn out yummy. I am not a very good Thai cook, very amateur, in fact, but I do enjoy it. I'll let you know how it goes!