Easy Thai Iced Tea

Mmmm, summer.

There's something about hot weather that is just as good for eating spicy food as it is for drinking a cold beverage. That's one of the most perfect combinations, right?  If you don't believe me, you can just ask these guys.

A little dairy is helpful when fighting the burn of capsaicin because milk contains casein, which helps wash away capsaicin oil when water does not.

Pain aside, Thai tea is refreshing no matter if you're spicing it up or not. The most noticeable thing about the tea is its creamy orange color. It is a black tea with a spicy vanilla flavor, spicy meaning cinnamon or star anise, not hot pepper spicy.

I was thrilled to find this bag of Thai Tea Mix at our local Asian grocery store. If you want to find this stuff, you'll probably have to visit your local Asian grocer, too.

I really like this brand, which seems to be a popular one.

To measure and brew the tea, follow the directions on your brand of tea. This brand suggests using 4 T per cup of boiling water. I brewed the tea for about 4 minutes.

Here's what the mix looks like.

I brewed the tea in our French press, which is good for things like loose leaf tea, coffee, draining quinoa, and pretty much infusing and straining anything.

Oops, I should have added the tea first!

Steeping the tea in the French press

I pressed the tea after about 4 minutes (3-5 here is average) and poured it into pitcher, adding sugar to sweeten it up. You can add white sugar or sweetened condensed milk (which is also part of what makes Thai iced coffee so good). Personally, I like my tea less sweet, so I just dissolved a little sugar into mine before putting it into the refrigerator to cool.

Once cool, I poured myself a glass of this tea goodness! It's a reddish orange color here, but just wait until I add the half and half!

Iced, sweetened and chillin'

BAM! Sittin' pretty with some half and half.

And that's it, folks! Now you have a glass of Thai iced tea (or a pitcher if you're me).

Thanks for reading today! Here a few things to think about:

• Where is your closest Asian grocer?
• Are you interested in learning how to make Thai iced coffee?
• Would you like to see more videos?

Pad Thai

Snow days are the best days to hang out at home and cook food. If you know snow is coming, take the opportunity to stop at the grocery store or market and get some ingredients to try a new recipe!

Don't mind all the people going nuts trying to stock up on five gallons of milk (I've seen this) and a 48 pack of toilet paper. Try to avoid them if you can. If you can't avoid them, at least have a good laugh.

Yesterday, I ventured to the office around 7 a.m. but decided (thanks to news updates from friends) I wasn't sticking around any longer than 11 a.m. Weather reports sounded sketchy and driving conditions were getting worse as the morning progressed. Only by the time I got home did I realize...I probably should have went to the store and prepared for this.

If you know me, you know I was certainly not staring into an empty fridge (we DO have 5 jars of olives). There was plenty of meat and fruits and vegetables, but I was having a hard time trying to figure out what to do with it all. This was the perfect time to cook something amazing and I was staring at carrots, celery and about a dozen hot sauces.

I spent about a half hour wrangling the pets and watching Travel Channel before it dawned on me. Pad Thai. Some friends had recently stocked me with a block of tamarind paste and I figured I had most of the other ingredients or could at least do some sort of make-shift version.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. Although I've used a few different recipes, I really liked this one. Not all use tamarind (which I like to use), but I suggest using a recipe that calls for it.

I made a few modifications: I did not use cabbage but I cooked bok choy instead. I did not have cilantro or chicken stock (due to lack of planning). I only used one piece of chicken; two seemed like a lot.

For the sauce

For the pan and garnish

Seasoned chicken - soy sauce and cornstarch

Finished and garnished!

The recipe worked out great! I used the bok choy for a garnish and topped with sprouts, julienned carrot, chopped peanuts and a lime wedge. The leftovers are good, too. I'm eating some as I write!

York Fair Treats

It's that time of year again - time for the York Fair. To me that means fair food and barn animals. I definitely do not ride the rides; sometimes I like the exhibits. But we all know the food is the big attraction. I'm sure you all have your favorite stands you like to eat at, and sometimes it depends on the day as to what I really want to eat. So here's what I went to eat on the first day.

I think an annual favorite of mine has to be Ben's Thai BBQ - The Original Chicken on a Stick. The first time I tried it, I was a little skeptical, mostly due to the name. Ben's Thai? It didn't sound very authentic to me. But it is the only Asian food stand at the fair, so I had to try it. Surprisingly, it was really good. Chicken on a stick served with less than five sauce options. That's okay because you really just want the peanut sauce with some Sriracha hot sauce on top. That's the winning combination. The chicken is grilled fresh so as not to be over-cooked. For only $6 a stick, it's worth it.

Ben's Thai BBQ

Grilling it up fresh!

Finished Product! Delicious!

My second favorite food is the funnel cake. Pretty much anywhere that has a decent funnel cake, I will buy and eat one. Fried batter with powdered sugar? You bet. They serve pumpkin and regular with toppings at the Pumpkin Funnel Cake stands. The Wrightsville Rotary sells funnel cakes for $4 each, served with the traditional powdered sugar only. That's exactly what I want - leave out the fruit topping or glaze. And I was glad to see they made it to the fair this year despite the flooding!

I also ended up sharing a loaded baked potato from The York Jaycees and Kohr's orangeade with my boyfriend. Why not get my own potato you ask? I was holding out for the funnel cake. The potato was the first thing I ate! And Kohr's orangeade is probably the only drink I'd spend money on at the fair.

I'm sure we'll go back at least one more time before the fair is over. I'll let you know what else I get!

Viet Thai Market Street Cafe

Viet Thai is a small restaurant along Market Street that serves the best Thai food in York. Well that's my opinion. I'm not certain how long the restaurant has been around, but I can remember going there when I was in high school. It is family-owned and has barely needed to make changes for as long as I can remember.

The inside is very casual and can get extremely busy during peak meal times. Don't expect chain-restaurant servers here. Usually there is one person who is taking care of all the orders for all the customers at approximately all ten tables. Don't confuse the small-business strategy for poor service or bad food. Staff will always take time to answer questions or make recommendations if asked.

The food here is delicious and prepared fresh. Expect to have a little wait for your food, especially if it is very busy. Trust me, it is worth the wait. If you don't want to wait the necessary time for the food, then head over to a fast food drive through. But I can guarantee you won't get food like this (or of this quality) at the local McDonald's. Plus waiting for entree preparation just gives you time to try out one of the appetizers - not to be looked over. If you are concerned about a long wait during peak meal times, adjust your meal schedule and stop in for an early or late meal. It will give you time to get to know the owners, which is definitely a bonus.

Be sure to try the Lemongrass Soup or Coconut Soup (my favorites) - a small will be perfect if you are also ordering an entree. The restaurant offers salads, but I hate to admit I've never tried one. Based on my other food experiences there, I am sure they are good. Try the Thai iced tea - and get it with milk.

Coconut Soup - note the hot peppers and noodles

As my general food rule of thumb, I always like to stick to the type of food the restaurant specializes in. In other words, I don't get the beef at a seafood restaurant, I don't get American food at the Chinese restaurant, and I stick to the Thai food at the Thai restaurant. So I've also never tried the Chinese food at Viet Thai. The one exception I make here is the Kimchi Chicken - so good. Being Korean, I had to try it after staring at it on the menu at least 20 times. It's good and cabbage-y - I definitely recommend it. However, I like my kimchi spicy, so I always make sure to add extra Sriracha - so much hot sauce.

The Chicken and Shrimp Thai Style, Keng Pet, Birds Nest, Pad Thai, Pad La Na, Lemongrass Chicken, and Chicken Satay are all notable and worth trying. Pad Thai is how I generally judge Thai food, that and the noodles. If the Pad Thai isn't good, you're probably in trouble - but you're not here, it's definitely delicious. It's like if you go to Longhorn and the steak is bad - you know you're in trouble if the staple food isn't good. At Viet Thai you can get chicken, crab, tofu, pork, or shrimp Pad Thai. They also offer some "From the Sea" options, and don't be scared to try any of these.

Finish off your meal with Sticky Rice with Mango or Fried Bananas. With all the food you will want to try here, I suggest sharing the dessert with someone else!

They offer carry-out here, but not delivery. Sure I'd probably order delivery from there once a week if it was offered, but I understand that what they have going is working. They do a good deal of carry-out business - people don't mind driving or walking over to pick up their delicious food. Make sure to get over and try out their food soon, if you haven't already! Oh, and you can always BYOB!

Lemongrass Chicken (or Tofu)

Great for a quick dinner - cooks up a nice sweet and spicy sauce with a citrus tang. I make it with chicken, but you can alter the recipe for tofu, too. Serve with steamed rice, and add vegetables or steam them for a crispy, fresh side. It's a nice alternative to ordering take out! Serves 2.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Cubed chicken (or tofu)
Flour
1 tsp. Vegetable Oil
2 cm pc. Fresh Ginger - grated or finely chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 Garlic Clove (crushed)
1 Small Red Chili
5 cm pc. Lemongrass (finely chopped or grated)
2/3 C. Chicken Stock
1 T Fish Sauce
2 tsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
Juice of 1/2 Lime
1-2 T. honey

Other:
Medium Bowl
Medium skillet or wok

Toss cubed chicken in bowl with enough flour to coat. Add oil, ginger, garlic, chilies, and lemongrass to wok. Heat on medium and add cubed chicken 3-4 minutes.

Add chicken stock, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and lime juice. Once bubbles begin to appear (light boil), reduce heat and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Stir in honey during last 5-10 minutes of simmering.

Serve over steamed white rice and enjoy!

Lemongrass

thaitable.com

Lemongrass or Lemon Grass - very commonly found in Thai and Vietnamese food, an ingredient you can find in the grocery store (chilled herbs) or grow yourself. It is known as TAKRAI in Thai, XA in Vietnamese, and NINGMENG CAO in Mandarin and provides a citrus-like flavor that lemon juice cannot be used to substitute.

If you are purchasing in a store, you should use rules similar to purchasing celery. The stalks should be firm and crisp, not rubbery or soft. For lemongrass, the ideal stalk color is white at the bottom and light green toward the top. You should avoid purchasing any stalks that have a brown color - which means they are older and drying out. Depending upon where you are purchasing your lemongrass, the stalk can be anywhere from 6 inches to 12 inches or longer. I've found the local grocery store sells it in the chilled herbs section - by the cilantro, rosemary, parsley, etc. It usually costs a little less than $2 for two 6 inch pieces. You can store it in an airtight container in your refrigerator for about 3 weeks.

I've heard you can root a bulb end of a piece in water to start your own lemongrass plant. While this is not something I have done (yet), I am quite curious and may pursue this option. I've read you can keep it as a houseplant, as you can with a number of herbs, as long as it is facing a sunny window. It is also a perennial, so if you are growing it outside, you may have to bring the plant indoors for the winter.

You can soften the stalks to use in soup broths, use a sharp blade to chop pieces, or crush with a mortar and pestle. You can also use the top section, which really looks like grass, for soups and stews. The grassy section will brown if you are cooking in a pan.

There is also some research linking lemongrass to cancer treatment. There have been some studies using citral - the chemical that gives it that citrus-y aroma. Lemongrass is also supposed to have a number of health benefits, also. I haven't read enough about lemongrass and cancer cells to believe one way or the other (does it help or not) - in fact I came across an article that suggested one of the plant's chemicals may magnify side effects caused by some types of cancer treatments. Even webmd has it's own opinions - suggesting pregnant and nursing women should avoid using it. So before you jump to any hasty conclusions, make sure to do your research.

I'll be sure to include this ingredient in upcoming recipes, so check back soon!