Cookbooks about Thai cuisine used to get lost on the shelf among all the other Asian books–mostly Chinese, some Japanese and Vietnamese–with which they were stacked.
In recent years, though, Thai cooking has attracted serious attention from cookbook authors, enough to produce a slew of titles on the vibrant food of the country and some serious competition.
One of the latest books is the welcome and worthy “Dancing Shrimp,” by Kasma Loha-unchit (Simon & Schuster, $30).
Loha-unchit, a writer and cooking teacher in Oakland, Calif., also is the author of “It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking,” which was named best international cookbook in 1996 by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
In this new book, Loha-unchit explores the cuisine of her homeland through a variety of the seafood so plentiful in Thailand.
Catfish, crab, mussels, mackerel, squid and snapper are just some of the stars here, as are shrimp, dancing and otherwise. (The “dancing” shrimp of the title refer to a favorite Mekong River specialty for live shrimp “cooked,” ceviche-style, in a dressing of chilies, garlic and lime juice.)
And although the shrimp may not literally jump from the plate, the lively quality suggested by the title is fulfilled in the recipes.
Full use is made of the fresh herbs, chilies and other aromatic seasonings that are essential to Thai food, so this is not the place to look for recipes that simply play up the pure taste of the seafood. The fish and shellfish are used for their texture as much as their flavor and are enhanced by the assertive seasonings.
One example is the recipe we tried for catfish salad with green mango and peanuts. Catfish fillets are broiled, shredded and then fried, turning the fish into crispy and fluffy–but unrecognizable–flakes. The dish is a popular one whose cooking method is common in Thailand, according to Loha-unchit. It has a wonderful flavor from the tart fruit and crunch from fried peanuts, according to our tasters. But catfish? No one could identify the main ingredient.
Another appealing recipe, the curried mussels on the half shell, look more like a pudding mixture when served. Don’t be put off by this; the filling, best eaten with a cocktail fork, is a superbly spicy, creamy blend of steamed mussels and crab meat bound by thickened, curried coconut cream. The garnish of slivered hot peppers adds a snap of interest in each bite, making the mussels an unusual and tempting first course or hors d’oeuvre for your next party.
But the hands-down hit in the test kitchen was the five-flavored shrimp, a main dish that gets its power from a complex set of seasonings. Sesame seeds are toasted; shallots and a full head of garlic are deep-fried until deeply colored; fiery chili peppers are crisped in a dry skillet and pulverized in a blender; tamarind juice, fish sauce, vinegar and sugar are reduced to a syrup; all are tossed together over stir-fried shrimp. The result is improbably, eye-poppingly good. (Note: I later made this dish for a dinner party but experimented by sharply reducing the quantity of seasonings; what I got was a good but boring stir-fry.)
It’s important to trust Loha-unchit, who clearly knows her stuff. But the authenticity of the recipes may be overwhelming for some. The shopping alone for some recipes requires commitment to search out ingredients such as Thai pickled garlic, roasted chili paste, tapioca starch and fresh turmeric. What you can’t find at the supermarket will be available at a well-stocked Asian market such as Thai Grocery, 5014 N. Broadway.
The recipes are clearly written with good detail, although the distracting abbreviations for “teaspoon” and “tablespoon” force you to read the amount twice.
The book contains just over a dozen color photographs that nicely illustrate selected recipes. But more of an enhancement are the lengthy and extremely helpful chapters detailing cooking methods, equipment and techniques, ingredients and their uses, and the history of Thai food.
Each recipe also comes with several paragraphs of “notes and pointers” explaining the origin of the dish and tips for its preparation.
Thai food enthusiasts will have great fun exploring the ideas here. This book is a treasure.
FIVE-FLAVORED SHRIMP WITH TOASTED SESAME SEEDS
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
“Five-flavored shrimp or prawns appear regularly on the menus of large, specialty seafood restaurants in Thailand. All five flavors are present in about equal degrees–hot, sour, sweet, salty and bitter,” Kasma Loha-unchit writes in “Dancing Shrimp.” “The bitter taste is provided by the crisped and browned garlic and shallots.”
Loha-unchit likes to refresh shrimp in saltwater before cooking. For each pound of shrimp, dissolve a heaping teaspoon sea salt in 1/2 cup cold water. Dunk and gently massage the shrimp, then let stand 5-10 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly. “Soaking the shrimp in their own element–sea-salted water–helps perk them up, giving them a fresher smell and, when cooked, a crisp, succulent texture.”
1 pound medium shrimp
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
5 to 10 dried chilies, to desired hotness
Pinch or two of salt
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 to 3 shallots, sliced into rounds 1/8-inch thick
1/4 cup tamarind juice, the thickness of fruit concentrate
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce or to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, to taste
1 large head garlic, chopped
A few cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1. Shell, devein and butterfly shrimp. Give them a saltwater bath to refresh and improve their texture, then rinse in several changes of water to remove all the salt. Drain and let shrimp sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before cooking.
2. Toast sesame seeds in a small, dry pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown and aromatic. Transfer to a small dish. Wipe pan clean and return to the stove. Roast dried red chilies with salt, stirring frequently, until they turn dark red and are slightly charred. Let cool before grinding in a clean coffee grinder.
3. Wipe pan, and reheat with the oil. Fry sliced shallots over low to medium heat, browning them slowly, so that they dry and turn crispy (20 minutes or longer, depending on the shallots). In the meantime, mix the tamarind juice, vinegar, fish sauce and sugar in a small saucepan and reduce over medium heat, stirring frequently, to thicken to the consistency of light syrup. Remove from heat and stir in ground, roasted dried red chilies to desired hotness.
4. When shallots have browned and turned crispy, remove from oil with a fine wire-mesh skimmer. Increase heat to high and fry garlic to golden brown. Likewise strain from oil; reserve.
5. Heat a wok over high heat until its surface is smoking hot. Swirl in 2 tablespoons of reserved oil to coat the surface, and wait 15-20 seconds for it to heat. Toss in shrimp and stir-fry quickly, until they turn pink on the outside. Add thickened sauce and continue to stir-fry until the shrimp are cooked through. Turn off heat. Toss in fried garlic and shallots and toasted sesame seeds, and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.
Nutrition information per serving:
(calculated by the Tribune)
Calories ………… 290 Fat ………… 17 g Saturated fat .. 2.9 g
% calories from fat .. 53 Cholesterol .. 160 mg Sodium …….. 920 mg
Carbohydrates …… 15 g Protein …….. 20 g Fiber ………. 1.2 g
CURRIED MUSSELS ON THE HALF SHELL WITH FLAKED CRAB
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 30 shells
“Baked curried mussels on the half shell make an impressive appetizer for a dinner party. They can be prepared a day ahead of time and warmed before garnishing for serving.” writes Kasma Loha-unchit in “Dancing Shrimp.” Look for rice flour, palm sugar, lime leaves and Thai basil in Thai food markets.
2 pounds large fresh mussels
2 cups coconut cream (use the thickest cream from the tops of two cans of unsweetened coconut milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons rice flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 to 2 tablespoons fish sauce, as needed
2 to 3 teaspoons palm sugar, to taste
1/3 cup chopped Thai basil
8 kaffir lime leaves–mince half the leaves and cut the other half into very fine inch-long slivers
1 cup shelled cooked crabmeat
2 eggs, beaten
30 to 40 cilantro leaves
2 red jalapeno or fresno peppers, cut into fine slivers about 1 1/2 inches long
1. Rinse and scrub mussels to clean shells. Place on a steamer rack and steam over medium heat until shells open. Remove from steamer, pull the two halves of the shells apart, and scoop flesh out into a bowl. Select 30 to 40 of the nicest-looking half shells, rinse and set aside to drain.
2. Spoon 1/2 cup coconut cream into a small saucepan with rice flour and salt. Stir to dissolve flour into cream. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens to a smooth, creamy consistency. Set aside to cool.
3. Spoon remaining coconut cream into a saucepan, warming just enough over medium heat to melt cream to a smooth, fluid consistency. Turn off heat. Add red curry paste and palm sugar. Stir well to dissolve both into cream. Add fish sauce, as needed, to the desired level of saltiness (taste first, as some brands of curry paste are already heavily salted). If the sauce is very warm, let it cool.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. When sauce has cooled almost to room temperature, drain mussels, and add to curry sauce, along with chopped basil and minced kaffir lime leaves. Stir well. Flake crabmeat with a fork and fold into mixture along with beaten eggs.
5. Spoon a mussel into each half shell, along with some flaked crab and sauce to fill. Balance filled shells on a rack placed on a baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes (cooking time will depend on the size of the shells).
6. Top each with a dab of thickened coconut cream, cilantro leaf, red pepper sliver, and a few lime leaf slivers. Arrange on a serving platter.
Nutrition information per shell:
Calories …………. 60 Fat ……….. 4.2 g Saturated fat .. 3.3 g
% calories from fat .. 60 Cholesterol … 20 mg Sodium …….. 125 mg
Carbohydrates ……. 3 g Protein ……. 3.2 g Fiber ………. 0.6 g
