Thai Peanut Chicken Bowls

Chicken

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into thin slices
• 8-ounce jar Thai peanut satay sauce (from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 clove grated garlic

Cucumber Salad

• 2 cups thinly sliced cucumber (1 large English cucumber)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion (about 1/4 an onion)
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• salt and sugar to taste

Noodles and Toppers

• 4 ounces vermicelli noodles
• a few tablespoons of crushed peanuts
• a few sprigs of herbs – I like mint, cilantro, and basil because I’m an herb hog!

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Marinate the Chicken: Marinate the chicken with half the jar of sauce and the garlic for about 30 minutes to an hour. 
   
2. Cucumber Salad: Meanwhile, toss the cucumbers, onions, oil, vinegar, salt and sugar together. 
3. Cook the Chicken: Heat a small amount of oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat; add chicken, let it sit undisturbed for a few minutes to caramelize, then flip and repeat until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown. To caramelize it further, you can add a pinch of sugar towards the end.
4. Make a Bowl: Serve the chicken over rice noodles, with some of the cucumber salad, fresh herbs, and peanuts.
5. Sauce: Using your remaining sauce, add a bit of water, soy sauce, or chili oil to the jar to thin it out into more of a dressing. Drizzle over the bowls and dive into that.

Source: https://pinchofyum.com/thai-peanut-chicken-bowls

Pad Thai

Prep Time: 12 mins

Cook Time: 13 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Servings: 4 servings

SAUCE:

3-1/2 Tablespoons tamarind concentrate more watery - NOT tamarind paste which is thicker (HIGHLY recommended but if you can't find it, sub with 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter + 1/4 cup fresh lime juice)

2 teaspoons Thai red chili sauce Sambal Oelek or Sriracha to taste

4 Tablespoons red boat fish sauce 

3 Tablespoons oyster sauce

4 Tablespoons coconut sugar or brown sugar (if not paleo) - leave out for Whole30

1.5 teaspoons concentrated tomato paste , optional for additional color and to mimic the North American version as the authentic Thai version does not use this

FOR THE STIR FRY:

8 ounces dried uncooked rice noodles , sub with Miracle Noodle, Shirataki or Konjac noodles for grain-free or spiralized vegetables for Whole30

2 Tablespoons cooking oil , avocado oil for a healthier version

6 oz chicken breast , sliced thinly (can also sub with shrimp or leave out for vegetarian)

2 garlic cloves , minced

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 shallot , diced

1/3 cup grated carrots

1 red or green bell pepper , thinly sliced (I used a combo of both for extra color)

1 large egg , lightly beaten (leave out for vegan)

1 lime wedge

salt, black pepper and more fish sauce to taste

GARNISH and TOPPINGS:

Chopped fresh cilantro , bean sprouts, chopped roasted peanuts, green onions and additional lime wedges

FOR MEAL PREP:

Takeout style Lunch containers

Glass Lunch Boxes

PREPARE THE NOODLES:

Prepare the rice noodles according to package instructions. (I usually just soak mine for 6-7 minutes in boiling water). They should be soft but not mushy - see my photo above for how it should look at this point. Drain and immediately rinse under cool water and set aside in a colander.

MAKE THE SAUCE:

While the noodles are cooking, whisk together the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. If you prefer a sweeter pad thai - add additional sugar. For a spicier version, add additional chili paste.

STIR FRY:

Heat the oil in a large wok or non-stick skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and mostly cooked through (about 3-4 minutes). Stir in the ginger, garlic, and shallots and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the carrots and bell pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes, until tender crisp. Push all the ingredients over to one side of the pan. Pour the beaten egg and scramble directly in the skillet.

Cubed chicken breast in a pan

Add noodles and pour the sauce over top. Toss with tongs to evenly coat noodles. Remove from heat (do not overcook the noodles or they will get soggy).

Squeeze in juice from the lime wedge and adjust seasoning by adding some salt, black pepper, fish sauce, (tomato paste - if using) and chili paste.

Serve hot on a large platter with garnishes by sprinkling on cilantro, bean sprouts, peanuts and green onions and additional lime wedges on the side.

FOR MEAL PREP:

For meal prep, divide the noodles evenly into lunch boxes and store in refrigerator until ready to reheat.

If you like more sauce, double the amount of sauce and add desired amount and save the rest in an airtight container for next time or use it up in a stir-fry or salad.

Source: https://lifemadesweeter.com/chicken-pad-thai/#wprm-recipe-container-30332

TOM YUM SOUP WITH SHRIMP

 For 4 Person(s)

STOCK

• 2 Pieces Chicken Wings
• 6 Cups Water

TOM YUM

• 4 Cups of your chicken stock
• 3 Stalks Fresh Lemongrass
• 3 Small Slices Fresh Galangal
• 6 Leaves Fresh Kaffir Lime Leaves Shredded
• 2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
• 5 Whole Fresh Thai Chilli Peppers
• 3 or 4 Fresh Mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon Prik Pao Roasted Chili in Oil
• 8 Large Shrimp
• Fresh Cilantro for Garnish

METHOD - STOCK

Cut one your 2 chicken wings into 3 pieces using a cleaver. Bring chicken to a rolling boil for about 10 seconds then drain, rinse and refill with fresh cold water and bring to a boil again. Let it boil for a few minutes then  reduce heat to high simmer for at least 30 minutes.  Feel free to add a bit of salt and pepper while it's simmering. Remove the chicken, and what remains is your stock.

METHOD - TOM YUM

Slice galangal into small discs, and slice lemongrass diagonally.  Slice mushooms. Wash your lime leaves and slice each leaf in half. Whack the Thai chilli peppers with a cleaver. Wash the prawns and shell them without removing the tails.

Bring stock broth to a boil. Add lemongrass, galangal, fresh chile, and lime leaves. Bring back to a boil then add mushrooms, fish sauce, prik pao and lime juice. You can adjust flavors by reducing fish sauce & lime juice, to suit your taste. Add prawns. As soon as prawns turn pink (cooked through) serve garnished with cilantro.

A popular variation is to serve tom yum "sai nam kon" which means a spoonful of coconut milk or, many street vendors will add a spoon of evaporated milk. We like tom yum nam kon and enjoy adding tablespoon of our Tom Kha to it.

Note that a popular way to make this dish is with a ready-made tom yum paste or tom yum cubes. ImportFood.com has some options for you. Our Instant Tom Yum Paste, is imported from Thailand and a pretty good product for making tom yum but you'll need to adjust some flavors. Add two tablespoons Tom Yum Paste to three cups boiling water, add 1.5 teaspoons salt, add mushrooms and prawns, add 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, add 5-7 Thai chile peppers and onions, and serve garnished with cilantro.

An alternative to Tom Yum Paste is our Tom Yum Cubes which you can use to make the above soup. These alternatives also add fragrant, delicious Tom Yum flavor to just about any kind of noodles, and both are quite popular.  

To make your tom yum extra spicy, add Thai Fried Chilli Paste for Tom Yum.

THAI GREEN CURRY CHICKEN (20-MINUTE)

• 1 tablespoon virgin coconut or canola oil
• ¼ cup green curry paste
• 1½ teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• ½ teaspoon finely grated lime zest
• 1 medium onion, sliced into ¼-inch strips
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into ¼-inch strips
• ½ pound sugar peas, trimmed (about 2½ cups)
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Cooked rice or rice noodles and lime wedges (for serving

1. Heat oil over medium high heat in a medium pot. Add the curry paste, the ginger and the lime zest and fry for 1 minute, until fragrant.
2. Add onion and salt and fry for another 3 minutes.
3. Add chicken stock and coconut milk, bring to a simmer.
4. Add chicken, red bell pepper and sugar peas and cook for about 5 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Stir in fresh basil and lime juice.
5. Serve with rice or rice noodles and lime wedges alongside.

Source:valeriskeepers.com

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic sliced
• 1 teaspoon sambal oelek chili paste
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 2/3 cup hot water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice with pulp
• 1/4 cup organic sugar
• 2 tablespoons shredded carrots for garnish

Instructions

1. Place garlic and chili paste in mortar and pound into a paste. Mix together remaining ingredients in a small bowl and stir in garlic chili paste. Stir in carrot slivers.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from The Best of Vietnamese & Thai Cooking by Mai Pham