February 2020 Feast Magazine

Inspired Local Food Culture

/

midwest

february 2020

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Inspired Local Food Culture /

midwest

february

2020

Volume 10 / Issue 2 contributors

Vice President of Niche Publishing, Publisher of Feast Magazine

Catherine Neville, publisher@feastmagazine.com

EDITORIAL

sales

Editor in chief

For advertising inquiries, please contact:

Heather Riske, hriske@feastmagazine.com managing editor

sales@feastmagazine.com 314.475.1298

Rachel Huffman, rhuffman@feastmagazine.com

Special projects coordinator

assistant editor

Aubrey Byron, abyron@feastmagazine.com

Kasey Carlson, kcarlson@feastmagazine.com Kansas City Contributing Editor

Jenny Vergara St. Louis Contributing Editor

Mabel Suen

Proofreader

Erica Hunzinger Contributing Writers

Julia Calleo, Tessa Cooper, Gabrielle DeMichele, Pete Dulin, Amanda Elliott, April Fleming, Teresa Floyd, Natalie Gallagher, Juliana Goodwin, Hilary Hedges, Rogan Howitt, Burk Krohe, JC Sandt, Nancy Stiles, Jenn Tosatto, Jessica Vaughn Martin, Shannon Weber

“When I went to Thai Table in Maplewood, [Missouri], to capture photos of the som tum, I first noticed the building was part of the main strip and had limited access to natural light. This is slightly concerning for any photographer. Luckily, Joy went out of her way to ensure I had a proper setup to photograph, meaning we dragged a whole table setup outside. I shot pictures while battling the elements of winter. After the shoot, Joy, with her warm

producer: Catherine Neville

hospitality, offered me tea!" (Touring Thailand, p. 47)

production partner: Tybee Studios

Feast Media, 8811 Ladue Road, Suite D, Ladue, MO 63124 314.475.1260, feastmagazine.com

Karen Parkman

St. Louis, Photographer

FEAST TV

Contact Us

fact checker

paige mcdonald

Distribution To distribute Feast Magazine at your place of business, please contact Eric Freeman for St. Louis, Jefferson City, Columbia, Rolla and Springfield at efreeman@post-dispatch.com and Jason Green for Kansas City at distribution@pds-kc.com.

pete dulin

Kansas City, Writer “The emergence of regional Thai food on local restaurant menus is a welcome – and long-overdue – development. I grew up eating my mom’s Thai cooking in Kansas City and devoured my aunts’ home cooking during trips to Thailand, but researching and writing this story further underscored the complexity and diversity of the cuisine. For example, I ate kua kling for the first time, yet countless Thai dishes still tethered to family recipes, techniques and traditions await exploration – both abroad and in our own backyard.

I urge you to follow your senses to discover the nuances of Thai food." (Touring Thailand, p. 47)

ART Art Director

pilsen photo co-op

Alexandrea Povis, apovis@feastmagazine.com

Kansas City, Photographers

Contributing Photographers

"Having previously traveled to Bangkok, we were

Paul Andrews, Chris Bauer, Zach Bauman, Keith Borgmeyer, Julia Calleo, Katie Currid, Judd Demaline, Teresa Floyd, Anthony Jinson, Paige McDonald, Mark Neuenschwander, Aaron Ottis, Drew Piester, Pilsen Photo Co-Op, Jonathan Pollack, Mackenzie Romagni, Jennifer Silverberg, Starboard & Port Creative, Mabel Suen, Kim Wade, Cheryl Waller

excited for the opportunity to dive into some of the Thai cuisine in Kansas City – we were not disappointed. So much so that the dishes we tried have been inspiring us to experiment at home [and] try to recreate some of the flavor-packed dishes we shot. Each restaurant we visited treated us like family and insisted we take all the food home – some even snuck in extra treats for our enjoyment. Being able to get a taste of our

Contributing illustrators

Lehel Kovacs and John Roman

travels locally is the reason we love calling KC Feast Magazine does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork.

Submissions will not be returned.

All contents are copyright © 2010-2020 by Feast Magazine™. All rights reserved.

Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents, without the prior written permission of the publisher, is strictly prohibited. Produced by the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, LLC.

home." (One on One, p. 15; Touring Thailand, p.47)

burk krohe

St. Louis, Writer “The thing that immediately struck me about Chelsie and Ek was their hospitality. I suppose I should have expected it, considering they regularly invite strangers into their home for pop-up dinners. I was treated to a preview of the predinner snacks being served at the next pop-up (which were

on the cover Isaan hamachi at Indo in St. Louis by Judd Demaline table of contents Go Out: 888 International Market in Kansas City by Zach Bauman; Stay In: Pandan-coconut ice cream with candied peanuts by Teresa Floyd; Features: Khao soi at Fork & Stix in St. Louis by Paige McDonald

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delicious) and then proceeded with an incredibly candid and entertaining interview. I think I asked five questions, and we talked for an hour – I wish I could have included even half of what they said in the article!" (One on One, p. 17)

Go Out

Stay In

/ 16 /

/ 11 / DINE & DRINK

Chim's Thai Kitchen, Pad Thai, Hot Basil, Sweetie

Cup Thai Cafe, Nuu Thai, Everyday Thai, Thai Table / 14 / On TREND

Makrut lime cocktails / 15 / one on one

Nutnisa Hoffman of Mali Thai Bistro and Baramee Thai Bistro

/ 16 / shop here

888 International Market / 17 / one on one

Ekkachai Danwanichakul and Chelsie Hellige of Spirit House

/ 18 / one on one

Kittikoon Chompupong of Thip’s Asian Bistro / 20 / Hometown hits

Sawaddee Thai Cuisine, Thai Express, Lemongrass Thai Cuisine

/ 21 / one on one

Shayn Prapaisilp of Chao Baan

Features

/ 32 /

/ 23 / THE dish

Big Thai Wrap / 24 / the mix

Thai Coconut Milk Punch / 26 / healthy appetite

Spicy sautéed greens

/ 47 /

47

touring THAILAND

56

SHOW-ME RICE

60

INDO-PENDANT

/ 28 / MIDWEST MADE

Thai-influenced sauces / 30 / mystery shopper Galangal / 32 / sugar Rush

Pandan-coconut ice cream with candied peanuts

Dig into eight regional dishes for a taste of Thailand's diverse cuisine and culture

Meet the third-generation farmers growing jasmine rice in the heart of Missouri's fertile Bootheel region

St. Louis chef Nick Bognar blends his family's Thai heritage with exacting Japanese techniques to create a restaurant that's distinctly his own

/ 33 / one on one

Marisa Wiruhayarn of Tasty Thai, Big Bowl Pho and

Primal Cry / 34 / how-to

Thai basil and shrimp spring rolls / 36 / quick fix

Spicy beef salad / 37 / culinary library

Phatcharin Wanna of Fork & Stix / 38 / crash course Curry

In Every Issue

/ 6 / from the PUBLISHER

A taste of Thailand / 7 / events / 8 / feast tv

Sweets / 66 / b ack burner / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

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Letter

from the

Publisher

A

down family recipes to eager patrons.

We didn’t eat a single thing in a brickand-mortar restaurant while we were there. Everything was eaten from a stall on the street or an open-air kitchen like the one we found in that narrow alleyway.

few years ago, I spent some days in Thailand on the heels of a two-week trek through Vietnam. It wasn’t nearly enough time to explore the country, but I did have the opportunity to experience a small taste of what makes Thailand a culinary – as well as cultural – travel destination.

My most vivid memory is walking down the streets of Bangkok, long after the sun had set, through open-air vendors tightly packed together, selling everything from T-shirts to tofu.

The streets were literally humming with people and the warm aroma of spices and frying oil was everywhere.

The chocolate tart I developed for the Sweets episode is ridiculously rich and decadent. The addition of candied ginger lends a bit of complexity and heat, with the pretzel crust offering some salt to temper the sweetness. This would make a perfect Valentine’s Day dessert!

As we passed an alley, we stopped in our tracks when we saw a huge fish tank full of live shrimp and a display of crushed ice presented with gleaming whole fish, enticing diners to step into what we came to realize was a restaurant. Beneath blue tarps that were strung across the alley as a makeshift roof, there were small two-top tables pushed up against the walls on either side of the narrow space. At the very back of the alley, an ad-hoc kitchen was set up, burners glowing red and cooks intently bent over their work.

We grabbed a couple of seats and ordered from the small menu. Fish with coconut curry and steamed rice, pan-fried noodles slicked with chile oil and more arrived in quick succession. Having become a little tired of drinking the lagers that are so common in Southeast Asia, we split a bottle of Vang Dalat, a white Vietnamese table wine, which lent some sweetness and acidity to complement the spice in our meal. It was such a unique experience, eating quite literally in an alley with the vibrant energy of Bangkok thrumming on the sidewalk just in front of us. It could not have been more perfect.

Food is everywhere in Thailand. Fiery sauces are tied up in plastic bags and hung from outdoor carts for people to grab on their way home after a long day. Tents set up in any and every corner house people cooking and offering bowls of handed6

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That trip to Thailand was a magical and heady experience and one that was way too short. I was lucky to have even those few days there, and the memory of devouring Thai street food will always be with me, calling me back.

This issue offers just a taste of what you can experience yourself if you visit Thailand – I know that someday I will return and be able to fully explore the depths of its regional cuisines.

I hope you enjoy this, our February issue, which is dedicated to regional Thai cuisine and the people here in our own region who are cooking up some of the best examples. I encourage you to explore the recipes and the restaurants in these pages, enjoying flavors you may have not yet experienced and trying your hand at cooking Thai cuisine at home. I know I’ll be whipping up some fresh curries this month and reliving my memories from my time there, dreaming of a day when I can step out onto a Bangkok street again, savoring the flavor and history of Thailand’s beautiful food culture.

Until next time,

Catherine Neville

publisher@feastmagazine.com

Fr om co ok in g cl as se s to fi lm fe st ival s, pl an th e m on th s ah ea d w it h fe as t.

kc | 2/7

stl | 2/19

Artist Dinner Series: Summer Wheat

Schnucks Cooks: Spicy Beef Salad

Fri., Feb. 7, 7pm; $125 per person; Café Sebastienne at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, 4420 Warwick Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri; communications@kemperarts.org; kemperart.org/artist-dinner-series

Wed., Feb. 19, 6 to 9pm; $45; Schnucks Cooking School, 12332 Manchester Road, Des Peres, Missouri; nourish.schnucks.com/web-ext/cooking-school

In this class, you’ll learn all about chiles – the varieties available at local international markets, their similarities and differences and how to use them. You’ll also learn the distinguishing features of different types of rice as you make a traditional Thai dessert.

Building on the history of unique culinary events hosted

by Kemper Museum's Café Sebastienne under the direction of executive chef Rick Mullins, this remarkable dinner series returns for another year to explore the art and artists of our time. Kick off the 2020 Artist Dinner Series with artist Summer Wheat, whose vibrantly colored paintings depict a community of heroic females doing the “heavy lifting and running things.”

STL | 2/27 Girl Scouts’ Dessert First 2020 Thu., Feb. 27, 6 to 9pm; $175 for individuals and $1,400 for a table; Chase Park Plaza, 212 Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri; 9071.thankyou4caring.org/pages/2020dessertfirst

stl | 2/13 & 3/5 Orchid Nights Thu., Feb. 13 and Thu., Mar. 5, 6 to 8pm; $25 for garden members, $35 for nonmembers, $15 for designated drivers; Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri; missouribotanicalgarden.org/things-to-do/ events/event-details/sreventid/1825.aspx

Sip and sample libations, enjoy live music and experience the 2020 Orchid Show by night. Cash bar and small bites available for purchase. (Adults 21 and older.)

Dessert First challenges prominent St. Louis chefs to flex their baking skills and deliver one-of-a-kind Girl Scout Cookie-inspired creations! During cocktail hour, guests vote for their favorite desserts. Later, at a formal dinner, attendees celebrate two remarkable Gold Award Girl Scouts and the extraordinary achievements and contributions of three Legacy Builders.

stl | 2/14 & 2/21

como | 3/5-3/8

Friday Night Flights

True/False Film Festival

Fri., Feb. 14 and Fri., Feb. 21, 5:30 to 7:30pm; $25 for garden members, $35 for nonmembers, $15 for designated drivers; Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, 15193 Olive Blvd., Chesterfield, Missouri; missouribotanicalgarden.org/visit/family-of-attractions/ butterfly-house/things-to-do-at-the-butterfly-house/ signature-events/friday-night-flights.aspx

Thu., Mar. 5 through Sun., Mar. 8; $12 per film or weekend passes available; Participating theatres and venues throughout Columbia, Missouri; truefalse.org

Celebrate Mardi Gras with bites, beverages and butterflies! Plus enjoy live jazz. Reservations encouraged. (Adults 21 and older.)

True/False offers a heightened four-day weekend of creative placemaking, in which filmmakers, artists, musicians and others convert the mid-sized college town of Columbia, Missouri, into a one-of-a-kind utopia. The transformative experience of T/F creates a cathartic journey that forces participants to do nothing less than reimagine reality.

stl | 2/19

sgf | 4/16 L

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Taste & Toast: Springfield

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Thu., April 16; Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 day of; Savoy Ballroom, 224 E. Commercial St., Springfield, Missouri; tixtoparty.com/e/feast-taste-toast-springfield

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Enjoy a multi-course meal highlighting the diverse flavor profiles found across Thailand’s four regions, along with an in-depth cocktail hour discussion with the family behind King & I and Chao Baan.

Visit feastmagazine.com for ticket info.

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Regional Thai Dinner Wed., Feb. 19, 6 to 9pm; Chao Baan, 4087 Chouteau Ave., St. Louis, Missouri

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Save the date for our tasting event in Springfield, Missouri, on Thursday, April 16 at the C Street Savoy Ballroom. We’ll be celebrating the Springfield Feast 50 winners with you! / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

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episode: Sweets

revisit some of our favorite spots in the best of season and get a taste of our all-new recipes!

Bourbon-Ginger Chocolate Tart serves 6 to 8 recipe by Catherine Neville

Crust 1¼ cup finely ground salted pretzels ¼ cup brown sugar 1 Tbsp honey 6 Tbsp butter, melted Filling 10 oz dark chocolate, chopped 1¼ cups heavy cream 2 large eggs 1 Tbsp bourbon 1 Tbsp ginger liqueur 2 Tbsp finely chopped candied ginger candied ginger and whipped cream, for garnish / preparation – crust / Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine pretzel crumbs with brown sugar; add honey and butter and mix to incorporate. Evenly press mixture into a tart pan. Bake until crisp, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set on a wire rack to cool.

Satisfy your sweet tooth in this episode of our “best of” season. Get in the kitchen at Paleterias Tropicana in Kansas City with host Cat Neville and see how traditional Mexican ice cream is made by the Valdez family.

Then, head to Springfield, Missouri, to meet Shawn Askinosie of Askinosie Chocolate. He’s making some of the best bean-to-bar chocolate in the country. And in St. Louis, we stop by Crown Candy Kitchen and get to know the man behind this long-standing confectionary, where chocolate bunnies and BLTs draw crowds from far and wide.

Back in the kitchen, Cat makes a bourbon-ginger chocolate tart with a salty pretzel crust.

/ preparation – filling / Place chopped chocolate in a large bowl. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add cream and bring to just a simmer. Pour over chocolate and allow to stand, untouched, 5 minutes, and then stir until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, bourbon, ginger liqueur and candied ginger and then fold egg mixture into chocolate, mixing until you see no streaks of egg. Pour mixture into the tart shell and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until set. Remove the tart if it begins to crack as that indicates that it’s overbaked. The center should be a bit wobbly when you pull it from the oven, so keep an eye on it. Cool on a wire rack and serve with ginger and unsweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche.

check your local listings to watch feast tv on these networks:

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Feb. 28 - March 8 Changing Perspective, One Dish at a Time

8431 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, MO 64114 • https://www.waldothaiplace.com/

ARD

S

A

W

2019

sister restaurant

cafe cusco Best Vegetarian

Missouri’s

Only

Dutch RestauRant 334 East Commercial cial St. S | Springfield, MO | 417.344.0085 | vangoghseet angoghseet angoghseeterie.com

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participating restaurants

$10 lunch/$25 dinner specials

Carisilos Mexican Restaurant Fazzi's Restaurant Friday's South Bar & Grill Mungo's Italian Eatery Old Herald Brewery & Distillery Sloan's Pub House

(800) 258-6645

RiversandRoutes.com

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DINE & DRINK

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ON TREND

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SHOP HERE

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HOMETOWN HITS ▪ COLUMBIA, MO.

Chim’s Thai Kitchen Written by Jessica Vaughn Martin / photography by KEITH BORGMEYER

The family behind Chim’s Thai Kitchen, a seasonal staple at Cooper's Landing in Columbia, Missouri – as well as Big Mama Chim’s Noodle House – opened a new brick-and-mortar location last July. The two-level space on Broadway will be open year-round, serving fan favorites such as tom kha (creamy coconut soup made with chicken, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms and cilantro), Thai egg rolls, six kinds of curry and Thai teas with or without boba. In addition to its expanded menu, the downtown location boasts late-night hours.

Get your fix from 11am to 11pm any day except Sunday.

904 E. Broadway, Columbia, Missouri, facebook.com/ChimsThaiKitchen

tom kha with coconut milk, chicken, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms and cilantro

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DINE & DRINK

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ON TREND

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SHOP HERE

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HOMETOWN HITS

crispy Thai chicken wings sautéed in a garlic-basil sauce

◥ OVERLAND PARK, KS.

Hot Basil Written by Jenny Vergara / photography BY KATIE CURRID

▲ OVERLAND PARK, KS.

Pad Thai Written by Jenny Vergara / PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATIE CURRID

Located in the Lionsgate Marketplace in Overland Park, Kansas, Pad Thai is as charming as its owner, Niramol “Ann” Riensin. A woman who takes hospitality seriously, Riensin makes it a point to visit every table in her small, yet stylish, dining room. She introduces herself to all new guests and warmly welcomes regulars like they’re family – many believe she’s the secret sauce to the restaurant’s enduring popularity. The menu features stir-fried rice, curry and noodle dishes, including the namesake dish, pad Thai, which diners can order with sautéed shrimp. But the house favorite is the pad grapow, a simple everyday Thai staple made with your choice of chicken, pork or beef stir-fried with Thai basil and bell peppers and topped with two fried eggs. It’s immensely flavorful and packed with protein.

14319 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, Kansas, padthaikc.com

To spice up your night, stop by Hot Basil for one of founder Lee Chai’s counted-on classics: crispy Thai chicken wings sautéed in a garlic-basil sauce, pineapple fried rice or pad Thai – all of which are available for dine-in service or carryout. Located in the Rosana Square Shopping Center in Overland Park, Kansas, the restaurant lets diners choose the level of heat in their meal. After brisk lunch reservations, the pace slows down for dinner, when families gather to enjoy aromatic platters of their favorite Thai dishes. Before opening Hot Basil, Chai worked with Ann Liberda, founder of Thai Place and Waldo Thai Place. Now he’s turned his tiny but comfortable eatery into his own legacy.

7528 W. 119th St., Overland Park, Kansas, hotbasilks.com

▶ ST. LOUIS

Sweetie Cup Thai Cafe Story and photography by Mabel Suen

A concept from co-owners Saengchan Inthichak and Vanvilay Kongkousonh, who both come from a Lao background but lived in Thailand, Sweetie Cup Thai Cafe is a new destination for Thai street food and dessert cups in the St. Louis area. Having opened in Valley Park, Missouri, last spring, the restaurant serves Thai dishes such as a ginger stir-fry with ginger, onion, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, peppers and your choice of protein, alongside unique layered desserts. There are seven varieties in total, but the standout is the Sweetie Cup Special with Red Rubies (water chestnuts coated with tapioca flour), grass jelly, pandan jelly, syrup and coconut milk.

2961 Dougherty Ferry Road, Valley Park, Missouri, sweetiecupthaicafe.com

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COLUMBIA, MO. ▶

Nuu Thai Written by Jessica Vaughn Martin photography by anthony jinson

Since emigrating from Thailand to the U.S. more than two decades ago, Renu Olson has loved to share her cooking with family and friends in Columbia, Missouri. Today, she’s expanding her reach with her food truck, Nuu Thai. The summer menu features dishes such as tom yum (hot and sour) noodle stir-fry with fresh Thai and holy basil from her garden, while winter ushers in warm red curry chicken among other hearty dishes. Follow Nuu Thai on Facebook to keep track of its location. facebook.com/nuuthaifood

▼ SPRINGFIELD, MO.

Everyday Thai Written by Tessa Cooper / PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHERYL WALLER

Word is out that Everyday Thai is worth a visit, and owners Thippawan and Steven Shutts are in the process of moving the bustling business to a bigger space to keep up with their growing clientele. Plans for the new Springfield, Missouri, location reveal a more upscale atmosphere, but the menu – brimming with authentic fare from Thippawan's hometown in the Isaan region of northeastern Thailand – remains the same. The pad ki mao, which translates to “drunken noodles,” features bright flavors from fresh vegetables, basil and the couple’s signature stir-fry sauce. Order it with chicken breast, beef tenderloin, pork loin, shrimp or tofu.

Steven’s favorite dish is the yum nua, a beef salad with lettuce, cucumbers, red onion and cilantro topped with Thippawan's from-scratch dressing.

2926 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield, Missouri, myeverydaythai.com

▲ MAPLEWOOD, MO.

Thai Table Story and photography by Mabel Suen

Serving the characteristically spicy cuisine from the Northeast region of Thailand, Thai Table debuted in Maplewood, Missouri, in November 2018. Chef-owner Natthinee “Joy” Teerakawanid, who hails from the Thai province of Buri Ram, learned to cook at an early age from her grandmother and has been developing her own repertoire of recipes ever since. Many of her dishes, including gaeng phed

ped yang (roasted duck with red curry), have a kick, fortified with fresh homegrown bird's eye chiles and dried spices that are toasted and ground in-house. Another specialty is the nam tok: Nicknamed “waterfall” beef salad, sliced flame-grilled beef (or pork at Thai Table) dripping with juice – hence the waterfall – is tossed in a spicy lime dressing with ground toasted rice, red and green onion and cilantro and served with fresh vegetables and sticky rice.

7403 Manchester Road, Maplewood, Missouri, thaitablestl.com / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

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DINE & DRINK

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ON TREND

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SHOP HERE

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HOMETOWN HITS

Kansas City

At first glance, you’d think the makrut lime was a one-off fluke: A regular lime that somehow acquired a bumpy skin with a brain-like pattern. But that alien fruit is actually native to Southeast Asia, and its fragrant, waxy leaves have long been a prominent ingredient in Thai cooking. Now, bartenders are jumping on the bandwagon.-Natalie Gallagher

8431 Wornall Road, Kansas City, Missouri, waldothaiplace.com

What’s in a Name?

This ingredient is commonly listed as “kaffir lime” on menus in the U.S., but due to the term’s controversial history, restaurants and bars are increasingly using the citrus fruit’s Thai name instead.

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photography by zach bauman

KANSAS CITY

ST. LOUIS

Westport Café & Bar’s reputable bar manager Bronson Kistler discovered makrut lime leaves through his love of Thai curry. “It’s the leaves that are really aromatic,” says Kistler. “I love the flavor of makrut lime leaves and coconut, and I wanted to incorporate it into a drink somehow.” And so, the Bay of Bengal was born. Long known to circumvent the expected in pursuit of the inventive, Kistler uses white rum and Jamaican rum infused with makrut lime leaves, lemongrass, fennel and coriander, then introduces coconut milk, fresh lime juice, orange juice and simple syrup to make the drink. “The makrut lime leaves have different aromatic notes – they’re both earthy and citrusy – and there’s a lot of opportunity to pick out and play with different types of spirits,” he says.

Rob Somerscales, owner of bar consulting company Artisan Well and partner of Trust in St. Louis, draws on his Hawaiian roots for his makrut lime leaf cocktail, the Kipling. Somerscales combines haupia (a rich, coconut milk-based Hawaiian pudding, which he makes himself with aquavit (a Scandinavian spirit made just like gin, but with caraway instead of juniper berries) and Pineau des Charentes (a French aperitif) in a shaker with fresh lime juice, sea salt and a cardamom tincture. He then serves the flavorful concoction in a coupe glass with a garnish of makrut lime leaves. “I’ll take the [makrut lime] leaves and I’ll give them a little bump to express the oils and get the aroma out,” he says. “It’s a rich citrus aroma with a slight botanical profile. I think it adds a little to the flavor and enhances some of the other notes that are in the drink.”

419 Westport Road, Kansas City, Missouri, westportcafeandbar.com

401 Pine St., St. Louis, Missouri, truststl.com

feastmagazine.com / febr ua ry 2 0 2 0

Fittingly, you’ll find a couple cocktails featuring makrut lime leaves at Waldo Thai Place in Kansas City. “When it comes to infusions, they work very well with a clear spirit,” says bar manager Darrell Loo, who collaborates with the kitchen to incorporate authentic flavors into his entire beverage program. “I add five to seven leaves to a bottle for 12 hours.” For his riff on a Martini called I’m Not Sweet, Loo infuses Roku Gin (a Japanese craft gin) with makrut lime leaves and stirs it with Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry (blanc and dry) and orange bitters. The delicate cocktail is then garnished with a dehydrated lemon wheel and served to eager customers.

ONE ON ONE

/

kansas city

with Nutnisa Hoffman, co-owner,

ONE on

Mali Thai Bistro and Baramee Thai Bistro

Do you associate food with home? Yes, and family. When I first moved here, my husband had no idea that I could cook. I asked him if they had Asian markets around here, and he said, "Yeah, down at City Market.” So he took me there, and I bought a lot of stuff: a big package of rice, curry paste, fresh veggies. We came home and I started to cook. There were only two of us, but I made a table full of food, and he was like, "Uh, what is this?” He called family to come over, and after dinner, he said, "Wow, you can cook.”

Written by April Fleming photography by pilsen photo co-op

Although her family owned a restaurant in Bangkok, where she worked until she went

What do you remember about opening your first restaurant, Mali Thai Bistro? Lots of paperwork. I realized that you can’t get exactly what you hope for, but I learned to adjust to make it work. I was concerned about fresh ingredients: When I first came here, fresh chiles were $3 to $4 [per half pound] at the Asian markets – kind of pricey. The main things in Thai food are chile, garlic, fresh herbs, cilantro roots, lemongrass, galangal, [makrut] lime leaves; all of that is really important to make authentic Thai food, so we started a garden. Now we have lots of chiles and at least 15 [makrut] lime trees. We try to be as authentic as possible. I know when I go out to eat, I want to feel something real – I want our customers to know that I care.

to college, Nutnisa Hoffman never intended to join the business. But after emigrating from Thailand and eventually settling into life in Kansas City with her husband, Doug, she found that she missed Thai food and enjoyed cooking it, as it reminded her of family and her home country. Spurred on by that passion, the Hoffmans opened Mali Thai Bisto in

What made you decide to open a restaurant in the Crossroads? I used to come here on First Fridays to see the art and saw how people enjoyed walking the streets. If you visit Thailand, that’s how it is on the street, and I just enjoyed the fresh [air], the art and the food. I wanted to share my food with the Crossroads community and have people come [to Baramee Thai Bistro] and open their minds to another cuisine.

Lee’s Summit, Missouri, in 2015 and Baramee Thai Bistro in the Crossroads a few years later. This coming spring, the couple plans to open their third restaurant in City Market, where they will serve more of the Thai

Mali Thai Bistro, 579 SE. Melody Lane, Lee’s Summit, Missouri, malithaibistro.com

comfort foods that Kansas City residents have come to crave.

mu

Baramee Thai Bistro, 1810 Baltimore Ave., Kansas City, Missouri, barameethaibistro.com

r st - t y dis

he

at Baramee Thai Bistro

s Lemongrass, garlic, chile and lime make the aromas (and flavor) of tom yum intoxicating. “You can smell the earth,” says Hoffman.

The soup is light and not too filling, so you’ll have room for more.

Pad grapow is a traditional dish that features stir-fried chicken, Thai basil and a fried egg served with jasmine rice – it’s what Hoffman admittedly orders whenever she goes to a Thai restaurant.

The rich red curry at Baramee Thai Bistro gets its bright color from aromatic red curry paste. Coconut milk adds some sweetness and chile paste adds a little heat. / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

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DINE & DRINK

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HOMETOWN HITS

◀ OVERLAND PARK, KS.

888 International Market Written by April Fleming / photography by zach bauman

Arguably the best Asian market in the Kansas City metro area, 888 International Market offers a dizzying array of grocery staples, baked goods, both locally grown and imported produce, fresh seafood and fish and traditional meats as well as Asian specialties such as whole roasted duck, Chinese sausage and pork neck bones. It’s perpetually buzzy with regular customers and packed floor to ceiling with prepackaged goodies. Think jasmine rice, egg noodles, rice paper, authentic seasonings, fish and chile sauce, curry paste, locally made tofu, frozen dumplings, candy and other snacks, including sesame crackers, shrimp crackers and dried squid. 888 International Market also has live tanks and two lunch counters that sell made-to-order and ready-to-eat dishes, including noodle soups, pad Thai and radish-pork pancakes.

10118 W. 119th St., Overland Park, Kansas, 888intlmarket.com

Thai Kitchen

Essentials

888 International Market from

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Palm Sugar

Fish Sauce

Thai cooks utilize the more caramel-forward palm sugar over cane sugar when adding sweet notes to savory dishes or making desserts and Thai coffee. Superior Quality palm sugar comes in soft ovals; to use it, slice off a small piece and drop it into whatever you’re cooking.

Briny, salty and packed with protein, Tiparos fish sauce can be found all over Thailand. It imparts a rich umami flavor to any dish, from marinated meats to sautéed vegetables. Fish sauce features prominently in Thai cuisine, so it’s a must-have.

Curry Paste Mae Ploy curry paste delivers deep, authentic Thai flavor and heat – particularly with the red curry paste, you’ll want to mix it with coconut milk to temper the spiciness. Once you find the right balance, your home cooking will taste like it came from the kitchen of a pro.

ONE ON ONE

ONE on

/

st. louis

with Ekkachai Danwanichakul and Chelsie Hellige owners, Spirit House spirit house specials

saku sai moo

A dumpling unlike any other: Tapioca pearls are soaked in room-temperature water and then pressed into a dough of just the right thickness.

The dough is stuffed with a precise ratio of seasoned pork, pickled turnips and ground peanuts.

Written by Burk Krohe / photography by j. pollack photography

There’s no shortage of Thai restaurants in the St. Louis area, but the most coveted reservation in the city might be at

khao kluk kapi

Ekkachai Danwanichakul and Chelsie Hellige’s home in Dogtown. Missing the flavors and aromas of the Isaan region of

Funky fried rice is mixed with shrimp paste and

northeastern Thailand where Danwanichakul grew up, the couple launched Spirit House in 2018. The series of private Thai

surrounded by mix-ins such as chiles, green mango,

dinners, or “secret suppers,” presents authentic family-style meals to eight lucky diners per night in exchange for donations.

As the hosts serve dishes such as saku sai moo (tapioca dumplings) and pad kra pao (pork and holy basil stir-fry), they also give guests a lesson in Thai cuisine and culture. Keep an eye out for upcoming dinners via Instagram if you want a taste.

What inspired you to start Spirit House? I want to eat authentic Thai food that tastes and smells like home, so every time I go home, I learn a couple things here and there from my mom. [When I’m in the U.S.], I always want something that she cooked at home – that’s how I got started making Thai food. … We’ve been to Thailand so many times, [Chelsie] basically eats like a Thai person, [and] every time we come back, we get food depression. –Ekkachai Danwanichakul What are the logistics of throwing a pop-up dinner in your home? [We start by] talking about what kind of stuff we should make – because we don’t make the same thing every dinner. I ask Chelsie, “What would you like to eat?” –E.D. We try to balance out [the menu]. In Thailand, if you’re sitting down with a group of friends or your family, you’re going to have a [lot] of things on the table and they’re all going to be different preparations. –Chelsie Hellige If we need ingredients that are hard to find, I have to go to Jay International Foods and ask them if they're

long beans, Thai omelet, sweet Chinese sausage and caramelized sweet pork, which allow diners to customize the flavor and texture of their meal.

going to have that ingredient that week or not. If not, we have to change the menu. Once we’ve decided on the dishes, Chelsie confirms the date and puts the announcement on Instagram; she then books people on a first-come, first-served basis. –E.D. How does Spirit House differ from what people would find at local Thai restaurants? I try very hard to make [each dish] the way it is made in Thailand. –E.D. If we are going to do a dish that's really common, we make sure that we’re doing it goddamn well – and generally, it’s a dish that we feel strongly about. … We don’t use any bell peppers or broccoli or carrots because you will almost never find those ingredients in Thailand … We’re not afraid of funkier flavor profiles, especially because [Ekkachai’s] from the Northeast and they eat a lot of funky fermented things in that region. –C.H.

khanom tuay

Individual custards are steamed in ceramic bowls called tuay talai from which the dish derives its name. Each has two layers: a bottom layer of pandan, coconut cream and palm sugar

instagram.com/spirithousestl

and a top layer of salted coconut cream. / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

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ONE ON ONE /

columbia, mo.

with Kittikoon Chompupong, chef-owner, Thip’s Asian Bistro

ONE on

Written by Jessica Vaughn Martin / photography by aaron ottis

Chef Kittikoon Chompupong has a long, strong relationship with Thai food. Living in Bangkok as a child, he helped his mother with her street food cart, and at age 14, he emigrated from Thailand to the U.S. and began working at his father’s Thai restaurant in Boston.

It’s been nearly a decade since he opened the original Thip Thai Cuisine in Columbia, Missouri, to share his family’s traditions with local diners. The restaurant’s menu, locations and even its name have evolved, but Chompupong’s signature style of Thai cooking has been steadfast. At the newest location of Thip Thai Cuisine (now called Thip’s Asian Bistro), he presents a fusion of Thai influences, reaching across borders to cultivate a bouquet of Asian flavors.

What shaped your style of Thai cooking? I was always going back and forth between here and Thailand. My mom didn’t come here until I was in my 20s, so I went back to see her, and she taught me a lot. I’d also go to different streetside restaurants and learned by watching the families there – so I got some real training from real people.

And being in the restaurant with my dad, he employed lots of different chefs; I picked up different styles of cooking [from them]. As I got older, I took all that and made it into my own style based on Thai food. I am kind of lucky that I [spent] most of my life here; I got to eat all the good food here in America and kind of incorporate it into Thai cooking – different cities, different ingredients and all that.

Explain the name “Thip.” Thip can mean angel or God – it’s [also] my mom’s first name.

My mom passed away [last] June. I usually [called] her because she [had] good advice on how to make different dishes and all that, and until a week before she passed, I still asked her for recipes. I can’t call her anymore, but I still have her recipes and try to get as close as possible. The menu [for Thip’s Asian Bistro] is very close to my mom’s flavors; it’s more like home cooking.

What’s the story behind Double Noodle, one of your most popular dishes? There’s an older couple that comes in – the woman always orders yellow curry, the man always orders pad Thai. They like to share: She gives half of her food to him and he gives half of his food to her, so that they pretty much mix them together. At first I didn't realize they’d been doing that. One day they decided to ask [their] server if we could mix them together. I hesitated. It’s something I'd never thought of, but it was their request, so I put it together and added something extra too. I didn't know what to call it, so I asked the couple; they said to call it Double Noodle.

807 E. Walnut St., Columbia, Missouri, facebook.com/Thips-Asian-Bistro-316077062504387

Must-Try Dishes at

Thip’s Asian Bistro 18

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pad grapow

pad thai

For Chompupong, this is

Chompupong makes authentic pad

a go-to dish. “It’s like an

Thai with a base of tamarind paste

American saying, ‘I don’t

and palm sugar, capturing years of

know what to eat today –

Thai tradition in every bite.

let’s just order pizza,’” he says. Minced chicken is sautéed with peppers,

double noodle

garlic, chile and fresh basil

A hybrid of yellow curry and pad Thai, this dish was

in a housemade chile sauce

a happy accident created by a pair of customers.

and finished with a fried egg

Chompupong has included it on the menu of each of

and a scoop of jasmine rice.

his restaurants as it’s now a sought-after staple.

That’s a Tasty Burger!

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DINE & DRINK

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HOMETOWN HITS

SPRINGFIELD, MO.

Thai Express

These three delicious destinations have won the hearts of local diners.

written by Tessa Cooper / photography by cheryl waller

948 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield, Missouri, facebook.com/417thaiexpress

d a l sa

Tha i

pum pkin curry

For more than 15 years, Thai Express in Springfield, Missouri, has been dishing out tasty Thai food in a matter of minutes. Think mango or pumpkin curry with fried rice, stir-fries with unexpected ingredients such as eggplant and Thai salad coated with delicious ginger dressing. On any given day, owner Netthongkome “Patrick” Sontaya, whose hair is usually dyed in bright hues of blue or pink, can be found behind the cash register chatting with regulars. With delectable dishes such as crab rangoon and cashew chicken that span other Asian cuisines, Thai Express is the perfect solution when you’re craving quality Thai, but your friend wants the convenience and flavor of take-out Chinese.

▲ JEFFERSON CITY, MO.

Sawaddee Thai Cuisine Written by Juliana Goodwin photography by anthony jinson

If you’re in the mood for traditional Thai food that brings the heat, stop in either of Sawaddee Thai Cuisine’s Jefferson City, Missouri, locations. The intimate restaurant offers an array of classic dishes, from som tum (spicy salad made from shredded unripe papaya) to tender chicken satay to curry – the red is fantastic. The pineapple fried rice (fragrant jasmine rice fried with sweet pineapple, vegetables, yellow curry and cashews) is another showstopper. If you save room for dessert, try the sticky rice made with coconut milk and ripe mango and sprinkled with toasted black sesame seeds.

Multiple locations, facebook.com/Sawaddee-Thai-CuisineMO-Blvd-199398770184145 20

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◀ OVERLAND PARK, KS.

Lemongrass Thai Cuisine Written by Natalie Gallagher

Since opening in 2014, Lemongrass Thai Cuisine in Overland Park, Kansas, has cemented itself as one of the area’s best places to eat authentic Thai food. The stylish, modern décor and family-friendly dining room are a bonus, which help make this restaurant a local favorite. Pad Thai is popular here, but regulars who have further explored the menu find more to love in items such as tom kha, spicy and sour soup featuring a fragrant and flavorful combination of coconut milk, galangal root and lemongrass garnished with mushrooms, green onion and cilantro, served in a traditional fire pot. Another specialty is the papaya salad – a heady mix of sweet and spicy flavors, with shredded papaya, tomatoes, bird’s eye chiles, lime juice, fish sauce and roasted peanuts.

7316 W. 80th St., Overland Park, Kansas, lemongrassthaikc.com

ONE ON ONE /

ONE on

st. louis

with Shayn Prapaisilp, owner, Chao Baan Must-Try Dishes at

Chao Baan Written by Kasey Carlson photography by j. pollack photography

In St. Louis, the Prapaisilp family is essentially Thai royalty. Suchin Prapaisilp founded Jay Asian Foods (now Jay International Foods) in 1974 after emigrating to the U.S., and in 1981, he opened the lauded King & I, the city’s first Thai restaurant. Since then, Suchin and his wife, Sue, along with their son, Shayn, have been a driving force in the popularization of Thai cuisine in the area. And their empire continues to grow. Besides the aforementioned establishments, their portfolio now also includes Global Foods Market and United Provisions, which sell ingredients to help other chefs bring a taste of their home country to the local community, and Chao Baan, where Shayn blends flavors from Sue’s native Northeast region with Suchin’s native South region to create impeccably executed rustic dishes with bold and unexpected flavor profiles.

khao tod nam sod

“My personal favorite: our twice-fried rice salad. We mix jasmine rice with our special housemade chile paste and deepfry it. Then we break up the rice and add a fermented pork sausage. The crunch of the fried rice is balanced with fresh herbs, lime and fish sauce.”

mieng kham

“One of our most ordered appetizers, [this dish] brings together quintessential Thai flavors in one bite. Dried shrimp, shallots, toasted coconut, lime and chile are drizzled with a sweet tamarind sauce

How has the reception of Thai food changed in St. Louis over the years? When [my father] opened King & I, the menu was probably 30 percent Thai food, 70 percent Chinese food because at the time, more St. Louisans were familiar with Chinese food and he was kind of nervous that maybe they wouldn’t take to Thai – [maybe] the flavors were too different or too intense. He started with that, just to ease people in. And look at where we are now – there’s a Thai restaurant [practically] every few miles. It’s gratifying to see that people have really taken to it. Thai takeout is as common as pizza or tacos now, and I think a lot of it [can be] credited to my parents.

How does it feel knowing that your family brought Thai food to the city? It’s kind of odd because you never realize how things used to be.

I think a lot of first-generation kids had this experience: My grandma lived with us, so she had a hand in raising me. She was always cooking Thai food at home; there was always something going on. When my friends would come over, I was actually embarrassed. The smells were

so different and it was very “othering.” But to see where Thai food in the greater American food [scene] is now, I feel like a lot of folks have reclaimed it. They’ve reclaimed the funk, they’re doubling down on the spice; now it’s really “in” so to speak. In a way, I kind of take it for granted, [the fact that] everywhere you look there’s a Thai restaurant, and to know that my parents were the ones who brought it here, it’s very humbling. I think what I’m trying to do now is not just honor their legacy, but expand it.

Why fuse Northeastern and Southern Thai cuisine on one menu at Chao Baan? The short answer is that it’s hard to pick, but also I wanted to kind of honor both my parents. … We thought that we could do both, and I had experience with both. … For me, it was kind of a love letter to my parents: I appreciate you both, I think both cuisines are great. I couldn’t pick just one.

and wrapped in a perilla leaf.”

fried golden pompano

“Whole fish is such a common preparation in Thai cuisine. Ours is a whole golden pompano deep-fried and served with a sweet chile-garlic sauce and then

4087 Chouteau Ave., St. Louis, Missouri, chaobaanstl.com

garnished with cilantro, lime and chile.” / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

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PROMOTION

THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT MARK EACH MONTH AND MAKE IT MEMORABLE. For example, January reminds us of new beginnings and a fresh start to the year.

February is the month of love, which is a good reminder to take care of your heart.

What you eat can impact your heart health, but did you know that managing your stress and getting enough sleep also plays a vital role?

While everyone experiences stress differently, how you deal with your stress can greatly impact the risk factors associated with heart disease. In turn, these risk factors can negatively impact your sleep patterns. Getting quality sleep not only benefits your heart, but can also help manage your weight, strengthen your mind and increase your overall well-being. Finding ways to unplug and unwind, such as cutting back on screen time or increasing your physical activity, can help you better manage your stress and help you get better quality sleep. For more tips on how to get a good night’s sleep, check out this month’s Simply Schnucks magazine featuring “10 Reasons for a Good Night’s Sleep”.

Keeping your heart healthy by reducing stress and creating better sleep habits can also be enhanced by a well-balanced diet full of heart-healthy foods. This month we are highlighting one of my favorite nuts, walnuts. Walnuts are especially high in omega-3 fats, the same heart-healthy fat found in salmon, avocados and olive oil.

While a small handful of walnuts offers superior snackability, we’ve used walnuts to create a unique spin on the classic meat taco. Top these meat-less Walnut “Chorizo” Tacos with pickled vegetables or take it up a notch by adding avocado mash, pineapple salsa or purple cabbage slaw. Trust me, your heart will thank you!

SPONSORED CONTENT BY KARA BEHLKE, REGISTERED DIETITIAN SCHNUCKS DIRECTOR OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS

WALNUT “CHORIZO” TACOS Recipe provided by The California Walnut Association

SERVES 8

TOPPINGS

1/2 cup fresh lime juice Thinly sliced roma aine lettuce Fresh cilantro leav 1 1/2 tsp sugar ves Lime wedges 3/4 tsp sea salt 8 radishes, thinly sliced 2 medium jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced 1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained 2 cups California walnuts 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided 1 Tbsp white vinegar 1 Tbsp smoked paprika 1 Tbsp Ancho chili powder 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp ground chipotle 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 16 whole wheat or corn tortillas

PREPARATION Stir together lime juice, sugar and sea salt in a small bowl. Stir in radish, jalapeño and garlic slices and let stand for 30 minutes to pickle.

Meanwhile, to prepare “chorizo” crumble, place walnuts and beans in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar and spices to food processor and pulse again until mixture is finely chopped and resembles ground meat, stirring several times and moving the mixture from the bottom of the food processor bowl to the top to evenly mix.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a very large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Add “chorizo” mixture to skillet and cook for 10 minutes or until mixture is nicely browned and resembles ground meat, stirring frequently. Remove pickled vegetables from liquid and discard garlic slices. Fill each tortilla with equal amounts of “chorizo” and pickled vegetables. Top with lettuce and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Visit walnut.org for more delicious walnut recipes.

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Stay In THE DISH / THE MIX / HEALTHY APPETITE / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / SUGAR RUSH / how-to / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

“Where I’m from, people don’t have time to sit down to eat; when you’re eating, you’re walking. [The Big Thai Wrap] was inspired by that part of my life.”

–Lona Luo Powers

serves 1 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 6 oz chicken breast ½ cup lettuce, chopped ½ cup Napa cabbage, chopped 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro 1 extra-large rice paper wrapper (or wheat tortilla) 1 cup long-grain and wild rice mix, stir-fried Thai peanut sauce fresh lime juice, to taste / preparation / Heat a grill pan over high heat, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium high and add oil; tilt pan to coat bottom. Split chicken breast in half lengthwise, add to pan and cook undisturbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, flip and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, until internal temperature reaches a minimum of 165°F. Remove from heat and allow chicken to rest in pan, at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add lettuce and Napa cabbage to a bowl; add cilantro and toss to combine.

thai wrap

chef de cuisine

Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co.

Recipe by Lona Luo Powers, owner, Lona’s Lil Eats Photography by mackenzie romangi

. 34 Turn to p p -b p y-ste for a ste g in wrapp guide to ig B ing the and roll ap.

Thai Wr

Remove chicken breast from pan and slice on an angle.

Lay rice paper wrapper on a clean work surface and pile rice, chicken and then vegetable-herb mixture on top.

Generously drizzle with peanut sauce and squeeze lime over top before wrapping and rolling .

John Messbarger

Playing off the southern Chinese, eastern Myanmar, northern Lao and northern Thai fusion cuisine of her youth – and capitalizing on the rising popularity of fast-casual cuisine in St. Louis – Lona Luo Powers started Lona’s Lil Eats in a small food stall at the Soulard Farmers Market in 2008. She quickly gained attention for the fresh Asian flavors in her giant rice paper wraps, such as the Big Thai Wrap filled with crisp veggies, juicy chicken and zesty peanut sauce. A two-time nominee for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Midwest award, Luo Powers now operates a brick-and-mortar location in the Fox Park neighborhood, giving diners a taste of dependably delicious Chinese-Thai cuisine throughout the week. –Rachel Huffman

Lona’s Lil Eats

“[At] Soulard Farmers Market, when I saw a lady tossing noodles on a turkey burner, I knew I had to try them.

Everything about that first dish is why I enjoy Lona’s: The noodles were perfect and each bite made me excited to get to the next. It’s hard to quantify what cooking with heart and soul is, but whatever it is, Lona is doing it.” / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

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THE DISH / THE MIX / HEALTHY APPETITE / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / Sugar rush / how-to / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

Thai Coconut Milk Punch

Serves 1

From lemongrass to pandan, these ingredients can be found at most wellstocked Asian and international markets.

Thai Coconut Milk (Yields 15 ounces) 1 12-oz can unsweetened coconut milk 1 4-inch piece lemongrass 2 Tbsp pandan leaves (or 1 tsp pandan extract) 1 ½-inch piece ginger, peeled 4 oz sugar 1 tsp kosher salt zest of 1 lime Thai Coconut Milk Punch 3 oz Thai Coconut Milk (recipe follows) 1½ oz gin 1 tsp absinthe or Herbsaint lime zest, for garnish Thai basil leaf, for garnish lemongrass stalk, for garnish / preparation – thai coconut milk / Add all ingredients to a blender; blend until sugar has dissolved and mixture is fully pulverized. Fine strain, twice if needed. Store in refrigerator for up to one week. / preparation – thai coconut milk punch / Add coconut milk and gin to a shaker with ice. Shake briefly, enough to chill and slightly dilute cocktail. Add absinthe to a chilled coupe glass, small bowl or other serving vessel and swirl it around to coat all sides; discard excess. Strain cocktail into serving vessel and sprinkle with lime zest. Lightly press basil with fingers to release oils, place on top of cocktail and serve with a stalk of lemongrass.

In this cocktail, flavors from the Thai pantry and a Bahamian staple called Sky Juice are mashed together. A homemade coconut milk mixture chock-full of distinctive ingredients, herbaceous gin and a dash of absinthe harmonize with an array of spice and heat from fresh ginger, earthy pandan, citrus and lemongrass.

Story and recipe by Rogan Howitt, beverage director, Good Spirits & Co. in Springfield, Missouri Photography by Starboard & Port Creative

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Pandan is an herbaceous tropical plant that grows abundantly in Southeast Asia.

Known for its uniquely sweet aroma and grassy, nutty flavor profile, the cultivated plant features long and slender bright green leaves that are used in Thai desserts, drinks and savory dishes. They’re wrapped around chicken, fish and sticky rice during cooking to impart an aromatic note to these foods, and pandan is prized in Thailand for its perceived health benefits: The leaves have been known to relieve headaches, cramps and chest pain. Frozen pandan leaves are available at most local Asian markets, but they are also sold dried and as extract, syrup and powder online.

proudly distilling quality whiskey & brandy IN Saint Louis For more information on Saint Louis’ Newest Worker-owned Distillery, VisIT us at www.switchgrassspirits.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @switchgrassspirits

in the grove | 4156 manchester ave., St. Louis, MO 63110

beastbbqstl.com

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THE DISH / THE MIX / HEALTHY APPETITE / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / Sugar rush / how-to / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

Traveling in Thailand, I ordered pad pak boong (stir-fried morning glory, also known as water spinach) anytime I saw it on the menu.

Simple in its execution, it was the most unexpected and delightful treat – the perfect supplement to every meal. Water spinach is a thick, hearty spinach with a hollow stem. It can be a little tricky to find this time of year, so I’ve substituted Chinese broccoli in this recipe, which is equally delicious. The key to perfecting this dish is to not only use finely minced garlic, but also charred whole cloves for a wallop of flavor. I love the inclusion of fresh-squeezed lime juice, as well, to brighten up the greens.

Story and recipe by Amanda Elliott, chef-owner, Beet Box in Columbia, Missouri Photography by drew piester

You can find black bean-garlic sauce at most local Asian markets.

serves 4 9 2 2 1 1 1 1½

1 ¼ ½

cloves garlic, divided Tbsp canola oil bird’s eye chiles, minced tsp black bean-garlic sauce tsp fish sauce tsp sugar lbs Chinese broccoli, stems peeled and split into two pieces pinch salt cup water lime

/ preparation / Mince 3 cloves of garlic and

set aside. In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add 6 whole cloves of garlic and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until garlic starts to soften and brown. Add minced garlic, bird’s eye chiles, black bean-garlic sauce, fish sauce and sugar. Almost immediately, add broccoli and season with salt; toss with tongs to incorporate.

Add water and cover; steam broccoli until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter and squeeze lime over broccoli. Serve warm.

pair with: American Hefeweizen

PA I R IT!

An American wheat ale with an unfiltered but fairly clean profile, such as Schlafly Hefeweizen, is an excellent match for this vibrant dish. The sweet, fuller-bodied beer holds up to the fierce nature of the garlic and bird’s eye chiles: Its light bitterness and almost tart tones neutralize the fiery flavors, and the citrusy notes work in harmony with the lime finish. –JC Sandt schlafly.com

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THE DISH / THE MIX / HEALTHY APPETITE / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / Sugar rush / how-to / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

As one of the world’s oldest condiments, soy sauce is ubiquitous in Thai kitchens, and it’s now made in Missouri. YIBO Inc.’s three varieties – premium, low-sodium and sweet – have been produced at the company’s manufacturing facility in Warrenton, Missouri, since 2013.

YIBO achieves the robust flavor, depth and unique thickness of its soy sauce through the traditional Japanese brewing process – a natural method in which the product ferments for six months before being bottled. It has an annual output of 800,000 gallons of soy sauce, which it distributes to restaurants across the country. Soon you’ll be able to get your hands on the product, too: YIBO expects to hit Schnucks shelves sometime this month. yiboinc.com

Sriracha Granada – the green Thai-style Sriracha sauce made by SG Foods in St. Louis – is an eye-catching alternative to the classic red chile sauce that has exploded in popularity in recent years. In 2012, founder Nathan Litz began making the sauce in his home kitchen – a space he quickly outgrew.

Increased production and a change of ownership last May hasn’t diminished its quality, however; free of chemicals and preservatives, it still boasts the same sweet, garlicky and spicy flavors that fans crave. Sriracha Granada is available in shops and supermarkets throughout Missouri and Illinois and online at srirachagranada.com. Local restaurants, including Mai Lee and Sugarfire Smoke House, also stock bottles.

Turn to p. 33 to get the re cipe for peanut butt er and jelly chicken wings using Primal Cry's peanut sauc e.

awesome sauce Thai cuisine is known for its strong aromatics and layers of complexity, and that often starts with the sauce. Stock your pantry with these four Thai-influenced sauces made right here in Missouri, and you’ll be well on your way to creating sensational Thai fare at home.

Written by Rachel Huffman photography by chris bauer

Qui Tran

chef and co-owner

Mai Lee and Nudo House 28

feastmagazine.com / febr ua ry 2 0 2 0

Sriracha Granada

With a name like Phantom Rabbit, you might not guess that this sauce has anything to do with Thai cuisine. But the roasted curry-habanero sauce from Kansas City-based Common Descent Provisions features fried red shallot, tart rice vinegar, palm sugar, garlic and, of course, roasted curry powder and habanero, resulting in a hauntingly delicious Thai-inspired topping. Simultaneously earthy and bright, founder Chris Bengston says that the sauce embraces elements of Thai cooking but is also wildly divergent, working in dishes where more traditional vinegar-based hot sauces might be used. Buy a bottle at commondescentprovisions.com and try it on grilled meats, eggs, burritos or in curry – whatever your cravings call for.

Adding nutty peanut flavor to panang – a salty, sweet and milder type of red Thai curry that originated in Thailand’s Central region – as well as various meat and noodle dishes, satay sauce is a star among Thai condiments. The Sweet Peanut Sauce from Primal Cry in Kansas City has a peanut butter consistency and balances serious sweetness with a precise amount of spice. The secret ingredient is sweet potato, which gives the sauce its color and sweet flavor profile. Playing with Thai ingredients and aromatics, founder Marisa Wiruhayarn created the sauce and initially served it at her restaurant Tasty Thai before bottling it as part of her wholesale line of products. Order a jar at kctastythai.com and drizzle it over lettuce wraps or your breakfast oatmeal.

“You can add [Sriracha Granada] to anything. It has a very fresh flavor, and it’s kind of neat because it’s naturally green. In Asian food, we cut things with acid, and this condiment has a good acidity to it. It works especially well with fried food: It adds tartness to crab rangoon and complements egg rolls and fried spring rolls.”

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THE DISH / THE MIX / HEALTHY APPETITE / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / Sugar rush / how-to / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

What Is It? Galangal is a rhizome that’s smooth and pink-peach in color with dark rings lining the outside. Though often named as a ginger substitute, the ingredients are not as interchangeable as they seem: While ginger is spicysweet and abrasive, galangal has deep notes of pine needles, pepper and a floral undercurrent reminiscent of unripe pears with a citrus finish. Dried galangal is a tamped-down version of the root; fresh galangal (or frozen) is the only way to go if you want to experience all those layers of flavor. If you’re not sure you’ve had it, you likely have. It’s used predominantly in Southeast Asian cuisine, most commonly in Thai curry pastes.

What Do I Do With It? Although its recent popularity has bought it some real estate on standard grocery store shelves, your best bet to find galangal is still Asian or international markets. Using it for curry seems obvious, but I also like to use slices of it in poaching or braising liquids for salmon, chicken, collards or kale along with coconut milk, lime and chile – it’s a fast, easy way to big flavor. By late winter, even the most soul-warming soups have lost their sparkle; you might also consider adding some galangal and a few spices to those tried-and-true recipes to give them new life.

Written by Shannon Weber, writer and recipe developer, aperiodictableblog.com photography by Jennifer Silverberg

Meet ginger’s spicier, more exotic cousin.

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Kedgeree typically consists of flaked white fish, basmati rice and egg. My Thai-inspired galangaland lemongrass-infused coconut milk version is unapologetically inauthentic, but warming and delicious just the same.

Thai-Inspired Salmon Kedgeree

serves 6

1

1 1 to 2

2

2

1

1

1

2

2

¹⁄₃

2

6 1 to 1¼

14.5-oz can coconut milk 2-inch piece fresh galangal, peeled and thinly sliced stalks lemongrass (outer leaves removed), chopped tsp curry powder Tbsp coconut oil, divided cup jasmine rice, uncooked tsp kosher salt, divided, plus more for seasoning cup vegetable broth small shallots, finely diced (about ¹⁄₃ cup) cups sweet green peas, warmed cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, finely chopped, plus more for serving large limes freshly ground black pepper large eggs, hard boiled, warm or at room temperature lbs salmon fillet, roasted and at room temperature

/ preparation / In a small saucepan, heat coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass

and curry powder over medium heat until steaming; reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Strain solids.

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat; add rice and ½ teaspoon salt and stir until toasted, 3 minutes. Add broth and 1 cup coconut milk mixture; bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low, cook 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes; fluff with fork.

Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add shallots and cook until soft, 2 minutes. Add rice, peas and cilantro and increase heat to medium high; stirring occasionally, cook for 5 minutes, or until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in juice of 1½ limes. Season generously with salt and pepper. / to serve / Transfer rice to a pan or low dish; quarter eggs and set around rice.

Flake salmon over top and check seasoning. Squeeze remaining ½ lime into coconut milk mixture and season with ½ teaspoon salt; drizzle over everything and garnish with cilantro. Serve warm.

pair with: Botanical Gin

PA I R IT!

A recipe with such strong flavor components calls for a simple cocktail with a slight botanical kick. I recommend a Vesper Martini made with Meadowview Botanical Gin. Distilled and bottled in New Haven, Missouri, by Pinckney Bend Distillery, the gin’s citrus and vegetal profile bolsters the Thai seasoning in the sauce, but being a Martini, the drink can cut through the richness of the coconut milk base. Combine 2 ounces Meadowview Botanical Gin, 1 ounce vodka and ½ ounce Lillet Blanc in a pint glass. Add ice and stir until well chilled. Strain into a Martini glass and garnish with a twist of lemon. –Jenn Tosatto meadowviewgin.com

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THE DISH / THE MIX / HEALTHY APPETITE / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / Sugar rush / how-to / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

yields 1 quart Candied Peanuts

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp water

1 pinch kosher salt

1 cup peanuts, roasted and salted Pandan-Coconut Ice Cream

2 14-oz cans coconut milk

½ cup sugar

¼ tsp kosher salt

2 frozen pandan leaves

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pandan leaves can be found in the freezer section of most local Asian markets.

/ preparation – candied peanuts / Line a baking sheet with

parchment paper. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and salt. Set over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil until sugar has dissolved, approximately 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in peanuts. Continue to stir until nuts are coated and sugar begins to crystallize and take on a powdery white coating, 1 to 2 minutes.

Place saucepan back on medium heat and continuously stir nuts until caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately, scrape out onto baking sheet. Spread into an even layer with the back of a spatula and let cool. Once cool, break into small pieces by hand. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. / preparation – pandan-coconut ice cream / Set aside 2

tablespoons coconut milk.

In a medium saucepan, combine remaining coconut milk, sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from heat and add pandan leaves. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes.

You will need an ice cream machine to make this frozen treat.

Pandan is a fragrant tropical herb that’s widely used in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia for both savory and sweet dishes.

Its flavor is difficult to pinpoint; it’s uniquely floral, nutty and a little savory. It lends itself well to coconut-based desserts such as this ice cream, which shines from the herbal sweetness of the frozen pandan leaves. Finish your scoop with a generous topping of candied peanuts for a perfectly caramelized crunch.

Story, recipe and photography by Teresa Floyd, Food writer and recipe developer, now-forager.com

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Remove pandan and set mixture back over medium heat. In a bowl, whisk together reserved coconut milk and cornstarch until starch is completely dissolved. Add to pandan mixture and whisk to combine. Cook, without boiling, until mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Transfer coconut ice cream base to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Pour base into ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions, approximately 20 minutes, or until thickened. Transfer coconut ice cream to an airtight storage container and freeze for at least 4 hours, or until firm. Enjoy with a topping of candied peanuts.

pair with: ice wine

PA I R IT!

Chill out with a glass of ice wine alongside this frozen favorite. Produced in Augusta, Missouri, in limited quantities, Augusta Winery’s Icewine is a rare dessert wine known for its richness and decadence.

Its concentrated flavor of pineapple, stone fruit and honey is a glorious match for the creamy coconut ice cream, while its light floral notes complement the fragrant pandan in the recipe. –Hilary Hedges augustawinery.com

ONE ON ONE

ONE on

/

kansas city

with Marisa Wiruhayarn, co-owner, Tasty Thai, Big Bowl Pho and Primal Cry

Written by Jenny Vergara photography by PAul Andrews

In 1986, Marisa Wiruhayarn, a then 26-year-old Thai immigrant living in the Northland of Kansas City, became a widow. She was desperate for a way to support her two children on her own, so over the next four years, she learned English, earned her GED and graduated from Rockhurst University with a degree in accounting. She met her second husband, Dom – also from Thailand – in college and together they opened Tasty Thai in the Northland in 2000. By day, Wiruhayarn worked as an accountant for the Kansas City Revenue Division; by night and on weekends, she ran the restaurant. In 2010, the couple opened the second location of Tasty Thai in Liberty, Missouri, which they entrusted to their daughter, and in 2014, they launched Big Bowl Pho next door to the original Tasty Thai. When Wiruhayarn began developing her own line of Thai-style condiments, she finally conceded that it was time to quit her day job. To date, she has created a hot sauce, a sweet peanut sauce and beef jerky for the Primal Cry line – available on Amazon and at Kansas City-area grocery stores.

What inspired you and Dom to open the first location of Tasty Thai? After settling into my job with the city, I finally had the stability I felt I needed, but I realized I had changed in the process. I had become someone who enjoyed creating new things, problem-solving and, ultimately, I wanted to control my own destiny. I used to spend my lunch hour at the City Center Square food court and watched people buy their lunch; I would count the number of customers and calculate the average sales per order to estimate a break-even point. I was already an entrepreneur and didn’t even realize it. That’s when I knew it was time to open our first restaurant.

What inspired your other restaurant concept, Big Bowl Pho? The space beside the original Tasty Thai became available, and we didn’t really need to expand the size of [it], so we opted to

acquire the space and open a new noodle bowl concept, serving beef, meatball, chicken, seafood and tofu pho, vermicelli noodle bowls and traditional Japanese sukiyaki. It was a way [to] add bowls of soup and noodles from all over the world to our menu to diversify it and potentially bring in new customers that may like our Thai food, too.

How did Primal Cry start, and what’s next for the company?

I was still working full-time when my son started bottling our famous hot sauce – because I had noticed that our customers were asking for containers of it to take home. Then, when I left my job, I took over the project. At first we were doing everything in-house, now I have a [contract] packaging company, a broker, a distributor and marketing help. My goal is to start distributing [the line] internationally, focusing on Canada and Mexico first.

Today, do you consider yourself an accountant, a restaurateur or a producer? Our restaurants are doing great, but they were never enough for me, and working with numbers is a skill that will always play a large part in managing my own business. For years, I thought I was just silly or restless, never happy with what I had, but it turns out that I’m an entrepreneur, not a crazy person! Entrepreneurs have to keep creating, and so I do. My success has been due, in part, to my tenacity, focus, curiosity and strong will – if a problem presents itself, I simply find another way to get the job done.

Tasty Thai, multiple locations, kctastythai.com Big Bowl Pho, 7106 NW. Prairie View Road, Kansas City, Missouri

Peanut Butter & Jelly Chicken Wings

Yields 12 to 15 wings

3

1

2 1½

Recipe courtesy of Marisa Wiruhayarn

nonstick cooking oil spray lbs chicken wings salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste jar Primal Cry Sweet Peanut Sauce Tbsp chopped garlic cups raspberry-jalapeño sauce

Wiruhayarn likes Fiesta Juan’s all-natural raspberry-jalapeño sauce.

/ preparation / Preheat oven to 355°F. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking oil spray. Rinse chicken

wings and pat dry; season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; allow to rest, 5 minutes.

Raise oven temperature to 425°F. In a large bowl, toss wings with peanut sauce and garlic until fully coated. Return wings to baking sheet and bake for another 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown and begin to caramelize.

Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, add raspberry-jalapeño sauce; heat in microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.

Remove wings from oven and drizzle sauce over them, saving some for extra dipping sauce on the side. / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

33

THE DISH / THE MIX / HEALTHY APPETITE / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / Sugar rush / how-to / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

This creamy soy-peanut sauce also makes a great veggie dip!

story, Recipe and photography by Julia Calleo, writer and recipe developer, mylavenderblues.com

Fresh spring rolls are one of my favorite things to prep on Sunday: They last for at least three days and taste as good on the third as they do on the first. It’s also possible to prep the ingredients a day or two before assembly. The combination of chewy rice paper, crunchy fresh vegetables and creamy sauce gives these Thai basil and shrimp spring rolls a variety of flavor and texture that is hard to resist.

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This recipe yields 8 to 10 spring roll s.

dry 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled,  Patdeveined and tails removed.

Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large pan over medium heat.  While pan heats, mince 2 cloves garlic. Once pan is hot, add garlic and 2 teaspoons Thai chile paste; cook for 30 seconds.

Remove from heat. Season shrimp with salt and  freshly ground black pepper to taste and set aside.



Prepare 8 to 10 rice paper wrappers according to instructions on package. Lay flat on a clean work surface and add approximately ¼ cup shrimp, ½ cup slaw and a pinch of chopped green onion to the center of each wrapper.



In a large bowl, add 4 cups shredded cabbage and 2 cups shredded carrots. In a separate bowl, whisk together ¼ cup lime juice, ¼ cup rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon red chile flakes and 1 clove garlic, pressed. Pour over cabbage-carrot mixture and mix together. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For each individual spring roll, bring one long edge of  wrapper tightly over filling and then fold in the two sides.



Add shrimp and cook through, 3 minutes. Once shrimp is cooked through, add 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon honey and ½ teaspoon ground ginger to pan; stir to incorporate and cook for 45 seconds. Add ¼ cup chopped fresh Thai basil, cook for another 30 seconds.

In a small bowl, add ½ cup all-natural creamy peanut butter,  3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon garlic powder and 1 tablespoon water. Whisk together and gradually add more water (up to ¹⁄₃ cup) until desired consistency is reached.



Roll lengthwise until the entire roll is wrapped. Be sure to make the roll as tight as possible without ripping the rice paper wrapper. Seal edge of wrapper and set aside. Repeat with remaining wrappers. Once finished, serve with peanut dipping sauce. / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

35

THE DISH / THE MIX / HEALTHY APPETITE / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / Sugar rush / how-to / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

Spicy Beef Salad

In this class, you’ll learn all about chiles: the varieties available at local international markets, their similarities and differences and how to use them. You’ll also learn the distinguishing features of different types of rice as you make a traditional Thai dessert.

Nam tok (“waterfall” beef salad) is a popular dish in the Northeast region of Thailand.

Straightforward and quick, this recipe for a similar spicy beef salad uses shredded beef, but it’s possible to use a one-pound piece of sirloin or flank steak as a substitute depending on your taste.

Whatever cut you choose, it’s important that you cook it to just medium rare to enjoy its rich flavor, which complements the delightfully pungent dressing.

Written by Gabrielle DeMichele Photography by Jennifer Silverberg

Get Hands-On Join Feast Magazine and Schnucks Cooks Cooking School at 6pm on Wed., Feb. 19, at the Des Peres, Missouri, location to make the dishes on this month’s menu. Tickets are just $45 for a night of cooking, dining and wine.

RSVP

nourish.schnucks.com/ web-ext/cooking-school

or call 314.909.1704 36

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 Chef’s Tip:

serves 4 Dressing (Yields 1¾ cups)

1 tsp honey

½ cup fish sauce

½ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice

½ tsp roasted Thai chile powder

¼ cup coconut water

/ preparation – spicy beef salad / In a preheated grill

To make your own roasted Thai

pan (or directly under a broiler), cook beef to medium rare, rapidly flipping to avoid overcooking, approximately 2 to 5 minutes (or 6 to 8 minutes for a steak). Remove from pan and allow to rest.

chile powder, add 5 to 6 bird’s

Spicy Beef Salad

1 lb shredded raw beef

1 cup long-grain white rice

6 shallots, thinly sliced

¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro

¼ cup roughly chopped mint dressing (recipe follows)

1 head cabbage, quartered

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread rice evenly across a rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven until slightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Meanwhile, combine shallots, cilantro and mint in a large bowl. Once rice is cool, transfer to a grinder and grind until it appears like salt. Set aside.

/ preparation – dressing / In a

bowl, combine all ingredients. Adjust seasoning to taste and set aside.

Add beef to bowl with shallots and toss to combine. Add dressing and toss to incorporate. Place a quarter wedge of cabbage on each plate, evenly distribute beef mixture on top and sprinkle with toasted rice. Serve immediately.

eye chiles to a hot skillet; toss constantly until color deepens and chiles dry out. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then add to a grinder and pulverize.

MAKE THE MEAL • • • •

Spicy Beef Salad Pad Thai Chicken Amok Sticky Rice with Mango

CULINARY LIBRARY /

st. louis

with Phatcharin Wanna / owner, Fork & Stix t

Phatcharin Wanna has played a major role in the popularization of Northern Thai cuisine in St. Louis. The chef-owner behind Fork & Stix, which opened in 2012, and its newer sister restaurant, Kiin Essentially Thai, which opened in 2018, continues to dazzle local diners with dishes from her native Chiang Mai. The most popular among them is her khao soi, a curry noodle soup with meat, egg noodles, pickled mustard greens and shallots topped with crispy noodles and lime. Here, Wanna shares some of the cookbooks that have inspired her and informed her style. –Kasey Carlson

Bangkok: Recipes and Stories

Connection and Revolutionize Your Cooking

from the Heart of Thailand

The Oriental Hotel Cookbook

by Dr. Stuart Farrimond (2018)

by Leela Punyaratabandhu (2017)

by William Warren (2000)

“I have always been curious about the origin of spices and

“The way Leela Punyaratabandhu writes

“My love for classic Thai cuisine is why

herbs people around the world use in their cooking. How

her book and blog (shesimmers.com)

I like The Oriental Hotel Cookbook.

did they come up with a dish and know which spices to

makes it fun to read. She incorporates

The long history and the tradition

incorporate, [or] which basil to use in that curry dish? This

her personal stories with her

[in the book] captured my interest,

fascinates me. The Science of Spice [feeds] my curiosity

grandmother’s, and background

[and] it does an amazing job with

and fascination with spices.”

about the dishes with the recipes.”

traditional royal Thai cuisine.”

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The Science of Spice: Understand Flavour

Join us for a Fun and Informative

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Refreshments & Exclusive Incentives provided. *Must RSVP

Serving You Since 1988!

Visit us in O’Fallon Plaza, located behind Club Fitness

305 Sonderen St.

O’Fallon, MO 63366

636-379-2700

www.atripforyou.com / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

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THE DISH / THE MIX / HEALTHY APPETITE / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / Sugar rush / how-to / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

We talk about curry in general terms: “I’m always down for curry.” But what does it mean when we say that? There’s no universal curry; every region’s variety has its own distinguishing characteristics that tie it to the local cuisine.

Though curries abound in the world, Thai curries are particularly special in terms of what they bring to the table.

▶Red curry is made from

red curry paste simmered with

coconut milk, garlic, ginger, water or broth and a little palm sugar.

It’s mild compared to other types of curry – color is not always an accurate indication of heat – but its deep flavor and broad appeal make it the most versatile curry of all.

▲Green curry is

unique to Thai cuisine. It has significant kick from fresh

green chiles and is brightened by a garden of basil, cilantro, lemongrass and lime. Coconut

What sets Thai curries apart is their freshness.

While other cuisines rely on dried whole or ground spices as the foundation for their curry, Thai cooking uses thick pastes of fresh and dried chiles, vibrant herbs and spicy rhizomes.

Where other curries are thick and saucy from thickeners such as fried onions and potatoes and hours of simmering, Thai styles are water-based and brothy – often with added body and a silky texture thanks to the addition of coconut milk – and generally cook for shorter periods, keeping that bright flavor intact.

milk cools things slightly, but you’ll still feel it.

▲Sour curry– containing

some combination of dried white Thai chiles, turmeric, shallots, garlic and shrimp paste – is arguably the easiest to make, but it’s not for the faint of heart. The fiery, tamarind-infused yellow broth is served straight up, with no coconut milk to tame the flames.

Photography by jennifer silverberg

▲Yellow curry gets its

ochre hue from a hefty dose of curry powder and fresh turmeric, which is

combined with red and yellow chiles in the paste for a little heat. It’s still a mild, sweet curry, though, and the coconut milk in it creates a creamy, warming broth.

◀Massaman curry,

often served for special occasions

▲Panang red curry tends to Written by Shannon Weber, Writer and Recipe Developer, aperiodictableblog.com

Nearly all Thai curry pastes are made with a blend of shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, galangal, shallots, palm sugar, makrut lime leaves and/or zest, lemongrass, cilantro roots (or stems) and other herbs, such as Thai basil, as a foundation. Fresh and dried chiles of different colors and quantities dial the heat up or down and ultimately create the personality of each paste – this is when things get interesting.

be drier than other curries and typically contains ground peanuts as part of the paste. It’s sweeter than a standard red curry, with fewer red chiles and a generous dose of coconut cream served on top to quell the heat even more.

in Thailand, is a Persian-influenced red curry with a thick sauce and mild, sweet and sour flavor. Ingredients such as bitter orange juice, tamarind and pineapple alongside heady spices such as nutmeg, cardamom and clove give it a richness not found in other varieties.

Help!

I Can’t Find This Ingredient

Some curry paste ingredients can be elusive, even at the biggest and best international markets. Don’t let it frustrate you. These are some acceptable substitutes to help you through your curry conundrum.

Always Be Prepared:

Thai Pantry Edition

When you set out to make curry, you quickly realize that you can’t just pop into any old market to find everything you need. You’ll most likely have to go to an Asian or international market to find the exact ingredients on your list and avoid having to make substitutions.

Cilantro Roots. This part of the herb is difficult to find, but has the easiest fix. Simply chop up the stems of fresh cilantro – they have a strong flavor and mimic the roots fairly well.

If you’re ready to make Thai curry at home, here’s what you’ll need. ▼

Fish Sauce. Some people have strong opinions about fish sauce. Many say there is no substitute for it, but if you can’t find it and you’re pressed for time, soy sauce does work in its place. It won’t mimic fish sauce, but it will add little similarities to the mix.

Available at standard, well-stocked markets Bird’s eye chiles (dried) – sometimes available Cilantro (fresh) Coriander (whole/ground) Cumin (whole/ground) Curry paste Galangal – sometimes available Garlic Ginger (fresh) Lemongrass Thai basil (fresh) Turmeric (fresh) – sometimes available Turmeric (ground) Available at Asian or international markets Bird’s eye chiles (fresh) Cilantro roots Fish sauce Makrut lime (and leaves) Shrimp paste

Lemongrass. This is a staple at international markets, but if your favorite has run out, try lemongrass paste, which you can find at well-stocked grocery stores. It’s not identical – most lemongrass pastes contain other ingredients such as sugar – but the flavor will be there.

Can you get what you need online?

Perhaps, but remember, the flavor profiles of Thai curries are built on fresh ingredients, making the internet (and its high-dollar fresh food shipping costs) less of an option.

Tool Up No Thai pantry is complete without a mortar and pestle – to make your own curry paste, you’ll need it to mash all those chiles, fresh herbs and fragrant spices together. If you’re thinking about using a food processor instead, proceed with caution: Food processors can overwork fresh ingredients and as the motor heats up, it can damage delicate herbs. Food processors also don’t grind whole spices as well – you really need a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder for that part.

Bottom line: A mortar and pestle will give you the best finished product, plus an upper-arm workout. As the saying goes, there are no shortcuts on the road to success. But if you want to use a food processor – especially for curry pastes with more dried ingredients than fresh – I won’t judge.

Makrut Limes/Leaves.

First, check the freezer section.

Makrut lime leaves (which you may also see labeled as “kaffir lime leaves”) can be flash-frozen in small quantities, but the limes themselves can be more difficult to find. Both have a powerful citrus flavor; in a pinch, substitute regular lime or Key lime zest.

Shrimp Paste. Shrimp paste is a fairly standard ingredient in international markets. Found in small cans or jars, it’s usually in the aisle with other sauces and oils. If it continues to elude you, substitute anchovy fillets or paste, which have a salty funk but markedly less pungency. / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

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THE DISH / THE MIX / HEALTHY APPETITE / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / Sugar rush / how-to / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

Those tiny jars of curry paste in traffic light hues are great for making curries, obviously.

But their applications aren’t so limited. If curry paste can transform coconut milk and broth into something scrumptious, imagine what it could do for other dishes.

This recipe makes 12 ounces of curry paste, which translates to three jars of the store-bought stuff.

To make curry, you may need to add more of this paste than the recipe calls for because it’s not as concentrated.

Curry paste, how do I deploy thee?

Let me count the ways. ▼ Stir-fries

Rice bowls

Hot or cold noodle dishes

yields 12 ounces

Creamy soups or chowders

Salad dressings

Dips

Crab or shrimp cakes

Potato or zucchini fritters

Poaching/braising liquids for fish, shellfish, chicken or tougher greens such as collards or kale

Wet rub for roasting pork or turkey loin, beef tenderloin, whole chicken or bone-in thighs 40

feastmagazine.com / febr ua ry 2 0 2 0

DIY Curry Paste This is no commercial copycat – assuming you can mimic that at home is like thinking you can grill up fast-food burgers in your backyard.

Think of this do-it-yourself curry paste as a fresh, bright version – one you can customize as you like. This recipe has a good amount of heat from the dried bird’s eye chiles; switch them out for something a little further down the Scoville scale if you like chile flavor without the punch. Replacing them with one dried guajillo pepper, for example, would tone things down considerably.

2 10 to 15

1

2

1½

1

¹⁄₃

3

1

2

2

1

2

2

2

1

1

Bird’s eye chiles, chiles de árbol or something similar

cups water small dried chiles, seeded Tbsp coriander seeds tsp cumin seeds tsp black peppercorns medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped cup peeled and chopped shallots cloves garlic, peeled and chopped stalk lemongrass, bottom and tip trimmed, 5 inches of stalk chopped Tbsp peeled and chopped galangal (fresh or frozen) Tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar) juice and zest of 2 medium limes Tbsp chile powder tsp ground turmeric tsp sweet paprika tsp kosher salt tsp shrimp paste Tbsp coconut oil

/ preparation / Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan; remove from heat, add chiles and soak, 20 minutes to soften. In the meantime, add coriander and cumin to a small skillet and heat over medium, toasting seeds until golden and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes; remove from heat. When cool, grind toasted spices along with black peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.

In the bowl of a food processor, add bell pepper, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, sugar, lime juice and zest, chile powder, turmeric, paprika, salt, shrimp paste and ground spices; pulse on high until ingredients have broken down into a rough mixture. Stream in coconut oil and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down bowl with spatula several times. Transfer to airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or seal tightly and freeze.

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Salmon is one of the very best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to lessen arterial plaque, reduce triglycerides and blood pressure and lower the risk of heart attack and stroke — all important allies in the fight against heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. Keep an eye out for salmon caught off the coast ofCalifornia, WashingtonandOregon.

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Halibut with Cherry Tomato Relish SERVES | 2

POLLOCK Although consumers might not give pollock much thought, this mild whitefish is everywhere, hidden in plain sight. It is frequently used in breaded fish filets and fish sticks, and it’s the main ingredient in imitation crab.

Pollock is low in saturated fat and a great source of lean protein, but much of that goodness is compromised when it’s deep fried. Bake it instead.

Fish: 8 oz. halibut 1 Tbsp canola oil 1 tsp salt ½ tsp pepper

Relish: 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered 2 small shallots, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt ½ tsp freshly ground pepper

TILAPIA

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SITEMAN CANCER CENTER

| Preparation | Heat a skillet on high. Pat fish dry with paper towels. Add canola oil to hot pan. Season fish with salt and pepper just before placing into the pan. Turn heat down to medium and cook for 4 minutes on first side.

Flip fish and cook for 2 to 4 minutes on the other side until it reaches an internal temperature of 130°F. Combine relish ingredients. Garnish cooked fish with tomato relish. Enjoy!

NUTRITION INFORMATION: 350 CALORIES, 23G FAT, 1817MG SODIUM, 9G CARBOHYDRATE, 2G FIBER, 27G PROTEIN

Somewhere along the way tilapia gained a reputation for being blah and boring. It’s even been nicknamed “aquatic chicken.” On the other hand, its clean, non-fishy taste means it is perfectly suited to seemingly endless preparations — and that’s a good thing! Try tilapia steamed, baked or broiled. A single filet brings a third of the recommended amount of vitamin D and registers at just over 100 calories.

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Jenny’s Diner Jenny’s is a classic diner serving all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner.

They are well known for their home fries which are made from scratch and never frozen. Dinner menus include, but are not limited to, a Zambian cuisine including vegetarian options. Treat your valentine to a classic meal this holiday.

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Features 47

touring thailand

56

show-me rice

60

indo-pendent

Explore the different flavors and aromas of regional Thai cuisine through eight distinctive dishes

Jasmine rice, typically imported from Thailand, flourishes in southeast Missouri

Far from formulaic, St. Louis chef Nick Bognar combines Japanese techniques with layers of Thai flavor at his acclaimed restaurant

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dig into These eight regional dishes for a taste of Thailand's diverse cuisine and culture Gin khao. These two Thai words mean far more than the literal translation: "Eat rice."

The phrase is a query as to whether or not you’re hungry, an invitation to come eat and a greeting with the expectation that you will eat.

My mother emigrated from Central Thailand to Kansas City. Growing up, my family meals featured dishes such as gai pad grapow (basil chicken) and pad phrik king (red curry beef and green bean stir-fry), while trips to visit family further expanded my knowledge of Thai cuisine. I’ve eaten rich dishes in busy Bangkok, rustic food in Chiang Mai’s mountains, homecooked meals, street delicacies and seafood cookouts along the Gulf of Thailand. The country’s expansive cuisine is influenced by the very mountains, plains and waterways that shape its geography and agriculture.

Modern regional cooking is the centuries-long culmination of multi-ethnic migration across Southeast Asia, Thailand’s internal conquest by different tribes and kingdoms, royal traditions and trade with other civilizations.

In the U.S., Thai food has evolved from “exotic” to trendy to commonplace – you can get everything from tom yum (hot and sour soup) to pad ki mao (drunken noodles) to red or green curry delivered these days. Increasingly, regional food is also in demand. In the not-sodistant past, Missouri diners knew Thai food as pad Thai – and that’s about it – but now we can find a wealth of dishes representing Thailand’s four regions in our own backyard.

The following regional dishes from local Thai restaurants will give you a taste of the intricate flavor profiles, unique ingredients and expressive differences of the typical cuisine found in Thailand’s North, Northeast, Central and South regions.

Written by Pete Dulin

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Khao Soi Traditionally, “Thais in the

North

Laab Moo Kua Lanna Let’s deconstruct laab moo kua lanna. Laab is a common minced meat dish in the North and Northeast regions. Moo means pork, kua translates to stir-fry and lanna refers to the former Lanna Kingdom in northern Thailand. All signs point to the dish’s origin being in the North where regional flavors are typically bitter, salty or sour. Born in Lampang, Thailand, Pam Liberda, executive chef of Waldo Thai Place in Kansas City, often cooks with chicken, dried shrimp and shrimp paste per Northern style, but she generally prefers pork as a protein and uses minced pork and slivers of crispy pork skin for her laab moo kua lanna. The laab is not boiled like other recipes, Liberda notes, “but fried slowly with oil in a wok over medium heat.” Liberda then seasons the dish with a proprietary blend of green Sichuan peppercorns, black pepper, lemongrass, galangal, fish sauce, lime juice, fried garlic and dried bird’s eye chile for balance. It’s her belief that this and other regional specialties can open diners’ minds to even more flavors and dishes such as gaeng hung lay, stewed pork belly and curry broth with a harmonious amalgam of sweet, sour and salty notes.

“You want people to learn about your culture through food,” says Liberda.

Waldo Thai Place, 8431 Wornall Road, Kansas City, Missouri, waldothaiplace.com photo by zach bauman

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Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, both major cities in provinces of the same name, are known for their arts, culture, tourism and cool climate. Mountains, forests and rivers shape terrain dotted with wats, or remote temples, and indigenous tribes, such as Hmong and Karen, and a mix of ethnicities, including immigrants from southern China and neighboring Laos and Myanmar (formerly Burma), influence the cuisine.

Burma controlled Chiang Mai until the late 18th century, accounting for the existing similarities between the Burmese noodle soup khao swè, Thai curry egg noodle soup khao soi and Lao rice noodle soup khao soi. Khao soi’s origin allegedly traces back to Chinese Muslim immigrants who combined Chinese egg noodles and curry from Muslim culture to create the dish. Northern dishes represent the least spicy among the four regions, replaced by prominent sour and bitter flavor profiles – tamarind is used more than lime to add those sour notes.

Fresh turmeric, ginger, herbs and dried spices are common ingredients, and sticky rice, or glutinous rice, is served rather than jasmine rice. Since fresh seafood is scarce, Northerners cook with pork, chicken, dried shrimp and shrimp paste, which are the main ingredients in distinctive dishes such as sai oua (grilled pork sausage), gaeng hung lay (tamarind-based pork belly curry with ginger) and gaeng khanun (young jackfruit curry).

North forage for food and eat more vegetables,” says Fork & Stix owner Phatcharin Wanna, who is originally from Fang District, one of the northernmost reaches of the Chiang Mai province.

However, the region’s proximity to Myanmar and southern China has influenced some of its traditional dishes such as khao soi, an egg noodle curry soup. Although khao soi is a popular street food dish eaten throughout the region, it’s not frequently served in Thai restaurants abroad. “Burmese-style khao soi features minced pork, rice noodles and a clear both,” says Wanna, but when Chinese Muslims emigrated to northern Thailand centuries ago, they introduced egg noodles and curry to the local cuisine. Using these ingredients and some of its own, such as coconut milk, Thailand became known for a new version of the dish.

Accordingly, the Thai-style khao soi at Fork & Stix features egg noodles, curry paste, coconut milk, sour pickled mustard greens and chicken or tofu (or beef as a nontraditional option).

Fork & Stix, 549 Rosedale Ave., St. Louis, Missouri, forknstix.com photo by paige mcdonald

a taste of thailand

khao soi

fork & stix

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a taste of thailand

northeast

Som Tum In 2012, Natthinee “Joy” Teerakawanid, chef-owner of Thai Table in Maplewood, Missouri, emigrated from the Northeastern Thai province of Buri Ram. She worked at a Thai restaurant in St. Louis for a year before opening Thai Table in November 2018.

Som tum, a salad made from shredded green papaya, is a popular dish in her hometown and throughout the region. Those cooking closer to the Laos border sometimes adopt their neighbor’s version of the dish – typically made with funky fermented fish sauce.

Thai Table’s som tum, in which Teerakawanid uses fresh chiles grown by a friend and ground in-house, balances spicy, sweet and sour flavors.

Tamarind, tomato and lime juice contribute sourness and acidity to temper the bite of the raw papaya, and nam pla (fish sauce), palm sugar and peanuts round out the delicious profile.

Thai Table, 7403 Manchester Road, Maplewood, Missouri, thaitablestl.com photo by paige mcdonald

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For high-quality and hard-to-find Thai ingredients, you may have to look beyond the small designated section of your favorite supermarket. Asian markets, such as Jay International Foods in St. Louis, 888 International Market in Overland Park, Kansas, (p. 16) and Hong Kong Market in Columbia, Missouri, offer ample resources to stock your pantry.

Northeast The contour of Thailand’s borders is often described as an elephant’s head. Isaan, Thailand’s largest geographic region – and its poorest – represents the elephant’s left ear. While flatter than the North, mountains and rivers carve across Isaan’s northern and southern plains, but sandy, acidic soil with salt deposits and drought-prone conditions hamper farming. The Mekong River forms a border and trade waterway between Thailand and Laos, and Lao influence pervades Isaan’s language, culture and food. Sticky rice – the primary crop for the region – red chiles, bitter herbs, pungent dipping sauces, dried shrimp and lime comprise bright savory salads and simply prepared dishes: Think laab (minced meat salad), som tum (green papaya salad), nam tok (“waterfall” beef salad) and gai yang (grilled chicken). Offal, blood and bone-in cuts of meat are also common ingredients, but not likely found on U.S. restaurant menus.

Quality pieces of meat, on the other hand, are scarce and expensive.

Instead, Isaan Thais incorporate fermented freshwater fish and shrimp into their diet; pla raa (an intensely sour-salty fermented fish paste) is a common seasoning used instead of shrimp paste, especially in curries. Here, bold flavor profiles run fiery hot and sour, and grilling, boiling and curing are the favored cooking techniques.

Nam pla (fish sauce) Made from pungent fermented fish, nam pla adds umami and saltiness to soups, salads, marinades and sauces; it’s often the foundation for nam phrik, the category of dips and relishes typically served with Thai dishes. Squid, Tiparos and Golden Boy are common Thai brands.

Kati (coconut milk) Coconut milk, derived from thick unsweetened coconut cream, is used prominently in soups, sauces, curries and desserts in the Central and South regions. Skip “lite” varieties, as they may negatively affect the overall texture of a dish, and simply dilute coconut milk with water as needed. Keep an eye out for dependable brands such as Aroy-D, Chaokoh and Thai Kitchen.

khao niao mamuang Laos natives Jessica and David Chouang lived in Thailand for years before emigrating to the U.S. They ran a Thai restaurant in Florida for two years and then relocated to Kansas City, where they opened Bangkok Pavilion in Overland Park, Kansas – that was 29 years ago now. In 2015, when the Chouangs opened Spices Asian Restaurant in North Kansas City, Missouri, they introduced local diners to Isaan dishes from Northeast Thailand, including khao niao mamuang (mango sticky rice). Thais eat this dessert prepared with steamed sticky rice, fresh mango, sweetened coconut milk and palm sugar during peak mango season in April and May. Lucky for us, Spices Asian Restaurant serves traditional mango sticky rice as well as purple sticky rice made with Jessica’s closely guarded recipe all year long. “The purple is less sweet,” she explains, and toasted sesame seeds add nuttiness to the glutinous pile of rice and juicy mango slices.

Spices Asian Restaurant, 2417 Burlington St., North Kansas City, Missouri, spicesasiankc.com photo by pilsen photo co-op

Gaeng phet (curry paste) Prepackaged curry paste can save you time and energy. Try Thai brands Mae Ploy, Aroy-D and Maesri, which deliver bold flavor in dry curries as well as liquid-based curries and soups.

Soy sauce Thai cooking utilizes three types of soy sauce for different purposes. Siew kao is a thin, salty soy sauce that has a less intense flavor than the variety you might find on the table at a Japanese restaurant. Siew dom, or black soy sauce, is thick, strong and slightly sweet. And siew wan is markedly sweet and rather syrupy. Recommended brands include Kwong Hung Seng and Golden Mountain.

Khao hom mali (jasmine rice) Jasmine rice rapidly loses its aromatic intensity as it ages and the rice grains become exceedingly firmer, so try to find jasmine rice from the year’s freshly harvested “new crop,” available in bulk at Asian stores from brands such as Three Ladies and Elephant.

You can buy jasmine rice grown right here in Missouri, courtesy of Martin Rice Co. (p. 56). / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

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Pad Thai A Vietnamese refugee who

Central

Tom Yum China has egg drop soup, Vietnam has pho and Thailand has tom yum. According to some Thai scholars, the “modern” version of this hot and sour soup traces back to 1782 – the year Bangkok became Siam’s (now Thailand’s) capital. Usually made with river shrimp in Thailand today, tom yum was associated with royal cuisine during revered King Rama V’s reign from 1868 to 1910. Over the centuries, the essence of tom yum has been steadfast: sour, spicy and salty notes play out with a sweet and citrusy finish. Traditionally, makrut lime leaf and roasted chile jam contribute both aroma and flavor to the soup’s broth; the tom yum at Rama Thai Café in Springfield, Missouri, builds layers of flavor with lemongrass, lime juice, onion, tomato and mushrooms. Galangal, a dense rhizome similar to ginger, is simultaneously earthy, peppery and citrusy and adds a pleasant aroma to the soup. Guests can order tom yum with gai (chicken), goong (shrimp), vegetables or assorted seafood.

Rama Thai Café, 1129 E. Walnut St., Springfield, Missouri, ramathaispringfield.com photo by mark neuenschwander

Curious about galangal? Find out more about the ingredient and how to use it in a recipe for Thai-spiced salmon kedgeree on p. 30.

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Bound for the Gulf of Thailand, rivers, waterways and canals course through the Central region of the country, providing a bounty of freshwater fish, shrimp, crab and other shellfish to the area. Closer to Bangkok, there’s fertile farmland where farmers grow a wide array of fruits and vegetables and rice fields where they grow fragrant khao hom mali (jasmine rice), which locals prefer over sticky rice. Dishes balance sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter flavors, and liberal use of coconut milk and palm sugar often yields a richer and sweeter profile than those found in other regions.

Also, spicy dishes are not as fiery as Northeastern and Southern versions. Trade with Portuguese and Spanish ships introduced chile, corn, tomato, pineapple, pumpkin and other foodstuffs from the Americas, while Chinese immigrants brought wok cooking techniques such as deep frying and stir-frying and ingredients such as soy sauce, egg noodles and tofu to Thailand. Central staples include pad Thai, khao pad (fried rice), tom yum (hot and sour soup) and guay tiew reua (boat noodles).

Popular green and red curries begin with fried paste (rather than boiled) that is blended with coconut milk or broth, and nam phrik (a category of chile-shrimp pastes and sauces) is eaten with countless varieties of fresh vegetables and fish.

immigrated to Los Angeles with his family, John Pham moved to Columbia, Missouri, in 1990 to attend the University of Missouri. As a freshman, he began working at Bangkok Gardens; three years later, he dropped out of school, bought the restaurant and has been running the show ever since. Pham’s pad Thai (a.k.a. phat Thai) is his take on Thailand’s most famous dish. Legend has it that Plaek Phibunsongkhram, prime minister of (what was then known as) Siam during the late 1930s, ordered the creation of a new dish that would inspire nationalism among regional ethnic groups.

Using rice noodles, tamarind, palm sugar and chiles, a dish with an innate “Thai-ness” was established – something different from the wet and dry noodle dishes being prepared

by Chinese street vendors at the time. Ingredients for pad Thai vary depending on the cook; Pham’s features rice noodles stir-fried with sweet and sour sauces, cabbage, bean sprouts, onion and egg.

Garnishes include peanuts, green onion and lime.

Bangkok Gardens, 811 Cherry St., Columbia, Missouri, bangkokgardens.com photo by kim wade

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kling south Niramol “Ann” Riensin, co-owner of Pad Thai and I Am Frozen Dessert Cafe in Overland Park, Kansas, is a native of the Chonburi province located on the Gulf of Thailand southeast of Bangkok. Open since 2015, Pad Thai’s muted gray color scheme, rattan seating and white tablecloths provide an elegant setting for lunch and dinner. Riensin’s chef, who is originally from South Thailand, specializes in regional dishes such as kua kling (dry meat curry). Served only for dinner at Pad Thai, kua kling arrives in a chocolate-brown ceramic bowl with bright garnishes. The golden yellow hue of the curry contrasts against its deeply colored backdrop – a simple, yet dramatic, presentation for such a humble dish. Garlic, lemongrass and makrut lime leaf enhance the flavor, and there is no water or coconut milk present. The meat – in this case, minced pork – is pan-roasted in dry curry paste to absorb the bold flavors.

Pad Thai, 14319 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, Kansas, padthaikc.com photo by pilsen photo co-op

Located largely on an ismuth shaped like an elephant’s trunk, the Southern region of Thailand boasts miles of coastline. Phuket, Ko Samui and many other sandy, picturesque locales attract tourists and expatriates, known as farang (foreigners), by the droves. Its position along the gulf means seafood is consumed more than meat, and plentiful coconut groves are the source of abundant coconut milk used in curries and desserts. The South’s largely Muslim and predominantly ethnic Malay population eats dishes similar to nearby Malaysia, Indonesia and India. Panang and massaman curries have Malay and Persian influences, typified by a much thicker coconut milkbased sauce than Thai curries in other regions. Ample use of fresh and dried bird’s eye chile creates some of Thailand’s hottest dishes, and dried shrimp, shrimp paste and nam pla (fish sauce) contribute salt and funk to flavor profiles. Once a stop for Indian and Middle Eastern spice merchants, spices such as fresh turmeric, clove and cumin are prevalent as well – tamarind and pineapple offer complementary tart, sweet and acidic notes for balance. Specialties in the South include gaeng som pla (sour curry with bamboo shoots) and kua kling (an intensely spicy dry curry made with pork, beef or chicken).

Chu chee salmon, another fixture in Southern Thai cuisine, features grilled salmon with curry atop steamed vegetables and rice.

Gaeng Som Born in St. Louis, Chao Baan owner Shayn Prapaisilp is the son of Thai immigrants – and esteemed local restaurateurs – Suchin and Sue Prapaisilp.

Suchin hails from Yala, Thailand’s southernmost province, and Sue grew up in the Loei province in the Northeast. Chao Baan’s regional Thai dishes honor these geographic roots and their culinary differences. Gaeng som is a fiery soup emblematic of Southern Thai cooking, although, Shayn explains, “most people have only had the sweeter Central version from Bangkok.” Chao Baan’s gaeng som features turmeric, shrimp paste, lime and chile to produce a yellowish-red soup that brings the heat. Thinly sliced green papaya, tilapia and rice add weight, but as Shayn says, the broth is the real star. “Good Thai food takes time to master,” he says, but Thailand’s vastness and its disparate regions present a gastronomic opportunity. “Keep an open mind when ordering beyond pad Thai – there’s a lot to discover.”

Chao Baan, 4087 Chouteau Ave., St. Louis, Missouri, chaobaanstl.com photo by j. pollack photography

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Mike Martin knows when it’s time to flood. He and his brothers, Tim and David, carefully monitor their 7,000 acres of farmland in southeast Missouri for signs of disease, weeds, insects, fungus and other agricultural perils. As third-generation farmers, they take their craft seriously; they test the soil every year and constantly walk the watery fields looking for anything that might harm their crop.

Agriculture runs on razor-thin margins, and one bad harvest can be detrimental to the entire operation, which, after half a century, counts more than 35 employees. Trucks, each bearing 44,000 pounds of rice, leave the farm daily – their contents bound for places as close as Springfield, Missouri, and as far away as Cuba and Taiwan.

Owners of Martin Rice Co. in Bernie, Missouri, the Martin brothers plant, harvest, mill and package jasmine, medium-grain and long-grain rice. “Rice is very common,” says Martin. “It’s not expensive. For what you get, rice is probably one of the most economical foods you can buy. But it’s hard to appreciate where it comes from or how it gets to your plate without learning how the process works. Most people don’t think about how elaborate [that] is: how hard it is to process and distribute [rice].

But it’s the world’s staple. Over half the population relies on rice as its main food [source]. So it’s something that at one level is taken for granted, but at another level, it’s demanded every day.”

Meet the third-generation farmers growing jasmine rice in the heart of Missouri’s fertile Bootheel region Written by Nancy Stiles illustrations by lehel kovacs

The Martin family first settled in Bernie during the Great Depression. Martin’s grandfather moved his family from Arkansas in search of a better life, and the fertile land south of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was a perfect place to farm. He didn’t know how he would pay for it, but he bought 160 acres and planted cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum.

The area where the family farm is located was swampland for centuries until it was drained in the early 1900s and became famous for its Cyprus and oak trees. Timber companies scrambled to clear the land – building railroad tracks expressly for shipping the high-quality wood farther afield – but once all the trees were gone, the timber companies either sold their land or turned into cotton producers.

Because it was once a Mississippi River delta, the land is especially productive. This is aided even further by irrigation: An aquifer holds clean, pure water that can be reached through wells and used to water crops when needed. “It’s [like] a big garden down here where we’re at, just because of the weather that we have, the fertility of the soil and the water availability,” says Martin. “The water almost seems to replenish itself from one year to the next.”

The ample water supply makes this corner of Missouri ideal for rice farming, but Martin’s family didn’t begin in rice. Until the late 1970s, the U.S. government controlled the rice market; in order to legally grow rice, farmers had to have an allotment, and he did not. When the market finally opened up, Martin’s grandfather and father decided to throw their hat in the ring. It took a bit of trial and error, but the first year’s yield was better than they expected; it made more money than some of their other crops, so they planted more. After three or four years, it was clear that rice was a viable choice for the Martin family farm. Today, Martin credits the demand for rice – like many elements of American cuisine – to

immigrants. People want a taste of home, he says, whether it’s Arborio rice from Italy or jasmine rice from Thailand.

Jasmine rice is three times stickier than the long-grain rice often used in American cuisine – though not as sticky as, well, sticky rice (a.k.a. glutinous rice). The name is a nod to its floral fragrance, reminiscent of pandan and popcorn, and as it cooks, jasmine rice releases an enticing nutty aroma that makes it ideal for dishes such as curry, pilaf and stirfries. Traditionally boiled and then steamed, it may look like basmati rice, but once it’s cooked, jasmine rice is moister and clings together better, which is helpful when you’re trying to pick up every last grain with a pair of chopsticks.

Although much of the jasmine rice available in the U.S. is imported from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, Martin Rice Co. has been producing its own version of the long-grain sticky aromatic, with its signature flavor profile, for almost 20 years. Adding it to his crop portfolio was a no-brainer, says Martin. At the time, the high demand for jasmine rice simply wasn’t being fulfilled, and the product that was available wasn’t grown locally.

Many consumers might not realize that rice is grown in Missouri, but the Bootheel is home to the fourth largest state rice industry in the country, valued at approximately $133 million. Martin estimates that as the U.S. population continues to diversify, the market for different types of rice will only increase.

“We’ve tried to pick the [rice varieties] that we like. We’re just like everybody else,” says Martin with a laugh. “We want the best flavor and the most aromatics – the total package is what we like.”

Each year, the Martin brothers begin planting rice in April or May using a technique called drill seeding. A seed drill pulled by a tractor evenly distributes the rice seeds, planting them deep in the ground where the soil has more moisture. This allows the seeds to germinate and grow, though sometimes irrigation is needed. Once the seeds are sowed, Martin says they “baby” the crop, making sure it has enough water while keeping out weeds, insects and fungus.

“This [past] year, it was very rainy, very cloudy,” says Martin.

“We had all kinds of different weather that we’re not used to, so we were out there just looking to see how that [was] affecting the plants and how [the rice was] responding.”

Once the stalks of rice are anywhere from five to eight inches long, it’s time to flood the fields – the part of rice cultivation most people are familiar with. Places such as Thailand and Vietnam are known for their striking terraced rice fields, but in southern Missouri, the fields are relatively flat. Rice actually doesn’t need to be flooded to grow – it simply tolerates high amounts of water that weeds do not, making flooding an effective, natural way to keep those pesky plants at bay.

At this point in the growing process, the brothers scour the fields, diligently tending their crop. As summer begins to wane, the rice plants develop heads, just like grass would if it wasn’t mowed; this is where the kernel of rice itself is formed. / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

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“When the grain is being formed, it’s a liquid inside there,” explains Martin.

“The hardening of that liquid determines whether that kernel will stay intact or not through the milling process. If you don't harvest and dry it properly, you’re not going to have a good quality product.”

Martin knows it’s time to harvest when the seeds’ moisture level is down to 18 percent – in Bernie, that’s usually in September – but the rice can’t actually be processed until it has 13 percent moisture or less, or else the kernel won’t harden properly. Larger producers often use a drying machine that dries the rice quickly so that it can be harvested as soon as possible. Martin Rice Co. transfers the harvested rice to giant tanks specially designed to house rice, where it slow-dries the grain. Each variety of rice – jasmine, medium-grain and long-grain – has its own tank.

For many years, drying the rice was the end of the road, so to speak, for Martin Rice Co. But in 2000, the family installed processing equipment and transitioned into a vertically integrated operation. Now it sees the rice from seed to table.

Martin’s father, Sonny, was a charter member of the U.S. Rice Producers Association, and through his work to promote the rice industry, he met buyers from Turkey. For years, they implored him to try growing their preferred variety because Turkish producers couldn’t meet the local demand. Eventually, they sent him some seed to try. Sonny and his sons realized they needed a contingency plan: What if they grew acres and acres of this specialized rice and the Turkish buyers backed out? The need for a mill became clear.

In the milling process, the outer hull of the kernel is removed, resulting in brown rice. To get white rice, the milling equipment “polishes” the brown rice by friction to take the bran layer, or brown layer, off. The rice may be white at this point, but Martin assures there is plenty more to do. Before it goes into the bag, the white rice goes through rounds of cleaning, aspirating and sifting; the pieces are sized and then a machine looks at every kernel to make sure it’s the correct color, size and shape. Once milled, all of the company’s rice is processed and shipped within a few days. As Martin iterates, they don’t mill rice just to be milling rice – they already have the orders in before they process a single grain.

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“We've tried to pick the rice varieties that we like. We’re just like everybody else. We want the best flavor and the most aromatics - the total package is what we like.”

Martin Rice Co. uses every part of the rice: Broken kernels are sent to breweries to be used in fermentation or pet food companies to become products such as lamb and rice dog food, or made into rice flour; the hulls become animal bedding or insulation, and the bran can be made into high-grade cooking oil. Medium-grain rice is also grown to sell to cereal companies to make puffed rice.

The vertical integration at Martin Rice Co. has allowed the company to grow more rice than ever before, but Martin stresses that he’s a farmer first. “We haven't forgotten where we came from,” he says. “We’re farmers by trade. My grandfather was a farmer, my father was a farmer, I'm a farmer, and now that we have a rice processing facility, we’re still farmers. We still own the land, we still walk in the fields every day. At the same time, my whole mentality has been, let’s try to take this all the way to the consumer. Let’s try to take this to the table. So we’ve tried to develop new varieties – like the jasmine [rice], for example – and look for niche markets that haven’t been touched by any producer in the United States.”

Martin says he hopes the fourth generation of the family will grow up and keep the business going, but until then, he and his brothers plan to go where the rice market takes them. They ship across the country and all over the world as it is, but as technology gets better and freight gets cheaper, Martin Rice Co. aims to reach even more dining room tables.

“I’d really like people to be more educated about where their food comes from,” continues Martin. “I think it’s important for everybody to ask questions and to learn more about it because food doesn’t come from the store – it comes from a producer that made it, whether it’s cheese or meat or grain, even these new nomeat burgers – those are made from textured soy protein or something that came from a farm. Any time anybody asks about rice, I generally take the time to try to answer any questions [they have] or educate them because I think it's important.

I'm inquisitive in that way, and I like for other people to be inquisitive too.”

22326 County Road 780, Bernie, Missouri, martinrice.com

▶ Different varieties of rice from Martin Rice Co. are available at select locations of St. Louis-area specialty grocer Straub’s Markets.

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Chef ’s Choice

ike many chefs and restaurant owners, Ann Bognar never wanted her only son, Nick, to follow her path in the industry. But Ann, who opened her first restaurant, Nippon Tei, in a humble shopping mall plaza in Ballwin, Missouri, in 2001, says the more she tried to pull Nick away from the kitchen, the more he gravitated toward cooking. She remembers that, from a young age, he always loved food – no matter how spicy or unusual – and credits much of that to her own mother, lovingly known as Yai. For years, Nick’s family has had a long-running joke: If you wanted any Thai dish, his grandmother could make it – but you’d have to give her two days to do so. The first day would be spent at the market shopping for ingredients and prepping them, while the second would be spent preparing the dish – in many cases, her famous khao soi, a fragrant curry noodle soup from northern Thailand. In fact, Nick says he has a hard time remembering a time spent with his grandmother when she wasn’t cooking. She never used recipes, though, instead relying on her own palate to know when a dish was finished.

Yai grew up in The Grand Palace, the longtime official residence of the kings of Siam, in Bangkok, Thailand. A distant relative of King Rama IV, she was born into the lower class and, during her schooling in the palace, was taught to cook and sew to prepare herself for marriage. After falling in love with one of her instructors, the two eloped to Chiang Mai in the North. “She had this cross between what Thai people would call royal Thai food, like Bangkok, basically, and then also a lot of influence from the Chiang Mai region,” says Nick. “She cooked both really well and because of that, it kind of just trickled down to me and these flavors being a part of my life for a long time.”

One by one, Nick Bognar sets six small ceramic bowls of chawanmushi on the counter, and an intoxicating aroma wafts over the room. The savory steamed egg custard, which blends rich jidori eggs imported from Japan with concentrated prawn and crab broth, is drizzled with sesame oil, dusted with peppery togarashi powder and topped with tiny pearls of marinated salmon roe.

As the intimate group of diners seated at tonight’s sold-out omakase dinner begin dipping their spoons into the silky custard – the first of 20 courses tonight – he asks tentatively, “What do you think?” The diners nod and murmur their approval, and, with a smile, he quips, “Good, ‘cause if you don’t like it we’re gonna be screwed for the rest of the night.”

When Nick was born, Yai came to live with the family and helped care for the baby for about five years before returning home to Thailand. She wouldn’t allow Ann to buy store-bought baby food; instead, they’d make everything from scratch, including puréed spinach, apples, squash and pumpkin. “Nick grew up never [having] baby food in the jar,” says Ann. “[He was] just so attached to my mom’s cooking. The relationship with my mom and Nicholas, more than anything, was about cooking together.”

But it wasn’t until Nick was around 11 or 12 that he started to prove to Ann that he belonged in the kitchen. There’s one night in particular she’ll never forget: Nick was in sixth grade and asked her to buy him some chicken – but while other kids might crave chicken tenders, he wanted a whole chicken. When she arrived home from work that day, a Thai cookbook was lying on the dining room table, turned to a page with a recipe for spicy chicken stir-fry with bamboo shoots. “From looking at the food and looking at the cookbook, it was just identical – the picture and the outcome of the dish that he made,” she says, before adding with a burst of laughter: “And at that point, at that moment, I know that I’m in trouble.”

A few courses later, a piece of kinmedai, or golden eye snapper, arrives. Nick explains its prestige in Japan, describing it as having achieved 007-like status. “It’s like the Pierce Brosnan of snapper,” he jokes, quickly adding, “We actually decided to get rid of that joke, but I couldn’t resist.”

Later, as sommelier and general manager Zac Adcox pours a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, he asks what the group thinks of his playlist – right now, Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” is pumping through the speakers.

Indo proves that you can make serious food without taking yourself too seriously. Despite the luxury ingredients – from fatty nodoguro to foie gras to A5 Wagyu beef straight from Kagoshima – and the accompanying price tag, dining here is a remarkably casual, comfortable affair. There are no white linens or pressed chef coats, and you certainly won’t have to worry about which fork to use – Nick suggests that you eat that piece of nigiri with your hands anyway. As he carefully slices fish, grates lime zest, shapes rice and folds seaweed wrappers behind the counter, he’s just as likely to bend your ear about his Thai grandma’s recipe for laab as he is to extol the virtues of Red Robin’s onion rings.

This is just another Tuesday night at Indo – one of the most exciting restaurants to open in St. Louis in years.

And at the heart of the celebrated restaurant is the 28-year-old Nick Bognar, who concedes that the restaurant’s hard-to-pinpoint concept might be just a little bit selfish: “It’s just what I want to cook,” he says. / f e br u a ry 2 02 0

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Yet, as happens frequently in the grueling restaurant industry, Nick felt his personal life taking a backseat to his career and decided to move to Cincinnati to be with his girlfriend. He quickly landed a job as head sushi chef at E+O Kitchen, where he had the opportunity to stretch his skills as a leader and prove that he could thrive as an executive chef for a restaurant that wasn’t owned by his parents.

“I feel like Uchiko taught me the basic techniques and turned me into a really good cook and someone who could work in a really disciplined and efficient way, and then when I went to Cincinnati, it was like, ‘How do I teach other people what I know now, and how do I get them to have that same vision?’” he says. “You kind of learn a whole new skillset once you’re in charge of an entire kitchen team.”

Around the same time, Nick’s mother, Ann, was starting to grow unhappy with the food at the now nearly 20-year-old Nippon Tei. On the surface, the restaurant was chugging along smoothly, with plenty of regulars returning frequently to the Ballwin restaurant. Ann, though, was growing bored, but, at age 54, wasn’t sure she was up for making any huge changes by herself. “The restaurant was doing fine, but inside me it was just slowly…dying,” she says. “I think when you do something for so long and then one day you wake up and you don’t like it anymore, you know you’re just going to have to do something else.”

So she decided to do something else, though she wasn’t sure just what that would mean until she went to visit Nick at E+O Kitchen. He made her yellowtail with ponzu sauce and a little bit of trout roe on top, and she was immediately struck by how much it reminded her of the Thai food she grew up eating, with so many different layers and dimensions of flavor. “Nick, this dish is very, very good,” she told him. “This is what I would like to do – to change.”

Nick credits his mother with having the foresight – and, frankly, the courage – to take a hard look at Nippon Tei and realize it was ready for a change.

Nick helped out in the kitchen at Nippon Tei from an early age as a busboy and dishwasher, but transitioned to a more serious role working on the line at around 14. “When it came time, my mom was showing me how to make some stuff and I just kind of did it,” he says. “I didn’t realize how much I was absorbing, but after a while I realized that if you live that restaurant lifestyle for long enough, it just becomes second nature.”

As Nick pursued a culinary path at South Technical High School and, later, St. Louis Community College – Forest Park, he continued to work in the family’s restaurants. He managed Tei Too, their Thai restaurant in Webster Groves, Missouri, opened Ramen Tei at the bar inside Nippon Tei and later became the head chef of Nippon Tei. But he soon identified some weaknesses in his own cooking and, wanting to expose himself to new things – inspired partly by what he calls a jaded dream of competing on Top Chef – decided to move to Austin, Texas. Since he’d been cooking Thai food his entire life, he decided to learn how to perfect what he considers his favorite cuisine: Japanese food.

The day Nick graduated, he didn’t even pick up his diploma – he moved straight to Austin to start a two-day stage at the upscale sushi restaurant Uchiko. After proving his chops, he landed a position at the renowned restaurant. He realizes now how lucky he was to do so – he credits Uchiko with teaching him fundamental cooking techniques that have helped shape his career, from aging fish properly to seasoning rice to perfecting his knife cuts.

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“That kind of innovation is just rare and you have to give props to my mom for that because, to be honest, why should she have even done that?” he says. “And when it comes down to it, I think it’s just her deep-rooted sense for hospitality. She enjoyed the food I was doing and she just wanted her customers to have that instead of what they were doing [at Nippon Tei] for a long time.”

So they got to work. Nick moved back to St. Louis in 2018 and, now as a co-owner of Nippon Tei, essentially transformed the entire menu. Implementing much of what he learned at Uchiko, Nick steered the menu away from the deepfried sushi rolls popular at the restaurant for so long and toward fresh, expertly cut nigiri and sashimi.

Although Ann and Nick both acknowledge that the changes were initially not welcomed by their regulars, the revamp soon earned the praise of diners and local critics alike – St. Louis PostDispatch restaurant critic Ian Froeb, for instance, named Nippon Tei “St. Louis’ most exciting sushi restaurant” in a 2018 review.

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During this time, Nick also earned a reputation for his omakase (Japanese for “I’ll leave it up to you”) tasting menus, featuring whatever fish was most inspiring to him that day, from sake toro to madai ceviche. Local critics weren’t the only ones to take notice of his skill, either – in 2019, he was named a semifinalist for Rising Star Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation.

Just a few days later, Nick fulfilled a longtime dream and announced plans to open his own restaurant, Indo, in Botanical Heights. Named in part for the geographical term Indochina – the continental portion of the region now known as Southeast Asia – Indo features flavor profiles from throughout Southeast Asia, often prepared with Japanese techniques. It’s hard to package the restaurant’s theme neatly into a box, but you’ll find you don’t need to. For Nick, it’s much easier: “It’s the food I want to eat,” he says.

To that end, Indo features much of what earned him so much praise at Nippon Tei, including expertly prepared sashimi and daily rotating nigiri, but the restaurant also draws on his family’s Thai heritage.

There are subtle nods, such as serving aged and fried Japanese sea bream with young chile nam phrik (a pungent spicy Thai chile paste), alongside more obvious ones, such as fried lamb ribs glazed with palm sugar, tom yum pork skins and, at lunch, a twist on his grandma’s famous khao soi made with crispy duck.

Indo's spicy salmon skin hand rolls, packed with nam phrik, pickled daikon, sweet squash and sprouts, are inspired by a snack the cooks at Nippon Tei used to make for themselves in the kitchen. His family’s influence is evident throughout, but perhaps nowhere more so than the lamb tartare, inspired by a Christmas tradition in Nick's family, served with a pungent laab sauce made with bird's eye chiles and pine nuts. He even keeps a few jars of his grandmother’s nam phrik, laab spice and massaman curry tucked away in his freezer – she passed away at age 87 last year, and he can’t imagine letting go of these last vestiges of her cooking. “This shit is just priceless to me now,” he says.

Nick’s popular omakase dinners live on at the chef’s counter at Indo, sometimes stretching up to 27 courses. Limited to just six diners, three nights a week, they quickly sell out, but represent Nick’s opportunity to flex his culinary prowess at what he refers to as a fine-dining restaurant inside another restaurant.

While some dishes at Indo, whether at the omakase counter or on the restaurant’s regular à la carte menu, lean distinctly in one direction – such as the sake sashimi (served with ponzu, Japanese ginger, salmon caviar, wasabi and togarashi) or the tom yum pork skins – others benefit from seamlessly blending Japanese techniques with rich, layered Thai flavor profiles. The Isaan Hamachi, for instance, has become Nick’s calling card: It features fatty yellowtail served with Thai ingredients, including Thai kosho (a play on traditional yuzu kosho), coconut nam pla (fish sauce) and candied garlic.

But, like many chefs, Nick doesn’t want his restaurant to be described as fusion. It’s more accurate to describe Indo as a culmination of everything he’s learned so far, from the flavors he grew up watching his grandmother cook to the exacting techniques he learned in high-end kitchens across the country.

Sous chef Hana Chung – who says coming to work at Indo was a “no-brainer” – says the kitchen is full of cooks with diverse backgrounds, and the restaurant is at its best when it takes advantage of that. “Nick is really good at getting everybody to collaborate,” she says. “It’s always very Asian-inspired, but also very Midwestern too – something we know people are going to like.”

But blending elements of different cuisines together is a tricky process, and not one that Nick takes lightly.

“I always tell younger cooks: brush strokes,” he says. “I can make really, really good authentic Japanese food; I can make very, very good authentic Thai food, and it wasn’t until I had gotten to a point where I was very strong at both of those that I should have any business combining food.”

But no matter what’s on the plate, the influence of Nick’s family courses through Indo. In the hallway leading from the kitchen to the main dining room, a handful of framed photos line the wall, including one of Nick’s parents from their days working in hotels, a photo of King Rama V for good luck and, of course, two photos of Nick’s grandmother. The first time Ann walked into the restaurant and saw the photos, she burst into tears.

“Everything, the pictures on the wall, it just has a story behind [it],” she says. “It just touched me so much.

Everything about Indo is everything about my family. Everything about Indo is everything about my heritage.

I would just cry because of the joy of food [and] because there was someone who appreciated my heritage and appreciated what we tried to do, or to be, and that person – it was Nick.”

1641 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, Missouri, indo-stl.com

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Back Burner the

this month, we asked industry pros:

What’s your favorite Thai dish, and where are you ordering it?

Anthony Devoti

chef-owner

J. Devoti Trattoria St. Louis

“I have to say that the khao soi at Kounter Kulture is a staple for me, especially this time of year. Chicken, noodles, pickled greens, lime, chile oil – it has you covered if you’re fighting a cold. It’s a go-to for us on a school night; it covers all the bases: delicious, quick and South City convenient.”

Tiffany Walker co-owner

Gerard Craft chef-owner

John Gordon Jr. executive director

Jennifer Johnmeyer creative manager

Mary Anne McNeish director of marketing

Eat. Crepe. Love.

Niche Food Group

Boys Grow

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

Lidia’s

Jefferson City, Missouri

st. louis

Kansas City

Springfield, Missouri

Kansas City

“My favorite Thai dish is the

“Fork & Stix and its sister

“My spot for Thai food is Waldo

“While I have many beloved Thai

“Tasty Thai’s quiet charm is

Double Noodle at Thip’s Asian

restaurant, Kiin [Essentially Thai],

Thai Place, [and] the dish I can't

places in Springfield, my favorite

housed in two unassuming

Bistro [in Columbia, Missouri]. It

are hands down my two favorite

say no to is the giaw neung. It

is Tong’s. The drunken noodles

locations. Because I love soup

is a combo of pad Thai and yellow

Thai spots in St. Louis. My go-to

is steamed dumplings with this

are amazing, but the mango

any time of year, I’ll order the

curry, and it is amazing! It's full

order starts with nam khao tod, a

cilantro and ginger dipping sauce

with sticky rice and the fried

tom kar in winter or summer;

of lemongrass and vegetables

crispy rice salad with pork, ginger,

that is really unique and tasty.

bananas are particularly heavenly.

the sweet coconut and spicy

topped with bean sprouts [and] by

peanuts and lime. Then I either get

Pam [Liberda] and her team have

Honorable mentions to Rama

undertones rival even those in

far one of my favorite dishes.”

khao soi with chicken or beef or

created a great place, and they

Thai Café, Thai Basil and The

Thailand. Order a large instead

green curry with chicken and rice. ...

were vendors at our most recent

Wheelhouse as well.”

of a bowl – it comes out in a

There has never been a time when

Farm Fest. So they are serving, in

I didn’t finish [my] khao soi, so this

my opinion, the best Thai food in

dish is not to be shared!”

the city as well as lending a hand in the community.”

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