island dis h

Expand Your Culinary Horizons! by Jennifer Bowles

Over the summer months my husband and I have been experimenting with some more exotic cuisines and have been making an effort to really expand our pantry. We've had some hits and we've had some definite misses (note: chutney doesn't go with everything). Some of the more enjoyable results have been our forays into Thai cuisine. Curries, soups, rolls – we've tried as many dishes as we can copy or come up with on our own. My husband insists on getting the right ingredients called for in a recipe, so we've ventured far and wide to get some of the more exotic pantry items, however with the booming interest in southeast Asian food, many of the seemingly rare ingredients are available at any grocery store. There are some staples that should be in your cupboard at all times: fish sauce (nam pla), coconut milk, rice noodles, jasmine rice, Thai curry sauce (green, red and yellow), sriracha hot sauce (this goes well with EVERYTHING), lemongrass, ginger (keep it in the freezer), galangal and Thai chilis. These all go together in virtually endless combinations and are ripe for experimentation. Go out to a Thai restaurant, try a few dishes and then head home to try and recreate your favourites! We took this strategy to heart when we came up with this month's recipe, which is now a staple –

14 SEASIDE | september 2013