The Nourishing Gourmet

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Thai

Pan-Fried Thai Chicken with Carrot and Ginger Salad

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Pan Fried Thai Chicken with Carrot and Ginger Salad - a great meal for a hot summer night. -www.thenourishinggourmet.com

This simple pan-fried chicken is brought to a whole new level when covered in Thai inspired flavors, accompanied by a fresh carrot and ginger salad.

Long time readers will know that I love to share my twist on Thai dishes with you! Ingredients like curry paste give an ordinary dish a fun twist that I really enjoy.

In the summer time who wants to heat up the house by turning on the oven in the late afternoon? Not me. I prefer to cook on the stove top and keep the flavors light saving the heartier meals for the fall and winter. If I use the oven I wait till it cools down at night or first thing in the morning.

This pan-fried Thai chicken with carrot and ginger salad is light, refreshing and full of flavor! I chose to use red curry paste which has a slight kick to it, for a milder flavor you can decrease the amount used or use a more mild paste such as green curry.

The salad is wonderful when served right after you make it but it is even better the next day! You can make it ahead of time to allow for even easier prep when you start making dinner.

Other Thai Inspired Dishes:

Pan-Fried Thai Chicken

4 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken thighs, pounded flat
  • 4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
  • 2 tablespoons palm sugar/sucanat
  • 2vtablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoons grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce/tamari
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed

Directions:

1. Using a meat pounder or a rubber hammer thinly pound the chicken thighs until flat. (Kimi Notes: I like to put the chicken thighs between two pieces of parchment paper when flattening chicken.)

2. Mix the water, red curry paste, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic together to make a thick paste.

3. Coat both sides of the thighs, place in a glass container and allow to marinade for at least one hour.

4. Add the oil to a skillet and bring to medium/high heat. Add the thighs and cook for about 3 minutes on each side.

5. Cut one thigh to be sure there is no pink and that the meat is completely cooked.

6. Serve with steamed white rice and carrot and ginger salad.

Carrot and Ginger Salad

4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound carrots, shaved into ribbons
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 TBS grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon unrefined salt

Directions:

1. Chop both ends off the carrots, peel and discard (or compost) the peels.

2. Use the peeler to make thin ribbons from the carrots, just like when you peel a carrot.

3. Chop the cilantro and mix with the carrots ribbons.

4. Mix the lime juice, olive oil, lime zest, ginger and unrefined salt together in a bowl.

5. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to cover.

Pan Fried Thai Chicken
 
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Thai
Serves: 4 Servings
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Ingredients
  • 4 chicken thighs, pounded flat
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup Thai red curry paste
  • 2 TBS palm sugar/sucanat
  • 2 TBS coconut oil
  • 1 TBS grated ginger
  • 1 TBS soy sauce/tamari
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
Instructions
  1. Using the meat pounder or a rubber hammer thinly pound the chicken thighs until flat.
  2. Mix the water, red curry paste, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic together to make a thick paste.
  3. Coat both sides of the thighs, place in a glass container and allow to marinade for at least one hour.
  4. Add the oil to a skillet and bring to medium/high heat. Add the thighs cook for about 3 minutes on each side.
  5. Cut one thigh to be sure there is no pink and that the meat is completely cooked.
  6. Serve with steamed white rice and carrot and ginger salad.

 
Carrot and Ginger Salad
 
Recipe type: Side
Cuisine: Thai
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Ingredients
  • 1lb carrots, shaved into ribbons
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 TBS grated ginger
  • ½ tsp unrefined salt
Instructions
  1. Chop both ends off the carrots, peel and discard (or compost) the peels.
  2. Use the peeler to make thin ribbons from the carrots, just like when you peel a carrot.
  3. Chop the cilantro and mix with the carrots ribbons.
  4. Mix the lime juice, olive oil, lime zest, and unrefined salt together in a bowl.
  5. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to cover.

 

Easy Thai Curry Noodle Soup

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Thai Curry Noodle Soup

By Katie Mae Stanley, Contributing Writer

Light and flavorful, this simple Thai curry noodle soup will warm you on a cool evening. It is a perfect, frugal meal to throw together when you are short on time and is bursting with flavor.

Using homemade chicken stock adds an extra boost of nutrition to this tasty soup. Fresh stock is a frugal and easy way to nourish your family. Coconut milk not only makes your dish creamy and decadent is bursting with nutrition as well.

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When buying coconut milk it is important as part of a real foods diet to know what is in your milk. Many brands contain carrageenan, sugar and other preservatives. There are a few suitable options out there. Native Forest, is an excellent brand that is organic and BPA free. Another good brand is Thai Kitchen, which is not BPA free but the company claims that their product is “BPA safe”. Thai Kitchen is more creamy and has always been my favorite brand. And check out this brand, and this one, for guar gum-free coconut milk.

Thai is one of my favorite cuisines, there is no denying that. There is few thing less satisfying for me than creating ethnic dishes at home. When you use your own ingredients you can know that your food will be free of unhealthy oils, sugars and preservatives that are frequently found when dinning out.

Homemade Thai Inspired Recipes:

Thai Curry Noodle Soup
 
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Thai
Serves: 4-6
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Light and flavorful, this simple Thai curry noodle soup will warm you on a cool evening. It is a perfect meal to throw together when you are short on time and is bursting with flavor.
Ingredients
  • 2 quarts chicken broth
  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 16 oz vermicelli rice noodles
  • 1 lb chicken breast or thighs, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ lb fresh sugar snap peas
  • 2 tsp thai red curry, or curry paste of choice (I use this one)
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 inch of lemon grass, split
  • optional garnishes
  • Fresh basil (Thai is preferred)
  • Fresh spearmint leaves
  • Fresh cilantro
Instructions
  1. In a large sauce-pot add the coconut milk, curry paste, lemon grass, garlic and ginger. Cook on low for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the onions cook for another five minutes.
  3. Pour in the broth and add the chicken and sugar snap peas. Simmer for about 5 minutes for until the chicken is cook through.
  4. Add the rice noodles, turn off the heat and cover until the noodles are softened.
  5. Garnish with thai basil, spearmint leaves and cilantro if desired.

 

Thai Inspired Pizza with Peanut Sauce

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ThaiPizzaNG1

By Katie, Contributing Writer

A heathy pizza crust is topped with a rich peanut sauce, tender chicken, and then drizzled with a homemade red pepper sauce and sprinkled with lots of cilantro. It’s pizza with plenty of pizzaz!

Pizza is a favorite food at my house. Growing up in was a Sunday night tradition. We were the weird family that order the pizza with 1/4 no cheese. Why you might ask? I didn’t like it. Now I’ve come to think that my aversion to cheese  – and pretty much all dairy – stemmed from being slightly lactose intolerance. Since trying raw and fermented dairy I’ve discovered that it doesn’t bother me…but want to know a secret? I still prefer my pizza with out cheese.

Pizza is great, but another favorite of mine is Thai food, curries, fresh rolls, noodles (have any good recipes to share with me?) and peanut sauce. I LOVE peanut sauce. There is something about it that makes the Thai dinning experience so much better. I have been known to clean out the peanut sauce bowl with a spoon.

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Cold Thai Noodle and Vegetable Salad (gluten, grain, and dairy free)

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Crispy vegetables and thin, crunchy kelp noodles, topped with a nutty lime dressing with an Asian flair. This salad works perfectly as a side dish for any meal, no matter the season. Make it a complete meal and serve it with chopped chicken or fish. This twist on a classic Thai noodle salad with peanut dressing gives you a real food, allergen-free dish that is sure to please.

One of my favorite dishes when dining out at Thai restaurants were their noodle salads with the creamy peanut dressing. Since going gluten, grain, and legume free, I have have longed for something to soothe that craving. This salad hits the spot, and dare I say, it’s much tastier than any takeout dish. As with all salads, you can customize the vegetables to fit whatever you have on hand, or what is in season. I make this salad year round and pair it with chicken, fish, and even beef. The kelp noodles are a wonderful pasta substitute for those avoiding grains and their neutral taste allows them to soak up whatever flavoring they are surrounded by. Kimi recently did a review of grain-free noodles and I was excited to see kelp noodles included in her post! I love them!

My original recipe for this salad called for thin strips of red bell pepper for the salad, and a dash of cayenne pepper in the dressing. Since going nightshade free, I have had to leave those two ingredients out, but if you can tolerate nightshades, feel free to add them back in. I’ll list them in the ingredient list as optional items. Lemon juice will work in a pinch, but there is something about the fresh lime juice that really makes this salad pop. If you love cilantro as much as I do, you may find that doubling or tripling the cilantro makes the salad even better. But, I’ll leave that up to you, since not everyone is the cilantro fanatic that I am!

Cold Thai Noodle and Vegetable Salad (gluten, grain, and dairy free)
 
Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: Thai
Serves: 4
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This crispy, crunchy Thai noodle salad makes the perfect side dish to any meal, no matter the season. Mix it up a bit and use whatever vegetables you have in season!
Ingredients
  • Salad
  • 1 package of kelp noodles (12 ounces)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced cucumbers
  • 1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
  • 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (optional)
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced red onions
  • ¼ cup chopped scallions
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • Dressing
  • ¼ cup sunbutter
  • ⅛ cup coconut aminos
  • ⅛ cup lime juice
  • ¼ tsp. ground ginger (dried)
  • 2-3 tbsp. coconut milk
  • ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, mix together all of the dressing ingredients until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
  2. Rinse your kelp noodles and let them drain in a colander to get rid of excess water.
  3. Prepare all of your veggies and place in a large bowl.
  4. Once the noodles have finished draining, place them in the bowl with the sliced veggies.
  5. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is coated with the dressing.
  6. Let the salad chill in the fridge for an hour or two before serving to give the flavors time to develop. This salad also holds up well, so you could make it in advance if needed.
  7. Serve as a side, or make it a complete meal and serve with a protein of your choice. Garnish with extra chopped cilantro and a fresh squeeze of lime juice if desired.

Hi! My name is Jessica and I am a real food nut, avid reader and researcher, blossoming yogi, and animal lover. I have had a life-long passion for food and being in the kitchen is where I am the happiest and most comfortable. I began helping my mother cook and bake around the age of three and I’ve been in the kitchen ever since. I ended up working in a restaurant in my hometown for almost a decade, working in every position there and finally becoming the lead chef. My main mission in life is to provide real food recipes that are simple, yet delicious, as well as show how eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. I love to show people how making even small changes in their diet and food selections can make a huge difference in their lives. Along the way, I’ll share stories of my own real food and health journeys, as well as ideas for how to live a healthier, more natural life. I’d love it if you’d stop by and visit me at my blog, Delicious Obsessions.