Honeydew Melon, Lemon Basil and Lime Sorbet

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Photo Credit: Pamela Ellgen, 2013

Adapted from
Pamela Ellgen
Ediblephoenix.ediblecommunities.com
May 15, 2013

Ingredients:
1 whole Honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 cup lemon basil leaves
1/4 cup simple syrup
Juice of 1 lime
Very small pinch salt

Directions:
Pulse all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. Chill in refrigerator, then place into an ice-cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Store covered in the freezer until 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve, then set on the counter to allow the sorbet to soften slightly.

Cook’s Notes:
If you do not have an ice cream maker, no problem! Simply pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet and freeze until set.  Remove the frozen mixture from the freezer and break it up using a wooden spoon. Place the frozen pieces in a food processor and blend until until smooth.  Repeat the process of freezing and blending  again for an ultra smooth consistency.

Shrimp In Thai Coconut Sauce

 

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Coconut milk flavored with peanut butter makes a classic Thai inspired, creamy sauce with bell peppers and sautéed shrimp for an easy dinner.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound jumbo shrimp
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 gloves garlic, minced or pressed
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ onion, peeled and sliced
½ red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
½ orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced
½ yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 ½cups coconut milk
4 to 6 Tablespoons  fish sauce, or to taste
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 Tablespoons purple Thai basil leaves, torn
2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 scallion, sliced,  for granish
1 red hot Thai chile pepper, thinly sliced , for granish

Directions:

Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails on. Place the shrimp in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the oil, garlic, kosher salt and  crushed red pepper flakes. Toss to coat and let marinade for 10 minutes.

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and peppers and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer the peppers and onion to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and cook half of the shrimp for 2 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes or until opaque. Transfer the shrimp to a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and cook the remaining shrimp then add to the other shrimp.

In another bowl  mix the coconut milk, fish sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, brown sugar, ginger and turmeric and stir well. Transfer the cooked onion and peppers to the skillet and pour the coconut milk mixture of the peppers. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp to the skillet with the basil and cilantro and toss to coat. Serve over rice or noodles. Garnish with more cilantro and basil,  scallion and Thai chile peppers.

TODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor

Tom Kha Gai ( Thai Chicken Coconut Soup) ต้มข่าไก่

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“A soothing that calms the soul”, is how my friend described what Tom Kha Gai is like, as he reminisced about his childhood memories and so graciously shared his mother’s recipe with me.

Tom Kha Gai is a soup made of chicken (Gai) cooked (Tom) in coconut milk which has been infused with galangal (Kha), lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves.This dish is simple and easy to prepare and most of the  ingredients can be easily found at your local Asian specialty market. They usually sell them in quantities greater than what you will need, but know that these ingredients  freeze really well and can be readily available for the next time you want to  make soup or a curry. If you cannot find galangal at a store near you, you can use ginger as a substitute.  Unfortunately, there is no substitute for the kaffir lime leaves.

tom kha gai recipe

 

Galangal (kha ข่า) is one of the most important ingredients in any tom kha gai recipe (ต้มข่าไก่).

 

It has an earthy spice flavor, and many people compare the taste to ginger. Galangal is included in many Thai curries and soups, and when used in small quantities, it provides a subtle kick of flavor. You don’t normally eat the actual pieces of galangal, but instead it’s boiled in the soup and releases its wonderful essence.

 

Serves 6

Ingredients:
One 1-inch piece of galangal, peeled and cut into paper thin, coin sized pieces
10 kaffir lime leaves or 1 Tablespoon lime zest and ¼ cup lime juice
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces oyster mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into bite-size pieces
5-6 Thai red chilies (more or less, depending on your heat preference)
One 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
1 Tablespoon lime juice
2 Tablespoons fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
1 teaspoon palm sugar
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, tough outer layers removed
Cilantro leaves with tender stems, lime wedges, steamed jasmine rice, for serving
Chili oil, for serving (optional)

Directions:
Using the back of a knife, lightly smash lemongrass; cut lemongrass into 4” pieces. Bring lemongrass, galamgal, lime leaves, and  chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until flavors are melded, 8–10 minutes. Strain broth into clean saucepan; discard solids.

Add chicken to the strained broth and return to a boil. Reduce heat, add mushrooms, and simmer, skimming occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and mushrooms are soft, 20–25 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked through, throw in the smashed chilies and remove the pot from heat immediately. Mix  in the  coconut milk,  lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Stir in the cilantro leaves and taste. Add more lime juice and fish sauce, if necessary.

Divide soup among bowls. Serve with lime wedges and teamed jasmine rice as an entree.

 

 

Cook’s Notes:
One pound of deviened and shelled shrimp can be substituted for the the chicken.

You can also use white button, cremini, and oyster mushrooms. Any meaty, mild-flavored mushrooms will do. Portobello mushrooms are fine flavor- and texture-wise, but even with the gills carefully scraped off they still turn the broth into an unappetizing shade of gray. Do not use shiitake; the flavor is way too strong for this. Also, DO NOT use any kind of dried mushrooms because they will change the flavor profile of this dish quite drastically, and not in a good way.