Thursday, August 28, 2008

My Thai Dip To Accompany My Shrimp/Coconut Milk/Red Curry Paste Extravaganza. Part Deux.

Like I told you in the last post, I'm winging this.
 We do have one Thai restaurant here on the Outer Banks.
 Youngest Hawthorne loves it.
The menu never changes though,
 like so many restaurants down here.
 I like to see restaurants change their menus at least seasonally.
 Unfortunately, I don't see that here.
We go to restaurants for lunch, never for dinner.
 And frankly, we get tired of most places
 because they just don't change their menus.
 Enough is enough.
 Variety is the spice of life,
 but you wouldn't know it down here.
 Anyways, there's one thing
 at the Thai restaurant that I love.
It's the dip they serve with their fried sweet potatoes.

And I've pretty much duplicated it.
 Only better.
 My ingredients:
 Cucumber
 Red Onion
 Green Onion
Peanuts
Honey
Rice Vinegar
 Red Pepper Flakes
Finely chop the green and red onions.
Mix the peanuts, chopped cuke, and red and green onions.
 Pour some honey over top.
 I use sour wood honey, which is the real deal.
 You won't be able to find this in stores.
 It comes from the Blue Ridge Mountains
 from where Mr. Hawthorne comes from,
and Mr. Hawthorne has his own personal purveyor of sour wood honey.
And, it is da bomb.
Next some vinegar.
Add some red pepper flakes.
It needed a bit more vinegar.

This is a delicious dipping sauce.
 I made it to accompany the shrimp
 with coconut milk and red curry paste
. But, guess what.
I FORGOT to put it on the table.
 I'll just have to remember to use it
when I have the leftovers tomorrow.
 Maybe, I'll fry some bananas tomorrow
and use this as the dip.
 That works.
 Please try this easy, simple dipping sauce.
It's so good.
 You have the cool working with the heat going on.
 Heat of the pepper flakes and bite of the onions
 tamed by the cool of the cucumber
, not to forget the crunch of the peanuts.
 Excellent flavors, contrasts, and textures.

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