This article was cross-posted by my husband two weeks ago at the Next Agenda.
It was posted immediately after the Coup in Thailand, and the situation has changed rapidly there. Please forgive him if any of the information here is now out of date!
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Welcome to Multicultural Kitchen!
This here is the first of a sporadic, occasional series encouraging you to celebrate the multicultural aspect of Canada by learning a bit about the many cultures within Canada, while making something special for someone special. Even if that someone special is yourself. Because there is no single better way to celebrate and learn about the many cultures that make up Canada, than by sharing food! I hope you find it entertaining, informative and tasty!
So, I'll explore a particular cultural group in Canada, their history, and their cuisine. Then I'll give you a couple relevant recipes, with pictures! ooh! I have more or less immediate plans to cover immigrants and food from India, various regions of the Arabian peninsula, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Japan. I'll also get to First Nations, as well as regional pieces that focus more on a specific part of Canada than on a specific immigrant group. That's the rough plan. I'll expand that.
Hopefully we'll get some recipes (and recommendations for restaurants across the country) back in the comments. And corrections. I'm not an expert on all the cultural groups in Canada.
I was initially going to start with something in honour of Ramadan. But I have a month to deal with that, and other events in the news this week have shifted my focus:
Coup des Thai
Yowza! Thailand has had 18 coups since Anna Leonowens imprisoned King Mongkut's heart in Anna and the King. (Who'd have thought that young Louis would grow up to be Draco Malfoy? )
Thailand
Muang Thai (Free Country), formerly Siam, is one of the largest countries in southeast Asia, with a population of 57.2 million. Unlike most other southeast Asian countries, Siam/Thailand was never controlled or colonised by European powers (other than Mrs. Leonowens). It was the aforementioned King Mongkut (RamaIV) and his son King Chulalongkorn (RamaV) that transformed the country into a modern nation state in the last half of the 19th century, largely to maintain its independence in the face of European expansion. Through shrewd leadership, minor territorial concessions, and just plain stubbornness, they weathered the Age of Empires by playing the French and English off of each other and enjoying their lucrative position as a buffer state between the colonies of the two powers. Although it was never colonised, Siam has absorbed international influences throughout it's history due to trade and open borders.
Siam became a constitutional monarchy in 1932 following a "mostly bloodless" ;revolution. The country changed its name to Thailand (free country) in 1939, and, just to show they meant it, changed it to Thailand again in 1949.
Since WWII, Thailand has maintained pro-western policies, has allied itself with the US against communist activities in Asia, and maintained (more or less) their constitutional monarchy in spite of repeated coups.
Coup d'etats
On Tuesday, September 19, 2006, While Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was at the UN headquarters in New York, the Thai Army blockaded and entered Government House in Bangkok, dissolved parliament, revoked the constitution, cancelled the upcoming October elections, and declared Martial Law. No casualties have been reported. The King is reported to approve the junta, although, with the news agencies censored, nobody can really know if he actually does. Army Commander General Sonthi Boonyaratglin says that, having overthrown the constitutional monarchy, he is going to set up... a constitutional monarchy.
Whether you are for or against the coup, this is the reasoning:
; ; We agreed that the caretaker prime minister has caused an unprecedented rift in society, widespread corruption, nepotism, and interfered in independent agencies, crippling them so they cannot function. If the caretaker government is allowed to govern it will hurt the country. They have also repeatedly insulted the king. Thus the council needed to seize power to control the situation, to restore normalcy and to create unity as soon as possible."
This, of course, is only one side of the story. I can't find the other side, so I am reserving judgement.
The Thai in Canada
Sources: Multicultural Canada
The Royal Thai Consulate General (Vancouver)
The Thai community in Canada is relatively small; according to the 1991 census, there are 5,820 immigrants of Thai birth living in Canada. Of those, only 2,770 claim Thai ethnicity; the rest would be Chinese or Lao of Thai birth. The Thai (single and multiple responses combined) are concentrated primarily in four provinces: Ontario (970), British Columbia (870), Quebec (380), and Alberta (340).
Thai in Canada generally interact with the larger community as individuals rather than as a visible ethnic group, but they do have Thai associations to help them adjust and provide social outlets:
When Thai immigrants first arrive in Canada, they seek out other Thai to assist them in their adjustment. Many of the Thai associations in Canada have as one of their objectives to help other Thai settle comfortably in Canada. Over time, Thai immigrants gradually make Canadian friends through the workplace and neighbourhood. But the pleasure of being with other Thai does not diminish over time, and social gatherings continue to be important. (from Multicultural Canada)
Theravada Buddhism is the predominant religion of Thai people; it shapes their ;religious, ethnic, and cultural identity both in Canada and in Thailand. That's why they're so cool. Many Thai men become monks for at least a short period of their life, as this is both an honour and an avenue for social advancement. Many Thai men in Canada return temporarily to Thailand to serve in a Monastery.
One last thing: Thai Canadians tend to retain a strong allegiance to the Thai monarchy; it is illegal to insult the Thai monarchy in Thailand. Obviously, it's not illegal in Canada, but if you're with Thai people, it is very, very rude. Even in jest.
Coup de Taste!!
The Thai couple I know introduced me to Thai food before it was trendy. They'd brought a Thai dish to a potluck, and no one was touching it. I grabbed a pity serving, and fell in love with it. Within half an hour I had eaten two-thirds of it, before other people caught on. I don't remember exactly what the dish was, but it was one the greatest things i have ever eaten. It was some kind of gingery beef and a bit sweet with that coconut milk undertone.
This is why, trendy or not, in my eyes food is the greatest contribution Thai immigrants have made to the Canadian multicultural experience, and I revere them for their skill and subtlety in the kitchen.
So, as I pointed out, there are 970 Thai in Ontario. Now, since there are more than 970 Thai restaurants on Yonge street in Toronto alone, we have a bit of an authenticity problem, don't we?
I'm just kidding, my search on yellowpages.ca found about 230 Thai restaurants in Ontario. Even that's a pretty high ratio of restaurants to people. ;We're just going to have to live with the fact that many restaurateurs tacked "Thai" into their restaurant names and added a few Thai-ish menu items when Thai food was trendy in the 90s. Here's a hint: if you can't tell the difference between Thai and Chinese take-out, then what you've been eating is not Thai. ;By the way, chopsticks are NOT a Thai thing. They use forks, so can you.
Oddly, while ;Multicultural Canada is a great source for info about Thai people, politics and culture, the The Royal Thai Consulate General in ;Vancouver is a great source for info about Thai food.
Whether chilli-hot or comparatively bland, harmony is the guiding principle behind each dish. Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously combined into something uniquely Thai.The characteristics of Thai food depend on who cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what occasion, and where it is cooked to suit all palates.
Because of centuries of trade and open borders, Thai food has been absorbing influences from around the world long before thai restaurants started opening in Toronto. ;
Traditional Thai cooking methods were stewing and baking, or grilling. Chinese influences saw the introduction of frying, stir frying and deep-frying. Culinary influences from the 17th century onwards included Portuguese, Dutch, French and Japanese. Chillies were introduced to Thai cooking during the late 1600s by Portuguese missionaries who had acquired a taste for them while serving in South America.
But even with the foreign influences, distinctly Thai flavours and methods mark Thai cuisine. Coconut milk as a base or carrier instead of butter, ghee, or milk. Where other nations use strong spices, the Thai chef will cut back strong spices and use more fresh herbs, resulting in a subtle blend of flavours.
Traditional Thai food tends to avoid big chunks of meat, so when you see them, that is the result of later influence. A far more Thai approach is to shred the meat into thin strips.
I learned early that a Thai meal should be enjoyed by a group of people when possible; this maximises the variety of food on the table. The Thai Consulate concurs. Here's what they have to say on the matter:
Instead of serving dishes in courses, a Thai meal is served all at once, permitting diners to enjoy complementary combinations of different tastes. Ideally, eating Thai food is a communal affair involving two or more people, principally because the greater the number of diners the greater the number of dishes ordered. Generally speaking, two diners order three dishes in addition to their own individual plates of steamed rice, three diners four dishes, and so on. Diners choose whatever they require from shared dishes and generally add it to their own rice. Soups are enjoyed concurrently with rice. Soups are enjoyed concurrently with other dishes, not independently. Spicy dishes, not independently. Spicy dishes are "balanced" by bland dishes to avoid discomfort.
Alright, ready to start your ovens?
Tom Yum Kung (Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup)
-from the Thai consulate website.
This is here for variety; I haven't tried to make it it, since my kitchen is a no-shellfish zone. (I eat shellfish when I'm away from home; it's my guilty secret)
Bring the stock to a boil over medium heat. Add the garlic, lime leaves, galangal, fish sauce, lemon grass, and shallots, then the mushrooms ;and chilli peppers, if using. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and reheat to boiling. Cook until the shrimps are pink, opaque, and firm but no longer than 1 minute. When the shrimps are cooked, place the lime juice and chilli paste in a serving bowl. Pour the soup into the bowl, stir, and garnish with cilantro leaves.3 cups(24 fl oz/750ml) water or light chicken stock
8 oz(250 g) ; shrimps/prawns,shelled and divided
2 ; garlic cloves, minced
5 leaves kaffir lime leaves(bai-ma-krut)
3 slices fresh or dried galangal (Kha)
1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla)
2 stalks lemon grass / citronella (ta-krai), lower1/3 portion only, cut into 1-inch (2.3 cm) lengths
5 hot green Thai chilli peppers (phrik khi nu), optional
1/2 cup sliced straw mushrooms
1/4 cup(2 fl oz/60ml) lime juice
1 teaspoon ; roasted chilli paste (nam phrik pao)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro/coriander leaves(bai phak chi)
Pad Thai
In Thailand, Pad Thai is street food that you buy from vendors. Unlike the reddish, oily mess that sometimes passes for Pad Thai in North America, real Pad Thai should not be oily at all, and not as red as you normally find it. It should be dry and fresh tasting, and garnished with a generous helping of crisp, fresh, uncooked bean sprouts.
Some people think that Pad Thai is the extent of Thai cuisine; it's common, the name is easy to remember, and it's usually the only tolerable "Thai" item in those so-called "Viet-Thai" joints. While I strongly encourage you to try something else, I'm including the recipe here because I love it, and this is a particularly good recipe. it's also a low fat recipe; the one we use is from a particularly stained and tattered page in our copy of The Crazy Plates Cookbook By Janet and Greta Podleski There are lots of ingredients, but it's worth the effort! I also recommend any of the Podleski's cookbooks for high-quality low-fat recipes, and lots and lots of extraordinarily bad puns.
The photo is not the result of this recipe; it's been a couple months since we prepared it, and we weren't thinking to take pictures at the time!
8 oz rice noodles uncooked 1/4 cup ketchup 2 tbspn Reduced sodium soy sauce 2 tbspn lime juice 2 tbspn brown sugar 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon veggie oil 1/2 cup diced red onions Two cloves garlic minced 1 cup bean sprouts 1/2 cup grated carrots 1/2 cup Chopped green onions 1/2 cup Chopped fresh cilantro 1/4 cup chopped peanuts. 1/2 pound or so, one or a combination of cooked cubed chicken, tofu, or shrimpCook noodles, drain them, rinse with cold water, drain them again. Set aside
To make sauce combine the following
Ketchup
Soy sauce
Lime juice
Brown sugar
Vinegar
Oil
Crushed red pepper flakes
combine in small bowl and set asideHeat oil in wok
Add onions and garlic
Cook and stir until onions are tender
Add sauce, bring to boil
Add noodles, carrots, green onions and cilantro
Mix it all up
Cook until noodles are heated through
Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, bean sproutsAdd chicken, tofu or shrimp
Yummy!!
From here on in, just about everything should be served with Steamed Jasmine Rice!!!
Chicken Satays
Everyone loves chicken satays! When the Thai couple I know has a dinner party, the barbecue is always packed with chicken satays. This particular recipe comes from thai-info.net. I'm using this one because the marinade is really good, but I am swapping in my own peanut sauce recipe, because it's easier and really good. you'll never buy bottled peanut sauce again. And once you can make peanut sauce, there's a million things you can do with it. I bake chicken in it, brush it on burgers, and use it instead of tomato sauce on pizza. (I really dislike tomato!)
Thai Chicken Satay Marinade ;1 Tablespoon Light brown sugar ;1 Tablespoon Curry powder ;2 Tablespoons Crunchy peanut butter ;1/2 Cup Soy sauce ;1/2 Cup Freshly squeezed lime juice ;2 Garlic cloves -- minced ;Crushed dried chile peppersCombine in a shallow dish.
Peanut Sauce
This is my simple Peanut sauce recipe. Easy to make and very good. Most items you might have in your kitchen already. You'll never buy it in a bottle again! If you'd like a very good, very healthy Tahini (sesame) sauce, simply replace the peanut butter with tahini.
2 tbspn dark sesame oil
1/2 cup sesame paste (tahini) or natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice or wine vinegar
Tabasco sauce to taste
salt and fresh pepper to taste
broken/chopped peanuts to taste.Beat together tahini/peanut butter, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar. simmer slowly in a small pot (this is optional, you can prepare it cool). Slowly add hot sauce, salt and pepper; taste and adjust to your liking. If you used regular store bought peanut butter with salt, you might not want to add any salt at all.
Thin the sauce with hot water, until it is about the consistency of heavy cream
(This recipe is adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman, my indispensable reference for... well... everything.)
6 uncooked boneless chicken breast halves cut ;into 1/2" wide strips, threaded onto bamboo skewers "in a serpentine fashion" (soak the skewers for a few hours first in water before use!)
Place the skewers into the marinade and let marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours, although overnight is preferable.
Prepare the peanut sauce
Set barbecue to medium-hot or preheat a broiler.
Cook the skewered chicken, turning several times and basting with the marinade, until crispy on the outside but still moist on the inside, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle grilled chicken with lime zest and garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve with the peanut sauce for dipping.
Chicken skewers are simply the best appetizers around, even if the rest of your meal isn't "Thai." just make a big platter of them at your next party... oh, yeah, it's good.
Green Curry Chicken with Basil
This is the first Thai dish I learned to make, and the outcome of that first attempt resulted in a variation I call "Red Green Curry Chicken" for reasons revealed within the recipe. It's still a favourite! it's a glorious and subtle and complex dish that is worth knowing how to make.
Trust me, I cannot say this enough: do not increase the amount of green curry paste, and do not substitute green curry pace with red curry paste. This is from experience, believe me.
Gaeng Khiew Wan Gai (Red-Green Curry Chicken) Ingredients: For 2 servings 250g. (8 oz.) chicken breast, sliced 3 tbs. instant green curry paste* 1 cup coconut milk 1 Cup Veggies* 1/4 cup sweet basil leaves 4 red chillies, sliced 2 tbs. fish sauce* 1 tbs. sugar 1/2 cup water1. Fry that green curry paste up in the wok with 1/2 the coconut milk on low heat. Add chicken,
continue till cooked.the longer the curry is left on the heat, the drier it will be. Add water if you do this.
- Add the rest of the coconut milk, water and veggies. Bring to a boil.
- Season with the fish sauce, sugar, basil and red chillies. Quickly remove from heat.
*Use green curry paste and Asian style veggies for a more traditional Green Curry Chicken with Basil.
Use red curry paste and Canadian-style veggies to reproduce the conditions under which I first
attempted this with some success, resulting in my renaming the dish Red Green Curry Chicken, because of the mixed up colours of curry, to honour the distinctly Canadian mix of veggies, and also because in the spirit of Red Green, I refused to believe that 3 spoonfuls of curry paste was enough. Believe me, it's enough.As for Basil, you have no excuse for not having piles of this on hand. Shame on you. Fish sauce I've never had on hand. Therefore I've never used it in this recipe. Seems to work out okay without it. I shy away from fish sauce because it can have shellfish in it, and there's a shellfish allergy in my household.
Green curry chicken, properly prepared, is one of my favourite Thai dishes!
Pha'naang Nua
I can't remember where I got this recipe, so if you come across it elsewhere, let me know and I'll credit them. This is quite nice though, I'm giving you the beef version to counter all the chicken above! You can substitute chicken if you prefer.
I'm sorry, I can't find a photo!
Pha'naang Nua
2 lbs. ; beef or pork 2 lbs.
1 can (16 ozs.) coconut milk
1 can (of about 8 ozs.) ;Green curry paste
2 tablespoon fish sauce 2 tablespoon
2 tablespoon ;kafir lime leaves (finely cut)
1/2 cup ;basil leaves
;2 tablespoons ;sugar
Cut beef or pork in pieces about ;1/4"x3/4"x3" ;
Quickly stir it in a wok until just barely cooked, and set aside.
Put three tablespoons of coconut milk in the wok; let it boil
Stir in 2-3 tablespoons of curry paste (depending on how hot one
wants the food to be), and stir it well until it becomes fragrant.
Stir in the meat and coconut milk
add fish sauce, add some sugar, and taste it ;- it should be a combination
of hotness, saltiness, and sweetness),
add the rest of coconut milk, and simmer.
(if you subbed in Chicken, don't overcook it! For Beef or pork, a bit of simmering is okay, it makes it more tender.)
;When the curry become thickened, taste it one more time,
add fish sauce or sugar to taste. After the taste is right, add the finely shredded lime leaves, and basil leaves, stir it well, and remove from heat.
Serve with steamed white jasmine rice and fresh vegetables (e.g. cucumber, carrot, sting bean, chinese cabage, etc.)PS. Watch out for the saltiness of the curry paste that comes in can. You may want to taste the food mixture before adding the fish sauce. If you find it quite salty, you may skip the fish sauce or add as much as it needs. Basil is an option but the lime leaves are a must.
Garnish with long-cut pieces of red bell pepper.
So, if you like these dishes, let me know, and be sure to hug a Thai!
I'll check back for suggestions and restaurant recommendation
Until next time, choc-tee!
Hooray! I have the day off today! I had worked a lot of extra hours on to a server reboot and some other inane computer junk last weekend so my employer gave me the day off! This is even better when you consider that here in Canada, it is the Thanksgiving long weekend which means Monday is a holiday too!
My husband and I are going up to his family's cottage to see his side of the family this weekend. His grandmother has come up from Arizona to visit so we will be celebrating her 85th birthday. They didn't want to overshadow her birthday with the usual Thanksgiving feast so we won't be having a turkey dinner, unfortunately (boooo!). I'm a little depressed about that...*sigh* I love turkey dinners! Ha ha!
Actually it's more than that. There will be about 15 people up to the cottage since my husbands Uncle and his partner will be there as well as my sister-in-law, her 8 year old son, and her new boyfriend; my brother-in-law and his two little boys, my mother and father-in-law, two dogs...did I miss anyone? Eesh...I'm sure I did, but you get the picture. It's going to be crazy!! (and also a lot of fun).
No turkey dinner means we still have to have some sort of meal, so my husband and I volunteered to make dinner for everyone on Saturday night. We are starting with baked brie in phyllo pastry, then moving on to Peanut Soup and corn bread. After this (as if it wasn't enough..HAHA!) Stuffed pumpkin (filled with spices, veggies, ground turkey and turkey sausage) with leaf salad, carrots, beans and potatoes.
For dessert, home made Pecan Pie and Pumpkin cookies! How's THAT for a fall meal! I'm full just thinking about it. *grin*
At any rate, since I have the day off I've been in the kitchen baking up a storm! I made the two pecan pies. They were SO easy to make!
You can see the pumpkin cookies that I've been working on in this pic too! I'll post up the recipes so you can try them out if you like. They are really good! I've already eaten two! Ha ha!
Here's the recipes for the pies and the cookies:
Pecan Pie Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together eggs, syrup, sugar, flour, and vanilla until well blended.
Stir in pecans.
Pour mixture into pastry shell.
Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven 50 to 55 minutes, until a knife inserted half-way between center and edge comes out clean.
Pumpkin Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine; softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
(if you like nuts, which I don't, in cookies you can also add 1 cup chopped walnuts)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto greased baking sheets.
Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
EAT THEM ALL UP!!
Have fun fellow Kitchen Witches!! More pre-Samhain fun to come!
All good things and blessed be,
Morrighana
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