Thai food for Valentines

On Valentines day Stan went and played in his first PGA ProAm.  He brought me home some roses, candy, ice cream and cookies.

I unfortunately had a head cold, but wanted to do something to show Stan I loved him - cook Thai food. Cole and I had to go to Ranch Market for Asian food supplies.  It was kind of funny - the store chain is the same one I shopped at in Jakarta for American food. Their motto should be "we have food from whatever country you're not currently in!"

I haven't cooked Thai in a long time so it was a day long labor of love.  As requested here are some of the recipes:

Crab Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2/3 cup uncooked long grain white rice 1 1/3 cups water 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 medium onions, cut into wedges 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 tablespoon white sugar 2 teaspoons salt

1 egg, beaten 1/4 pound cooked crabmeat 3 green onions, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 1/2 cucumber, sliced 1 lime, sliced

Directions:

1.	Place the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
2.	Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Cook and stir the onions and garlic in the hot oil until tender. Mix in the rice, sugar, and salt, and cook 5 minutes, until well blended. Stir in the egg until the rice is coated. Increase heat to high, and mix in the crabmeat, green onions, and cilantro. Continue cooking 2 to 5 minutes, until the crab is heated through. Garnish with the cucumber and lime slices to serve.

Kai Pad King (Ginger Chicken)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice 3 1/2 cups water   2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 tablespoon white sugar

1/2 cup fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks 1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips 3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 4 green onions cut into 2-inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon Thai red chile paste, or to taste 2 tablespoons chicken broth salt and ground black pepper to taste 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1.

Bring the rice and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.

2.

Meanwhile, heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and chicken; cook for 2 minutes. Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, ginger, red pepper, mushrooms, and onions. Cook and stir until the chicken is no longer pink and the vegetables are nearly tender, about 3 minutes. Dissolve the chile paste in the chicken broth, then add to the chicken mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper; sprinkle with cilantro leaves to garnish. Serve with the hot rice.