I always do this…
I find something I like, and I get hooked. When it comes to finding a food I love – i’ll eat it nonstop until I find the next food victim I fall for… or until the delivery guy tells me I order too much – true story (sushi delivery dude –Â such a jerk!)
The latest obsession has been thai food. A few weeks ago I was in a pinch for time, racking my brain – and maybe slightly freaking out – on what the heck to make C and I for dinner. I don’t cook well under pressure. Instead of dishes and potential kitchen meltdowns, I made an executive decision to just grab take out.
Now – this can be more work than it seems. I am so indecisive when it comes to meals; ordering dinner for two people can be tricky, and I’m always eager to please.
I did some extensive yelp! searches and found a decent thai restaurant offering take out – and reasonable prices – just a few blocks from my apartment. C and I both like thai; ding ding ding – we have a winner! I called, ordered a few dishes, picked them up at the promised time, and set on home. I was not exactly expecting to love my dinner; it’s a rarity that take out has the “wow” factor.
Oh – dear sweet friends – how wrong I was. How did I forget about thai food?!
I love thai food! Love = thai food. Thai food = love.
It’s bright! It’s spicy! It’s – dare I say it – exciting! I’m excited by food… hmmm – this is not shocking I suppose.
I ordered thai the next night too. C gave me a strange look, but enjoyed his noodles and didn’t seem to mind. The past few weeks I’ve sneakily picked up the little habit of swiping an order of pan fried noodles or curry on my walk home; I got even lazier last week and began getting it delivered. Taking out my recycling and seeing the mountain of take out containers shocked me back to life – back to cooking. That, and my increasingly tighter jeans.
I googled recipes for hours. I consistently came up with recipes I knew I would never succeed in doing – recipes for disaster. My kitchen is small. I fear flying grease. I drink wine while I cook and get frustrated easily.
I finally found this “slimmed” recipe, and felt like I would get a decent meal from this without any fires, tears, or caving into just getting the damn food delivered.
The ingredient list is a bit extensive. Most of it is produce, and worth all the chopping. Now, whatever you do – do not skip the fresh basil and mint. The basil and mint make this dish worth making. I promise. I loved the spicy kick from the jalapeno and chili flakes, but the fresh lime juice does mellow out the heat – don’t get scared off!
While this dish didn’t speak fluent thai to me – it did the trick. In fact, I’ve made this twice now. It has great flavor for a stir fry. I’ve been loving it over a bed of jasmine rice. And it’s a nice change from the normal pasta dinners I usually go to by habit on the weekdays. Fresh ingredients, full of flavor, and easy on the waistline makes it easy to love.
Do you ever get stuck in a delivery/ take out rut?
Thai Shrimp Stir – fry with Tomatoes and Basil – The Food Network Kitchens
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons Southeast Asian fish sauce
- 4 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 3Â cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated, peeled, fresh ginger
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red chile flakes
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 medium red onion, cut in 1-inch dice
- 1 medium yellow pepper, seeded, cut in 1-inch dice
- 1Â jalapeno chile, thinly sliced into rounds
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- Serving suggestion:Â Jasmine rice
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, fish sauce, and sugar; set aside. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until pink but still translucent in the middle, about 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the onion, pepper, and chile to the skillet, and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan along with the soy sauce mixture. Bring to a boil, and stir-fry until the sauce glazes the shrimp, about 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes and stir until coated with sauce, about 15 seconds. Remove pan from the heat, stir in the basil, mint, and lime juice. Transfer to a serving dish, serve immediately.
Erika @ The Teenage Taste says
This looks so good! I love stir-fries and I love that you used a bunch of fresh veggies in this!
bakerbynature says
I am all about fresh veggies right now – way too much sugar last week!
Alli says
I am so beyond obsessed with food. It is just so so good. This meals looks so tasty and gorgeous.
bakerbynature says
Thanks Alli! I loved every bite of this, and may have been a little selfish when it came to who got the last helping…
Patty says
Thai food is a wonderful obsession! I love cooking with fresh ingredients and enjoying your photos;-)
bakerbynature says
Thanks Patty! I’m trying to grab up as many fresh veggies as I can while they’re still in season.
Linda says
I don’t do take out, BUT I do get caught up repeating dishes that I just get stuck on!! Especially breakfast, I’ll ride one kick for weeks on end! This dish just might do it to me too! I love all the colors and chopping away is therapeutic for me, so it’s a winner all around!
bakerbynature says
I love the chopping too – zone out time.
Charles says
Totally agree – Love = Thai Food! It’s so good… there’s a Thai place near me which is so good – they make some good stuff, although they’re missing quite a few really famous Thai dishes. Always loved the use of basil in the cooking! Beautiful looking stir-fry – the juicy shrimps and basil are the icing on the cake!
bakerbynature says
Hi Charles! Basil is like the savory version of chocolate to me – it makes everything a little better.
yummychunklet says
Simply love fresh cooking like this. Looks delicious!
bakerbynature says
Sometimes a fresh meal full of veggies is just needed. And sometimes large amounts of fried dough dusted in powdered sugar is needed – so eating that right now…
Grace @ Balancing Me says
Ooh. I feel like Thai is incredibly difficult to cook. Did you enjoy the way it came out?
Also, I feel like I have to say — I LOVE that you’re using a cast-iron pan! It’s my new obsession 🙂
bakerbynature says
Hi Grace! It was actually a piece of cake to prepare; chopping and stirring are the main steps. I really dug the ending result: spicy, fresh, and relatively healthy!
Ps – loooooovvvvveeeee my cast iron skillet!
Ruth says
I don’t have any experience with Thai food, but this recipe sounds great to begin!
bakerbynature says
Ruth – it would be a great first attempt at thai if you were interested in trying to cook it. Very easy steps, very tasty results.
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says
What a great meal. It’s so colorful and pretty! I use to hate having the same thing twice in a row, but not if there’s great leftovers in the fridge I’m a happy woman.
bakerbynature says
Leftovers can be a lifesaver some nights – I’m eating last nights pasta as I type this, and it’s wonderful. Plus I love not having another sink full of dishes.
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
As far as Thai recipes go, this one is actually not too bad with the ingredient list. Perhaps doable actually! I took an Essentials of Thai Cooking class in NYC in March to try and overcome my fear of cooking it. It wasn’t necessarily hard, it’s just stuff I don’t have in my pantry which makes it annoying! I’ll definitely be trying this one out, just need to man up and buy the damn fish sauce next time. It’s in every Asian dish!
bakerbynature says
It really is in a lot of recipes; grab a bottle and it will last you for like a year – totally worth it!
Sarah @ The Cyclist's Wife says
Ah! I’m so glad I’m not the only one with a fear of fish sauce. Gina – if you’re going to man-up, I will too.
Ashley, thanks for finding a Thai recipe that (I think) I can cook! Love to eat Thai, but never cook it.
bakerbynature says
Sarah, you could totally do this!! The chopping is the biggest part, and that’s more time consuming than anything else.