Thai Style Salmon Cakes

This super healthy recipe for fish cakes is from Chiva-Som, which is a wellness spa in Thailand and has some of the best food I have ever eaten. I love these fish cakes – you can use any fish you like and feel free to add spice to the recipe.
 
 
 

Steamed Basa with Lemongrass and Sesame oil

This might be my new favorite quick and healthy fish recipe. Use a nice firm white fish when you cook this. In India, Basa fish works really well with this. Here in the U.S.  anything from sole, flounder to butterfish would be great. I love the delicate flavors the lemongrass and galangal impart onto the fish. This is a HUGE favorite with my kids too.
 
 

 
 

Vegetable Summer Rolls

Here is a really healthy, easy veggie appetizer, which looks seriously impressive on a table.

You can use any crunchy vegetables that you have. Things like cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots and so on work really well in this mix. You can also mix it up by using raw vegetables such as cucumbers, turnips and so on.

Crispy Vegetables with Sweet and Sour Sauce

One of our favorite Thai spots to eat in Delhi is called Ego Thai. One of the dishes they serve there is a tangy, crispy vegetable dish which is really excellent.
Of course my mother has recreated the recipe in her kitchen  and I’m amazed at just how easy it is. This dish is best when eaten hot. The sauce really adds a nice tangy flavor to the vegetables.

 

 

Easy Pomelo Salad

 



 
Pomelo is one of our family’s favorite fruits.

It is a fabulous version of a large grapefruit that is very common in Thailand. It can be eaten in many ways but the most common ways are to eat it just as a fruit or make a salad with it.

I find that Pomelo is quite abundantly available in the fall season here in New York. I see it everywhere from the local Asian supermarkets to Costco.

This is a really simple salad I make with Pomelo.
 

OMLETTE ROLLS (KHAI YAD SAI) FROM CHIVA-SOM

Chiva-Som, which is a wellness spa in Thailand, has some of the best food I have ever eaten. I am probably the only person who visited there and came back obsessed with the food versus the wellness activities.

I use the Chivasom cookbook frequently to recreate some of the magic of their cuisine.

Here is a recent recipe I tried which was really good.
 
 

 

STIR FRIED RICE NOODLES WITH VEGETABLES

Who doesn’t love rice noodles?

Here is a really quick and healthy recipe, which is chockfull of vegetables. I usually use whatever veggies I have lying around in the fridge – you can always improvise with this recipe.

The main flavoring for these noodles comes from hon-tsuyu and sesame oil. If you don’t have hon-tsuyu, you can just use soy sauce and a little sugar.

 

Chiva-Som’s Chili Jam and Roasted Shallots

Here are two fat-free recipes for chili jam and roasted shallots used at Chivasom which works great as a garnish with many Thai dishes.

CHILI JAM

6-7 dry red long chilies

1 whole garlic

1 shallot

1 teaspoon tamarind juice

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon palm sugar

METHOD:

• Heat the oven to 250° C or 130°F.
• Roast the chilies for 2-3 minutes and remove from oven.
• Bake garlic and shallots till soft.
• Pound the chilies, garlic and shallots together.
• Add the tamarind juice, soy sauce and palm sugar.

ROASTED SHALLOTS

• Heat the oven to 250° C or 130°F.
• Spread out thinly sliced shallots onto a non stick cookie sheet.
• Roast till brown and crisp ( about 15 – 20 minutes).

Chiva-Som’s Stir Fried Tofu/Chicken with Ginger and Mushroom

This is a wonderful, easy and light stir fry dish that has a lot of flavor. It’s another recipe from the fabulous Spa Cuisine at Chiva-Som in Thailand. They do not use any oil in their cooking but you  may choose to

STIR FRIED TOFU/ CHICKEN WITH GINGER AND MUSHROOM

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

1 small onion, sliced

1/4 cup vegetable stock

2 oz skinless chicken breast ( or firm tofu) , sliced

2 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and julienne sliced

1/8 cup straw mushrooms, cut into halves

1/8 cup wood ear mushroom, presoaked and sliced

1/8 cup oyster mushroom, sliced

1/8 cup carrots, sliced

1/4 cup red and green bell peppers, sliced

2 spring onions, into 2″ pieces

2 tsp. miso paste

2 tsp. cilantro, chopped

METHOD:

• Heat a wok until hot.
• Add 1 tsp of oil or 3 tbs. of vegetable broth.
• Add the garlic and onion and stir fry for a minute.
• Add sliced tofu/ chicken and ginger.
• Then add mushroom, carrot, bell pepper and spring onion.

• Stir for another minute.
• Add 2 more tablespoons of stock, soy sauce and oyster sauce.
• Remove from heat and garnish with cilantro.
• Serve hot with brown rice.

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories:           191 kcal

Protien:            17.4 g

Carbs:              18.4 g

Fat:                  5.7 g

Chiva-Som’s Yam Yai – Traditional Thai Salad

At Chiva-Som, which is a fabulous health and wellness spa in Thailand, they have perfected the art of Spa cuisine. Everyday at the lunch buffet, some version of Yam Yai which is a traditional Thai salad, was available.

There are many ways of changing up this salad by using different vegetables in it or different dressings. I have given the recipe for an alternative  dressing below though the fat-free fresh house dressing  they make at Chiva-Som is really outstanding.

I’ve also given a recipe for a papaya salad, if you choose to add fresh green grated papaya to the vegetables in this salad.

CHIVA-SOM’S YAM-YAI

Serves 2

Ingredients:

½ cup carrots shredded

½ cup turnip or daikon shredded

½ cucumber shredded

5 tablespoons of Chinese celery (finely chopped – optional)

1 spring onion

½ onion finely sliced

½ tomato de-seeded and sliced

2 tablespoons of chopped roasted almonds

Fat-free House Dressing:

4 garlic cloves

¾ of a red bell pepper

2 coriander roots

1 cup rice vinegar

½ cup honey

7-8 cloves of pickled garlic ( you can buy this at an Asian grocery or make it yourself)

METHOD:

• To make the dressing, place all the ingredients for the dressing in a blender and blend until it is pureed.

• Set this dressing aside –leftovers can be stored in the fridge for later use too.
• In a salad bowl, combine all the chopped vegetables
• Add 2-3 tablespoons of dressing and gently toss to mix
• Garnish with ground roasted almonds and serve.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Calories:                       91.8 kcal

Protein:                        2.8 g

Carbohydrate:            13.9g

Fat:                               3.1 g

Soya- Lime Dressing for the Yam Yai

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon Thai dressing

• Mix above ingredients well and use as dressing on Yam Yai

Dressing for Papaya Salad

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

Chopped chilies

• Mix above ingredients well and use as dressing on Yam Yai with grated green papaya.