Saturday, March 15, 2014

Pad Cashew Nut Stir Fry


Pad Cashew Nut is our go-to stir fry anytime we crave Thai. This version comes from an international food blog and it is delicious! We typically add prawns but you can keep it vegetarian, add tofu, chicken or whatever you crave. It's another very fast and easy stir fry that you can quickly throw together on a week night.

3 Tbsp cooking oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp Thai roasted chili paste (you can find this in Asian markets)
1 ½ Tbsp fish sauce
1 ½ Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
20 medium sized peeled prawns
3 small sized sweet peppers (red or yellow), cut in large dices
1 medium sized white onion, cut into medium slices
2 spring/green onions, cut into 1 inch long slices
1 cup roasted cashew nuts
2 cups jasmine rice
Dry cracked chili (for spicy food lovers)


Cook Jasmine rice first, so when the dish is ready, the rice is ready too.

Prepare the sauce in advance too. Mix the Thai roasted chili paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, white vinegar and sugar. 
Set a frying pan or wok on a stove on medium heat, and add cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add minced garlic, and stir the garlic until it is a golden brown color, about 1-2 minutes. Add the sauce mixture, stirring until ingredients are well combined and have a thick sauce texture.
Add prawns to the sauce, stir and cook them for about 4 minutes. Don't overcook the prawns!
Add the sweet peppers and white onions and mix well. Quickly cook the vegetables, so they are still crunchy.
Turn off the heat, and add spring/green onion and cashew nuts. Stir all the ingredients until they are well combined.
Serve with steamed jasmine rice. It's fantastic with Tom Kha Soup too!
For spicy food lovers, you can sprinkle dry chili on top of the dish and enjoy.

Tom Kha Soup (Thai Coconut Milk Soup)



Tom Kha soup is one of our favorites of all time. It takes me back to college where a warm soup was the perfect remedy to a rainy Oregon day. There are many variations, depending upon which Thai restaurant you visit. This recipe is adapted from a top rated version by Sunset magazine and serves 2-3. We often pair it with a Pad Cashew nut stir fry and a really good beer. It is so easy and quick to make, much faster than waiting for take out at the local Thai restaurant!


1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk
1 can (14 oz.) chicken or vegetable broth
6 quarter-size slices fresh ginger
1 stalk fresh lemongrass, cut in 1-2 inch pieces so you can easily 'fish' it out later
1 cup sliced yellow onion
1 cup sliced button or crimini mushrooms

1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam or nam pla)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Thai chili paste
1/4 cup fresh Thai basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh cilantro


You can add chicken or shrimp depending on your preference. 
  • 1 pound boned, skinned chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1-in. chunks
  • 16-20 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk, broth, ginger, and lemongrass and bring to boil over high heat. Add onion, mushrooms, tomatoes lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and chili paste. (Add chicken or shrimp here too). Reduce heat and simmer 5 to 10 minutes. If using chicken or shrimp, cook until firm and opaque.  

Discard lemongrass with a slotted spoon. Garnish servings with basil and cilantro.