Soup's On! My favorite Recipe of the week....

A photo of Thai Coconut Soup, from which I took my inspiration

Thai cuisine has certain distinct flavours and tastes, such as lemongrass and coconut.  I love Thai cuisine so much, but I recognize that I'm not the best Thai cook so instead of making  subpar authentic Thai dishes, I opt instead to incorporate random Thai flavours into easy dishes that I already know how to make.

Allow me to introduce my favorite Thai-inspired soup: a vegetable soup that is made creamy by the addition of coconut milk.  Who would've known it would taste so darn good?

1 small onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium yam, cubed
1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 14 oz. can of coconut milk
1 tbsp dried parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh)

In a medium soup pot, saute the onions in the oil until translucent.  Add the celery and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add the yams, cabbage, stock, lentils and pepper.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.  Turn off the heat and stir in the coconut oil.  At this point, you can leave the soup as is or blend with an immersion blender.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Have an exotically delicious day!

My Ridiculous Obsession with Pad Thai

If you are an avid reader of my blog, you will know that I often reminisce about my trip to Thailand.  If you have never been, I would strongly suggest a journey out there.  The people are friendly, the beaches are pristine and the food is outstanding.

Sadly, I have not been able to get back to Thailand so instead I look for little pieces of it that are right here in Toronto.  I am fortunate enough to live in an incredibly diverse city that offers hundreds of Thai restaurants.  This is both a bonus and a problem because, as with any restaurant, there are some good ones and there are some great ones.  The task is to differentiate them.

I often go to blogTO for all of my restaurant suggestions, but after a disastrous visit to Golden Thai on Church Street where the food was barely edible, I read their reviews with a grain of salt.  It was quite traumatic, actually.  I couldn't even look at Thai food for at least 2 weeks!

Proof that there is karma in this world, this past Tuesday night I was rewarded with a mind-blowing Thai dining experience.  Unable to ignore my Pad Thai craving any longer, I dragged the Little Prince (who also appreciates fine Thai food) out to a little place on Adelaide West called Khan San Road.  

Although there is a perpetual line up (yes, even on a Tuesday night!) the wait was enjoyable as the staff were friendly and the food was gorgeously presented so the Little Prince and I amused ourselves with watching each fantastic dish pass by, trying to guess what it was.  When we were shown to our table, our waiter was friendly and very helpful with the menu selections.  I ended up ordering the Pad Thai (Sam Roas) instead of the Street Style Pad Thai (yes, they have 2 on the menu) and the Little Prince ordered the Green Curry.

The Pad Thai

Green Curry

After I took my first bite, I was transformed back to warm nights in Pattaya.  The smell of coconut and the ocean wafted over me and when the waiter asked how it was, I almost leapt up to hug him.  I never use this term loosely, but I will say that the food at this place is beyond. Period.  The Little Prince insisted I have some Green Curry and it was a perfect balance of coconut milk and spice.  This ideal balance is rare in my experience with most Thai restaurants in North America, by the way.

Summary: You must go to Khan San Road. With the exception of people who have visited Thailand, you have not enjoyed real Thai food until you go here.

Khan San Road
326 Adelaide West
647-352-5773