Four years ago I was invited by the guys at Saba to visit Saba To Go for a personal cookery lesson with Saba Executive Chef, Tweesak Trakoolwattana (known as Tao). Needless to say I jumped at the chance to learn about my favourite food from a native and professional (Tao was born and trained in Bangkok).
Since his arrival we've also discovered that we have a third fan of Thai cuisine in the house. Beckett especially loves Thai Green Curry. So how could I not share with you Saba's own Thai Green Curry recipe.
What particularly makes Thai cuisine suitable for a baby is the different ingredients that are key to good Thai food. Perhaps unsurprisingly at the core of this is fresh vegetables and the best cuts of meat. When it comes to Thai food you only use the freshest vegetables and ingredients. This was something that Tao stressed was beyond important - use nothing but freshly prepared ingredients at all times.
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The three dishes I was taught to cook were Chicken Thai Green Curry, Beef Phad Nam Prik Pao and Prawn Phad Prik Sod. Each of these dishes is fine for a baby but I would be aware of the salt content of your Dark Soy Sauce. You may want to cut this out or at least substitute it for a low salt Soy Sauce. The only other thing I would have is that you may like to try Brown Rice instead of the suggested Jasmine Rice.
Chicken Thai Green Curry
1. Add oil to the wok and turn up the heat (it needs to be hot!).
2. Put a large tablespoon of Green Curry Paste in the oil and sauté until fragrant, then reduce the heat and gradually add 1 cup of thick Coconut Milk and a 1/4 cup of water.
3. Add the chicken and Kaffir Lime Leaves, continue cooking for 3 minutes until the chicken is almost cooked through. Season with 1/2 tablespoon Palm Sugar and 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce.
4. Add the vegetables (Aubergine, Chillies, Peppers, Bamboo Shoots, Green Beans and Onions) and cook for a further 2-3 minutes (you want the vegetables to still have a crunch).
5. Finally add Sweet Basil Leaves and turn off the heat.
6. Serve with Jasmine Rice.
Beef Phad Nam Prik Pao
1. Add oil, a large tablespoon of Chopped Garlic and a large tablespoon of Chopped Chillies to the wok and turn up the heat to high.
2. Put a large tablespoon of Red Chilli Paste in the oil and sauté until fragrant, then reduce the heat slightly.
3. Add the beef and continue cooking for 3 minutes (the beef can be cooked to your liking - rare to well).
4. Season with 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce, 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce and 1/2 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce.
5. Add the vegetables (Chillies, Mushrooms, Peppers, Baby Sweetcorn and Spring Onions) and cook for a further 2 minutes (again, you want the vegetables to still have a crunch).
6. Serve with Jasmine rice.
Prawn Phad Prik Sod
1. Add oil and a large tablespoon of Chopped Garlic to the wok and turn up the heat to high.
2. Add the prawns and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
3. Season with 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce, 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce and 1/2 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce.
4. Add the vegetables (Chillies, Woodear Mushrooms, Peppers and Onions) and cook for a further 2 minutes.
5. Finally add Sweet Basil Leaves and turn off the heat.
6. Serve with Jasmine rice.
Each of these dishes is super easy to make and yet unbelievably tasty. They're also really quick to put together so even if you're running the gauntlet of a napping baby, you should easily get it made.
For more information on the cookery lessons that Tao does you can contact Fabulous Food Trails whom run the courses on Saba's behalf. Either call them on 01-4971245 or email info@fabfoodtrails.com. The lessons are run both for individuals and groups, and can be done onsite or in your own home.
Despite it being four years ago, I would still like to give my biggest thanks go out to Alan Cadden, Saba To Go's Owner, and Tao for the opportunity they gave me. I never stopped using these delicious recipes and I added a few more to my repertoire straight out of the Saba Cookbook!
Alan Cadden and Tweesak Trakoolwattana (Tao)
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