When
you’re young, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” That is a quote
from my friend Jill, but it reminds me of my youth and, of course, food.
I grew up
in a very nice Philadelphia suburb and don’t ever remember having any ethnic
food at home or with my parents. (Note: Since Uncle Joe’s family was Italian,
that made Italian food non-ethnic to us.)
In the
school cafeteria, they served something called chicken chow mein, a gelatinous
slop that I referred to as “chicken Jell-O.” Did I mention it was
disgusting? I don’t believe anyone Chinese would serve something like this.
Oh, I know there is a real dish of this name, but I assure you that the
cafeteria ladies had never had it.
I
distinctly remember my first “real” Asian food in my senior year in high school when I tasted mandu (Korean dumplings) at the home of my friend Alice. I had never tasted anything like it, and was blown away. I insisted on getting the recipe so I could share it with my mother. Then, during the summer break after my freshman year of college, I went to Long Island, NY, to have fun with
friends and hit the beaches. Part of the fun included going to the theater to
see the original Star Wars movie. We went out for
“Szechuan” afterwards.
“What’s
Szechuan?” I asked. My friends spun on their heels and glared at me as if I had just dropped in
from Mars. I was, of course, blown away by the panoply of unfamiliar flavors. How was I to know this cuisine even existed?
It was
pretty much the same thing with Thai food just a few years later in Albany, NY,
where I was busily starting my career as an orchestral musician.
My friend
Rich invited me to dinner. We were going to cook together and make a
Thai dish he loved. I had no idea what that meant, but I was up for
the adventure.
Keep in
mind that, by this point, I had already made a Gateau Saint-Honoré, baked my own bread, could french* a rack of lamb, and was pretty good at Oysters Rockefeller. Let’s just
say, I knew my way around the kitchen, but not all the way around the globe!
(* Frenching a rack involves cleaning and trimming the bones between each rib.)
I had yet
to try Mexican, Ethiopian, Moroccan, Swedish, Syrian, Israeli, Brazilian or
Indian cuisine. And, as it turns out, many of my favorite meals come from
these countries.
So, back
to the Thai dish Rich planned to make. Was it really Thai? Thai-inspired? Not
Thai at all? I really don’t know. It did have a Thai curry paste and coconut
milk. Was this, in the end, simply a better tasting version of the cafeteria ladies’ chow
mein?
I guess what matters is how something tastes, and this dish tasted good. As an excuse to
use chile peppers Mark grew in the garden this summer, I made my curry paste from scratch, but you will do as well to buy prepared curry paste. Making this brought
back some nice memories of my early cooking and dining experiences.
I will
have to tag Rich on Facebook when I post this; I wonder if he will even
remember making this for me. His original version had chunks of pineapple in
it, which would still be good, but for this version I used some sliced red and
yellow bell peppers to add some texture, color, and keep it more on the savory
side.
Thai
Cauliflower in Red Curry
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Unknown
February 28, 2015 at 6:09 pmLooks wonderful. Could I substitute Mexican limes?
Cocoa & Lavender
February 28, 2015 at 8:09 pmSarah – yes, absolutely! You could even use lemon, if you wanted. It adds a nice bright note on this deeply-flavored dish.
Lizzy (Good Things)
February 28, 2015 at 8:09 pmYotam Ottolenghi reminds us that the cauliflower is a truly under rated vegetable. Love the sound of this David, and really enjoyed your introductory story xo
Cocoa & Lavender
March 1, 2015 at 2:50 pmCauliflower is one of our favorites – such an incredible vehicle for so many flavors. Glad you enjoyed this, Liz!
john | heneedsfood
February 28, 2015 at 10:26 pmYou know, I still see much of that gelatinous slop you experienced at the school cafeteria in many food halls here in Australia. Sadly, to many non-Chinese, it was our introduction to the cuisine when we were young.
I'm very grateful that my godmother took us out for lunch at a real Chinese restaurant, and trying a prawn toast or Peking duck for the first time blew my mind!
Did you use your chiltepins in this cauliflower curry?
Cocoa & Lavender
March 1, 2015 at 2:53 pmWow – lucky you were to have a godmother whose duties went above and beyond to including culinary education.
No, John – it would have take a billion chiltepins to make one bacth of curry paste! (You'll see!) I used Holland (Fresno) chiles to make the paste. We grew those, too.
Kathy
March 1, 2015 at 12:19 pmThis looks fabulous, David! I’m such a veggie fan…if I didn’t crave a burger every once in awhile, I colud be a vegetarian!
As always a great post!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 1, 2015 at 2:55 pmKathy, I agree! If forced, I could be a vegetarian, but I love way too much in the food world! I don't want to limit myself.
Cheri Savory Spoon
March 2, 2015 at 2:25 amHi David, just got back from Tucson a few hours ago from visiting my daughter, there are so many great places to eat. Love this post, had pad Thai in a place on Grant across from Bookmans.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 2, 2015 at 2:22 pmI pass that Thai place all the time, and hear it is really good. I have to get in there and try it! One of these days we need to meet when I am in Phoenix or you are here! Thanks for your note, Cheri!
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness
March 2, 2015 at 10:09 amDavid, I was introduced to Thai food by my very best friend who now lives in Berlin. She had lived in Thailand for fifteen years and she is one of the best and most talented homecooks I know – I was hooked and I still am but as I told her on the phone last week – I never try to re-create her dishes at home, I think I never get them "right" – great post and delicious sounding recipe – travelling throug the cuisines of different countries is the best.
Andrea
Cocoa & Lavender
March 2, 2015 at 2:23 pmAndrea – you are so right! I think I learn my love of other countries and their cultures after I have fallen for teir food. You shouldn't hae afraid to make these things at home – and I am sure your girls would love it!
dedy oktavianus
March 2, 2015 at 3:48 pmthe more you exposed and stunned with ethnic food, trust me..
you'll gonna be more and more curious about it
Dedy@Dentist Chef
Cocoa & Lavender
March 3, 2015 at 3:39 pmThat is so true, Dedy – and your blog is proof!
Valentina
March 2, 2015 at 8:57 pmI love the quote. So very true — with food, relationships, everything! I adore red curry and must try this! I find when curry paste is mixed into coconut milk, it's utterly divine! Hard to stop eating! Beautiful, David.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 3, 2015 at 3:40 pmThanks, Valentina! Yes, the combination is perfect!
Anonymous
March 3, 2015 at 5:42 amHi David,we loved going through this post with culinary experiences and oh such a delicious,subtly flavored vegetable curry…it can make any day sunny and any meal special.Isn't the world of food with so much color,diversity,flavor contradictory and similar theories spun together…a process of ever learning…there seems to be no end to it yet all of it revolves around the care with which one cooks,the combination and balance of flavors and the way one serves a dish with sincerity…your post made us realize how grand yet inter connected the world of food can be,thanks so much 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
March 3, 2015 at 3:42 pmThanks, Rakesh and Swikruti – your words ring so true. I often think that the world should be run by cooks and people who love food – we learn so much about one another through our cuisine!
Unknown
March 3, 2015 at 6:01 amI just think you're so worldly that it was fun to read this post. I grew up on Mexican food in SoCal and moved to Japan when I was 5 – back to SoCal, then off to Italy at 9. So, it's hard to imagine a more different upbringing than yours. But, you become a chef far younger than me. I always baked – mostly because my mom didn't.
Lovely flavors in this dish!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 3, 2015 at 3:43 pmYou had quite the upbringing, Susan – and you didn't even mention Italy! We certainly have had different paths to get us both where we are now!
Laurasmess
March 3, 2015 at 3:30 pmI'm still rather inadequate when it comes to Asian cooking. I have so much to learn! At least I didn't grow up on chicken jell-o though (ugh! That definitely shouldn't exist!). Love the look of this balanced, delicate curry.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 3, 2015 at 3:44 pmYes, Laura, chicken jell-o should never be made, unless it is a lovely pâté encased in a delicate aspic. 🙂
Sippity Sup
March 3, 2015 at 4:38 pmHe'll remember! GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
March 4, 2015 at 2:40 pmAnd he did. Maybe more than I did.
Nuts about food
March 4, 2015 at 12:30 pmI was born in NY and so I was quite accustomed to ethnic cuisines, yet many were not as readily available to try as they are now… I remember my first taste of sushi, Indian and Thai food very clearly. I sometimes watch my little kids handling chopsticks, asking for extra ginger with their sushi and choosing to go to 'the Sri Lankan' place they love for their birthday meals… and I see how much the world has changed. But there is a whole world of flavors out there still to discover and so much to still get excited about!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 4, 2015 at 2:41 pmI love that your kids are so open to all those different cuisines, Fiona. And you are so right – there is still a lot to get excited about!
Unknown
March 4, 2015 at 3:51 pmHi David! Your homemade Thai curry paste is the post that brought me to your site, I'm so glad it did 🙂
Discovering a new cuisine and finding out how much you love it is one of the most inspiring and satisfying things ever! I loved reading this post, food memories are the best. I'm surprised your school cafeteria even served "Chinese" food! My lunch ladies were excellent cooks but they stuck with British classics, which I'm glad they did because that's where I learn to love British food. We ate Indian at home so at school it was nice to eat something different.
My Thai food experience was just in the past few years. I love it! Love the sweet, sour, salty flavours of that region. I also love cauliflower, I don't think people eat it enough. It is so good. This Thai curry looks so good, and the red curry is one of my favourite curries. xx
Cocoa & Lavender
March 4, 2015 at 8:36 pmI had forgotten that is how you found C&L, Nazneen – I am so glad you did, too!
What a nice combination of cuisines to grow up with! The funny thing is that, even though it was truly disgusting, the chow mein is the only thing I ever remember eating in the school cafeteria. Go figure!
Glad you found Thai food – it is wonderful Did you see the article on why Indian cuisine is among the most popular in the world? Very cool from the scientific perspective.
Nicholas Stanley
March 6, 2015 at 8:33 pmThank you for sharing that recipe with us! I think what matters most is the taste of the food, whether you call it Thai food or Thai-inspired food. I see that you’ve got a great passion for cooking, and I hope you’ll cook and share more recipes in the future. Looking forward to trying them out in the future! Happy cooking!
Nicholas Stanley @ Nahm Thai Bistro
Cocoa & Lavender
March 7, 2015 at 3:26 pmThanks for visiting C&L, Nicholas, and for your nice comment! How good tastes is definitely important! I will look forward to visiting your bistro next time I am in Vancouver.
Anonymous
March 16, 2015 at 1:07 amWhat a great post David, so many good memories. It's astonishing how many foods that ten or twenty years ago seemed so strange and exotic are now regularly found in most store cupboards. I am pretty sure that the meals we got in the sole Chines takeaway on my small Scottish island bore little resemblance to the real deal. But we all had to start somewhere 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
March 17, 2015 at 3:10 pmWe are lucky to be living now, when almost anything we want is available in a grocer or online. I can only imagine how much easier my mother's life would have been, as she didn't drive. She could simply have ordered everything online!
Provence WineZine
March 20, 2015 at 12:22 amAs you know, I loved this story. Oh, how we evolve! Even with the exceptionally strong foundation your mother provided in the kitchen, there was room for growth. I wonder what your mother would be cooking if she were still with us. Thanks for the terrific-sounding recipe and the lovely story.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 20, 2015 at 3:18 pmSusan – that makes me laugh, when I remember my mother's account of her fist Mexican food in Oaxaca. Let's just say that "dismissive" doesn't even begin to cover it. "It was all … brown… and it had chocolate in it!" So, I am assuming that Mexican wouldn't be happening in her kitchen! She would probably be appalled at what I eat. (Did I mention eating crickets last weekend?)
Christina | Christina's Cucina
March 21, 2015 at 3:58 pmAlthough I was brought up with Italian and British cuisine, I too never tasted any other type of ethnic food such as Asian, until I was 12, when we met a Korean family and became very close. I had my first Thai meal in Hollywood when I was 22 and didn't touch it again until last year! Just goes to show you how one bad meal can have such an impact!
Your Thai dish sounds lovely (I know I'm terrible, but I'm not a big cauliflower girl, so I'd sub something for the main ingredient) but impressed that you made your own curry, too!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 23, 2015 at 2:03 pmThis dish would be wonderful with broccoli, or even potatoes! I am glad I love cauliflower, but I do know it is a tough vegetable for many.