The Shared Thai Fish Cakes / April 19, 2016 by Amy Cantu

I have been biding my time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to hit my dad up for his recipe for Tod Mun - Thai fish cake fritters. These savory fried morsels make me really happy - the kind of happy where all my deep-fried dreams come true (because really, all of my dreams involve food and anything deep-fried is by nature, dream-worthy). My son's preschool hosted a Multi-Cultural Event to celebrate the community's different heritages and as a fundraiser for New Child Fundamentals, a non-profit that supports children and their families. Voila! The perfect opportunity presented itself, and you better believe that I called Grandpa Audy immediately for this recipe. So we gathered together in my kitchen to fry up a batch of these crispy and *mildly* spicy fish cake fritters (these are preschoolers after all). My son gobbled up three of them before we even got these to school, and when they finally made their appearance, they disappeared in five minutes flat. You snooze, you lose (or just make them yourself)!

Tod Mun (Thai Fish Cakes) with Cucumber-Peanut Relish

The Shared Thai Food / March 22, 2016 by Amy Cantu

Pineapple Fried Rice and Tom Yum Soup To-go

At some point, everyone always asks me if I cook Thai food, to which I say, why would I need to to? My dad makes me awesome Thai food whenever I want! (And better Thai food than I would ever make, too.) I asked my dad, Audy, to make a couple of his favorite Thai food dishes with us, so Cynthia and I could revel in his Thai cooking prowess. He worked his way around the kitchen with such deft speed, that it was hard to keep with him! We were constantly trying to stop him to weigh or measure out his ingredients, because like many wonderful home cooks, my dad cooks by “feel” or “sight”. Oh yes, this looks like the right amount of rice (after scooping a few heaping spoonfuls into a bowl) or just a few more shakes of fish sauce. All I can say is that after a whirlwind of chopping (lots of chopping), frying, and simmering, Cynthia and I were gifted enough mouth-watering food to feed both our families, plus extra for my dad and mom to enjoy for dinner, as well. It was worth the kitchen sprint!

Audy's Pineapple Fried Rice

Audy's Tom Yum Soup

In the Kitchen Now - Mango and Coconut Sticky Rice / February 24, 2016 by Amy Cantu

There's nothing quite like watching a class of enthusiastic preschoolers gobbling up mango and sticky rice, which is exactly what happened today when Grandpa Audy made an appearance at school. I don't know why I was surprised - what's not to like about sweet and tangy mango with coconut-infused sweet rice? My 4-year-old is learning about Asia this month in school, so his teachers asked if we could bring something to share with the class. Grandpa Audy whipped up a batch of his Thai Mango and Coconut Sticky Rice and brought a picture book about fruits found in Thailand to share with the class! Lucky kids (and lucky me left with the extras)!

Mango and Coconut Sticky Rice