More than a cookbook, Dancing Shrimp is both a rumination on how Thai food--the original fusion food, says author Kasma Loha-unchit--developed as a cuisine and a very thorough manual on how to properly prepare fresh fish, crustaceans, and mollusks in the Thai tradition. Filled with 125 tantalizing and sometimes challenging recipes
Giving an English name to Thai dishes can sometimes be quite a challenge. Translating from the common Thai name doesn't always work. This stir-fry, for instance, is widely known as padchah- pad means stir-fry and chah is the loud sizzling and splashing sound of food being tossed into a very hot wok. It conjures up an image of excitement in the kitchen. In addition, pad chah dishes are full of exuberant flavor, giving diners a joyful lift.
This pad chah recipe is particularly lively. Not only is it dancing with spicy heat, but is also profusely fragrant with three luscious herbs - holy basil, gkrachai (rhizome), and kaffir lime leaves. My husband loves the combination and has placed the recipe among his top ten favorite seafood dishes. He even makes a pretty mean pad chah on days when I am too busy to cook. It's an all around winner-easy to make, enlivening, and oh so tasty.
Serves 3 to 4 with rice and other dishes in a family-style meal
1 lb. fresh squid
5 to 7 red and green serrano peppers, or 4 jalapeno or fresno peppers, chopped
5 to 7 cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh or frozen rhizome (gkrachai) cut into very fine inch-long slivers
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn into small pieces
1 cup holy basil (bai gkoprow), or substitute
Thai sweet basil (bai horapo)
1 jalapeno, serrano, or fresno pepper; cut in half lengthwise and each half at a slanted angle 1/4-inch thick with seeds
A few short sprigs of fresh green peppercorns, optional
1 to 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nohm bploh), to taste
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Clean squid and cut into I-inch rounds; leave tentacles whole. Drain well and squeeze gently to remove any water that may be trapped inside the rounds. Let sit at room temperature at least 20 minutes before cooking. If surface is still wet when you are ready to cook, pat dry with a clean towel.
Pound chilies and garlic with a mortar and pestle until pasty.
Heat a wok over high heat until it is smoking hot. Swirl in oil to coat its surface and wait 10 to15 seconds for it to heat. Add chilli mixture and sauté until it is aromatic and the flavors are well blended. Toss in squid. Stir-fry over high heat for about 30 seconds, or until the squid begins to loose its translucence. Add slivered rhizome, kaffir lime leaves, holy basil, pepper slivers, and green peppercorn sprigs.
Stir-fry another minute and season to taste with fish sauce and sugar. Continue to stir-fry until all the squid has changed from translucent to opaque white and the pieces are curled along the edges. Transfer to a serving plate.
Notes and Pointers Cuttlefish is excellent cooked this way; buy the 2-to-3-inch size available in frozen bags from Asian markets. Score them to cook into pretty patterned pieces. The recipe is also good with shrimp, scallops, and chunks of firm, meaty fish, such as sturgeon, halibut, tuna, and swordfish. I had it once with skate, which was first deep-fried in small thin slices until well crisped before tossing into the stir-fry. The pungent and perfumy qualities of gkrachai (rhizome) disguise the fishy odors of strong-tasting fish. Use the fresh or frozen roots; if these aren't available, use the pickled kind in jars, or dried slivers reconstituted by soaking in warm water. The latter will not soften enough to eat and are concentrated, so use only half of what is suggested.
