Archive for September, 2009

 Lemongrass Thai Cafe is definitely a diamond in the rough.  Located on Broadway Blvd. in Tempe, Arizona, it’s a short five minute drive from the ASU campus in a very random strip mall.  Its vibrant green and yellow sign was nicely visible from the street for first timers like me.

cream swirled thai tea

golden nests

Having missed out on Thai food for years, I was excited and hoped that my spicy knowledge base was still alive and kicking!  Thank goodness it was because Lemongrass Thai has a gigantic menu! With over 60 entry selections, 8 appetizers, 5 soups, 10 salads, and 5 desserts.  It was a rough decision, but in the end wise choices were made.  To start, do not miss out on LT’s golden nests.  They are deliciously crisp hashbrown nests filled with chicken, carrots, green beans, corn, and green onion.  Served with a sweet and sour sauce; these were gone fast! We seriously almost ordred more, they were so different and deliciuos. For entries there are infinite possibilities, but LT’s yellow curry with beef and spicy noodles with chicken did not disappoint. Their curry is superb to any I have ever acquired. I honestly didn’t remember which colored curry was the hottest.  Yellow was actually the mildest and I was a little dissapointed in myself because I wanted to taste some heat.  However, the flavor of LT’s yellow curry was so light and perfectly seasoned.  My friend wanted to switch me for her noodles!  The spicy noodles had the perfect heat with tons of fresh vegetables such as broccoli, carrot, onion, bell pepper, and fresh sweet basil.  Lemongrass Thai works on a spice scale of 1, 2, or 3 with 3 being the hottest.  My dining pal ordered  a 2 for the noodles and there was some definite heat which was intriguing.   The Thai tea also can’t be beat. Fresh brewed Thai tea with a swirl of sweet cream over top makes a delicious pairing to the spicy food.

what a pie!

spicy noodles with chicken

amazing yellow curry

INGREDIENTS

• 16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!

I made this for my family and they absolutely loved it! Pracically the only kind of chicken my son will besides chicken nuggets, lol.  I even use a little hoisin sauce when I make chicken fajitas since my kids love the slightly sweet flavor.  BIG HIT

Ingredients

• 1 cup ancho chili powder
• 1/3 cup Spanish paprika
• 3 tablespoons ground dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons ground coriander
• 3 tablespoons dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons chile de arbol, optional

Directions

Whisk together all ingredients. Store rub in a container with a tight fitting lid in a cool, dark, place.