Thai Pork and Basil Stir-Fry (Pad Gra Prow)

 

Pad Gra Prow (Thai Basil Stir-Fry)... has my stomach a-growl 🇹🇭🍛🤤 

Semi-fresh from my travels, you bet I have Thai food on the tip of my tongue and now fingers, finally making this super simple quintessential stir-fry dish in Thailand with ground pork. It's a budget-friendly, comfort food dish that is temptuous whenever I sit down at a Thai restaurant and crack open their menu. But need not to go to a restaurant for this no more when it's unbelievably easy to whip up at home. Each spoonful explodes with flavour and aroma from the garlic-shallot aromatics and fresh basil, complimented by the deep-fried egg on top with a runny yolk making the rice oh-so creamy 🍳! The mixture of oyster, thin and sweet soy, and fish sauce flavours the dish darn achingly scrumptious! And you gotta have some of 'em fresh Thai bird's eye chilies for kick 🌶💥

Thai Pork and Basil Stir-Fry (Pad Gra Prow) (adapted from Kiin by Nuit Regular)

Serves 4

1/3 cup neutral oil

4 eggs, cracked individually into small bowls

2 Tbsp. oyster sauce

2 Tbsp. thin/light soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sweet soy sauce (kepas manis)

1 Tbsp. fish sauce

3 shallots or 1 small onion, thinly sliced

7 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 2 Thai bird chilies, thinly sliced
2 lbs. ground pork (use medium for a bit of fat)

4 long green beans, cut into 1-1/2 inches

2 long red chilies, or 1/2 red pepper, cut into thin strips

Ground white or black pepper, to taste
holy basil leaves (about 2-1/2 cups packed)

To fry the eggs: heat a small pan over high heat for two mins. Add 1/4 cup oil. Slowly slide one egg into the oil, reduce the heat to medium and fry until outer edges turn crispy and brown about one minute, and cooked to desired doneness. Remove onto plate with slotted spatula (to drain excess oil). Repeat with remaining adding more oil as needed.

In a small bowl, stir together oyster, soy and fish sauces. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet/wok over medium-high heat for two mins; add 2 Tbsp. oil, shallots, garlic and Thai chilies and fry for two mins. Add the green beans and red pepper/chilies and cook for another minute. Crank up the heat to high, and add the ground pork, spread around skillet breaking it up into small bits and allowing it to crisp up for about three mins.

Add the sauce mixture. Stir-fry for two mins. until pork is cooked. Tear the basil into the skillet, and stir-fry until wilted. Add ground pepper.

To serve, divide the steamed rice between four plates; spread the rice. Top with pork and basil mixture and deep fried egg. Serve with fish sauce at the table.

To jazz it up, I added slices of crispy cucumber and tomatoes, plus bonus- 🇹🇭 Manora shrimp chips, home fried as a crunchy accompaniment 🤤!

My kids' foodie classmate was coming here to hangout and mentioned his favourite Thai dish was tom yum going, so... but of course. Dinner on me a la Thai- pad Thai, tom yum goong soup, mango salad, fried Thai shrimp chips and some homemade roasted pork belly.

And to cap it off a refreshing new Asian dessert I created- mango coconut pudding soup 🥭🥣 with prepared coconut pudding, fresh mangoes, coconut strips and crushed ice swimming in coconut milk. Love the refreshing textures! It's becoming a fave in this household! Perfect for beating the heat this summer!

FULL RECIPE:

Thai Pork and Basil Stir-Fry (Pad Gra Prow) (adapted from Kiin by Nuit Regular)

Serves 4

1/3 cup neutral oil

4 eggs, cracked individually into small bowls

2 Tbsp. oyster sauce

2 Tbsp. thin/light soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sweet soy sauce (kepas manis)

1 Tbsp. fish sauce

3 shallots or 1 small onion, thinly sliced

7 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 2 Thai bird chilies, thinly sliced
2 lbs. ground pork (use medium for a bit of fat)

4 long green beans, cut into 1-1/2 inches

2 long red chilies, or 1/2 red pepper, cut into thin strips

Ground white or black pepper, to taste
holy basil leaves (about 2-1/2 cups packed)

To fry the eggs: heat a small pan over high heat for two mins. Add 1/4 cup oil. Slowly slide one egg into the oil, reduce the heat to medium and fry until outer edges turn crispy and brown about one minute, and cooked to desired doneness. Remove onto plate with slotted spatula (to drain excess oil). Repeat with remaining adding more oil as needed.

In a small bowl, stir together oyster, soy and fish sauces. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet/wok over medium-high heat for two mins; add 2 Tbsp. oil, shallots, garlic and Thai chilies and fry for two mins. Add the green beans and red pepper/chilies and cook for another minute. Crank up the heat to high, and add the ground pork, spread around skillet breaking it up into small bits and allowing it to crisp up for about three mins.

Add the sauce mixture. Stir-fry for two mins. until pork is cooked. Tear the basil into the skillet, and stir-fry until wilted. Add ground pepper.

To serve, divide the steamed rice between four plates; spread the rice. Top with pork and basil mixture and deep fried egg. Serve with fish sauce at the table.

Newcomer Kitchen- Give the Gift of Joy this Holiday and For Lifting the January Blues

 

Give A Gift of Warmth, Fun, Community & Meaning

Excited to present ✌ things I've been working on at Newcomer Kitchen. Give the Gift of Joy this Holiday and For Lifting the January Blues (with a Holiday Trinidadian black rum cake and 3 International Cooking Workshops to start the new year)!

Order your cake on Eventbrite here

Get ready to spice up Tuesday evenings in January as we celebrate diverse global cuisines through engaging, small hands-on workshops followed by a shared meal. Let’s come together to enjoy delicious dishes while supporting newcomer women from around the world who are striving to make Toronto a warmer, more welcoming community. This promises to be a truly memorable experience! $59.91 total for a workshop

Moroccan Tagines Cooking Workshop

Tuesday, January 14th, 5:30 to 8:00pm Small Group Cooking Workshop: Savour Morocco Join La Kasbah Del Sol chef Hajar Ouzid for a hands-on workshop exploring Moroccan tagine with all the trimmings!

Tickets & Info for Moroccan Workshop

Nigerian Cooking Workshop

Tuesday, January 21st, 5:30 to 8:00pm Small Group Cooking Workshop: Savour Nigeria Join Ibile Meals chef Ope Osadare as she prepares steamy banana leaf wraps and serves up delicious puff puffs!

Tickets & Info for Nigerian Workshop

Persian Cooking Workshop

Tuesday, January 28th, 5:30 to 8:00pm Small Group Cooking Workshop: Savour Persia Join SHAMS founder Hamideh Arefeshghy to explore the flavours of Persia showcasing special ingredients sure to leave you enchanted!

Tickets & Info for Persian Workshop

Eritrean and Injera Workshop at Newcomer Kitchen...

 

Have you ever tried injera, a spongy, sour flatbread made with teff the tiniest grain in the world that is a nutrition powerhouse and has no gluten- a main staple in Ethiopian and Eritrean meals as an eating utensil to scoop food? 🥘 #superfood 

We at Newcomer Kitchen were very excited to host our first ever evening cooking workshop at our beautiful renovated century loft kitchen in downtown Toronto in late September at CSI Spadina, Toronto.

Asmait Merhatsion who is in our business incubator program has recently arrived from living for 12 years in Israel worked for an NGO for women's health, extensively with refugees and has hosted lots of cooking workshops.  She had fascinating stories to tell about the turbulent journey from Eritrea to living in multiple countries in the Middle East before coming to Canada. Woven between demonstrations and hands-on learning, we made Injera, the teff flatbread that is the foundation of all Eritrean meals.

We prepared a cabbage and potato stew, red lentil stew and a lovely beet and tomato salad to accompany the meal 🇪🇷. 

To finish we made a sweet bread- himbasha that is the 'celebration cake' of Eritrea (Asmait uses raisins instead of the usual black nigella seeds and lemon zest) which I had the pleasure to take home leftover dough to bake up for my family. 

Perfect with a cuppa' for weekend brunch

It was a profound 'cook and learn' evening to remember with heartfelt feedback from our guests. Thank you Asmait for hosting a beautiful evening! 💗

Taking Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine and flavours further at home... But first let's feast our eyes on this restaurant carousel of vibrant healthful veggies 🌈!

Ethiopian cuisine has been top of my list for trying my hands on at home. With the workshop fresh on my mind, a bag each of shiro (chickpea powder) and berbere (a fiery medley of spices and chilies) given to me by Asmait, and picking up fresh prepared injera from Iqbal supermarket, the time has happily come...

Their staple injera-- a thick, spongy pancake-like sourdough bread is made from the smallest super grain in the world-- teff (Ethiopia's principle grain) is not only a food but it serves as a utensil and plate. Accompanying dishes are placed on it-- a bit of bread is torn off and used to wrap the food to eat. Widely used flavours of spicy and complexity include hot chilies, fenugreek, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, mint, garlic and onions. 

Although meat is prevalent on the menu, I always opt for vegetarian. Tonight, I prepared three veggie-licious dishes. Shiro (chickpea powder) Wat stew made with onions, tomatoes, berbere, ginger and garlic cooked until silky. Although it should be smooth, mine turned out chunky but flavourful. Misir Wat is a fiery red lentil stew cooked down with onions, tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger and garlic in a broth. This was our favourite tonight. And the third, Atakilt Wat, a simple cumin and turmeric spiced cabbage, carrot and potato stir fry. A lovely textural filling in a swoop with a piece of injera. By the time dinner was served the stews cooled- should have a thinner texture for easy mopping 🤗

Berbere (a fiery medley of spices and chilies) 

After an Eritrean/Ethiopian meal, one can enjoy the relaxing aromas of burning frankincense (an aromatic gum resin obtained from an African tree and burned as incense), and hand-roasting of coffee beans and ground by the hostess. It is custom for Ethiopians to drink the strong coffee with a pinch of salt or clarified butter and serve it with popcorn. Many coffee drinkers do not know that the birthplace of coffee plantations originated in the ⛰ of Keffa, a province of Ethiopia- the very word where 'coffee' comes from ☕🍿❤🇪🇹

My Hot Pot Cookbook For Beginners Officially Launches Today!...

 ❄ Just in time for hot pot weather ❄!

My cookbook officially launches today on Amazon and is also available online Chapters-Indigo!

From my endorsements on Amazon.

To understand passion, one must find its roots or humble beginnings... I wrote a book Hot Pot Cookbook For Beginners, and it was a tasty omen from yesteryear as my first ever article as a food writer in my first magazine was on hot pots (Bloom 2001).

Hi, everyone, my name is Susan. I am a chef and passionate culinary instructor teaching Asian cuisines in Toronto. I grew up enjoying Chinese hot pot, and to me it is the ultimate comfort food. My most memorable childhood dinners were gathered around the family table (as soon as it got cold out) to feast on a variety of meat and vegetables simmering flavorfully together in a hot pot. The heaping platters of food, the noise of utensils clinking and constant chatter, the aromas, and flavors—these meals always ended with a satisfied full belly and were precious moments of family bonding. My early foray into other hot pot styles were during my travels visiting family, sukiyaki in Japan and lẩu hot pot in Vietnam. I just love how each Asian cuisine has its own unique flavors that tantalize the senses in the universal setting of hot pot 💞.

The seduction of hot pot boils down to the broth. In this book, I cover popular hot pot broth flavors from an array of East and Southeast Asian cuisines. I have also included some signature soups that can easily be turned into a hot pot broth base 🍲🥣.

With each cultural influence, there are certain ingredients that are best enjoyed in those broths, which you will find in the straightforward recipes. Hot pot caters to everyone’s tastes. I encourage you to have fun, try new foods, and customize the experience to your preferences.

The adventure all lies in the experimenting! 

 

The foundation of hot potting boils down to the broth. #hotpotcookbookforbeginners My cookbook format is paperback, 8 x 8 handy and practical for easy flipping and keeping opened. It is not meant to be glamourous or sitting unused on the coffee table. Pages should be splattered on and cooked from in the kitchen 🔪📖💢.

I have collaborated with Rockridge Press, a US Publisher that has over 4000 educational books in the market. They operate on the foundation that knowledge should be made accessible to all who seeks it regardless of socio-economic status, and thus their affordable pricing. Aligned with my food education and 'Knowledge is Power' for all, this was a coming together of a beautiful relationship 🙏. Just an incredible team from the numerous copy editors, foodstylist, photographer and marketing coordinator who got me through seamlessly to the finish line.

This beginner’s guide will teach you how to properly shop for, cook, and share delicious hot pot recipes from all over Asia. In my Asian Cooking Program we made Filipino Fish Sinigang Hot Pot, a tangy and savoury brew over the stove with layers of vegetables and bite sized pieces of salmon. 

One recent weekend my best friend's family was here for her early birthday celeb, and we had a duo split hot pot of soup goodness- Spicy Ma La vegetarian broth on one side and Chicken (all-purpose) broth with Chinese herbs goji berries and dried red dates in the other enjoyed communal-style 💞.

What is your favourite broth for hot pot 🥘? Spicy🌶 or Non-spicy?

PAIRING TIP: Counter the spiciness with a tall glass of icy iced tea. For a popular drink pairing with Chinese hot pot, look for Wong Lo Kat or Jia Duo Bao herbal teas sold in cans in the beverage section of Asian supermarkets. Herbal tea is noncaffeinated and sweet, made of traditional Chinese medicine dating from the Qing dynasty that brings down the internal body heat and refreshes, especially during a spicy meal.

Hot Pot with 7UP 🥤? Yup, you saw right...

In this unique Vietnamese hot pot style, Bò nhúng dẩm translates to “beef vinegar dip,” but also used to cook veggies that is irresistibly appetite-whetting! The dining experience is likened to Japanese sukiyaki, in that you cook ingredients in liquid meant to flavour the ingredients, not enjoyed like a soup. This tangy and sweet profile is the go-to hot pot my husband’s Vietnamese family makes to enjoy with beef. It’s simply water (variations can include fresh coconut juice or even beer), rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and some aromatics. My father-in-law liked to use 7UP instead of sugar, and it was always a hit 👍! 

I love adding sweet pineapple chunks as a counterpoint to the tang. So reminiscent of sweet and sour dishes, all rolled in one bite 🍍! The finale lesson to my TDSB Asian Cooking Program with seniors this Fall term, and perfect for the cold weather to come ❄🥘!

Chopsticks are used to cook instead of ladles. The fun part is wrapping the cooked beef, noodles, accompanying vegetables and herbs in rice paper and lettuce into parcels, then dipping in seasoned fish sauce. All other hot pot items are eaten on the side.

Visit Asia from your kitchen with my easy and delicious hot pot recipes from 11 Asian Countries in Hot Pot Cookbook For Beginners.

"Hot pot cooking is enjoyed all over Asia (and the world) for its unique flavors, hearty broths, and the way it brings friends and family together. Hot pot newcomers will love the Hot Pot Cookbook for Beginners and its accessible introduction to this traditional cooking method. Discover a melting pot of Asian cuisines and how to properly prepare them at home."- Amazon

I will be sharing some pages from my book in the weeks to come. Stay Tuned 💥!

Announcement: My New Hot Pot Cookbook For Beginners...

After a LOT of hard work behind the scenes for the past several months, I'm so thrilled to officially release the cover and title of my new cookbook, Hot Pot Cookbook For Beginners. It covers 11 Asian countries with 50 recipes on 138 pages and will be available on Amazon (US, & Canada, later in Europe) November 30th, just in time for hot pot weather 🥘♨️. 

Amazon incerpt: "Hot pot cooking is enjoyed all over Asia (and the world) for its unique flavors, hearty broths, and the way it brings friends and family together. Hot pot newcomers will love the Hot Pot Cookbook for Beginners and its accessible introduction to this traditional cooking method. Discover a melting pot of Asian cuisines and how to properly prepare them at home..."

With the growing importance of health, nutrition and home cooking, there really is no better way to reap these benefits than with soul replenishing hot pot 🤗. I would love you to support my book. You can pre-order your copy with more deets on 💕🙏: https://amzn.to/30n5qya

Stay tuned for sneak peeks, hot pot insights and my project journey on the next blog post! 

#susanssavourit #bookrelease #cookbook #cookbookauthor #rockridgepress #amazon #hotpot #asianhotpots #easternfondue #diy #beginner #ingredienteducation #guidetodiy

Wrapping Up Asian Heritage Month and Then Some...

 

Dumplings 🥟 and Noodles 🍜, two beloved staples that transcends Asian cultures, with each country having their own nuances and specialties. 

Two wonderful events to celebrate Asian Heritage Month with a deep dive conversation on cuisine, culture and contribution with @tdsb_cs newcomer youths! It was a small group but nonetheless impactful 💥💗! 

Thank you to Fatma and Derek from Welcoming Communities for your support in taking up on my idea to promote this to our students and to our incredible guest and my friend Jennifer Uy @happy.naturalproducts for your stories of trials and tribulations as an immigrant, a singer and entrepreneur. 

Jennifer Uy is a strong advocate for beauty from within for all colours, orientation and sizes. Being an immigrant, local woman entrepreneur, professional singer, and of Asian descent, she knows all too well the emphasis society places on looks and fitting in. 

Jennifer was inspired by her grandmother's daily rituals and founded and developed Happy Natural Products with modalities of Traditional Chinese Medicine practiced by her great grandfather who is a doctor of TCM.  She joined me to talk about her challenges of assimilation, balancing cultural roots and societal expectations and eventual empowerment coming into her own 🌷.

Kickstarted Asian Heritage Month of May with a Chinese classic fried rice and chicken lettuce wraps with youths in my after school cook along program.

Then with Korean chapchae noodles...

A captivating cuisine tradition in Japan called Yoshoku marries Japanese and Western ingredients & flavours to create delicious mouthwatering dishes such as tender hambagu (bunless hamburger steak). Simply served with steamed 🥕🥦, 🍚 and homemade teriyaki sauce (mirin, soy sauce and suga' 😋🤤🤤) this is a homestyle fave!

Ahhh... bringing in the tropics 🌞🥭 instantly with Filipino Kamayan- the experience of eating with your hands 👐, often called a Boodle Fight to finish the Asian cuisine series with youths ! Shout out to VJ for her gorgeous platter 💗🌺! 

At Casa Manila restaurant where I had my first  experience years ago so beautifully describes, "imagine having a picnic in a tropical setting where you're free to taste, touch and savour a feast of textures laid on top of fragrant rice. Picture yourself using your hand to feed yourself from a bed of banana leaves as your plate while quenching your thirst drinking fresh juice from a coconut." And that is the "Mabuhay spirit" of the Filipino islands, which means long live and welcome. Classical family-style home cooking and entertaining is celebrated with unforgettable hospitality and like a fiesta with the freshest ingredients. #restaurantinspiredhomecooking

Today, my banana leaf covered platter consists of grilled shrimps, adobo kalbi ribs, turmeric chicken, over garlic fried rice and lightened with a simple green and tomato salad, fresh mango slices and crunchy chicarron. Soy garlic vinegar and sriracha lime sauces for dip and of course, a fresh coconut to cheers - TaGay 🥥❤!

Celebrating Asian Heritage Month with a united passion for food 🥢💗 with huge Shout Outs to these fine respected chefs for their contributions to Asian culture elevating Asian cuisines over decades of cooking, teaching and sharing it forward... 

From top left clockwise to centre. 

Chef Joseph Ho, a well-respected powerhouse Executive Chef at Lee Kum Kee and prominent member of the Chinese Culinary Association to preserve and promote Chinese cuisine. 

Chef Frederick Oh founded Richmond Hill Culinary Arts Centre. Over the years, he has represented Canada in the Culinary Olympics and Expo Gast Culinary World Cup.

Chef Smita Chandra, a respected authority on South Asian cuisines, is a renowned Indian cookbook author and cooking instructor.

Chef Oliver Li, @oliver_li_cmc is a Certified Master Chef (CMC) which is the highest possible culinary credential attainable in Canada! He tenured as Chef de Cuisine at George Brown College's student-training restaurant "Siegfried's" for 15 years.

Chef Florence Kwok, specializes in authentic Asian cuisines and has been featured on TV and Chinese channels. I don't know if she is still teaching, but I admire her tremendously as a noteable woman chef who has elevated the diverse multi-cuisines of Asian home cooking in Toronto. 

Chef Tim Chen @timchen4485 Executive Chef at Markham's Lanna Cuisine offering Northern Thai cuisine, delivering exquisite and authentic flavours.

Chef Sang Kim, @chefsangkim conducts Sushi Making For the Soul, Canada's most popular hands-on sushi and gimbap-making workshop, which is lauded for the charitable work. He appears regularly on CTV's daytime talk show, The Social.

Chef Susu Han @hansommchef is classically trained in Italian cuisine and a Certified Sommelier. She is a reputable Korean cuisine instructor at George Brown College and a local entrepreneur producing small batch, hand-crafted organic kimchi including pickled beets. 

Chef Martin Yan is a famous Master chef of Chinese cuisine, public figure, and an author of a dozen Chinese cookbooks. He has hosted his award-winning PBS-TV cooking show Yan Can Cook since 1982. 

And lastly *Announcement* Wrapping up Asian Heritage Month with a contribution of my own in the works- I am writing a cookbook ✍📖🤗!!!!

Halfway through the chapter milestones, I will share details when the final manuscript is delivered. Feeling incredibly ecstatic!

There is a bittersweet story: I received the exciting news by my Publisher that my project was approved, and an hour later we were notified of my husband's father passing in Montreal. From one moment of elation to the extreme end of sadness 😯😪. A week prior, I was on the fence whether to take on the project considering he was hospitalized (not covid related) and that my husband would have to travel. Also with my multi spring cooking programs to start, and just the emotions of what's to come, but it became crystal clear (as I stared out the window to that brief bit of snowfall that late April day) that I will write this book and dedicate it to him 💗. To remember happy and healthier times over meals shared together, his legacy will live on through the food pages in my book. Can't wait to launch it #familymomento

I'll keep you posted when I can reveal more on the project!