VEG SOM TUM / THAI SPICY SALAD

YOU CAN MAKE SOM TUM WITH ANY RAW VEGETABLE!

Som Tum, is usually made with raw papaya in Thailand, paired with sticky rice and chicken roasted on coals!

Here in Vermont, on a cold day when you feel like a salad that warms you up, you make som tum at home, with a mortar and pestle and voila!!

Spaghetti phat khee maao

Just for a change, I decided to make spaghetti Thai style!

Why is a dish called "Khee Mao/ drunkard"??
The story is that, when husbands used to come home late night after drinking and the wives would refuse to cook for them. So the husbands had to make their own food. Being drunk , they simply put all kinds of stuff into the stir fry and of course, too much chilli and peppers. Hence the name 'khee mao" of 'drunkard' .

Recipe:
8 oz. Angel hair spaghetti
1 lb, skinless ground turkey
1 large tomato
1 large red onion
1 cup fresh holy basil leaves
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp. rice bran oil
1 tsp. Deva Naturals thai spice blend
3 cloves garlic
2 shallots
3 green chilli
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
Lime juice and cillantro for garnish.
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Boil Angel hair spaghetti to "el dante" with salt, drain and set aside.
Grind garlic, shallots, chilli in a small food processor and set aside.
Brown turkey in 1 tsp. oil with the above ground paste and salt to taste.
When cooked add 1/2 cup coconut milk and brown some more.
Stirfty tomatoes, bell peppers and onions with Deva Naturals spices and add to the turkey .
Add the Angel hair spaghetti, with the remaining oil and coconut milk and toss in the basil.
Stir fry the spaghetti for a couple more minutes on low heat.
Serve hot! Garnished with cillantro and lime juice!