Free THE EVERYTHING® THAI COOKBOOK by Jennifer Malott Kotylo Page B

the marinade over the vegetables and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
Jicama
    Jicama is indigenous to the Americas and looks like a big brown, rather unappetizing, root. But beneath the ugly skin is a light, crunchy vegetable with a slightly sweet taste reminiscent of apple.

Serves 2–3
    The cucumber and the jicama offer very different crunches — one rather juicy and one rather snappy — in this appealing salad. The basil adds just enough bite to balance the sweetness of the coconut marinade.
Thailand Bamboo Shoots
    1 20-ounce can of bamboo shoots, shredded, liquid reserved
    Juice of ½ lime
    1 teaspoon ground dried chili pepper
    2 green onions, sliced
    1 teaspoon fish sauce
    2 tablespoons finely crushed peanuts, divided
    Sticky rice, cooked according to package directions
Place the shredded bamboo shoots and approximately ¼ cup (half) of the reserved bamboo liquid in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring the contents of the pan to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in the lime juice, chili pepper, green onions, fish sauce, and 1 tablespoon of the peanuts.

Serve with sticky rice, sprinkled with the remaining peanuts.

Serves 4
    Bamboo is a great plant. Humans throughout the world have used it as a food, a building material, and in hats, just to name a few uses. Here we use it as a simple salad ingredient.

Meat Dishes

Serves 4–6
    This quick and easy curry is a great introduction to Thai cuisine. It contains most of the key Thai ingredients — coconut milk, fish sauce, chilies, and basil. Serve with lots of steamed Jasmine rice.
Curried Beef and Potato Stew
    2–3 tablespoons vegetable oil
    1½ pounds beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized cubes
    1 large onion, chopped
    1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
    2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk
    ½–¾ cup prepared Massaman Curry Paste (see recipe on page 6)
    ½ cup brown sugar
    7 tablespoons fish sauce
    ¼ cup Tamarind Concentrate (see recipe on page 18)
    1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
    Jasmine rice, cooked according to package directions
    ½ cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, brown the meat on all sides. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add enough water to just cover the meat and onions. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes.

Add the potatoes and continue to simmer for 15 more minutes. (The potatoes will not be quite cooked through at this point.)

Strain the solids from the broth, reserving both.

In another soup pot, combine the coconut milk with the curry paste until well blended. Bring the contents to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the reserved meat and potato mixture, the sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add some of the reserved broth to thin the sauce to desired consistency.

Stir in the pineapple and continue to simmer until the potatoes are cooked through.

To serve, place some Jasmine rice in the middle of individual serving plates and spoon the stew over the top. Garnish with the chopped peanuts.

Serves 4
    Who doesn't like beef stew on a cold winter evening? This one isn't quite like Mom used to make (unless your mother is Thai), but it's still satisfying and comforting with tender chunks of beef and silky potatoes.
Red Beef Curry
    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    2 tablespoons Red Curry Paste (see recipes in Chapter 1)
    ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut milk
    1 pound lean beef, cut into thin strips
    2 tablespoons (roughly) ground peanuts
    1–3 tablespoons (to taste) fish sauce
    Sugar to taste
    1 green or red sweet pepper, seeded and cubed
    ¼ cup chopped basil
    Rice, cooked according to package directions
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over low heat. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in the ½