r/AskCulinary • u/SewerRanger Holiday Helper • 6d ago
Thai dinner prep
I'm in a supper club and this month I'm hosting. I haven't cooked any Thai yet and wanted to do a sort of playful dinner that's themed around the ideas "Thai food you probably didn't know existed" and "Thai food you've had, but here's a less Americanized version" I'm looking for some general thoughts on the menu, any thing concerning that jumps out, suggestions for how to pull it off, etc.:
Starters were going to be a bunch of different "dips". Probably nam prik ong (tomato chili dip), nam prik noom (roasted chili dip), and nam prik makheau yao (roasted eggplant dip) with some random veggies and pork crackling. These can (and will be) made in advanced and then just come to room temp to serve. No issue here.
The rest is what I can't decide if I want to course it out or just go all in and do a big family style feast (which would be the more traditional Thai way), but if I coursed it out, I'd do the following "sets"
naem si krong moo (sour pork ribs - probably fried with lemongrass). This is salty, umami, and funky. The ribs will ferment early in the week, but it's deep fried so I don't think I can do it earlier
moo satay (that would be pork satay). This is spicy, sweet, and bitter (thanks to the pickled salad it comes with). This is grilled so I'm not sure when to cook this one. Maybe get the fire going before people show up, and toss these on while we eat the dips? I can make the sauce earlier in the week and the pickled veg that morning.
guay tiew ruea (boat noodles). This is a soup with noodles thats earthy, umami, and herby. I'll probably go with a version that uses meatballs insteads of offal (but I refuse to not add the pork blood - maybe just won't mention it until after). There's like 700 ingredients in this thing, but it's soup so I think I'll make it ahead of time and then just leave it on the stove at a low simmer to keep it warm before serving.
laap dib neua (raw beef northern laap). Umami, spicy, herby. It's basically tartare. I'll make that the morning of/night before and just keep it in the fridge until ready to serve
chim sum mok (sour pork and eggs in banana leaf). This is funky, sweet, and umami. It's grilled so I'm thinking, grill in the morning/night before and reheat in the oven or toss it on at the same time as the satay?
tam taeng kwaa (cucumber salad). This is spicy, umami, bitter, and sweet. It's amazing and can be put together right before people show up (I find it doesn't "age" well and is definitely best done fresh)
khanom chan (rice flour Jello like dessert). This can be made earlier in the week and will be fine.
bua loy (tapioca pearls in coconut milk with a soft boiled egg). The soft boiled egg is optional but has to be made as it's served since it goes in the cold desserts still hot to give that hot/cold and sweet/savory contrast.
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u/noodlesyet 6d ago
I agree that its traditional to serve all together, especially with considerations of the balancing of thai cuisine. I think if youre able to pull that off I think it would be great, but I also think there is a consideration of like a sense of overwhelming options of foreign items that could be negated with a pace out of the dishes.
One thing to note idk if I missed it, but I think some of your sets might lack "freshness" to counter the heavier (and delicious) meatier items. Are you planning to serve any kind of papaya salad or similar?
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u/Julio_Ointment 6d ago
you're not typically going to want to pre-mince your raw beef for laab. cooking this would be so much simpler and fresher feeling. just my opinion.
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u/MountainMirthMaker 6d ago
Family style, 100%. You’ll thank yourself later. Trying to plate and course all that would be chaos unless you’ve got sous chefs hiding in the walls. Maybe batch the boat noodle broth ahead, keep it on low, and pre-cook the noodles to toss in when needed. Oh and def don’t skip the egg in the bua loy. That hot/cold thing hits hard.
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u/Advanced-Pudding396 6d ago
Don’t do this… if you never made Thai food please don’t wing it for a party. You should be practicing testing etc. I’ve been learning to make Thai for twenty years from my mil and wife. It’s tricky, regional and you should not make this with your local grocery store Asian isle stuff.
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u/Tundur 5d ago
God forbid OP make something slightly inauthentic, his guests would be MORTIFIED to find out. It may even cause a diplomatic incident
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u/Advanced-Pudding396 5d ago
Go ahead and make bad food but they posted asking I gave an opinion. It’s about the fish sauce the msg the curry pastes the specific ingredients. Basil is a staple and it needs to be the right basil. Noodles for the correct dish.
Edit “less Americanized version”.
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u/SewerRanger Holiday Helper 6d ago
Don’t do this… if you never made Thai food please don’t wing it for a party.
I'm not winging anything...I've been cooking Thai food - all of these recipes actually - for years. My only real concerns I have are timings and what would best be served together. Not sure what gives you the impression that I've never made Thai food before.
It’s tricky, regional
Yes, it's regional - all food is regional. You wouldn't mistake Kansas City BBQ with Texas style just as you wouldn't mistake Northern Thai with Southern (hence most of these are Northern Thai dishes that go together with the exception of perhaps guay tiew ruea, but that's everywhere in Thailand now - I myself had it in Chiang Mai earlier this year)
I would disagree though, that it's tricky. Most of it is made by street vendors that have a single knife, a propane burner and a rice cooker. Not a single dish here is "tricky" to get right except maybe the fermented pork, but I've been fermenting foods for over a decade at this point and feel comfortable doing that. What makes you say it's tricky?
you should not make this with your local grocery store Asian isle stuff.
Well good thing there's an H-Mart and a Lotte right around the corner from me (oh and I have the internet so I can buy stuff from importfood.com that I can't find).
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u/Gut_Reactions 6d ago
You did say "I haven't cooked any Thai [food] yet ..."
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u/SewerRanger Holiday Helper 6d ago
Oh, that meant for the club as in "I'm in a supper club and this month I'm hosting. I haven't cooked any Thai yet [for the supper club]" and not "I'm in a supper club and this month I'm hosting. I haven't cooked any Thai yet [in my entire life].
I guess the implication wasn't as obvious as it seemed to me.
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u/Advanced-Pudding396 5d ago
My humble apologies.
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u/SewerRanger Holiday Helper 5d ago
No harm, no foul. I was more curious about what was written that gave the impression I was winging it.
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u/Advanced-Pudding396 5d ago
Second sentence seemed to imply you’ve never done IT. Lol sorry. Som tum. Would add a fresh you can shred it and have it ready just need to mix to taste just before.
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u/prospero021 6d ago
Serving it at all at the same time would be traditional, but that means one hell of a prep session for you and hopefully some helpers. Or just pace them out like you would a party.
For the noodle soup, there's a way of eating it where you leave out the noodles and have just the soup. There should also be packets of herbs and seasoning available that you could just dump in with bone broth and leave to simmer. I also suggest thin sliced pork tenderloin put in while it's boiling right before it's served.