Nokham Thai

After a hectic weekend, hubby and I were exhausted and looking forward to a quiet Sunday evening. We didn’t feel like cooking but didn’t feel like pizza or Chinese. We wanted something fresh, tasty but not fussy; Thai would be perfect. All our regular spots were closed but I remembered Nokham Thai, a small restaurant in a strip mall not too far from home, that came highly recommended by my good friend Nancy and several other sources (Ottawa Foodies, Ottawa Xpress, Anne DesBrisay, etc).

We decided to dine in and made a reservation as I had read the restaurant is often full. Turns out I didn’t need to worry for that Sunday night; the restaurant wasn’t even half full (though there was a steady stream of clients picking up take-out). Décor is much like any other Thai restaurant (though my hubby noticed the flowers on the tables were fresh) and it looked clean. Service was quick, attentive and polite.

To start, I ordered the Tom Kha Goong (hot and sour shrimp soup with coconut milk and lemongrass, fresh mushrooms, baby corn and thai ginger) and my husband ordered the Poa Pia Gai (spring rolls with chicken and vegetables). My soup was a.m.a.z.i.n.g.!!! The best Tom Kha I’ve ever had – spicy, tangy, fresh! Yum! I think there was a drizzle of chili oil on top… delicious! I could eat that soup every day twice a day! My hubby received 4 large spring rolls, piping hot and absolutely delicious. The appetizers were perfect!

For the main course, we decided to share Pa Nang (red curry chicken with coconut milk and spicy peanut sauce), Kao Neaw (steamed sticky rice), and chicken Pad Thai (traditional fried rice noodles with chicken, eggs, peanuts and bean sprouts). The Pa Nang was good, comforting and perfectly spicy. It didn’t floor me like the Tom Kha but it was good. Steamed sticky rice is, well, steamed sticky rice. It was good too. The Pad Thai I had high expectations because I had heard and read it was excellent but I was disappointed; the sauce was way too sweet! (Dare I say, like ketchup?) I wouldn’t order that again, I much prefer the one I make at home or the one at Bon Thai in Vanier. Portions were on par with other Thai restaurants. Our apps filled us up so we brought home half the mains to enjoy as leftovers.

If I remember correctly, the total came to $46 (plus 20% tip) – I felt that was reasonable, especially considering I was totally stuffed when we walked out. I will definitely go again and Nokham Thai is sure to be our source for Thai take-out. I very much look forward to trying more of their dishes (and having more of that fabulous soup). Sadly, I didn’t take any pictures – I didn’t have my camera – but when I do order take-out I will update my post with pictures of the various dishes. Give them a try if you have the chance! Well worth it!

Nokham Thai
747 Richmond Road
Ottawa, ON K2A 0G6
613-724-6135
Lunch: Monday to Friday, 11 - 2
Dinner: Monday to Sunday, 5 - 10

Pad Thai

My Pad Thai used to be hit and miss - sometimes good, sometimes too sweet, sometimes too starchy, sometimes too clumpy. Last time I made it was especially disastrous and I vowed to find a recipe for consistently good Pad Thai.

After a quick internet search today, I found several positive reviews for Pim's Pad Thai for beginners. And let me tell you - Pim ROCKS!!! I learned so much from her tutorial - my pan wasn't hot enough, I wasn't using enough oil, I was overloading my pan, I wasn't using enough sauce, I was adding too many peanuts... Anyhoo, that's ancient history.

I followed her recipe and the result was outstanding!!! As good if not better than anything I've had in a Thai restaurant. My search for the perfect Pad Thai is over.

Here's my quick take on Pim's recipe but really, you should go read her post - extremely informative!



3 - 4 tablespoons canola oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
1 eggs
1/2 cup pad thai sauce (I had about 1/4 cup store-bought thai sauce and I combined about 1/8 cup of fish sauce, 1/8 cup of Worcestershire sauce and 3 tablespoons brown sugar - mix well and voilà!)
1 large handful (about 2 cups) rice noodles, softened in hot water for 30 minutes
2 or 3 tablespoons peanuts, chopped
1 cup beansprouts
2 or 3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Start with a smoking hot pan (I set it on high). Add 3 or 4 tablespoons of canola oil. Add chicken and stir vigorously so it doesn't burn. Careful not to get splattered with hot oil! Once chicken is half cooked, break in egg. Let cook undisturbed for 10 seconds then scramble lightly with chicken. Add 1/3 of the pad thai sauce and keep cooking and stirring for 30 seconds. Add rice noodles and remaining sauce. Keep cooking and stirring until noodles are soft (approximately 1 or 2 minutes). Add peanuts, bean sprouts, green onions and cilantro. Stir, serve and enjoy! :)

Yield: 2 portions

Lunch Party (Asian Coleslaw, Peanut Dipping Sauce and Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake) + Sugar High Fridays (even though we're Tuesday)

Please scroll down for Sugar High Fridays! I'm a little disorganized this month so Sugar High Friday is being posted on a Tuesday; hey, I'm human!

I had a couple of friends over this weekend for a lunch party. The meal was a collaborative effort on all parts – my friend M. brought delightful smoked salmon canapés, my friend N. took care of summer rolls for the main as well as a tasty noodle salad with peanut dressing and I provided coleslaw with an Asian twist, peanut dipping sauce for the summer rolls and a raspberry swirl cheesecake.

Everything was delicious and we walked (rolled?) away from the table very satisfied.

My friends requested that I share with them my recipes of the day so I figured I may as well post them on here.

Asian Coleslaw
Inspired by All Recipes

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons canola oil
2.5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
4 cloves garlic, minced

1 bag coleslaw mix
1 carrot, julienned
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic.

In a large bowl, mix the coleslaw mix, bell peppers, carrot, green onions, and cilantro.

Toss with the peanut butter mixture just before serving. (Will not keep long after – gets soggy quickly.)

Peanut Dipping Sauce
Inspired by She Shimmers

13.5-ounce can of light coconut milk
2 ounces (approximately 1/4 cup) of red curry paste
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 clove garlic, minced

Put everything into a pot and bring to a very gentle boil over medium heat, whisking constantly.

Simmer for 3-5 minutes over low heat; be careful not to let the mixture scorch at the bottom of the pot.

Take the pot off the heat and serve – hot or cold – with summer rolls or satay.

***I thought the final result was a tad sugary for my taste. Next time I might use natural (unsweetened) peanut butter or decrease the sugar to ½ cup.



Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust
Inspired by Pink Bites





The Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake is also my contribution to Sugar High Fridays created by Jennifer and hosted this month by Sweet Tooth. The theme was "all time favorite dessert" - yeah, it had to be cheesecake!

For the crust:
2 cups Oreo crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

For the raspberry swirl:
8 oz of raspberries, fresh or defrosted if frozen
3 tablespoons of sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream and vanilla, blend until smooth and creamy.

Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface.

Place raspberries in a food processor and blend it until combined. Pass it through a fine mesh and discard the seeds. Add sugar and mix well to incorporate it. Use about 2/3 of the sauce on the batter and the rest as a sauce to be served on the side.

Incorporate the sauce to the batter after pouring the batter into the pan. The best way of doing this is by the tablespoon full, going around the cake pan. After this is done, use a chopstick or a knife to swirl the sauce in the cheesecake until it creates a nice pattern.

Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Panang Curry Chicken Soup

I love Panang curry so when I came across this recipe at The Apartment Kitchen I knew I had to try it asap! It was delicious - warm, comforting, spicy. My favorite element was the cool, creamy avocado slices versus the spiciness of the broth... Yum!!! This one is sure to become a regular!



Inspired by The Apartment Kitchen

1 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz) can coconut milk (I used light)
5 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp red curry paste
zest and juice of one lime
1 tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeno, seeded, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2 scallions, very thinly sliced
1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup chicken, very thinly sliced

Garnish:
scallions, thinly sliced
avocado, thinly sliced

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, cilantro, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock, and bring to a simmer. Add the red curry, lime zest, and juice.

In a saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients (except garnish) and cook until chicken is fully cooked and veggies are cooked but still slightly crisp, about 6 minutes. Add to the broth. Simmer until the mixture has reached desired flavor.

Ladle the soup into large bowls and garnish as desired.