Planning a Thai Menu

Planning that perfect menu requires evaluating many factors—the occasion, day of the week, time of day, the flavors of each dish, the balance among dishes, where and when each item will be cooked, what is in season and what equipment is used. Here are a few suggested menus with guidelines on what can be done ahead of time. Cook Ahead Weeknight Meal: All of these dishes can be prepared ahead of time and reheated, if necessary, for dinner. It’s great for leftovers, so make double.

Thai Iced Tea (page 114)

• Make up to 3 days ahead: Make the tea base.

• That night: Crush ice, fill glasses, top with tea and finish with either water and lime or evaporated milk.

Five Spice Slow-cooked Pork (page 66)

• Make it up to 5 days ahead: cool and refrigerate.

• That night: Slowly heat up in a saucepan or microwave.

Asian Greens with Roasted Garlic (page 87)

• Make up to 2 days ahead. Clean the greens, spin them dry and prep all other ingredients.

• That night: A quick stir-fry is all it takes.

Jasmine Rice (page 102)

• Make up to 2 days ahead: Cook in rice cooker (or pan on the day you’re serving it).

• That night: Warm in steamer or microwave.

Coconut Pudding with Seasonal Fruit (page 111)

• Make up to 3 days ahead: Prepare pudding and chill.

• That night: Dice fruit and spoon on puddings.

Drink Pairing

• Medium Bodied Red Wine.

Friday Night Cocktail Party: Some old and new friends are coming, it’s a night to impress with your new Thai recipes. The work week limits prep time so some dishes can be pre-made.

Coconut Crusted Peanuts (page 43)

• Make up to 1 week ahead, and store in an air-tight container.

Grilled Chicken Wings with Tangy Chili Glaze (page 46)

• Marinate wings one or two days ahead.

• Grill wings one day before and refrigerate to re-heat in the oven on Friday. Otherwise, grill them before the party begins and keep them warm in the oven.

Golden Pork Satays with Thai Peanut Dip (page 40)

• Marinate pork Thursday, cook on Friday evening.

• Make sauce on Wednesday, reheat on Friday evening.

Citrus Salad with Crispy Shallots (page 54)

• Whisk all of the liquid ingredients together on Thursday.

• Cut fruit and vegetables, keeping each ingredient separate until just before the party. Then combine all the ingredients before guests arrive and serve.

Spiced Mango Cocktail (page 113)

• Purée can be made and held days ahead of time and then combined with ginger ale and garnish when ready to serve.

Other Drink Pairings:

• A bucket filled with ice, Thai beers, and sparkling wines.

• Lemongrass Iced Tea (page 115) with addition of vodka, mint, and soda water.

• Hot Thai Coffee (page 114) is sure to wake them up when they find themselves needing a recharge to keep partying all night long. Set the coffee maker up before they arrive or make the stove-top method and reheat when needed.

Weekend Afternoon in the Kitchen: Some weekends are meant to be spent cooking with friends and family. This menu gives everyone something to do while you hang out and have fun.

Snack On These As They Are Ready

• Thai Spring Rolls (page 44)

• Red Curry Shrimp Cakes (page 48)

Sit down for a Break

• Marinated Cucumber, Ginger and Thai Basil (page 58)

• Fire-roasted Shrimp (page 74)

• Mixed Vegetable Jungle Curry (page 91)

• Coriander Beef (page 69)

• Rice Ribbon Noodles with Basil (page 96)

Sip All Day Long

• Lemongrass Iced Tea (page 115)

• Iced Bottles of Sparkling Wine and Beer

Invite a Date Night

Spiced Mango Cocktail (page 113)

• Make up to 2 days ahead: Prepare mango purée, but don’t add the ginger ale.

• That day: Cut the limes, cut the chilies, pick the basil.

• Time to cheers: Show off your mixoligist talents (that you rehearsed) as you assemble drink. Add ginger ale to mango. Fill the glasses with ice, pour in the mango mixture, playfully squeeze the lime, carefully garnish with chiles (those hands can cause pain later), push in the basil sprig and make a toast.

Silky Butternut Squash Coconut Soup (page 52)

• Make up to 1 day ahead: Cut all vegetables. Prepare all aromatics and herbs.

• That day: Make soup base (step 1), chill.

• Before you sit down to eat: Bring your date into the kitchen as you make the final touches for that special meal. Guide them (let the recipe in this book help) to make the soup as you whip up the stir-fry. Heat up soup, squash, coconut milk, then green onions (scallions). Stir in the basil.

Tamarind Soy Chicken with Cashews (page 63)

• Make up to 2 days ahead: Marinate the chicken.

• Make up to 1 day ahead: Cut the vegetables. Roast the cashews.

• That day: Measure out tamarind and soy sauce. Clean the basil. Get your stir-fry equipment and area organized.

• Before you sit down to eat: Pre-heat that wok and discuss the nuances of stir-frying (see page 30) as you follow steps 3–6 on the recipe.

Fresh Mangos in Sweet Coconut Cream with Roasted Peanuts (page 112)

• Make up to 2 days ahead: Make the coconut cream.

• That day: Peel and dice the fruit.

• Before you sit down to eat: Simply spoon on the fruit and smile, the rest of the night is time to relax and enjoy.