Thai Dinner Delight

When a close friend of ours married a Thai girl several years ago, we were delighted to welcome his smart and beautiful wife into our clan. Little did we know that the two would make beautiful food together as well.

We were lucky to be treated to dinner recently at their house and it was a memorable meal.

We had Mieng Kam Gai to start the meal. It was spicy, very moist with plenty of veggies to give it color and taste. We were instructed to spoon a bit onto a lettuce leaf, top with a sprig of cilantro, roll it into a little parcel and munch away. The lettuce made a nifty pouch and I loved crunching into the little wrap. These were addictive and I had to tell myself to stop as I watched our friend add the gorgeous shrimp to our next course.



This next dish, Tam Yum Goong, was what I envision Thai comfort food to be like. The aroma of kaffir leaves and lemon grass was intoxicating. The soup was served with a side dish of rice.
The shrimp and mushrooms in the soup absorbed the heady flavors of the broth. We also spooned a bit of the broth onto the rice and ate it along with the soup.






It was very filling...or maybe the Mieng Kam Gai was catching up to me. I managed to finish the whole bowl but I was too full for the Egg Custard with Shredded Coconut. I had a few bites...I am not sure what happened to my camera so no pictures I am sad to say.

Recipes? Well, I asked but I think they made the dishes without a recipe. If they should write one down, I will edit the post. In the meantime, I did a bit of research. I found a nice recipe for the Tam Yum Goong if you will follow this link: http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/recipes/Tom_Yum_Goong.htm
As to the Mieng Kam Gai, I did not find a specific recipe but several versions of minced chicken wrapped in lettuce. It seems to be a dish open to interpretation so choosing one with favorite ingredients may be the order to follow.

I am looking forward to making both these dishes this winter. I can almost smell the lemon grass now!





UPDATE!!!

My friends shared their recipe. You can find it here Mieng Kam Gai