This past Thursday I met up with a bunch of the Atlanta-area bloggers for a cocktail hour at Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft. One look at the giant tuk tuk in the entryway told me I was in the right place.

We all sat at the bar at first which has an amazing view of the Atlanta cityscape. This photo just doesn’t do it justice.

I ordered a Boston Mule cocktail which was incredible. It had some sort of tea and elderflower vodka in it with ginger ale….I think. I can’t really remember what all was going on in it, just that it was delicious enough for me to go back for seconds….and later thirds. 😉

The owner was nice enough to set us up with a few complimentary appetizers. There were beef skewers with a sweet chili dipping sauce and crispy roti with a green curry dip. Both were excellent.

After about 45 minutes or so, we all started to feel like maybe we’d like to actually order dinner rather than just drinks and snacks, so we headed to a table to order up.

I ended up sharing two dishes with Laura. We split a chicken and rice dish with a black soy bean chili sauce and a tuna salad with a sweet and sour dressing.

We all also got a surprise mini cocktail shot from a very nice boy at the bar.  😉 Cheers!

We were all still having fun so we ordered a dessert for the table to share. It was a thai style snow cone made with rose syrup sitting atop a bowl full of gingko nuts and sweet jellies.

It was fun to watch it being made right next to our table!

Tasted a bit like bubble gum but still pretty good.

These meetups just get more and more fun as we really start to get to know more about each other. And I’m always excited to meet new people as our little group keeps expanding.

The list this time included:

• Laura – Sprint 2 The Table
• Kristy – Kristy Runs
• Stacy – Stacy Eats
• Brooke – Exercise For Fries
• Carol – Lucky Zucca
• Traci – yellow Wishbone
• Heather – Girly Ever After
• Lee – In My Tummy
• Tina – Faith, Fitness, Fun
• Heather – Better With Veggies
• Tracy – Kitchen Ambition

Whew! Takes a while to link all those up.

Next time, I think we’re gonna try a potluck. Look forward to seeing everyone again!

November 21, 2011 Alayna Discussion 11 comments

While we were in Seattle, Jeff had a Thai dish that had him “mmming” and “yumming” the whole time. It was this dish of pork, flavored with Thai basil, garlic, and ginger, and served with a fried egg.

It looked like something that I could recreate at home, so I logged it in my memory to try out sometime.

I got together a pound of ground pork, Thai basil, scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, chili-garlic sauce, and 2 eggs for my attempt at recreating that memorable flavor.

I chopped up the scallions, garlic, and grated some ginger and set it aside.

I browned the pork in a pan without oil, there’s enough fat in the pork to keep it from sticking. When the fat had rendered out and the pork was browned, I drained it in a metal sieve then returned it to the pan to add the aromatic ingredients…

As soon as those were smelling fragrant, I added the sauces and made sure to mix the spicy stuff in well…

Then I added the chopped basil and let it wilt completely.

And here’s my finished version!

Complete with a fried egg just like the original.

This was awesome. Certainly a more meat-heavy dish than we typically have for dinner, but it was a nice indulgence. I think the pork would taste amazing in crisp lettuce cups, maybe I’ll try it that way next time.

Pork with Thai basil and fried egg

Pork with the aromatic flavors of Thai basil, garlic, ginger, and scallion. Served with a fried egg over rice.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 bunch Thai basil
• 2 large cloves of garlic (minced)
• a 1 inch piece of ginger (grated)
• 2 scallions (sliced)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. fish sauce
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. chili garlic sauce

Cooking Directions

1. Brown pork in a pan without oil.
2. When pork is cooked through, drain off fat and return to pan.
3. Add scallions, ginger, and garlic.
4. Add sauces and mix in.
5. Add chopped Thai basil and allow to wilt.
6. Fry eggs sunny-side-up in a separate pan.
7. Serve pork over rice with a fried egg and garnish with toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Have you ever made something at home that you’ve tried in a restaurant?

May 22, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 5 comments

I have no idea why this recipe is not already on this blog. I make this about once every other week because it’s easy and because it’s one of my husband’s favorite meals.

Thai basil is more aggressive and slightly more bitter than it’s sweet Italian cousin. Its bright and springy flavor melts in and permeates the salty sauce and gets soaked up by the hot fluffy rice.

It’s easy to tell Thai basil from sweet Italian basil. Its leaves have streaks of purple and the stems are often purple too. If you can’t find Thai basil, Italian basil will work but you should plan to use more of it.

I start by sauteing an onion and a bell pepper in sesame oil…

Then I make a space in the center to brown the flank steak…

Then I add the basil and garlic…

And the sauces…

And allow it to heat through.

Thai basil beef

Thinly sliced beef and veggies in a salty-sweet sauce infused with fresh Thai basil.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 2 to 2 1/2 servings

Ingredients

• 2 portions flank steak
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 medium onion
• 1 large bunch thai basil (about 10+ stems)
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp. sweet soy sauce
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• a pinch of chili garlic sauce
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• garnish with toasted sesame seeds

Cooking Directions

1. Slice onions and bell pepper and saute with sesame oil.
2. Slice flank steak thinly across the grain.
3. Push vegetables to the outside of the pan and saute steak in center.
4. Brown steak on both sides then mix in with vegetables.
5. Add garlic, sauces, and thai basil torn into small pieces.
6. Allow to heat through and serve over rice.

This is as good as what you would expect to get in a restaurant. I’ve made it with tofu too, and while it’s not the same dish without the beef juices melting into the sauce, it’s still really good.

What’s your favorite dish to eat over rice?

May 18, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 8 comments