Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
Last year, I got to host a special series of virtual programs about Thai food in the United States with the tour company I work with (Turnstile Tours) and Thai Select. I am so lucky that I am continuing that opportunity this year.
This year, we’ve put together a very cool interactive map showcasing all the Thai Select restaurants in the Northeast of the United States and we have been doing more of those behind-the-scenes virtual programs.
This Wednesday, I’ll be hosting our latest free program which will focus on two great Thai restaurants in NYC. So naturally, I was able to actually visit one of them and try some of the food in person.
I had been aware of Wanisa Home Kitchen for a while, since I often lead tours in the Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn. But amazingly, it wasn’t until I discovered their Thai Select certification that I finally had a meal at the restaurant.
The family run restaurant uses the owner, Chef Tan’s mother’s recipes and makes a wide range of traditional Thai dishes. I was lookin to try something I had never had before. I’m sure their Drunken Noodles and Massaman Curry are great, but I had never even heard of something called Khao Kluk Kapi, or Shrimp Paste Rice.
Upon some research, Khao Kluk Kapi is available at some Thai restaurants around the city but it’s not super prevalent. It comes from Bangkok and is considered a lunch dish that you usually purchase from markets or street vendors. I’m glad I got it here.
The dish is essentially a plate of diverse flavorful ingredients centered around a serving of rice that has been cooked and infused with shrimp paste.
You’re supposed to mix the rice with the other ingredients to create a textured and balanced plate. The sticky Chinese sausage, sweet slivers of pork and crunchy funky dried shrimp complemented the refreshingly tart mango and cucumber and the pungent sliced shallots and aromatic cilantro.
There’s a lot going on in this dish, but it is hearty and flavorful and what I’ve come to expect from Thai Select restaurants.
Be sure to join us on Wednesday (May 26) for our free program to chat with Chef Tan and see a cooking demo of his seasonal Salmon Mango dish. Price: $17
| WANISA HOME KITCHEN |
| 142 Smith Street (between Dean and Bergen Street), Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (718) 522-3027 |
| wanisahomekitchen.com |
