On the Thai way

I never realised my love for cooking till I joined college. I studied in the US and cooking for myself was something I picked up at the time.

When I returned to India, my family asked me if I wanted to pursue anything in economics or do something else. That's when I told my parents that I have a soft corner for cooking. They were very supportive and I went to France to start my culinary journey.

I ran a restaurant called Harima in the city for a while. I was also part of a catering company and food consultancy. Thanks to my experience in Asian cuisine, I now work with 1Q1 on Infantry Road.

My interest in Asian cuisine came about because my mother is Japanese. It's one of my cultures. But I also trained in Thailand and other parts of Asia. I learnt how to cook, eat and everything else that had to be understood about Asian cuisine.

In my opinion, the idea of Asian cuisine has also changed tremendously over the years. We only knew about Calcutta Chinese food back in the day but now that people have more access to travel, they are exposed to a lot more things. Our palates have become international, so even when we are in a city like Bengaluru, we can have food from around the world.

But the trend has grown so much that it's the kids who ask their parents to go out for a meal. They want to enjoy dishes like sushi and dimsums. I think social media plays a big role in the taste of palate too.

Having said that, there are a few dishes that we are happy to find comfort in. The Po -Pia Thot is a Thai vegetable spring roll that is a simple and delightful. I can never resist having one of these!

The only thing you have to remember when making these is to ensure that the ingredients are of the best quality. Everything mentioned in the list is available at one or the other store in the city. So try these at home and enjoy a lovely time with your family and friends.

Recipe

Ingredients
Glass noodles, 50 gm
Coriander root, 1 piece
Ginger, 1/2 tsp
Garlic, 1/2 tsp
Onion, 1/2 tsp
Cabbage, 75 gm
Carrot, 50 gm
Celery, 30 gm
Leeks, 75 gm
Chopped birds eye chilli, 1 piece
White pepper, 1/2 tsp
Sugar, 1 tsp
Light soy sauce, 2 tsp
Vegetable oyster sauce, 1 tbs
Green beans, 40 gm
Chopped lemon grass, 1tsp
Shitake lemongrass 30 gm
Vegetable oil, 1 1/2 tbs
Spring rolls sheets, 12 pieces
Sweet chilli sauce, 100 ml

Method

Soak the glass noodles in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes. When soft, strain and cut into three in pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and add onions and cook till translucent; add the chopped coriander root, ginger  and garlic and cook till fragrant.
Add the shitake mushrooms, then the carrots, green beans, cabbage, celery, leeks, lemon grass,  chopped chilli and fry till the vegetables are tender.
Add the glass noodles, seasonings (sugar, white pepper, veg oyster sauce and only one tsp of light  soy sauce). The additional tsp of soy sauce can be added a bit later based on your palette.
Season if needed and leave to cool.
When cool take the spring roll pastry sheets and fill with the mixture and roll to a spring roll. Seal the end with corn flour and water/ flour and water.
This can be store in the fridge for later or even frozen for later use.
When frying, make sure you keep all the necessary tools at your side. Deep pan, clean oil, strainer/ colander with kitchen towels in it .
Deep fry at 180 deg centigrade and serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Mako Ravindran