Khao Pod Tod; Thai Corn Patties with Cucumber Sauce

 (8-10 patties)

Whenever I go out for Thai food, I try to have these corn patties as an appetizer. Whole Foods had corn on sale this week; 6 ears for $2..   I couldn't resist.

cucumber sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 english cucumber, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

Combine the vinegar, fish sauce and sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the cucumber, cilantro and mint.


corn patties
2 cups corn, about 3-4 ears fresh corn
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 green onion, chopped
a pinch or two of cayenne
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 medium eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup rice flour, 1 tbsp more if needed

oil for frying

Combine all of the patty ingredients in a large bowl.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add a bit of oil to coat the pan evenly.

Drop a couple of tablespoons of batter per patty and fry until the bottoms are brown; about 2 minutes. Flip carefully and fry the other sides until browned.

Serve immediately with the cucumber sauce.

Gajar Ka Halwa, Carrot Halwa

(about 20-24 pieces)

I used to live near Coxwell and Gerrard in Toronto (home to one of the largest East Indian communities in North America). Walking towards the end of my street in the summer, I would often encounter heavenly scents from the spice shops and restaurants on Gerrard.

Carrot Halwa was available at several shops and restaurants where it often had a thin layer of edible silver on it. I don't bother looking for the silver when I make these, way too much driving I imagine.

2 tbsp ghee, or clarified butter (or regular butter )
2 lb carrots, grated
3 cups evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/3 cup cashew nuts, chopped and toasted

extra cashew nuts, chopped and toasted for garnishing

Heat the ghee in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrots and saute until they soften. Add the milk, sugar and cardamon and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and continue to simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Add the cashew nuts and continue to cook, stirring until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot and resembles a soft dough.

Pack into an oiled (ghee) 8" or 9" baking pan, sprinkle the top with cashew nuts. Cool and cut into squares.

Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans

(about 6-8 cookies)

I woke up to a very cold house this morning and wondered what was up with the temperature. Its nearing the end of March and often I'm already running the air conditioner. Well, I looked out of the window and there was snow on the ground; in Dallas of all places.

This seems to have been an unusual year. Last month around President's Day we had snow which remained on the ground for several days as well. Brings back memories of Canada.

Cold days seem nice for baking, so I made a batch of these cookies to have with my coffee this morning. I wasn't thinking and used white chocolate chips which are too sweet for this. In retrospect, I should have used semi or bittersweet chocolate chips.

1 1/3 cups icing sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder, I used Hershey's unsweetened natural

1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans, lightly toasted and broken up
2 large egg whites, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Combine the icing sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips and pecans in a large bowl. When the dry ingredients are well combined, stir in the egg whites just until everything is evenly moist.

Drop by the heaping tablespoonful onto parchment or Spilat lined cookie sheets (those French baking mats).

Bake for about 16-18 minutes or until the tops are slightly cracked. I err on the side of slightly under-baked as I like them somewhat chewy. Allow to cool before removing from the cookie sheets.

I make these in small batches because they seem best the day they are made or perhaps one day later.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

(about 24 cookies)

My mother found out she had celiac disease a year or two ago and complained about how awful some of the gluten free products were. Initially I tried out various store bought cakes, cookies and breads. In the process, I came across a wonderful bakery outside of Seattle, Wow Baking Company which makes some of the best cookies I've tasted. I can tolerate gluten just fine, but sometimes I can't resist picking up a tub of their Ginger Molasses Cookies. They are simply amazing.

I've also started to experiment in the kitchen a bit. This peanut butter cookie recipe appears to be quite popular on the internet. What bothered me about it though was the amount of sugar used. One cup of sugar to one cup of peanut butter. Too sweet for my taste. I cut the sugar by half, added a tablespoon of cornstarch and the cookie turned out great.

1 cup chunky peanut butter, unsweetened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1 large egg

1 - 1 1/2  3.5 oz bars of semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine the peanut butter, sugar, cornstarch and baking soda in a bowl. When it's well mixed, add the egg and continue to mix until the egg is well incorporated. The dough will also lose it's sticky, gooey consistancy.

Shape small walnut sized pieces into balls, place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart, and flatten with a fork or the bottom of a glass. Place a piece of chocolate onto the centre of each cookie, if using.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned; the centre should still be soft. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on the cookie sheet.