Kosher Asian (esp Thai and Indian)?

JRKmommy

Tue, Sep 12 2006, 11:21 am

Dh and I are huge Asian food fanatics, and esp. love Thai and Indian.

Now that the kitchen is kashered, we're on a global search for good, kosher curries and pastes. Any info for the Toronto area would be appreciated.

So far, we've found:

Tasty Bite (so-so) and Kitchens of India (much better) ready-made curry meals

Suraj spices

Bombay Brand biryani paste - avail. online from sadaf.com, but only ships to the US.

San-J Thai Peanut Sauce

Nando's Coconut Curry Sauce (yummy!)

President's Choice Thai Spice

Wild Thymes: Vindaloo sauce, and Thai Chili Garlic dipping sauce (only avail. online, need to pay shipping to Canada)

Sharwoods - any Brits here who use it? There's no hechsher on the jars themselves, but it appears on the Kosher Kiwi list. I understand that some countries (Australia and NZ, possibly UK) just have lists of certified products instead of labelling. Anyone know if I can rely on this for Sharwoods products sold in Canada?

Zoglo's samosas, pad thai and curry meals (like the samosas, pad thai and curry meals are just okay)

Also - does anyone know if I can use Indian cottage cheese (paneer)? I don't keep cholov yisroel, and this is a soft cheese without rennet. However, I can only get it in specialty Indian stores and doubt it would be possible to find anything with a hechsher.

Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated! Even if it's only avail in Israel or the US - we can stock up when we travel.

Chani

Wed, Sep 13 2006, 5:41 am

paneer is really easy to make yourself...

Just bring a quart of milk almost to a boil, stir in a tablespoon of lemon juice, and it'll curdle. pour the curds into cheesecloth and let it drain for an hour. Then shape into a patty, wrap in the cheesecloth again, and mush it between two plates and refrigerate for a while. (leave the plate on top of it). It will set nice and firm and you'll be able to slice it and whatever just fine.

mimsy7420

Thu, Sep 14 2006, 3:59 pm

I was watching Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals and she was making this and I thought to myself, I HAVE to try this dish. I did, and it was really really delicious. I did not use fresh basil or fish sauce, so you can omit those with no problem.

1 pound thin cut chicken breast meat, available packaged in meat case of market
Grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan
2 tablespoons minced ginger root
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and very thinly sliced
1 cup packaged shredded cabbage and carrot mix
3 scallions, chopped on an angle
1/2 cup plum sauce
2 cups basil leaves, loosely packed
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cut into half again
1/2 seedless cucumber, chopped

Thinly slice the chicken into strips and sprinkle with grill seasoning.
Heat a large skillet to screaming hot. Add vegetable oil, then chicken. Cook chicken 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the ginger, garlic, peppers, cabbage and carrot mix and scallions and stir-fry another 2 minutes. Add plum sauce to glaze the mixture, toss 1 minute, then add basil and wilt leaves. Add fish sauce and turn to coat. Transfer cooked chicken and vegetables to a bowl. Place spoonfuls of chicken into a piece of lettuce with cucumber and fold lettuce over to eat, like small tacos.

JRKmommy

Tue, Jan 16 2007, 3:30 pm

Update with my latest finds:

More ready-to-eat curry meals with hechshers - found an Indian grocery store at Dufferin and Centre in Thornhill selling them for only $1.99, and they were the tastiest so far!

Sable & Rosenfeld Thai dipping sauce - somewhat sweet/sourt/spicy, goes great with pad thai, samosas, spring rolls, and (my favorite) with fake crab.

.....and the search for quick kosher, tasy meals that don't involve MSG, trans fats, kugel or Manischewitz goes on.....