Chef’s Kitchen
Each month we bring a guest chef into our Chef’s
Kitchen column to give us tips that elevate their cooking (and hopefully
ours). They also provide a recipe that showcases their tips. Our guest
chef this month is Chef Jahn of Jup Jup
Jup, a new Thai restaurant on Capitol Hill's Broadway in Seattle; a
small restaurant that satisfies your craving for flavors both familiar
and unique. You'll find your Thai favorites along with dishes you
haven't seen elsewhere, like the recipe she's sharing with us this
month.
Chef’ Jahn's desire to learn was
nurtured at an early age and continues to this day. She grew up
surrounded by good food and family members willing to pass their
techniques and flavor combinations on to her. Years earlier her great
grandmother had cooked in the Thai royal kitchens.
After training under the highly acclaimed Executive Chef Norbert
Kostner of The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, and the
responsibilities of owning her own restaurant, Chef Jahn left Thailand
to “experience Thai around the world.” She was curious to see how the
Thai cuisine was seen, presented and prepared in other countries and, in
return, further her own knowledge of their traditional dishes while
teaching Thai flavors and techniques to them.
The current culmination of her training and travels is the
ambitious, delicious, yet affordable menu at Jup Jup Jup.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rawson
Don't be afraid; try something
new
By Chef Jahn
It's easy to get put off a recipe
when you see unfamiliar ingredients. But trying new things can bring
whole new flavors and experiences. You can normally find the more
unusual items needed for these recipes at Uwajimaya, Whole Foods,
Viet-Wah in Seattle and Asian grocery stores.
Fresh turmeric and galangal roots
may look a bit daunting, but with a sharp knife and a good eye are quick
to prepare. The turmeric is easy. Cut off the length required, peel,
slice thinly across the grain, then chop, grind or process into the
texture required. Galangal root is just as easy. The thicker part has a
more pronounced aroma and flavor and is used in curries and marinades,
while the smaller “thumbs” are milder and used in soups. The thicker
piece needs to be peeled before thinly slicing across the grain and
chop, grind or process into the texture required. The “thumbs” need not
be peeled if using as flavor in soup. Just cut a slice across the grain
about 1/8th inch thick and add to the pan.
The dry Anaheim-style red
pepper must be soaked in water until soft before chopping and grinding.
Remove seeds before soaking for a milder flavor.
Ajard sauce must cool down
before use.
The Maesri Brand’s Kaeng Kua
is my curry paste of choice, but if not available, any quality curry
paste will work.
Cans of coconut milk produced
in Thailand have a thick layer of coconut cream filling the top 2/3rd
, with a watery coconut liquid in the bottom 1/3rd. For this
recipe and other dishes needing little liquid use the creamy part. For
soups and curry sauces shake the can and use the combined.
Jup Jup Jup
209 Broadway East
Seattle, WA 98102
Phone: 206-420-3700
Fax: 206-420-3563
Website under construction
Click here to see Chef Jahn's
recipesMarch 2010
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