Thai Crab and Watermelon Salad

Wow, is it almost the end of August already?  This month has flown by for me, and it is hard for me to imagine that summer is almost over.  But not yet!  Case in point, this beautiful guest post today from Joy of Joylicious features an Easy Thai Crab and Watermelon Salad with gorgeous multi-colored melons, light and and healthy crab, fresh herbs, and a tangy dressing.  If you ask me, it is the perfect way to savor the last days of summer.  Plus, isn't it beautiful?  Although that is to be expected, since it came from Joy's kitchen.  Behind the lens, Joy works magic, and all her posts featuring stunning photography plus amazing recipes and experiences.  I also adore how she artfully integrates text into her photos.  Genius.  And of course, I love that she is just an all around happy gal.  Enjoy the post and be sure to stop by and check out Joylicious! 

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Amanda has been one of my great blogger friends since the beginning.  I rooted for her during Project Food Blog and continue to be mesmerized time and time again with her beautiful pictures, recipes and words. While she’s slaving away in graduate school, she’s asked a few of her friends to hold the fort during her dissertation.  So I am so honored to be the guest blogger at The Cilantropist today, thank you Amanda for having me!

One of my favorite parts about summers in Texas are the family get togethers we have on the weekends around the pool.  Every Sunday the family gets together to enjoy a little beer, plenty of grilling and of course lots of eating.  I found this recipe through Food and Wine – they originally had grilled chicken which I’ve replaced with crab.  I love the addition of the watermelon with the bold yet light vinaigrette.  It’s a great appetizer for the summer as it’s easy to prepare and would wow any crowd. 

Tom Yum Goong with Homemade Nam Prik Pao

Tom Yum Goong with homemade Nam Prik Pao... Otherwise known as Hot and Sour Soup with Prawns, and homemade Roasted Chile Paste.  This soup is a classic of Thai cuisine, and for me, is warming to the body and the soul.  Tom Yum embraces the traditional flavors of sour and spicy, with an added saltiness and a fragrance of fresh herbs that I love. 

I was inspired to make Tom Yum when my friend Steve gave me fresh lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves from his parent's garden.  I was excited because I had never used kaffir lime leaves before, although I knew they were essential for Thai cooking.  Since Steve has a strong Asian heritage, we discussed how I could use these ingredients in the most authentic way, and decided that Tom Yum was the perfect dish.         

Once I started looking through Tom Yum recipes, I quickly realized that although the soup itself is simple, the ingredients and different components are complex.  I decided I needed to do a little research (remember, I am scientist, this is my specialty).  I searched the internet and checked out some books on Thai cuisine from the library, and discovered that if I really wanted my soup to be authentic and have the best taste, I needed to make my own Roasted Chile Paste.

Roasted Chile Paste, or Nam Prik Pao, is what gives Tom Yum its characteristic 'hot' flavor.  Prik means chile, and Nam Prik together means chile sauce; when the chiles are prepared by the traditional Thai method of dry roasting (Pao, or pow), the condiment is called Nam Prik Pao.  Dry roasting involves cooking the chiles in a hot skillet or wok without any liquid or oil.  This causes them to become browned, just shy of burnt, and produces a deep smoky flavor.  The chiles used to make Nam Prik Pao vary from mild varieties such as Anaheim, to very spicy varieties such as De Arbol or Japones.  To make the chile paste, the roasted chiles are ground to a powder, and added to oil along with fine bits of fried garlic and shallots, as well as fish oil, shrimp paste, and tamarind.    

I was able to find everything that I needed to make the soup as well as the chile sauce, with the exception of tamarind paste.  Tamarind is the edible fruit from the seed pod of the tamarind tree.  Basically, the seeds are encased by a fleshy pulp that has a taste that is often sour but sometimes sweet, and as such, tamarind is another classic Thai ingredient used to impart sour flavoring.  You can buy tamarind paste pre-made, or you can purchase compressed blocks of wet tamarind and make your own paste by combining the tamarind with water (I used 12 ounces of block tamarind with 2 cups of water) and working the pulp with your hands to produce a paste.