Thank you for your interest in our first ever Courageous Cook-off!
Designed to unite food, philanthropy, culture, and community, SouthEATS Austin will highlight Southeast Asian culture to raise awareness for asylum seekers and refugees currently displaced in Bangkok, Thailand. Courageous Kitchen, a 501c(3) non-profit focusing on food education, nutrition, and housing, will be hosting a food festival in anticipation of 500 attendees in partnership with the acclaimed Barr Mansion, an award winning indoor/outdoor venue and The Knot best-of-weddings hall of famer.
In addition to the food festival, there will be a Thai-inspired street market and cooking competition judged by local and celebrity chefs. Contestants must submit videos of themselves cooking or sharing their food creations. Only 10 contestants will be chosen to participate, with the chance to win a grand prize of one round trip ticket to Bangkok, Thailand with a food tour guided by Mark Wiens of Migrationology.
#CourageousCookoff will take an active look into what it means for foodies to engage with their local and international communities through cooking. Whether you’re an avid home cook, or a seasoned chef, we want to see you bring the heat and share your spice for life. How has food transformed your life or that of others? How has it helped you overcome obstacles?
Email southeats.austin (at) gmail.com with questions or to submit your video submission by August 11th, 2017.
Be Courageous!
Are you an amazing cook looking for your chance to shine? Create a 30-60 second video showing us how you share your passion through food . Include how you as a foodie are engaged in the industry, or how food, cooking, and community influence your life. Be creative in your submissions. Consider including visual content that is unique to your life and contains elements of the food culture. For example, a short recipe video showing your passion of cooking. The keys to creating a vibrant video shorts are: good lighting, clear sound, rich colors, and clear indications of how your food and community are impactful to you. Cell phone videos are welcomed!
Please start all videos with the following details:
Your Name & Location
Tell us why you’re interested in Southeast Asia
Tell us about your passion for food and how it influences your life
Tell us why you’d make the best contestant for the Courageous Cook-Off
Other Video Contest Requirements:
30 – 60 seconds in length (files no larger than 4GB)
We recommend sending MP4 or MOV files with at least 720p resolution.
Be clear about how food is influencing your life.
Check your sound and lighting settings before filming.
Feel free to use camera phones and include food shots of something you’ve prepared before, or cook in the video if you would like (not required).
Don’t forget to post your video with #SouthEats, #CourageousCookoff, #CourageousKitchen hashtags!
Deadline to submit is Aug. 11th, 2017
Post, share, and submit your videos on Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter using #SouthEATS and also #CourageousCookoff while also sharing links to your website or portfolio by August 11th, 2017.
Selected participants must pay their $150 entrance fee no later than August 25th, 2017 .
Once confirmation of payment is received, we will notify you with day of schedule and supplies needed. The most innovative and creative videos capturing the essence of food and community will be contacted to take part in the SouthEATS Austin Courageous Cook-off on September 24th, 2017 at Barr Mansion in Austin, Texas.
Eligibility Requirements:
Contestant must be 18 years or older at time of competition, with proof of valid government issued identification.
Must be a US citizen or permanent resident with a passport and at least six months validity for international travel.
Any actions or language deemed inappropriate for a family friendly event will be cause for immediate disqualification.
Upon selection, contestant will have (7) days to accept or reject invitation to compete. If accepted, parties must be physically present in Austin, Texas on September 24, 2017 for the competition. Contest fees are non-refundable, non-transferable, and non-negotiable. Courageous Kitchen Inc. and Barr Mansion accept no responsibility for any health or accident related injuries that take place on or prior to competition, rendering you unable to perform duties as outlined.
Winner of Courageous Cook-off will receive a Grand Prize of (1) round trip ticket from the US to Bangkok, Thailand (up to $1200 USD) along with a 1⁄2 day Food Tour.
Any additional costs, i.e. airport taxes, taxis, baggage, and in-city fees are solely covered by the individual. First place winner must notify Courageous Kitchen Inc. in writing at least (60) days before intended travel date.
Email southeats.austin (at) gmail.com with questions or to sumbit your video submission by August 11th, 2017.
Pad Thai is Thailand’s most recognizable dish and one of our most popular cooking requests! Below you can find a version adapted to allow you to recreate this delicious recipe at home.
You can catch us cooking pad thai in our cooking class in Bangkok, but we mastered it by teaching youth in our charity’s cooking program. In the video you’ll see them in action, working in teams to prepare the dish after we’ve demonstrated the steps. Each week they learn a fun Thai recipe or international dish, all powered by your support and donations!
Watch our teens learn to make this classic Thai dish:
16 oz. dry or fresh rice noodles, at least ¼ inch in thickness (4 oz or 100g per person)
4 Tbsp. peanut or rice bran oil for frying (1 tbsp per person, because you’ll fry each portion separately)
8 oz. pack of extra firm tofu cubed
4 large eggs
2 shallots diced
1 bundle fresh scallions or garlic chives chopped into ½ inch pieces
2 cups bean sprouts
2 Tbsp fresh minced garlic
Time Saving Tip: Cooking for a big group and don’t want to cook each portion separately? Stir fry all your small ingredients together (shallot, tofu, etc) and then add your proteins and get them fully cooked. Set this aside and use the empty wok to cook your noodles and egg in batches. As each ingredient finishes add it to a mixing bowl where you can mix the ingredients again before serving.
Even the busiest street food stalls don’t make more than 1-2 portions of noodles per wok at a time. This is because if you rush the noodles and overload your wok, you end up with some noodles being overcooked, while others are terribly chewy. You can also swap your rice noodles for an easier type of noodle to cook in large quantities, like instant noodles. This is exactly what we do in our kid’s version of pad thai.
The first time you make an authentic version of pad thai, we recommend you give yourself some extra time for prep to organize and chop all of your ingredients.
Pad Thai Sauce Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
½ cup diced shallots
¾ cup fresh tamarind pulp
¼ cup water (to adjust the texture of the tamarind pulp)
3-4 Tbsp. palm sugar
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
pinch of white pepper and dried chili flakes to taste
pinch of paprika for color
Optional Ingredients & Garnish
8 oz. protein of choice (most commonly shrimp or chicken)
⅓ cup small dried shrimp (1 tbsp per person)
1 limes cut into wedges (1 lime wedge to garnish each plate)
Crushed unsalted peanuts
Dried red chili flakes
Extra bean sprouts, garlic chives, and banana blossom for garnish
Here’s a list of the most classic types of garnish in traditional pad thai. All of the most authentic version will include them, but for a homemade version of pad thai, feel free to stick to the garnish you enjoy the most!
Preparation:
Fully submerge and soak dry noodles in cold water for 20 minutes. If using fresh noodles, soak for 10 minutes. Once noodles are al dente, strain and set aside. If soaked too long, noodles will become gummy to the touch. Prep additional ingredients in advance.
Pad Thai is traditionally cooked very quickly over high heat, so laying out all ready ingredients is essential for a quality dish.
Directions:
Heat large wok on high. Add 1 tbsp oil, shallots, meat, dried shrimp and 2 oz. tofu. Cook for approximately 3 minutes until browned and protein is cooked all the way through, remove meat and set aside. Add in ½ tbsp garlic, 4oz. noodles, 1 cup sauce stirring vigorously until noodles soften. You can add in a little bit of water to help soften. Throw in ½ cup bean sprouts, pinch of garlic chives, and mix thoroughly.
Push your noodles over to one side of the wok, leaving one side clear and crack 1 egg directly into opening, scramble and cook to 80% — do not fold in. Turn down heat to low. Fold noodles over and set directly on top of egg, about 30 seconds to finish cooking. Remove from heat. Plate noodles, add extra chives, peanuts, chili flakes and lime wedges on top for garnish.
Eat and enjoy! Remember your donations help us to keep sharing recipes and training more students for courageous cooking! You can also find more info to answer your most common questions about pad thai. While this can be an intermediate level dish to make at home, once you’ve mastered cooking your rice noodles, you really can make a version that rivals that of your local Thai restaurants.
Credit: Special thanks to Christy Innouvong for writing this recipe, and Dew Napattaloong for creating the recipe video.
How much pad thai should I make at once?
Pad Thai is a one plate dish and meant to be made in single portions. This recipe includes enough ingredients for four servings. However, directions are written for single batch only. Use remaining ingredients to make additional batches if desired, sauce can be kept for a month or more if sealed well and refrigerated.
Can I cook my pad thai in advance and eat it later?
Unfortunately, this isn’t the best idea because the noodles will become gummy. We recommend prepping all the pad thai ingredients and sauce in advance. This will make it easier when you begin to stir fry. After you stir fry your noodles, you should eat it immediately for the best result. If the noodles have a chance to cool, they will begin to clump together.
To save time, cook your other ingredients in advance. They can be thrown in the wok to reheat, while you cook your noodles. This will save time and be much tastier than having microwave reheated, leftover pad thai.
How different is pad thai in Thailand versus elsewhere?
We find that many versions of pad thai (including some in Thailand) are overly sweet. This is likely due to varying ways to make the pad thai sauce. The sauce should balance the sourness and sweetness, and be tangy when you eat the noodles. If your noodles are too sweet, this flavor will dominate your experience of the dish, and the medley of flavors from ingredients such as the dried shrimp and radish will be muted. We’re aware some people may prefer this, but we want to give you a Thai perspective on how pad Thai should really taste!
Is pad thai Thailand’s national dish?
No. Pad Thai is Thailand’s most well known dish. You may argue that the dish is more popular in western countries than it is in Thailand. This makes finding a tasty, authentic version difficult to find in Bangkok. We recommend hunting down a restaurant that specializes in these noodles, or you can always learn to make this recipe in our Courageous Kitchen cooking class.
Can I add meat to this recipe?
Yes, pad thai is most commonly made with chicken or shrimp. You can add 50-100 grams of meat per serving. However if you decide to add shrimp, we recommend you saute the shrimp first.
Unlike the chicken, the shrimp is easy to overcook and may begin to come apart as you vigorously stir your noodles together. Instead, we recommend you shallow fry them first in a few teaspoons of oil. When the shrimp is cooked, set aside. Then keep your now shrimp flavored oil for your batch of pad thai!
What other versions of pad thai should I try?
We love the egg wrapped version of pad thai. This is created by making a thin omelette style wrapper and adding your cooked noodles inside. This can be a lot of work when you’re hungry, but if you’ve got extra time and hands in the kitchen, it is delicious and looks beautiful as well.
In addition to egg wrapped pad thai, there is a version of pad thai cooked in Thailand’s eastern coastal provinces that diverges away from the common versions most people know. In places like Pattaya, Chonburi, Chantaburi, and Rayong you can find pad thai cooked with chunks of crab meat! These coastal regions also prefer a very oily sweet sauce, made by using the oil from the head of the shrimp. They will also use ‘sen jan’ (ผัดไทเส้นจันท์), which are thinner rice noodles than typically used in better known versions. Although thinner, the noodles hold up better for stir frying and are used in other recipes in this region as well.
We appreciate you checking in with us this month and we’ve got two big announcements to share from Bangkok. The first is that there’s a piece of equipment we’ve needed for quite some time and it’s finally arrived. We’ll give you a hint, it’s not a giant oven, or some expensive “must-have” kitchen gadget.
From Your Hood to Ours
If you’ve been following our story, a few months back we renovated a run down house to be a kitchen space with the help of funding from Bangkok Patana School. The new space allowed for use to have more room to host the swarming children of the neighborhood, who all seem interested in cooking at once. However, even after painting, replacing the floor, and knocking out a wall, the new space still wasn’t much of a kitchen.
That’s because doing more cooking in large groups was nearly impossible to do safely with the little to no airflow in the building. In Thailand, most kitchens are powered by portable gas burners which can be dangerous to use with out safety precautions, including having good ventilation. This also meant when we made traditional chili filled Thai dishes, we didn’t have to do much before everyone in the room was coughing and choking on the spiced filled air which couldn’t escape the room.
The good news is we have just installed a custom made exhaust hood into the room. We should have done this a few months ago, but honestly there had been several delays in making the hood happen. We appealed to private donors and to foundations offering grants, but none of the parties were interested in the not so flashy upgrade to our kitchen. Instead we used funding from your efforts to fund cooking classes this year, and spent about $500 to install a new ventilation hood. The new hood will not only improve the safety of our students, but because it is large enough to accommodate more than one burner, it will also open up greater possibilities for our cooking curriculum in the future.
Securing our Bridge to You
The other big safety upgrade is a bit technical, as we’ve just installed an SSL certificate to encrypt our website. To put it in laymen’s terms, we’ve improved the security of our site to be sure your information is safe. This means whether you’re making a donation, booking a cooking class in Bangkok, or just purchasing a t-shirt, all your information is transmitted safely and securely.
The added encryption to our website also opens up more possibilities in the future as we grow. For example, the added security may expedite further development of online teaching resources, and fundraising products for our own mini-marketplace. And more importantly, it means you can give not only with Paypal, but with any credit card you want, without fretting about being exposed to fraud.
We’re steadily building towards ambitious goals to connect better with you and improve the lives of our students and their families here in Thailand. Thank you for joining us on this journey and stick with us as we grow, and strive to conquer our most ambitious and challenging year yet!
Few things are as powerful at bringing us together as the plate!
Admit it, there’s something special about coming together at the dinner table, even when our worlds might seem far a part. Take a look at the following Canadian ad campaign for #EatTogether and we hope it inspires you to share a meal in your community with someone new, and considering sponsoring a meal for someone who can’t afford nutritious food.
When bans, barriers, or even our technology threaten to keep people a part, let’s strive a little harder to eat together.
We hope this short ad inspires you to be inclusive in your eating and we’re confident you’ll not only be rewarded with delicious food, but with some new friends too. If you’re Bangkok bound or based, we hope to connect and share a plate and laugh with you soon!
This past week our Courageous Kitchen students had the opportunity for a special visit to local international school Bangkok Patana. There the teens participated in a student led baking activity, making chocolate chip cookies and dark chocolate brownies with students from 8 international schools from around the city. The activity was part of the 2017 ServICE Conference which aims to engage young leaders at international schools to discover ways they can more actively give back.
On the first day of the conference the participants were divided up for activities with several NGOs and small charities, where they could serve the organizations with direct action in some way. Students who indicated interest in “No Hunger”, one of the new Sustainable Development Goals, joined our Courageous Kitchen students in the Bangkok Patana cooking classroom. These students who are passionate about ending extreme hunger, improving agricultural practices, and eliminating food waste — had probably not been expecting to spend the day baking and making friends with our kids from a community in Bangkok where food can be scarce.
This activity was also rewarding because, although our students have been cooking as a part of the Courageous Kitchen activities for more than two years, our kitchen facilities are basic compared to what you would find in a western kitchen. Instead the cooking we mostly do involves Thai or Asian recipes requiring minimal electrical equipment. This means CK students are pros are stir frying on a gas burner, but had not had the opportunity to bake before. When the activity began they were forced to learn very quickly how to deal with wax paper, induction stoves, electronic scales, and the sometimes tricky controls of built-in ovens.
The activity was a giant success, and although not all of the baked goods came out as planned, the new friendships made, and young minds expanded were beyond everyone’s expectations.
All photos are credited to volunteer photographer Alisa Suwanrumpha.
