Dok Bua, Brookline, MA

There are two things that I'm embarrassed to admit with regards to Dok Bua. The first; I've walked past it probably thousands of times since I've lived in Coolidge Corner and it's taken me this long to venture inside. Which means that hiding, right there under my nose, has been delicious Thai food and this whole time I've been missing out. Secondly, I'm ashamed to admit this, but I liked my meal there so much, I went there twice this week and worse yet, I had the same dish. Something I don't recall doing. Ever.

So what's the big deal about Dok Bua? Putting all the flavors and tastes and all of those other factors that are so important to a restaurant review aside (don't worry, I'll get to that in a minute) the consistency is spot on. On both evenings, the service was equally as fast and pleasant and the meals ordered tasted equally as good. Consistency is hard to achieve night after night at any restaurant and Dok Bua does it. Additionally, their menu offers tremendous value. Selecting one of their dinner specials (pictured above) gets you one of 20 entrees, a bowl of Tom Yum Soup, a neat little ball of sticky rice, two spring rolls and two fried pork dumplings with respective sauces - all for $10.95. I dare you to find a better value in the city (and if you do, please tell me!).

Getting to the important stuff; the flavors of the dishes at Dok Bua are bold and bright. On both of my visits I ordered the Drunken Noodle dinner special which was served up hot and fresh with crisp green peppers and shreds of chicken clinging to thick rice noodle rags that were slick with a deliciously spicy sauce. The Tom Yum soup was steamy with a building heat that was softened by cooling cilantro and lemongrass. The spring rolls were golden brown and crackled with each bite, giving way to fresh shreds of cabbage and carrots.  The fried pork dumplings were crispy and contained a flavorful porky center and were served with a sweet and sticky sauce. The rice wasn't necessary to the plate but it did help cleanse the palate and cool things down a bit.

The atmosphere at Dok Bua is charming in its own way with bright colors, Thai decorations and pictures of their food plastered onto large posters and hung in various places throughout the restaurant. Towards the front of the restaurant, there's a little display of Thai snack foods, none of which appealed to my taste buds (baked cuttlefish anyone?) but I appreciate the novelty. In sum, Dok Bua is a must if yourself in Brookline, with an undeniable craving for Thai food. Fair warning though, it's so good, you might find yourself wanting to go back for a second time. And nobody, especially not me, would blame you if you ordered the same dish.

A Sweet New Carrot Peeler And Some Spicy Thai Soup

A couple weeks back, I bought a sweet new carrot peeler.  What makes this little number a little unique is the fact that its got these angry little teeth that give it the ability to finely juilianne things like carrots and zucchini and anything else you can find to julianne.  Take my word for it, this thing is flippin' awesome and I don't know why anyone didn't think of this sooner.  Or maybe they did and I just didn't know about it?  Either way, it's a huge time saver.  Just a couple of swipes down the length of the carrot and you've got yourself a set of perfect little matchsticks.  It's brilliant, really.

So last night I was craving a dish with a little Far East inspiration and something warm (what is with this weather lately?  Isn't May?  And mid-May at that!) so a soup came to mind.  I had wanted to make homemade wonton soup but the evening got away from me and I ended up with this easy Thai soup that I made even easier by taking a couple of shortcuts.  (Don't worry wonton soup fans, that is so on the list and I'll be making that soon) First, I bought a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken which saved mass amounts of time.  I also used boxed chicken broth, shaving additional minutes off my prep time.  What I was left with a delicious little soup that packed a little heat courtesy of some red curry paste (my latest new little obsession and secret ingredient).  As with pretty much all of my recipes, this dish is very versatile.  If you're interested in making it vegetarian and tofu if your style, have at it.  Want to used some thinly sliced steak instead?  Go for it.  I also used rice noodles for something a little different but in a pinch, you could use angel hair pasta or a nice whole wheat fettuccine would be fantastic.  Really, the possibilities are endless here.

Thai For Beginners

It's true.  I have never made Thai food before.  Ever.  

This dish is my take on the ever popular Chicken Satay that is found in virtually every Thai food restaurant.  Usually paired with cucumbers that are spiked with sweet rice vinegar, I wanted to make sure that was represented.  To round it all out, I served a cooling cilantro-lime rice, which paired really well with all of the other elements of this dish as well as further utilizing some basic Thai staples.  Because I had never made a spicy peanut sauce before, I ran a Google search to get some inspiration and to see what some typical components of this sauce are.  I found quite the array of ingredients ranging from coconut milk to the addition of basic red pepper flakes.  Then I stumbled upon a version that called for red curry paste and I couldn't help but get excited about adding this component to the sauce, mainly because I had never used it and was curious what type of flavor it would provide.   

So there I was, in my Small Boston Kitchen, looking at a jar of peanut butter and a small, newly purchased little jar of red curry paste, wondering what to do next..and that's when the fun started.  I find that when creating a new recipe, I like to add things very slowly and taste it as I go along and this process continues until I am fully satisfied.  When it was all said and done, I was really happy with the way the sauce came out and I've already started thinking of other ways to utilize this sauce.  Wraps for an interesting work lunch?  A noodley stir fry?  There are so many options!  And now that I made my first Thai dish, I feel ready to take on some more creations of this cuisine.  Don't be surprised if you see some Tom Yum soup or Drunken Noodles coming to a blog near you in the not too distant future...  

One special note about the red curry paste, if you are one of those that walks around saying, "I don't like curry so this isn't for me", do me a favor and try it.  I found this paste in the ethnic section of my Stop and Shop and I'm not usually a huge fan of curry but this stuff rocks.  It has an awesome spicy heat to it that makes the sauce so unique and delicious.