One of our favorite dishes at The King and I restaurant is their Pad Kai Long Song.
Traditionally this dish, also know as Swimming Rama,
is made with succulent strips of tender chicken sauteed in a peanut sauce then served on a bed of spinach.
It’s got something to do with the savory peanut sauce and the way it softens the spinach, I think.
Or maybe it’s because it’s just so dang awesome?
Like every dish Mel’s kitchen creates.. every single one, perfect.. every single time we visit.
And Mel is always there to greet us.. every single time.. as he has since the day he opened his restaurant.
♥
We’ve been “Veganizing” everything around here lately.
I couldn’t wait to make Swimming Rama bowls for dinner. As a back up for our Tofu version, I quickly sauteed some chicken pieces for the guys.. who also sampled the tofu!
So, it looks like this Veganish Dish is a hit!
After tense moments of experimenting and adding this and that, I landed on a combination that we all loved.
And.. then discovered that Mel already has this version on his menu, aptly named
Pad Tofu Long Song
I know what we’ll be ordering next time!
♥
The first time this dish was made, all of the spinach was piled on top of the sauce in the saute pan.
We stirred and let the spinach wilt and simmer into the sauce. We all agreed that, while it tasted wonderful, it was a bit rich. So the next bowl was made with a nest of lightly sauteed and wilted spinach with a spoonful of coconut rice over top, tofu or chicken pieces added and the spicy peanut sauce drizzled over to taste. Sprinkle a few roasted peanuts sprinkled over top to garnish.
♥
- 1 block medium firm tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes
- splash of tamari sauce
- splash of sesame oil
- 3 (.50 kg) chicken breasts, cut into bite sized strips* (optional for Pad Kai version)
- 1 tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil
- 2 bell peppers, slivered
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch knob fresh ginger, minced
- 1-2 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 400 ml can lite coconut milk
- 2 tbsp red curry paste
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 284 kg (10 oz) (or less as needed) baby spinach
- Cooked basmati rice with unsweetened coconut stirred in.
- Roasted peanuts for garnish.
- Place the tofu pieces in a bowl, splash over tamari sauce and sesame oil to taste. Refrigerate occasionally stirring to make sure all pieces are coated.
- Optional, non vegan: Add the oil to a large wok or frying pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces and saute until they begin to brown and are cooked through. When they have almost finished cooking, Set the chicken aside in another bowl.
- Working quickly add a little more oil to your wok and saute the peppers, garlic, ginger and chili flakes.
- Once the peppers have softened, stir in the lite coconut milk, red curry paste, peanut butter, and sesame oil. Whisk all ingredients together until heated through and blended. Set sauce aside.
- Wipe the wok clean or in another skillet, heat a tiny bit of olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the spinach for a few minutes until it is slightly wilted but still holding its shape.
- Heap spinach in each bowl, top with basmati rice, tofu or chicken, drizzle with peanut sauce and garnish with roasted peanuts.
♥
I feel like a Swimming Rama.. under water, I’m still up to my neck in editing my real estate webpage. If you’d like to take a peak, it’s at Barb Bamber Realty
It’s so much work filling up a new blog with content!
This looks delicious, Smidge.
Looks wonderful. I alway thought it would be tricky to recreate a dish like this in Spain but I think I have all the ingredients easily available!
Your plate is gorgeous, Smidge. I love Thai food and this is a beautifully presented dish. I love to cook Thai at home and this is something I will add to my family stir-fry meals xx
Your dish looks amazingly delicious! I love Thai food but my wife doesn’t so I don’t cook it at home much at all 🙂
I LOVE to veganize old favorites!! I also love EVERYTHING you’ve been making, but you already know that. I would love to come over for dinner..and of course, DESSERT!
Peanut sauce and tofu…both are my favourites. Yum!
What a mouthwatering recreation of this dish, your photos are making me smell it right here from down under 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Sounds like Mel runs a great place! This is such a great dish, and such a nice way to use tofu. Love the flavors — this would be a winner at our house. Thanks so much.
I love that you have “veganized” this wonderful dish, Smidge. I think the tofu is a great replacement for the chicken, and it definitely appeals to me. It’s not at all unusual for me to serve dishes two ways–with and without meat! I look forward to making this dish at home, but I enjoy a great little Thai place close to work and think I’ll see if they offer this tasty dish. I may have a new favorite. 🙂
I’m usually not a big fan of Thai food, but this recipe is really tempting 🙂 I might just have to take the plunge and make it! Beautiful photography, as always 🙂
Looks great Smidge! I love that it is made with ingredients that I normally have on hand. A must try!
Thanks, Tessa!
Hey, thanks, Tessa:) I dropped in to visit your blog (finally catching up after a few weeks of website building!!) and read your latest blog posts but comments are closed on them?? Maybe you know that already… but I’ll email you as well! xx
What a great looking plate of food, Barb,and how wonderful that you were able to recreate it from a favorite restaurant. What a sense of satisfaction when you find the right combination of ingredients and method! I think I could tackle this and whether I do, you’ve given me something to look for on my local Thai restaurant menus. Your business blog has a clean, professional appearance, Barb, just as I knew it would. It’s “got you” all over it. 🙂
Hey, thanks, John! I just finished up today.. whew! I have to wait for summer to get nicer community photos, but at least there’s pics in place on each page.. and content, so much content to write because it has to be done all at once it was a ton of work! Glad you liked it!
Congrats Smidge on being done with building your business blog. I don’t think we are ever done but may done fiddling with it this week is probably the better wording.. LOL I love this vegan dish full of great flavors and fresh veggies. I also like the idea of stirring in unsweetened coconut into the rice. Have a super week. BAM
I have never tried tufu before. I’ve had bad experience with Thai food 🙂 and ever since I quit. I think the problem is in ME as I’ve heard good things about Thai cuisine. I should start again with your recipe looks so tempting. Great post and great photos too. Congrats.
What a stunning dish! Also, love your note about the spinach and the richness of the sauce, that’s a great tip to remember for the future.
Oh gosh, this looks fantastic, chicken or tofu! It’s always so rewarding to be able to recreate favorite meals at home. Thanks Barb for taking the guess work out of this dish for us.
Restaurants (or anyone!) who can turn out the same dish time and again perfectly totally amaze me, Smidge. Mine taste different every time (some good, some not so) 🙂
Looks delicious. I like your recipe cards idea, but curiosity is killing me- got to come view the real estate.
This looks so good and fresh .. and the way you style your photo – makes it jump out from the screen. Big chicken lover, so this will bookmarked now. *smile