Tampa chef reveals method for recreating restaurant style Thai dishes at home

Home cooks in the Tampa Bay area often seek guidance on replicating restaurant quality meals without specialized equipment or ingredients.

On October 29, FOX 13 Tampa Bay aired a segment featuring Chef Chanon Siriphaisan of Royal Thai restaurant, who demonstrated how to prepare two specific dishes.

The first recipe is a spicy basil fried rice with shrimp. The chef instructs cooks to rinse jasmine rice three times before cooking it and allowing it to cool slightly. The process begins by searing one pound of shrimp in vegetable oil over medium-high heat until fully cooked. In the same pan, chefs add more oil to sauté a white onion until it turns lightly golden.

The cooked rice is added to the pan and stir-fried with the onion. The mixture is seasoned with one to two ounces of black soy sauce and one-half teaspoon of salt. The shrimp are returned to the pan along with two bell peppers and a bunch of fresh Thai basil. The ingredients are stirred briefly until the basil becomes fragrant and wilts. The dish is served hot with fresh cucumber on the side.

The second recipe is a Thai steak salad designed to be low in carbohydrates. The method requires grilling one steak seasoned with one-half teaspoon of salt until it reaches the desired level of doneness. The meat must rest for three to four minutes before being sliced into bite-sized pieces.

The salad base consists of a cucumber, two tomatoes, two green onions, and a red onion. These vegetables are combined in a bowl with the sliced steak. The dressing is made with one tablespoon of cooking oil, one-half teaspoon of sugar, and the juice of one to two limes. The mixture is tossed until coated and served over a head of green leaf lettuce.

Chef Siriphaisan stated that these dishes bring authentic flavor to home kitchens. Viewers can watch the full demonstration on the Dinner DeeAs program, which airs on weekdays at 1 p.m. on FOX 13 Tampa Bay and at 7 a.m. on FOX 35 Plus in Orlando.