Julia Barretto And JP Anglo Bring The Thai Chatuchak Experience At Home

Pad thai and tom yum are classic Thai recipes that will instantly transport you to the busy streets of the Chatuchak Weekend Market, one of the largest markets in Southeast Asia that’s located in Bangkok, Thailand.

Chatuchak is home to many antiques and memorabilia, fresh produce, and authentic Thai cuisine. Imagine over 15,000 booths catering to more than 200,000 visitors every week. It’s basically a hotspot to experience the best of Thai culture.

In this episode of Kitchen Nomad with Chef JP Anglo and Julia Barretto, the chef and chef-in-the-making pair bring us back to that authentic Thai experience through delicious and aromatic Thai dishes. Although Thai cuisine is delicious enough on its own, Chef JP also shares two secret techniques to bring an interesting twist to these classics.

First up is pad thai—what Chef JP calls the Thais’ version of our pancit canton. Unlike our pancit canton which is mostly salty and savory, pad thai is a unique mix and balance of a lot of different flavors. It’s a bit salty, sour, a bit sweet, with the right level of umami.

Strong aromatics and a spicy edge are hallmarks of Thai cuisine. That’s why the key to making any Thai dish, just like the pad thai, is bringing together the right mix of combination of flavors to nail that complex taste.

It sounds intimidating, especially if you’re trying to balance all of these tastes in one dish, but Chef JP makes everything a tad bit easier by incorporating classic Knorr staples that you’d usually find in your pantry: sinigang mix, chicken cubes, and liquid seasoning. Just with these three ingredients, you already have the sour and umami flavors pat down!

And remember that dainty omelette that sits on top of the pad thai? Chef JP’s secret tip to make your egg more flavorful: elevate your omelette with spirits! You can use white rum, white wine, or even soju.

Just like pad thai, tom yum has that complex balance of flavors that may sound intimidating for some, but is actually pretty simple. If you want to play around with your usual sinigang game, try making tom yum at home. All you need is your trusty sinigang mix, pork cubes, and some readily available aromatics sitting on your counter or refrigerator.

Chef JP’s secret technique to make the tom yum soup a bit thicker: add a good helping of Knorr ginataang gulay mix. Depending on how thick you want your tom yum to be, you can even add the whole packet!

The perfect balance and blend of these ingredients make a well-rounded tom yum, with the right level of sourness to make you go—in Julia’s words—“asim kilig!”

Watch the full second episode of Kitchen Nomad with Chef JP Anglo and Julia Barretto below. Stay tuned to Metro.style on social media and on Youtube for the next episodes, where we will explore more Asian cuisines.

CHICKEN PAD THAI

Prep time: 30 mins 

Cook time: 30 mins No. of servings: 4 servings

Sauce Ingredients:

3 tbsp coconut sugar/ muscovado sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp Knorr Sinigang Mix Original

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 pc Knorr chicken cubes

Egg Omelette:

2 pcs eggs, beaten

2 tbsp fish sauce

1/4 cup sliced leeks

Main Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil

1 pc chopped red onions

1 tbsp chopped garlic

2 tbsp hibi (dried shrimp) -- optional

1/2 cup chicken thigh, cut into thin strips

1/2 cup shrimps, peeled w/ tail intact, deveined (optional)

400 grams rice noodles, cooked according to package directions

Toppings:

1/2 cup fried cubed tofu

1 cup bean sprouts (togue), washed and properly drained

1/4 cup garlic peanuts (or garlic and peanuts), roughly chopped

2 tbsp toasted chopped garlic

Bunch of coriander leaves

To make sauce:

1. Combine all ingredients for the sauce and bring to a simmer

To make egg omelette:

1. In a bowl, add eggs, fish sauce, leeks

2. In a wok, cook egg until crispy

3. Set aside and cut into strips

Main procedure:

1. In a wok, add oil, saute onions, garlic, shrimp

2. Then add your cooked rice noodles and sauce

3. Cook together with a thong or fork so you don't break the noodles

4. To plate, transfer on a serving dish. Top with shredded egg omelette, peanuts and coriander leaves.

TOM YUM SOUP

Ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 stalks lemongrass, root ends pounded

2 pcs sili labuyo

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 inch knob pc ginger / turmeric, sliced thinly

1 pc grilled tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 cup button mushroom, sliced

3 tbsp calamansi juice

1/2 cup gata (or use Knorr Gata Mix or evaporated milk)

1 pc Knorr Pork Cubes

2 pcs bayleaf

3 tbsp Knorr Liquid Seasoning

3 cups water

2 blocks tofu, cubed

(Sprite)

(pork bone)

Procedure:

1. In a pot, sautee onions, garlic, lemongrass and bayleaf. Add water and then add the rest of the ingredients.