If you're nuts about Thai food, we've found just what you need. With 23 branches spread across London, Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester and Birmingham, Rosa's Thai Cafe offers something for every mood. The Cafe was started by Saiphin Moore, who brought flavours from her native homeland Thailand to London.
Be it a brunch with your friends, sipping on a delicious cup of coffee accompanied by a sumptuous dessert or a date night with your loved one, Rosa's Thai Café has been a popular spot for food-lovers. Their myriad of Thai options and visually appealing cocktails has often left guests confused. From their butternut curry to the prawn pad Thai, and chicken champion to the spicy seafood hot plate, Rosa's offers a variety of vibrant dishes using seasonal ingredients, including the signature Red butternut curry with sweet basil and Drunken noodles with galangal. And we promise, every dish melts in the mouth and leaves you wanting more. And of course, a special mention for their Thai & Stop Me cocktail that is a must-try.
With a promise of offering mouth-watering food time and time again, the chain is popular amongst all age groups. However, if you’d rather not venture out or want to entertain guests at home, Rosa's Thai's chef Saiphin Moore brings to you an array of Thai recipes that will help you recreate the delicious experience at home. From meat and vegetarian dishes to vegan options, it's time to cook up a delicious Rosa's Thai Cafe meal for the weekend. Here are three recipes that we highly recommend!
Rosa’s Thai Cafe - Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
1-10 red bird’s eye chillies (depending on how brave you are)
5 small (or 2–3 large) garlic cloves
1 1⁄2 tablespoons palm sugar
2 yard-long beans (or green beans), cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces
4 cherry tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (or 2 teaspoons salt)
1⁄2 medium green papaya, peeled and shredded
1 carrot, shredded
2 tablespoons dried shrimp (leave out for a vegetarian alternative)
Method
1. In a small, dry frying pan, toast the peanuts over a medium heat until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. (There’s also a ready-toasted alternative you can find in the supermarkets).
2. Coarsely pound the chillies and garlic together using a pestle and mortar. Add the palm sugar, beans and tomatoes. Lightly pound to combine, then squeeze in the lime juice and fish sauce.
3. Lightly pound again, then add the green papaya and carrot. Pound again and toss to combine. The taste should be sweet and salty in perfect balance, with a sharp, sour and spicy tang.
4. Spoon the salad into a serving bowl and sprinkle over the dried shrimp and toasted peanuts.
Lao Cafe: Grilled Whole Sea Bass
Ingredients:
1 whole sea bass, scaled and gutted (or other sustainably caught medium-size white fish like sea bream or tilapia)
1 stalk of lemongrass, sliced
4-5 stalks of coriander (save the leaves for dipping sauce)?1 galangal, sliced (available from Asian supermarkets, leave out if you can’t find it)
2 cloves of garlic, whole
A handful of Thai or Italian basil leaves
For the marinade:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper, crushed
For the dipping sauce:
2-3 bird eyes chillies, finely chopped
1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)
A handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Method:
1. Rub the marinade mixture liberally on both sides of the fish skin.
2. Stuff the lemongrass, coriander stalks, galangal, garlic, and basil inside the fish.
3. Wrap the fish in foil and place on the barbeque for 15-20 minutes depending on the size, until the flesh flakes easily.
4. While the fish is cooking, make the dipping sauce by combining the ingredients together. Make sure that the sugar is dissolved completely.
5. Serve the fish from the foil, set a bowl of sticky rice or rice noodles and salads on the side, and dig in!
Grilled Pork Skewers In Thai Marinade
Ingredients:
500g (Ilb) boneless pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices
sticky rice, to serve
For the marinade:
3 coriander roots, roughly chopped
20 white peppercorns
4-5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
5 tablespoons oyster sauce
5 tablespoons soy sauce
5 tablespoons nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
2 tablespoons sugar
I tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons cornflour
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the dipping sauce:
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
red chilli, finely chopped
Method:
1. Pound the garlic, peppercorns, coriander roots and coriander seeds using a pestle and mortar.
2. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, honey, cornflour and vegetable oil and mix well.
3. Meanwhile, place 8 wooden skewers in water and leave them to soak.
4. Preheat a grill or griddle pan until very hot. Meanwhile, thread the marinated pork onto skewers (2 or 3 slices per skewer).
5. Grill or griddle the skewers for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
6. Mix together the ingredients for the dipping sauce.
7. Serve the skewers with sticky rice and the dipping sauce.
www.RosasThaiCafe.com