RECIPES: Tropical dishes and drinks to brighten winter days
The barren trees, gray skies and frigid weather of winter can leave you pining for an escape to the tropics.
While a getaway might not be possible, you can bring the flavors of the tropics to your kitchen.
For ideas on how to beat the winter blues with fruity flavors, bright colors and bold spice, we turned to three metro Atlanta restaurants: Dat Fire Jerk Chicken, 26 Thai Kitchen and Bar, and Belle & Lily’s Caribbean Brunch House.
A Thai-style papaya salad, known as som tum, is the antidote to boring lettuce. Shredded green papaya and carrots come alive when combined with Thai chiles, garlic, palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and tamarind pulp. Tukta Chadwell, executive chef at 26 Thai, usually doesn’t measure the ingredients for this vibrant dressing, and she suggests adjusting it until you hit the right balance of sweet, spicy, salty and sour.
Meanwhile, fire up the wok to make 26 Thai’s pineapple boat. A medley of stir-fried, crispy chicken, veggies and pineapple is all the more celebratory when presented in a hollowed pineapple that is striking as a serving vessel with the crown left intact.
Dat Fire Jerk Chicken chef and co-owner Jay John reaches for mango to make the jerk-style shrimp on the restaurant’s catering menu. Appropriately, his recipe is called irie mango shrimp — irie being a term in Jamaican culture that means something is pleasing.
Those irie tropical flavors can fill your glass, as well.
Sorrel, a beverage made from hibiscus flowers, is a traditional Caribbean holiday drink, but it’s a year-round star at Belle & Lily’s. Co-owner Tasha Cyril, a longtime bartender before turning restaurateur, combines sorrel with bubbles for a delicious change-of-pace mimosa.
“At this point, it would be the only mimosa I would drink,” she said. “I feel like everything else is just orange or peach — just regular.”
And, there’s nothing regular about the hibiscus gin and tonic created by Brian Seo, general manager at 26 Thai’s Midtown location and the brains behind its craft cocktail program. The gorgeous ruby color and cranberry-tart flavor of hibiscus shines in a Japanese Roku gin infusion. The process takes as little as an hour, and will leave you with a bottle you can enjoy any time you need a sip of color.
RECIPES
Thai-Style Papaya Salad (Som Tum)
This recipe from 26 Thai Kitchen & Bar is enough for one large serving or two side-salad portions. It can be scaled up easily.
- 1¾ cups shredded green papaya
- ¼ cup chopped raw green beans
- ¼ cup shredded carrot
- 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Handful roasted peanuts, chopped
- 1 to 2 Thai chiles, pounded
- 1½ tablespoons grated palm sugar or light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
- Juice of half a lime (or less, if desired)
- Cabbage leaves, for serving
- Romaine leaves, for serving
- To a medium bowl, add the green papaya, green beans, carrot, tomatoes, garlic and chopped peanuts. Set aside.
- Using a mortar and pestle, pound the Thai chiles into small pieces, until the chile skin is about the same size as the seeds. Add to the bowl of vegetables, along with palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind pulp and lime juice. Toss until very well combined. Taste and adjust until sweet, spicy, salty and sour elements are balanced.
- To serve, arrange cabbage and romaine leaves on opposite sides of a plate. Add the salad to the center of the plate. Garnish with additional chopped peanuts.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving, based on 2: 114 calories (percent of calories from fat, 4), 2 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 1 gram total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 733 milligrams sodium.
Pineapple Boat
For this dish, the shell of a pineapple with the crown left intact is used as a colorful serving vessel. The recipe involves making a sauce, battering and frying chicken, and boiling vegetables before everything comes together quickly in a wok, so be sure to have your ingredients measured and ready before you start cooking.
When demonstrating how to prepare the dish, 26 Thai’s Tukta Chadwell pointed out various modifications for preparation at home. Instead of cooking the chicken in a deep fryer, as is done at the restaurant, Chadwell said it can be fried in a heavy-bottomed pan (the method used in this recipe) or an air fryer. Also, instead of using cashews as a garnish, they can be added to the stir-fry, along with the chicken and vegetables, so they are coated in the pineapple sauce.
At 26 Thai, the dish is served with garlic-ginger fried rice. However, Chadwell suggested plain jasmine rice is a good substitute in a home kitchen.
- 1 pineapple, cut lengthwise through the crown, keeping it attached
- 4 tablespoons chile paste with soybean oil
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons grated palm sugar (or substitute light brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 cup rice flour, divided
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced thinly on the bias
- ½ to ⅔ cup celery, cut on the bias
- ½ to ⅔ cup sliced red and green bell pepper
- ½ to ⅔ cup sliced yellow onion
- 3 to 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 2 handfuls unsalted roasted cashews, for garnish
- Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
- Using a paring knife, cut into and around the perimeter of a pineapple half, about ¼ inch from the peel. Locate the core in the center and cut it out on an angle on either side (it will look like a long V) and discard. Cut the remaining pineapple into a grid of small squares. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, hollowing out the pineapple. Repeat with the remaining pineapple half. Cut the pineapple flesh into bite-size cubes. Set aside 1 cup of cubed pineapple and reserve the remaining pineapple for another use.
- In a large bowl, prepare the sauce by combining chile paste, water, palm sugar, oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder and white vinegar. Set aside.
- Fill a heavy-bottomed skillet with about 1 inch of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high. Fill a medium sauce pot with 5 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Meanwhile, on a shallow plate, mix together 1⅓ cup all-purpose flour and ⅔ cup rice flour. In a bowl, whisk together remaining 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, remaining 1/3 cup rice flour and 1 cup very cold water to make a thick, smooth slurry.
- Coat the chicken pieces with the slurry, then dredge in the flour mixture, ensuring all sides are well coated. Shake off excess flour.
- Once the oil is hot (if a pinch of flour in the hot oil sizzles immediately, it’s ready), add the chicken to the skillet in batches. Cook, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken a bowl and set aside.
- Add the celery, bell pepper, onion and mushrooms to boiling water. Let cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place a wok over high heat and add the sauce. Once the sauce is hot, use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables from the pot to the wok and toss to coat with the sauce. Add the fried chicken and the reserved ½ cup pineapple and toss again. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, periodically shaking the wok, so the sauce is distributed evenly and the vegetables and chicken do not burn.
- To serve, evenly divide the stir-fry chicken and vegetables between two reserved pineapple shells and garnish with cashews. Serve with jasmine rice on the side.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 690 calories (percent of calories from fat, 26), 53 grams protein, 76 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber, 20 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 145 milligrams cholesterol, 1,506 milligrams sodium.
Irie Mango Shrimp
Seafood lovers who enjoy spice and tropical flavors will enjoy this jerk-style mango shrimp recipe from Dat Fire Jerk Chicken chef Jay John, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Simone Kirlew.
“It gives a nice blend of sweet, and is spicy enough to add that special kick to your meal,” Kirlew said.
The couple suggested serving it alongside white or yellow rice, or even a leaf salad. “It goes great on top of fresh butter lettuce,” John said, adding, “savory shrimp can go on top of anything.”
Using low heat ensures the shrimp does not overcook and the mango sauce does not scorch. “It’s still going to be a fast process,” John said of this recipe, which comes together in minutes once the seafood has marinated.
- 1½ pounds large shrimp (31/40 count), peeled, deveined and washed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1 cup diced mango
- 1 cup mango pulp
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 bunch scallions, chopped
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Marinate 1 hour, or up to overnight for best results.
- In a small bowl, stir together the mango and mango pulp. Add ginger. Stir well. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Set aside.
- In a medium, nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add scallions, Scotch bonnet pepper, garlic and thyme. Reduce the heat to low and gently cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add the seasoned shrimp. Cook 1½ minutes per side. After about 2½ minutes, when the shrimp are almost cooked through, add the mango mixture and stir to combine. The shrimp are done when they are pink and curled.
- Garnish with parsley, and serve.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 225 calories (percent of calories from fat, 35), 24 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 9 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 215 milligrams cholesterol, 1,148 milligrams sodium.
Hibiscus Gin and Tonic
The winter cocktail menu that Brian Seo developed for the 26 Thai in Midtown features numerous infused spirits, including a hibiscus-infused gin. At the restaurant, Seo flames a rosemary sprig for additional aromatics.
- 25 to 30 whole dried hibiscus flowers
- 1 750-milliliter bottle gin (preferably Roku brand)
- Tonic water, to top
- Pink peppercorns, for garnish
- Rosemary sprig, for garnish
- Infuse the gin by adding the hibiscus flowers to a bottle of gin. (You may need to pour some of the gin into a clean jar or bottle to provide adequate space for the hibiscus.) Let sit at least 1 hour. A longer infusion will result in a deeper ruby-red color.
- To prepare the cocktail, fill a wine glass with ice. Add 2 ounces of the hibiscus-infused gin. Top with tonic water. Garnish with a few pink peppercorns and a rosemary spring.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 141 calories (percent of calories from fat, 0), no protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, no fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 4 milligrams sodium.
Hibiscus Mimosa
This mimosa recipe from Belle & Lily co-owner Tasha Cyril starts with sorrel, a tea brewed from dried hibiscus flowers and spices. Sorrel also can be served cold over ice, or even spiked with a couple of ounces of rum or port.
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
- 3 star anise pods
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
- 2 750-milliliter bottles sparkling wine
- In a medium saucepan, combine the water, hibiscus flowers, star anise and allspice. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Sweeten to taste with sugar. Let cool. Strain the sorrel and refrigerate until ready to use.
- To prepare a single cocktail, pour 1 ounce of sorrel into a Champagne glass and top with 5 ounces of sparkling wine.
- To prepare a batched version, pour 1 cup of sorrel into a large pitcher and add 1 bottle of sparkling wine. There will be enough sorrel to make 2 pitchers.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 137 calories (percent of calories from fat, 0), trace protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 8 milligrams sodium.Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
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About the Author
Ligaya Figueras is the AJC's senior editor for Food & Dining. Prior to joining the AJC in 2015, she was the executive editor for St. Louis-based culinary magazine Sauce. She has worked in the publishing industry since 1999 and holds degrees from St. Louis University and the University of Michigan.
