Another Thai Home Cooking feast – lockdown birthday edit

It must have been about a fortnight ago that I last blogged about Thai Home Cooking, but they are really that bloody good, here they are again! Plus having a birthday in lockdown isn’t the most inspiring, in terms of content creation – because you can’t do anything! I mean, I did say I was going to have Thai on my birthday… and rather than subtle hints, I asked, I ordered, and I ate!

For those that are local, and haven’t heard of Thai Home Cooking – where have you been? I came across them on the Eat & Explore MK Facebook group, where they solidly received rave reviews. Simon and Ni are based in Brooklands and offer collection (in half-hourly slots) as well as delivery (double check days, times and radius) on a really wonderful, and authentic Thai set menu (plus the option to purchase extras).

The menu we sampled was for January 13-16^th, although this week, the menu is only available on Friday and Saturday. Check out the Facebook page for the next menu, and any other updates. But let’s talk about this dinner – it really was quite the birthday feast and was accompanied by a gorgeous sparkling rosé (thanks work!).

Starters: Prawn toast, steamed Thai dumplings, duck spring rolls

I wrote in my last post how incredible the prawn toasts were – so crisp, not greasy and full of meaty prawn flavour. They were just as good the second time around. Honestly, the best prawn toasts I have ever had. I’m going to make it my aim to learn how to make them… I feel like I need some hobbies.

The dumplings were really amazing too. I’ll be honest, I always prefer fried gyozas and dumplings to steamed. There was a really good dim sum restaurant I used to go to when working in Colchester, and nothing compared. I often find that they're quite glutinous, with a soggy or stodgy texture. These dumplings were so packed with filling, that was all you could taste. They were so soft, yet really meaty – and were accompanied with the tastiest dipping sauce. We had two each, but I could have eaten the whole platter.

And because it was my birthday, not only did I get the cutest Happy Birthday message (also written in Thai) on my paper delivery bag, Ni threw in a portion of complimentary duck spring rolls too. Those were on the set menu last time, and we thoroughly enjoyed them. Breaking them in half to dip in the hoi sin sauce, you could see all the shredded duck and veg just pour out. Definitely no scrimping on filling, or portions.

And of course, we accompanied our picky starters with a basket (well, bowl) of spicy Thai prawn crackers. Frankly, I could have binged on them all night… but they didn’t last long!

Main courses: Green curry with chicken, beef pad char, crispy duck in hoi sin sauce, served with jasmine rice

I’d never had pad char until trying the New Year’s menu and I was really impressed the last time. I guess I always order curries when I have Thai, so wouldn’t consider ordering from a stir-fry section, or similar. The beef was incredible, so tender and delicious. I really need to know what kind of beef that Asian cookery uses – because it’s always so thin and cooked beautifully… I’m never able to recreate it at home. The chilli and peppercorns added a lot of heat, but the dish was so flavoursome.

The green curry was really fragrant, but also had a really nice level of spice. There was plenty of chicken, and it was packed full of veg: peppers, courgette and bamboo shoots. The sauce just soaked into the rice, giving it more flavour. I do love a jasmine rice, though.

And then we ordered the duck from the specials, as an additional dish (£9.50). Unfortunately, there was a small mishap when we got home, and I realised that said duck wasn’t in our bag. But we were super fortunate that Simon was heading out for deliveries, so he offered to bring it over to us. It saved me a journey and meant I could get straight on the fizz – and also gave us a break in between courses. The duck was so worth waiting for. It was cooked perfectly, with the skin so crispy. It came with a rich hoi sin sauce, and luckily, we had some additional sauce from the spring rolls… and it all served us well the next day.

Dessert: Kluai buat chi (banana in coconut milk)

The dessert was also complimentary, given as part of the set menu. I had never had an authentic Thai dessert before (unless fritters count?), so I didn’t really know what to expect. I also wasn’t too sure on the ideal temperature of the dessert, so I warmed it through in the microwave. I think on reflection, it probably should have been cold. I’m not sure how I feel about warm banana. But the sweet coconut milk was really warming, and the creaminess complemented the banana well. It was really nice to try something new and unheard of.

The set menus are priced at £24.50 for two people, which really is great value. The portions are always really big – and once again, we had leftovers for the next day. There are always plenty of options, in terms of ordering additional items – including Pad Thai, a salad option, and lots of appetisers. As I mentioned, be sure to follow the Facebook page for all the latest updates.

Love, Lucy xx

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