Thai Cooking on Copper:
Recipes from the PLAYTE Kitchen Demo
Welcome to the recipe collection from our Thai Cooking on Copper Induction event at PLAYTE Kitchen. For this special demo, we explored the bold, vibrant flavors of Thai cuisine while showcasing the speed, control, and precision of cooking on Copper induction ranges. From high-heat stir-fries to balanced soups with aromatic ingredients, these recipes highlight techniques that make Thai cooking so exciting — and how responsive induction heat can help you achieve great results at home. Whether you joined us for the live demo or are discovering these dishes for the first time, we hope these recipes inspire you to turn up the heat, cook with confidence, and bring a little more Thai flavor into your kitchen.
Tom Kha Gai
Thai Coconut Chicken Soup - serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups chicken stock, unsalted, preferably homemade
1 ½ cups coconut milk
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb chicken thigh, boneless skinless, cut 1-inch pieces
1 stalk lemongrass, bottom half only, smashed and cut in 2-inch pieces
12 thin slices galangal
5 makrut lime leaves, twisted to bruise and torn into big chunks
1-3 Thai chilies, to taste, smashed until broken or cut into large pieces
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped palm sugar, or granulated sugar
6 oz oyster mushrooms, torn into bite-size pieces
2-3 tablespoon lime juice
chopped green onion and/or cilantro, for garnish
PROCEDURE:
Bring chicken stock to a boil, then add the salt and chicken thigh. Simmer gently for 15 minutes or until chicken is fork tender.
Add the coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, chilies, mushrooms, about half of the fish sauce, and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes to infuse.
Taste and add more fish sauce as needed. Turn off the heat and add about 2 tablespoon of the lime juice, then taste and add more as needed. Top with green onions and/or cilantro.
Serve with jasmine rice as part of a larger Thai meal, or enjoy on its own.
(Note: the herbs are for infusion only and are not meant to be eaten. Either remove them before serving or inform your guests.)
Pad Kra Pao
Thai Holy Basil Stir-fry - serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
6 cloves garlic
3 Thai chilies, or as many as you can handle
¼ cup chopped mild red chilies
⅓ cup julienned mild red chilies
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 oz ground beef, regular or lean
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted beef or chicken stock or water
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ¼ cups holy basil or regular basil leaves
3 eggs, for fried eggs (1 per person)
Oil for frying eggs, as needed
Prik Nam Pla (optional condiment)
1-2 Thai chilies, chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced or chopped (optional)
PROCEDURE:
For the Prik Nam Pla
Add chopped Thai chilies and garlic into a small bowl, then add the fish sauce and lime juice. Let this sit while you make the stir fry.
For the Stir Fry
In a mortar and pestle, pound the Thai chilies into a fine paste. Add the garlic and the chopped mild chilies and pound into just a rough paste.
Heat a wok or a large skillet over high heat, adding about 1 tablespoon of the oil if your beef is lean. Once the wok is very hot, add the beef and spread it out. Sear the beef without moving it until the underside is browned. Toss the beef, and notice how the beef will start to release quite a bit of liquid - keep stirring until all of this liquid has evaporated, and the beef starts to sizzle in its own fat. Once the beef is sizzling, allow it to cook without stirring for 15-20 seconds to brown the beef further and develop flavour, then toss, and repeat the browning 1-2 more times.
Turn the heat down to medium, push the beef to one side of the pan, and if there isn’t much fat in the pan, add a little bit more oil just so there’s enough to saute the garlic. Add the garlic and chili paste and sauté in the oil for 30 seconds until aromatic and the garlic starts to turn golden, and then toss it with the beef.
Turn the heat up to high and add about half of the stock or water, fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper; toss to mix well. Add the julienned mild chilies and toss for 30 seconds; if it’s looking too dry, add more of the stock or water.
Turn off the heat, add the basil and mix just until wilted. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more sugar or fish sauce as needed, and add a little more water or stock if it feels too dry. Set this aside while you fry the eggs.
For the Crispy Fried Eggs
To fry the eggs Thai-style, I recommend frying them 1 at a time to prevent them from sticking to each other. There are 2 options for frying eggs:
For crispy whites and semi-set yolk: Add about ¼ inch of frying oil to a small nonstick frying pan and put it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the egg and allow the egg white to bubble. Use a spoon to occasionally baste the top of the egg with oil to cook the yolk. Once the whites are crispy and browned around the edges and the yolk is set to your liking, you can remove it from the pan.
For eggs with crispy whites and runny yolk: Separate the egg white and the egg yolk. Add about ¼ inch of frying oil to a small nonstick frying pan and put it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the egg white and let it fry until the edges start to turn brown. Use your spatula to push the middle of the white down to make an indent for the yolk to sit in. Once the egg white is browned around the edges, carefully place the yolk into the indentation, and use a spoon to baste some oil around the edges of the egg yolk to help it stick to the egg white. Remove from the pan and allow to drain.
To serve, put jasmine rice on a plate, spoon the pad kra pao over half of the rice, and top everything with the fried egg. You can then drizzle the prik nam pla on top of the egg when ready to eat.