50 Women Game-Changers (in Food): #19 Pim Techamuanvivit - Pad Krapow {Spicy Stir-Fried Pork w/ Holy Basil}

In May '11, Gourmet posted a list of 50 Women Game-Changers (in Food) that runs the gamut from food writers to cookbook authors to television personalities to restauranteurs to chefs to food bloggers.  Some are a given.  Some are controversial.  Speaking the names of some brings fond childhood memories.  Speaking the names of others will make some readers cringe.  And of course, some of our favorites were not even included.  We food-lovers are a passionate bunch of people and whether we agree or disagree, every woman on this list has earned her place for a reason.  Being a woman who is passionate about food (cooking, eating, talking about, writing about, photographing), when I caught wind of Mary from One Perfect Bite's idea of cooking/blogging her way through each of these 50 women...one per week...I knew I wanted to join her.  Many of these women paved the way for us in culinary school, in the kitchen, in cookbooks, in food writing, and on television and I think it is a fabulous way to pay tribute to their efforts.  Some of the women on the list have been tops with me for years.  Some I have heard of (perhaps even seen, read, or cooked from) before.  And there are even a handful that I am not familiar with at all.  I excited to educate myself on each of these women game-changers and hope you look forward to reading along.  We are going in order from 1 to 50.

the "Gourmet" prompt...

19. Pim Techamuanvivit- Bangkok–born Pim (the last name is rarely used; who can spell it?) is the eating—as opposed to cooking—blogger, who started Chez Pim in 2001. She was quickly noticed by Old Media, who roped her in for some techie cred. The inevitable book, The Foodie Handbook, followed in the fall of 2009.

Pim is a pretty well-known name in the food blogging world.  I believe it is, at least.  She's one of "the big ones" (ie, the first ones).  She grew up in Bangkok, but as an adult found herself loving and living in the San Francisco Bay area.  One of the coolest things she's done (amidst many...and in my own opinion) is to be a judge on Iron Chef America.  I've always wanted to do that!  She also has a book out called The Foodie Handbook: The (Almost) Definitive Guide to Gastronomy (<---click it...you can get a copy for as low as 6 cents.  6 cents!).  You can visit her at Chez Pim.

Browsing through Chez Pim to find something to make this week (since I haven't been able to find a copy of her book locally), I knew I wanted to make something Thai.  And what's better than a popular street food from a country to transport you for a little while?  Not much.  While you can make it with most any type of protein like chicken, pork, or beef, you can also make it with tofu.  I went with the pork version since I couldn't get it out of my head.  Pim gives a method since no recipe is really required, but I wrote out what I used (based on Pim's guidelines) as I went along.  I did add a little lemongrass to mine (even though I'm not sure if that is at all traditional).  

Pad Krapow 
{Spicy Stir-Fried Pork w/ Holy Basil} 

adapted from Chez Pim

makes ~4 servings

oil, as needed for sauteeing

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 smallish (3-4") stalks lemongrass, tender parts only, minced very fine

3 birds-eye chiles (or other small, hot chiles), chopped small

handful of bell peppers, julienned (various colors)

1 lb. ground pork (preferably w/ a bit of fat) 

fish sauce (or soy sauce if you don't like fish sauce)

big handful of Bai Krapow (Holy Basil)

salt & pepper, to taste

to serve:

cooked jasmine rice

4 fried eggs (over-easy)

lime wedges

Slick a pre-heated, well-seasoned wok with a little bit of oil.  Add garlic, lemongrass, and chiles and saute for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly until soft and fragrant.  Tip the ground pork in and stir-fry it with the aromatics until done.  This will just take a few minutes.  If your pork is not fatty enough, add a bit more oil, just to keep things moving.  Add a few splashes of fish sauce (or soy) and stir it around.  Throw in the bell peppers and cook for another minute or two.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Turn off the heat and toss the basil in.  Serve immediately on a bed of warm Jasmine rice with a fried egg on top.   Squeeze a lime wedge over, if you wish.

Who is cooking along with these 50 Women Game-Changers?

Mary- One Perfect Bite, Val- More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne- Eats Well With Others, Taryn- Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan- The Spice Garden, Heather- girlichef, Miranda- Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette- Jeanette's Healthy Living, Katie- Making Michael Pollan Proud, Kathy- Bakeaway with Me, Sue- The View from Great Island, Amy- Beloved Green, Barbara- Moveable Feasts, Linda- There and Back Again, Kathleen- Gonna Want Seconds, Martha- Lines from Linderhof, Nancy- Picadillo

I am sharing this post with:
*Did you know that October is (among other things...) Pork Month!?
Friday South Asian Blog Hop w/ Katherine Martinelli