On February 23 &24, Chef Patrick Ratanapunna of Orange Lion treated us to a Thai feast!
นำ้ปลาหวาน
Nam Pla Wan
Thai Fruit Dip
Nam Pla Wan is a dipping sauce made from palm sugar, shallots, chilies, fish sauce, and shrimp. This sweet, salty, and umami sauce is traditionally served with tart green mangoes, but it also works well with any tart, firm fruit. Patrick is serving his with both green mangos and green apples.
Gluten-free/Vegan Option: Salad Rolls with a miso sesame vinaigrette. (Similar to Vietnamese summer rolls, this popular Thai street food features veggies wrapped in rice paper)
เนื้อแดดเดียว
Neua Dad Deow
Sun-dried Beef Jerky
‘Neua’ means “beef” and “dad deow” is “ sunlight only,” suggesting that the beef is only made when dried under the hot Thai sun for about a day. It’s been a popular dish since ancient times, because without refrigeration, people needed to find ways of preserving meat. Before drying, Patrick marinates the beef in fish sauce and thin soy sauce.
GF Jerky available. Vegan Option: Mixed mushroom Laab with a cabbage wedge
ส้มตำไทย
Som Tum
Thai Green Papaya Salad
This palace-style papaya salad is made with green papaya, dried shrimp, fish sauce, tamarind juice, lime juice, lime zest, garlic
Gluten-free. Vegan option Green Papaya Salad available
ข้าวเหนียว
Khao Niew
Sticky Rice
This rice is a ubiquitous part of Thailand’s street food stalls, and in Northern Thailand, where it is often a staple of the meal. With just enough chew and stickiness to make it addictive, it’s often paired with roasted meats and papaya salad, or enjoyed all on its own with a variety of sauces.
Vegan and Gluten-free.
แกงกะหรี่เนื้อ
Gaeng Garee
Thai Yellow Curry with Beef
This richly spiced but relatively mild coconut-based curry has become extremely popular outside of Thailand. This version is a royal palace recipe from the 19th Century. A combination of ground dried spices (chili, galangal, lemongrass, shallot, garlic, coriander, cumin, and curry powder) give this curry its characteristic orange-yellow hue. Cherry tomatoes, onion, Thai eggplant, yellow potatoes, shrimp paste, palm sugar, and fish sauce compliment the beef and spices.
Served with spicy cucumber relish and Thai jasmine rice
Gluten-free. Vegan Option: Fried Tofu in a vegan curry
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวคั่วไก่
Guay Tiew Gai Cheek
Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
It seems like every culture has their own version of chicken soup, and Thai cuisine is no different! The Thai flavor comes from thin soy sauce, sugar, onion, cilantro/coriander roots, white pepper, garlic, lemongrass, fried garlic, chili garlic vinegar, dried ground chili, preserved cabbage, and peanuts. Shredded chicken and wide rice noodles are added to this flavorful chicken broth.
Gluten-free. Vegan option: mushroom soup with tofu available
โรตีกล้วยหอม
Banana Roti
Thai Banana Pancake
Roti is a Thai pancake with Muslim/Indian origins. The dough, made with eggs, butter, sugar, and milk, has a rich, flaky, and slightly sweet profile. Roti can be paired with a variety of fillings, including egg, banana, mango, peanut butter and even curry. But Banana Roti is the most popular with tourists visiting Thailand. The bananas are tucked inside the roti which will be brushed with butter and topped with pandan- and ube-flavored condensed milk.
Gluten-free and Vegan options: Mini tapioca pearls w/ salted coconut cream and shredded coconut meat.
Meet the Chef
Patrick Ratanapunna
Originally born in Chicago, Patrick moved to the Atlanta area when he was six years old while periodically going back and forth to Thailand. He got his start with food working at his mother's Thai restaurant, Thai Star in Norcross, in 1999 -- which he eventually left behind, believing he wanted nothing to do with the food industry. But after being laid off after ten years as a technical recruiter, a glimmer of something new caught his attention.
During COVID, Patrick and his wife Colette had started watching historical Thai dramas together. They renewed his interest in Thai cooking, as well as the preservation of Thai dishes that were near impossible to find in Atlanta.
After his layoff, Patrick opened Orange Lion as a stall at well-known food hall Qommunity in East Atlanta Village. Named for a stuffed orange lion he loved as a child, Patrick focuses on a mix of paying homage to the rich traditions of ancient Thai cooking and foods he loved from his childhood. Today, you can find Orange Lion popping up all over town, from special events to brewery residencies.
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