Circles’ Pad Kee Mow

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Chef Alex Boonphaya

Alex Boonphaya, who, at 10, moved from Thailand to Tampa, Fla., fell in love with the art of cooking when he spent weekends washing dishes at a Japanese eatery about two years later.

“They would never let me cook,” Boonphaya said of the chefs who let him help to prepare the tempuras.

Still his passion developed even though he vowed never to wash dishes again. When his parents, who sold their ethnic baked goods at their temple on the weekends, opened a Thai locale, he became a server. He didn’t like the gig, so he went back on his word and cleaned dishes when the restaurant’s chef agreed to teach him how to cook.

“He was one of those Thai chefs that didn’t want to give anything away,” Boonphaya said noting he learned from his parents and attended Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando, from which he never graduated due to his desire to work in his parents’ establishment, which later was given to him along with a second location. He soon sold them, and in 2006, relocated to Philly with his wife.

Two years later, he opened Circles, 1516 Tasker St., that offered takeout and delivery only. In ’11, it expanded next door and offered a sit-down experience as well, and last year expanded to Northern Liberties.

While the two spots differ, his South Philly menu focuses on royal Thai cuisine.

“It’s food that would only be served in the Royal Palace,” the Newbold resident said of dishes such as curries and soups.

However, his Pad Kee Mow, for which he has shared the recipe, he considers “regular home cooking.”

Ingredients:

2 ounces of soy or oil of choice
1 egg
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Thai chili, minced
1 teaspoon of lemongrass, chopped
1 teaspoon of galangal, chopped
4 ounces of mixed vegetables
4 ounces of chicken, beef, pork or tofu
5 ounces of fresh thick rice noodles
1 tablespoon of dragonfly thin soy or fish sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce (omit if vegan or vegetarian)
1 teaspoon palm or granulated sugar
2 ounces of beansprouts
10 leaves of fresh Thai or Thai holy basil

Directions:

Heat the oil in a wok or large sauté pan. Add the egg to the pan, let it cook halfway and then scramble gently.

Add the garlic, Thai chili, lemongrass and galangal. Once the herbs begin to sweat, add the vegetables and meat. When cooked halfway, add the noodles and mix well, stirring every 20 seconds for 1 minute to allow the noodles to sear.

Add the fish and oyster sauces and sugar and let the sauce begin to reduce and then finish it off with the beansprouts and basil. Make sure the basil gets wilted in, as undercooking it will cause it to turn black. Serves two.

Circles

Owner: Alex Boonphaya
Opened April 2008
1514-16 Tasker St.
267-687-1778
circlesthai.com

Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.

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