Adaptation for Pancakes

Quite some time ago, I posted a recipe for gluten free banana pancakes. If you've tried them, you know they are delicious. However, there is a small adaptation you can make if you are out of bananas, or simply don't like them. Instead of using a banana to bind the pancakes together, you can substitute a teaspoon of tapioca flour. When you make this switch, the pancakes are still totally gluten free, but they don't take on their own flavor. This is ideal if you're looking to add your own ingredients, like strawberries, blueberries or chocolate chips.

I hope you'll use this adaptation to create your own favorite pancake type!

Thai Bamboo

Thai food. Just writing the words makes me think of rich flavors, diverse seasonings and delightful desserts. Last night, Evan and I enjoyed a lovely dinner at Thai Bamboo's new restaurant location. They recently moved a few blocks north of their original location, to 5406 N Division St and an entirely new building. We watched the building go up over the course of almost a year, and though the outside looks a little goofy, the inside is just wonderful. They have a banquet room, a lounge and patio seating. Their main dining area is adorned with "bamboo" chandeliers with birds gracing the branches. The ceiling is embedded with hundreds of fiber optic cables to imitate the night sky when you look into your granite topped table. Also, the ceiling is lit in such a way that it changes color. It goes from pink to purple to green in about a minute. All this makes for a wonderful dining atmosphere.

Now onto the food, which I'm sure is why you're even reading this post. The menu boasts of 14 different categories, including drinks and desserts. Though the curry list is small, they make up for it in their diverse noodle, noodle soup and rice options. Plus, they have several house specials which never fail to please.

On this particular visit, I ordered rahd nah, a kind of stir fry consisting of wide rice noodles, carrots, pineapple, broccoli, cabbage and zucchini cooked in the chef's special sauce. I chose to have mine with chicken, but you can also have it with beef, pork or prawns (an extra $2 is added to the bill for this option). Upon being served the dish, I immediately dug in. The noodles had been cooked to perfection. They wonderfully tender and had absorbed the flavor of the sauce very well. The veggies and the pineapple all added a great flavor, though I would have appreciated more pineapple in this dish because it was complemented well by the sweetness of this particular sauce. That being said, I should have ordered the dish with at least two stars of spiciness because it was almost too sweet.

Evan ordered the chicken cashew nut, which, according to the menu is very popular. This was a delectable dish of chicken, cashews, bell peppers, green beans and onions sauteed in a sweet chili sauce. The chicken had picked up the flavor of the sauce and had a great texture. The cashews added a nice crunch, while the onions and the bell peppers added a distinct flavor that I can't quite put my finger on. Overall, I thought Evan's dish was a bit tastier than mine, but it was an entirely different concept.

We did not order an appetizer or a dessert, though we have in the past. For a delicious gluten free dessert at Thai Bamboo, I recommend the mango white sticky rice. The combination of warm and sweet sticky rice with coconut milk, toasted sesame seeds, palm sugar and mango is unparalleled. The black sticky rice pudding is also good. Stay away from fried banana. The banana is wrapped in a spring roll wrapper, which is definitely not gluten free. As for appetizers, the satay skewers are always a delicious and safely gluten free choice.

All in all, I have very much enjoyed my experiences with Thai Bamboo, though this was my first visit to their new location. They have always had a very friendly wait staff, quick service and great food. I will be back soon, and I hope they add a happy hour menu to their new lounge.

Website: http://www.thaibamboorestaurant.com/

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