Joanne Franco

CATHAILINA

34

THAILAND

Both of Joanne’s parents are from Thailand, and her older sister was born there, too, but Joanne was raised a New Yorker. Born in Brooklyn, she moved to Queens at age twelve, when her parents divorced.

After high school, Joanne went to Thailand on vacation and loved it so much she didn’t come back for years. First, she stumbled into a career as a model. Joanne says, “In Thailand, there’s really no middle class, like in America. In Thailand you’re either ‘somebody’ or you’re very, very poor. So the circle I was in in Thailand was more like the wealthier crowd, and I met this gay guy through a friend who’d lived in LA for a while and who was a makeup artist and owned a modeling agency, and his agency signed me.”

Her modeling stint also led to her to meet her first husband, whose work took them to live in Dubai until she got pregnant. She then moved back to NYC, wanting her child to be a US citizen like her, and to be closer to her parents.

Her mother worked in nail salons for twenty years but was never tempted to open her own place. “My mom’s not one to gamble with her money. You know, I guess when you didn’t have any growing up, and then you make some, I think she was more frugal. Let me save it. It’s a gamble to open up your own business. What if it doesn’t work out?”

“Nowadays everyone knows what Thai food is. There’s a restaurant on every block. But when I was growing up thirty years ago in elementary school, people didn’t know what Thai was. People would always ask, What are you? and you’d say, Thai. Taiwanese? No! Thailand!’”

After years of being a stay-at-home mom, however, Joanne started getting antsy and decided she was ready to take a little gamble herself. Encouraged by her second husband, an Ecuadoran who had opened a popular bar in the East Village, she started Cathailina, a play on the name of her two-year-old daughter, Catalina. “The pun only works if you know us, but it’s also nice when people ask,” Joanne says.

On the menu are all the home-cooked Thai dishes she knows and loves but never saw on other Thai restaurant menus. She understands the hesitation many immigrant chefs have about serving unknown foods to an American clientele, but as a native New Yorker, she also thinks New York is finally ready to learn about Thai cuisine beyond pad thai and tom yum soup.

KAI LOOK KUEY
Son-in-Law Eggs

At your next cocktail party (especially any gatherings involving nuptials), consider serving these instead of deviled eggs. There’s a story behind the name of the dish involving a mother threatening the jewels of her son-in-law. Whatever the actual origin of this Thai dish, these hard-boiled-eggs-turned-crispy-treat topped with a sweet and tangy sauce are sure to be a hit. Enjoy these by themselves or atop a bowl of jasmine rice.

Makes 12 pieces

¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil, plus more for frying

5 small shallots, thinly sliced

6 hard-boiled eggs

¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce

3 tablespoons fresh tamarind juice or tamarind concentrate

1½ teaspoons grated palm sugar

Diced red bell pepper

Chopped cilantro leaves

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

2. Pour about 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) oil into a deep pot and heat over medium-high heat to about 350°F (180°C). In batches, carefully add the eggs and fry, stirring occasionally, until browned all around, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain the eggs on a plate lined with paper towels.

3. In a separate small saucepan, combine the fish sauce, tamarind juice, and palm sugar. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce until the sauce has the consistency of honey or syrup, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

4. Cut the eggs into halves. Top with the sauce, shallots, bell pepper, and cilantro. Serve warm.

KHANOM PANG
Thai Toast with Cucumber Relish

Thai toast isn’t easy to find in the US, but it’s a simple and tasty snack, bursting with flavor. The cilantro roots and stems impart flavor without the wilting or discoloration of the cilantro leaves. The soft and warm meat paste contrasts with the pleasant crunch of fried white bread—a great way to use stale bread if you’ve got some sitting around. The toast pairs well with Thai fish cakes or chicken satay.

Makes 12 pieces

½ cup distilled white vinegar

¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 medium cucumbers, peeled, split lengthwise, and thinly sliced into half-moons

2 small shallots, thinly sliced

1 red Thai chile, thinly sliced (seeded or unseeded, as preferred)

6 slices white bread, cut in half diagonally (preferably with crusts removed)

1 pound (455 g) ground chicken (preferably chicken thighs)*

5 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 egg

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon minced cilantro, root and stems

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

1. To make the cucumber relish, bring the vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes, until slightly syrupy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Mix in cucumbers, shallots, and chile. Cover and refrigerate.

2. To make the toast, toast the bread on the lowest setting in a toaster oven to remove moisture. It should be dried out but still white.

3. Combine the chicken, garlic, egg, soy sauce, cilantro, fish sauce, and white pepper in a large bowl and mix well to evenly distribute. Spread evenly onto the toast.

4. Pour oil about as deep as half the thickness of a slice of the bread into a deep skillet and heat over medium heat to about 350°F (180°C). In batches, place the toast meat side down first and fry until the edges start turning brown, about 1 minute. Flip and fry the other side for 1 minute. Remove from the oil and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

5. Serve while hot and crispy, with the cucumber relish.

* Ground shrimp or pork (or a combination) can also be used in this recipe.