Suchart Srisopaporn

In the early ‘60s, residents on the North Coast and Long Beach Peninsula had to drive to Portland to eat Chinese food. There were several Chinese restaurants in Portland’s Chinatown but Asian cuisine had yet to spread out to Pacific and Clatsop counties. At the time, restaurants served Chinese-American dishes.

Then, in the early ‘70s, Portland Chinese restaurants’ menus started expanding to feature regional specialties. In the decades that followed, the North Coast and Long Beach Peninsula followed suit, as more diverse restaurants started to open. Now, a handful of local restaurants specialize in Chinese, Thai and other international cuisines.

Malai Thai Restaurant, located in downtown Long Beach, Washington, is one of these restaurants. The restaurant is ran by husband and wife team, Suchart Srisopaporn and Numsuk Srisopaporn.

Suchart was born in Bangkok. There, he acquired a chemistry degree. In the late ‘90s, he moved to Las Vegas, where he worked in a casino before eventually moving to the Long Beach Peninsula. His goal with the restaurant is to guarantee both the “quality and quantity of my product forever.”

Suchart shared his recipe for “wonderful panang” for you to enjoy. I watched with delight as Suchart cooked up a steaming cauldron of chicken, shrimp, vegetables, coconut milk and a panang curry paste.

Suchart’s wonderful panang

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of coconut milk
• 1 ⅔ tablespoons of sugar
• ¾ tablespoons of panang curry paste
• ½ tablespoon of chicken soup or ¼ cup of fresh chicken stock
• Half of a red bell pepper
• Half of a yellow bell pepper
• 6 Thai basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch cut with water
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 cup broccoli
• 1 cup cabbage
• ¾ cups of chicken
• ¾ cups of shrimp

Preparation:

Steam the vegetables and chicken. Lightly poach the shrimp. Set aside.

In a large wok, add coconut milk, curry paste and sugar. Combine the ingredients into a thinner liquid, then add the vegetables and basil. Stew and add cornstarch if the recipe needs thickening.

Next, add the chicken, then the shrimp. Meld together. Once the dish is piping hot, serve immediately next to rice. Garnish with the steamed vegetables and cilantro.