Recipes Snacks Spicy Cashew-Lemongrass Snack Mix Be the first to rate & review! This sweet and savory snack mix by Kris Yenbamroong of Night + Market is seriously delicious. Lime leaves and lemongrass bring citrusy flavor to the buttery cashews, toasted coconut, and crispy garlic. Frying each element individually ensures crunchy—not burned—components. Use a food processor to make quick work of the garlic. By Kris Yenbamroong Kris Yenbamroong Restaurant: Night + Market (Read a review) and Night + Market Song Location: West Hollywood, CA Why He's Amazing: Because he created a terrific, innovative pork-centric Thai street food spot adjacent to his parents' well-respected but aging Thai restaurant on Sunset Boulevard. Culinary School: Self-taught Background: Talésai (/sites/default/files/est Hollywood) Quintessential Dish: Pork toro: grilled fatty hog collar with jaew northeastern chile dip Night + Market's Philosophy: "I love my family's restaurant [Talésai] but people come in and do the stereotypical L.A. thing and ask for modifications [to the dishes they order]. Night + Market food is uncompromising, unmessed with." Food Style: "In Thai, it's called aharn glam lao, which roughly translates to 'food to facilitate drinking' or 'booze food.' That's at the heart of what we do. We make food for drunkards." Alternative Career: Yenbamroong studied film at New York University. DIY Ethic: "We make our sausage completely by hand, on the premises. For the first few months, we used a Chinese soup spoon to stuff them because we didn't have a stuffer." A Family Timeline 1982The year Kris Yenbamroong was born, his family opened L.A.'s first ambitious Thai restaurant, Talésai. His grandmother Vilai was the chef. "It was the '80s, and we were 10 doors down from Geffen Records," says Yenbamroong. "The waitresses wore black leather skirts, and Madonna came in with Warren Beatty. Mick Jagger came in, too. My grandma was on the cover of the Los Angeles Times Magazine with Thomas Keller." 2011Fast-forward three decades: Yenbamroong tried updating Talésai by serving unfamiliar Northern Thai dishes, but longtime customers resisted the change. So he decided to open Night + Market, where he could experiment. At his second spot, Night + Market Song, his powerful, spicy dishes include Bangkok Mall Pasta with Thai bird chile and lots of peppercorns. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 15, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Aubrie Pick Active Time: 40 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins Yield: 10 to 12 servings Ingredients Neutral oil (such as vegetable, grapeseed, or peanut oil), for frying 3 cups raw cashews, divided 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste ½ teaspoon granulated sugar 2 medium lemongrass stalks, bottom 4 inches of stalks thinly sliced crosswise (about 1/3 cup), tops discarded ⅓ cup fresh green and red Thai chiles (about 1 5/8 ounces), stemmed and thinly sliced crosswise 12 medium-size fresh makrut lime leaves 1 cup finely chopped garlic (from about 5 garlic heads) ⅓ cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut Directions Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches in a medium-size Dutch oven, and heat over medium to 325°F. Add 1 cup cashews to hot oil, and fry, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Using a large heatproof fine mesh strainer, transfer fried cashews to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Immediately sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Repeat process twice with remaining cashews and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle all cashews evenly with sugar. While fried cashews cool, place lemongrass in a strainer. Lower strainer into hot oil, and fry lemongrass, stirring occasionally in strainer until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Transfer fried lemongrass to a separate baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Set aside. Add Thai chiles to strainer, and fry until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Transfer chiles to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Add lime leaves to strainer. Carefully fry until crisp, about 45 seconds. Transfer lime leaves to plate lined with paper towels to drain. Set aside. Reduce heat under oil until temperature drops to 275°F. (Oil should be hot enough that when a piece of garlic is added, it sizzles immediately but doesn't take on color right away.) Add garlic to strainer; fry, stirring often, until crisp and lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a separate plate lined with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside. Place coconut in a dry small skillet. Cook over medium-low, stirring often, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a separate plate lined with paper towels, and spread in a thin, even layer. Let cool about 10 minutes. Using your hands, crush fried lemongrass and lime leaves into a large bowl; remove and discard any tough stems from lime leaves. Add cashews, chiles, garlic, and coconut; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt. Note Find makrut lime leaves at Southeast Asian markets or online. Make Ahead Cashew mix can be made up to 5 days in advance. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Wine Dry pét-nat with a delicate bubble: 2019 Agnès et René Mosse Moussamoussettes Rate it Print