By Addie Broyles | Austin 360
White Guy food truck at 409 Jessie St. and online. Photo from Pretty Thai.
The Austin couple that runs the Pretty Thai for a White Guy food truck at 409 Jessie St. is getting into the grocery game.
Robert and Kristen Strong started the truck, whose name is inspired by a 1998 song by the Offspring, in Austin and moved it to California for a few years before returning to Central Texas last year. Customers loved their sauces and spice mixes so much that the Strongs decided to package them for sale at the truck and online at prettythaibrand.com. They just signed on with a distributor for the spices, so keep your eyes peeled for this local brand at grocery stores in the coming year.
The product line includes three spice mixes — a Thai seasoning salt, roasted Thai chili powder and a green curry powder — as well as three bottled sauces: Sweet Chili Sauce, Lemongrass-Lime Dressing and their version of a pad Thai sauce called Pat Thai. The spices cost between $8.99 and $10.99, and the sauces cost $8.
You can find the truck at the South Austin Social food park on Jessie Street on Tuesday through Friday evenings, and they also sell at the Texas Farmers Market at Lakeline on Saturdays and Sunday brunch at South Austin Social.
Photo from Pretty Thai.
Green Papaya Salad
You can use the Pretty Thai for a White Guy seasoning salt and a pinch of the roasted chili powder throughout this recipe, but on the flip side, the recipe would also work with another brand of pad Thai sauce. The goal here is a warm sweet and salty dressing to coat the shrimp, green beans, tomatoes and shredded green papaya, which is available in many Asian markets and specialty markets.
2 Tbsp. oil, divided
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
For the dressing:
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large thumb-size piece of ginger, thinly sliced
2 large shallots, thinly sliced lengthwise
3/4 cup Pretty Thai Pat Thai Sauce
For the salad:
1 Tbsp. oil
4 cups shredded green papaya
2 cups blanched green beans
1 cup cherry tomatoes
For garnish: chopped cilantro, roasted ground peanuts, lime wedges
In a wok or sauté pan add 1 Tbsp. oil and sauté shrimp on medium-high heat until browned and fully cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.
In the same wok or pan add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and sauté garlic, ginger and shallot until lightly browned. Add in the Pretty Thai Pat Thai Sauce and cook for 30 seconds.
Turn off heat, add cooked shrimp and toss to coat. Add the remaining salad ingredients to a large bowl. Pour the shrimp and dressing over the salad, tossing to coat. Plate and garnish with cilantro, peanuts, and squeeze lime wedge on top. Serve with rice, if desired.
— Robert and Kristen Strong, owners of Pretty Thai for a White Guy
