If you’ve been to Asian Mint, you know that it's chef Nikky Phinyawatana’s mission to feed your soul as well as your body.

She even has a YouTube channel called “Nikky Feeding Souls,” in which she shows her travels through Thailand and how she carefully sources her ingredients. With each ingredient, her goal is to create a dish to lift each diner’s spirit and help them feel at peace. While many chefs describe food as medicine, Phinyawatana’s green curry with beef feels healing to the soul.

Asian Mint’s menu has an entire section for curries, including yellow, red, massaman and green.

The green curry is a spicy mix of coconut milk, Japanese purple eggplant, plenty of bamboo shoot, Thai basil and red bell pepper ($14). On its own, it’s a vegan dish, and you can also order it with tofu for an additional $3. Other proteins include chicken, shrimp or beef, also for an additional $3, and truthfully, adding beef is worth the upgrade.

While winter may be just about over, we can still expect cold days in March; after all, we know how unpredictable Texas weather can be. Luckily, the green curry is hot and spicy, perfect for clearing up those sinuses. Even if the day isn’t cold, its flavor can satisfy in other ways.

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Chef Nikky Phinyawatana (right) in Thailand

courtesy Asian Mint

Phinyawatana uses turmeric in her curry, as well as many of her other dishes, and that particular ingredient is said to reduce inflammation. Personally, I had gone into Asian Mint that afternoon sore from my yoga class from the previous night, and after lunch, it felt like my pain had virtually gone away.

Even if you don’t believe food can have medicinal qualities, you definitely should still try the green curry with beef. It's best eaten when poured over the small pile of jasmine rice that the dish comes with.

Phinyawatana has created an environment where she encourages each guest to discover and explore something new, aiming to serve good food that is good for you, all of which is light on soy and other oils. You can leave Asian Mint feeling satisfied and full, without also feeling bogged down.

Asian Mint, locations in North Dallas, Uptown and Richardson.

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