If you are culinary enthusiast, on mention of Thai food what tends to pop into your mind first? Let me guess…satay with peanut sauce, a spicy red curry and probably a tangy green curry!!! That’s because Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly-prepared dishes with strong aromatic components. It is known for being spicy. Balance, detail and variety are important to Thai cooking.
Thai food is known for its balance of the five fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty, and (optional) bitter. The secret of a good dish is the right balance of the flavours, you will find that there are “sweet spots” where the flavor tastes just right.
Thai cooking is very different than modern western cooking. In western cooking, particularly baking, ingredients are measured exactly; Thai cooking is much more lenient. While this flexibility makes recipes more forgiving, getting to taste ‘just right’ can be challenging. This site provides measurements, but you should look at these recipes as the starting point for your exploration.
Thai food, as a whole, is extremely varied and features many different ingredients and ways of preparing food. Thai dishes use a wide variety of herbs, spices and leaves rarely found in the West. It is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh, mostly dried, herbs, which include cilantro, lemon grass, Thai basil and mint. Some other common flavors in Thai food come from ginger, galangal, turmeric, garlic, soy beans, shallots, white and black peppercorn and, of course, chilies. Other spices and spice mixtures in Thai cuisine include phong phalo (five-spice powder), phong kari (curry powder), and fresh and dried peppercorns (phrik thai).
Rice is a staple grain of Thai cuisine, as in most Asian cuisines. The highly prized, sweet-smelling jasmine rice is indigenous to Thailand. It is accompanied by highly aromatic curries, stir-fries and other dishes, sometimes incorporating large quantities of chili peppers, lime juice and lemon grass.
Proper Thai food consists of a soup, a curry dish with condiments, a dip with accompanying fish and vegetables. A spiced salad may replace the curry dish. The soup can also be spicy, but the curry should be replaced by non spiced items. There is usually a harmony of tastes and textures within individual dishes and the entire meal.
Where to find books to cook fresh and spicy Thai food.
Thai Food
Thai Street Food
Modern Thai Food: 100 Simple and Delicious Recipes from Sydney’s Famous Longrain Restaurant
Where to find Thai food ingredients and kitchenware.
A Taste of Thai Panang Curry Paste, 1.75-Ounce Packets (Pack of 12)
Sticky Rice Steamer Pot and Basket
8 Inch Stone Granite Mortar and Pestle 4 Cup Capacity
Where to find Thai food recipes.
125 authentic Thai food recipes
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