Thai food currently enjoys worldwide popularity, with its
great variety of delicious regional forms. The cuisine is essentially very
simple, consisting mainly of rice, vegetables, fish and spices. Most dishes can
be eaten at any time of the day, and meals generally consist of rice accompanied
by one or two dishes. Traditional Thai cuisine embodies a creative combination
of delicate herbs and subtle, yet distinctive spices, market-fresh ingredients,
delicious tastes and exotic visual appeal, yet it is surprisingly easy to
prepare. Thailand’s cuisine is recognized as one of the world’s healthiest. A
profusion of fresh produce, fresh-caught fish and seafood with a balanced
complement of aromatic herbs and spices, wok-fried or grilled for a dish that is
light, nutritious and bursting with flavor.
Eating Thai food is one of the highlights of any trip to Thailand. The food is
simply delicious (aroy). Although many people prefer to eat inside restaurants
with bilingual menus, they are missing out on the charm of the roadside noodle
shops. At these places you won't find an English menu but you will certainly get
value for money.
"There is no sincerer love than the love of food" (George Bernard Shaw)
Thai food recipes are, however, largely guides, allowing for a great deal of improvisation. Tastes can be altered by, for example, reducing the amount of chilies in certain dishes to lower the 'heat' or by increasing the amounts of lime juice to accentuate sourness. Often Thai food is served with a variety of spicy condiments to embolden dishes. This can range from dried chili pieces, or sliced chili peppers in rice vinegar, to a spicy chili sauce such as the nam prik mentioned above.
TOM YAM GUNG
Spicy Prawn soup with lemon grass
Ingredients
1. Prawns
300 Gr.
2. Chicken stock
4 - 5 Cups
3. Lemon Grass, lightly pounded 2 Stalks
4. Fish sauce
8 Tbsp.
5. Fresh galangal
12 Slivers
6. Straw mushrooms
100 Gr.
7. Kaffir lime leaves
8
8. Lemon juice
8 Tbsp.
9. Small chilies red
4
10. Coriander root
2
11. Burned chili paste
1 Tbsp.
Preparation
1. Shell the prawns without removing the tails.
2. Pour the chicken stock into a saucepan, add the lemon grass, coriander
and galangal, boil for 5 minutes.
3. Add the prawns and mushrooms and simmer until the prawns turn pink add
the kiffir lime leaves, chilies, fish sauce, lime juice and chili paste.
4. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with coriander leaves.
The unmistakable Thai flavor comes from the combination of chilies, garlic,
onions and shallots, coconut cream, coriander, basil, shrimp paste and soya
sauce. The food is lightly cooked and remains crunchy with all the nutritional
value and flavor intact. A proper Thai meal should consist 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 must be a harmony of tastes and
textures within individual dishes and the entire meal. Thai food is not just a
culinary feast, but an unrivaled adventure. Arrive with an open mind and you
will be hooked in no time. Don't hesitate to try something new or different. We
only live once. In the West, anyway...
The ideal Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet
and sour, and is meant to be equally satisfying to eye, nose and palate. A
typical meal might include a clear soup (perhaps bitter melons stuffed with
minced pork), a steamed dish (mussels in curry sauce), a fried dish (fish with
ginger), a hot salad (beef slices on a bed of lettuce, onions, chilies, mint and
lemon juice) and a variety of sauces into which food is dipped. This would
be followed by sweet desserts and/or fresh fruits such as mangoes, durian,
jackfruit, papaya, grapes or melon.
Traditional Thai cooking methods were stewing and baking, or grilling. Chinese
influences saw the introduction of frying, stir frying and deep-frying. Culinary
influences from the 17th century onwards included Portuguese, Dutch, French and
Japanese. Chillies were introduced to Thai cooking during the late 1600s by
Portuguese missionaries who had acquired a taste for them while serving in
South America.
Thailand's great diversity of herbs and spices continues to
provide a rich assortment of natural ingredients for exotic herbal preparations.
Thai food is globally popular due to its flavors. The flavors of Thai food are
quite different to those of any other cuisine. A mixture of fresh and dried
ingredients makes Thai food flavors unique. Ingredients that are essential in
Thai cooking are spices and HERBS, which beside their aromatic quality, are
known to have diverse health benefits.
Herbs and Spices always mention together. They involve in Thai cooking and being
medicine.
Spice is a part of plant which has been dried before use for
cooking such as Pepper (Prik-thai), Cinnamon (Ob-chey), Cardamon (Kra-wan). Most
of Spices is dried plant from tropical zone. Strong odor of spice can enhances
the aroma of Thai food.
Herbs (for cooking) mean fresh plant found in tropical
countries. Its can be green leave, which mainly used for enhances food flavors
and aroma. Most of herbs not used as main ingredient, this point made herbs
distinguish from vegetable. Moreover herbs must have medicinal properties from
traditional Thai medicine or modern research.
Basil
A spicy flavored variety of the basil herb, and is the nearest to European sweet
basil. Three varieties of basil are used in Thai cooking - bai kaprow (Holy or
purple basil), bai horapa (sweet basil), and bai mangluk (lemon or hairy basil),
Holy
Basil (Bai Krapao)
A much stronger flavor than Bai Horapha, it has reddish purple leaves, and is
usually cooked. Holy basil has a hot flavor and slightly medicinal. It has a
purple stem and purple leaves, usually used in stir-fried menu such as
Sweet
basil (bai horapa)
Bai horapa is the most popular. It has small, dark leaves with reddish-purple
stems and flowers. Its flavor is reminiscent of aniseed and somewhat stronger
than that of the western sweet basil. It is mainly used in many thai recipes
such as Green Curry with Chicken [Kang Kaew Wan Kai], Stir-Fried Clams with
Roasted Chili Paste [Hoy Lai Pad Num Prik Prao].
Lemon
basil (bai manglak)
Lemon basil has a light green stem and light green leaves. It has a lemony
flavor and is used in soups, salads, and curries.
Bay Leaf (Bai Krawan) - Thai bay leaf is not the same as the Western bay, both plants belong to the family Lauraceae and have a similar flavor. Thai bay leaves are used in Massaman curry and soups.
Cardamon
(Krawan)
Grown in South Eastern Thailand, Cardamon has been used since ancient times.
These aromatic pods can be either green, white or black, and are used in a
variety of sweet and savory Thai dishes, especially in curries.
Chilies
(Prik)
Thai cooking frequently uses generous amounts of Chilies in most dishes. Many
different varieties of chili are used, the most common being 3 to 4 inches long.
They can be red, green or yellow when fresh, or red when dried. The hottest part
of the chili is its seeds. To keep the flavor of the chili without the heat, the
chilies are split open and the seeds removed. Dried chilies should be soaked in
hot water for ten minutes before grinding.
Cilantro (Pak Chee) - The entire plant is used in Thai cooking. Each part, whether roots, stems, leaves, or seeds, has its own unique flavor and specific use. The fresh, delicate leaves are used in sauces, curries, and for garnishes, the roots and stems are crushed and used for marinades, and the seeds are ground to add flavor to various curry pastes.
Cloves
(Kan Plou)
Cloves are the dried flower buds of a member of the myrtle family and can be
used whole or in powder form. In Thai cuisine. They are added to curries but
they also mix well with tomatoes and salty vegetables.
Coriander
(Pakchee)
Thai cooking makes use of the roots as well as the seeds and leaves of
coriander. The round, beige seeds are added to curries and vegetables. The roots
are crushed with garlic and are often added to soups, with the leaves being used
extensively as a garnish.
Coriander
seed (Med Pak Chee)
Coriander is the seed of Coriandrum sativum, a plant in the parsley family. The
seed is globular and almost round, brown to yellow red, and 1/5 inch in diameter
with alternating straight and wavy ridges. Coriander seed, with its clean,
lemony flavour, is the major component of almost every 'curry powder' or spice
mixture used in Thailand, as well as other curries. The flavour of freshly
ground coriander is a world apart from that of ground coriander which has lost
its fragrance.
Cinnamon
(ob choei)
Form the bark of a tree, the type of cinnamon used in Thailand is of only one
kind, that from the Cassia tree. It is used in meat dishes and particulary in
massaman curry a garnish.
Cumin
(Yira)
Thai cuisine uses cumin on grilled meats and in sauces, with only the seeds
being used either ground or dried.
Galangal
(Kha)
There are two types of galangal - lesser and greater - and both are related to
ginger. Greater galangal is the type most frequently used in Thailand, it's
inside is milky white and has a more subtle aroma than that of lesser galangal.
It is most frequently used in soups and curries.
Garlic
(Grathiam)
Used abundantly in Thai cuisine, the Thai garlic head has much smaller cloves
than Western varieties.
Ginger
A root of Chinese and Indian origin. It is always used fresh rather than dried
and should be peeled and chopped or crushed before cooking. It is available in
supermarkets. Look for shiny fat roots that aren't wrinkled or shrivelld. Though
not used as frequently as galangal in Thai cooking, ginger makes a good
alternative to galangal.
Kaffir
Lime Leaves (Bai Makrut)
The Kaffir lime is a member of the citrus family. Thai cooking uses both the
lime zest and the leaves. The fruit has a dark warty green rind and very little
juice, with a skin rich in aromatic oils.
Krachai
(No Common English Name)
This erect annual plant with aromatic rhizomes and yellow-brown roots, is used
as a flavoring. The rhizomes contain approximately 0.8% volatile oil. Kaffir’s
therapeutic uses of rhizome are to treat oral cavity diseases such as aphthous
ulcer and dry mouth, diuretic, and to treat stomach pain and leukorrhea,
antidysenteric.
Lemon
Grass (Takrai)
Lemon grass has long lemony-smelling blades, but only the white, bulbous lower
part is used. It gives a unique flavor to curries and soups and is one of the
most common herbs in Thai food.
Lesser Galangal (Krachai) - The flavor of this spice is a cross between ginger and black pepper and the fresh spice is most often used in jungle curries and fish dishes.
Mint
(Bai Saranae)
Thai salads, fish dishes and soups are all flavored with leaves of the spearmint
variety.
Marsh
Mint (Sa Ra Nae)
The fresh leaves of this herbaceous plant are used as a flavouring and eaten raw
in Thai cuisine. Volatile oil contents give the plant several therapeutic uses,
including carminative, mild antiseptic, local anaesthetic, diaphoretic and
digestant properties.
Mace (
Dok Chan)
The nutmeg tree, Myristica fragrans, is special in that it produces two seperate
spices, nutmeg and Mace. Mace is the ground outer covering (aril) of the nutmeg
seed. A piece of unground Mace is called a blade. The orange outer covering of
Nutmeg. Mace is used in making Masaman curry paste. The plant is native to
Indonesia.
Nutmeg
(Look Chan)
The nut is enclosed in a very hard brown shell. It is used in the making of
mas-sa-mun curry paste.
Pepper
(Prik Thai)
Pepper is the dried berry of Piper nigrum. This vine which can grow up to ten
feet tall is indigenous to India and Asia. Pepper is actually berries that are
picked about nine months after flowering. Black, white and green peppercorn
types. Black Pepper has a sharp, pungent aroma and flavor. White Pepper is
hotter, less subtle and mildly fermented. Green Peppercorn is milder in flavor
and has a fresh taste. Green Peppercorn are available al year round but are best
towards the end of the rainy season. Used as a spice and condiment, pepper
contains a 2-4% volatile oil. Therapeutic uses are as carminative, antipyretic,
diaphoretic and diuretic agents.
Pepercorns (Prik Thai) - Thai cooks use only two types of peppercorns: white for seasoning and green as a garnish and flavor for jungle curries and stir-fries.
Saw
Leaf Herb (Pak Chee Fa Rang)
Also known as the sawtooth herb, this takes its name from the appearance of the
leaves, which are long, slender and serrated. The herb has a similar but rather
more pungent flavour than the coriander leaf. Saw leaf herb is used as a
flavouring for meat dishes.
Star
Anise (Poy Kak)
With a strong aniseed flavor, star anise is an eight pointed star shaped seed
pod from a relative of the magnolia.
Shallots(Hom-daeng)
Thai shallots have a lovely pinkish purple color and are used extensively in
Thai cuisine instead of onions, usually used in Thai Salad menu such as Thai
vermicelli Salad with Prawns [Yum Woon Sen].
Tamarind
(Ma Kham)
Tamarind is the bean like fruit from the tamarind tree. Before it ripens, the
pod is green and can be eaten raw. Once ripened the pod is brown and brittle on
the outside, with a soft juicy pulp inside. The pulp is compressed and then used
to add a tart flavor to many Thai dishes, it is usually used in the form of
tamarind juice.
Turmeric (Kamin) - It has unique aromatic characteristics and use to provide yellow coloring for Thai food. In Thailand it often forms part of curry pastes and also in the marinades for meat.
Aubergines
A vegetable fruit with a mildly sweet flavor. Many varieties of aubergine are
used in Thai cooking, from tiny pea aubergines, which are added just before the
end of cooking, to white, yellow or green aubergines. When these types are
unavailable, substitute with the purple variety.
Bamboo
Shoots
The edible young shoots of the bamboo plant. Pale to bright yellow when bought
fresh. Fresh shoots need some preparation and take quite a long time to cook.
When buying canned shoots , look out for the whole ones as they seem to be
better quality than the ready-sliced canned bamboo shoots.
Banana
Leaves
Glossy, dark green leaves of the banana tree are used to line steamers or to
wrap foods such as chicken or fish prior to grilling or baking. They impart a
vague flavor of fine tea.
Bean
Curd
Most often used in soups and Chinese dishes. It is made from soy beans and is
rich in vitamins and minerals . It is usually sold in square blocks packed in
water. Bean curd comes in many forms fresh, fried and dried.
Bean
Sprouts
Sprouted from mung beans, they are used in salads and stir-fried dishes. Rich in
vitamins, protein and iron, bean sprouts are widely available in supermarkets.
Look for crisp, firm sprouts with little scent.
Bean Sauce
Made from salted, fermented soy beans , this sauce is a popular flavoring agent
in oriental dishes. It is also called yellow bean sauce.
Coconut
Milk
This unsweetened liquid made from grated coconut flesh and water , is an
essential ingredient of many Thai dishes. It is available in cans, compressed
blocks or in powder form.
Curry
Paste
This is traditionally made in a mortar by pounding together fresh herbs and
spices. There are several kinds. Home-made curry pastes take time and effort to
prepare but they taste wonderful and keep well. Ready made pastes, which come in
packets or tubs, are a good alternative and enable cooks to make tasty curries
quickly.
Fish Sauce
(Nam Pla)
The most commonly used flavoring in Thai food. Fish sauce is used in Thai
cooking the same way soy sauce is used in Chinese dishes. It is made from salted
anchovies and has a strong salty flavor.
Palm Sugar
Strongly - flavored, hard brown sugar made from the sap of the coconut palm
tree. Available in Oriental stores. If you have trouble finding it , use soft
dark brown sugar instead.
Roasted
Ground Rice
Raw glutinous rice grains are dry-fried until brown, then ground to a powder. A
traditional ingredient in salads.
Salted
Eggs
A traditional way of preserving duck eggs in Asia. You can find them in most
Oriental stores, often sold covered in a think layer of charcoal grey ash. Rub
off the ash with your finger under running water and then hard-boil the eggs.
Soy Sauce
Made from fermented soy beans, soy sauce is available in light or dark versions
and can be quite salty. It is the background seasoning to many stir fried and
noodle dishes
Vinegar
Thais use a mild, plain white vinegar. Cider or Japanese rice wine vinegar can
be used instead.
Thai food is eaten with a fork and spoon. Even single dish meals such as fried rice with pork, or steamed rice topped with roasted duck, are served in bite-sized slices or chunks obviating the need for a knife. The spoon is used to convey food to the mouth. Chopsticks are used rarely, primarily for the consumption of noodle soups
Thai food is world renowned for its rich variety. Whether mild or spicy, sweet or sour, the tantalising aromas of the cuisine are part of the fascinating cultural life of Thailand. Food is as much an integral part of Thai culture as kick boxing, traditional Thai massage, tuk-tuks and saffron-robed monks... In a city like Bangkok, you don't have to walk very far to find something to eat; food carts can be found on almost every street corner, at pavement eateries with fold-up tables and chairs, and in the smallest of sois (streets). In fact, the smell of food is omni-present in this sprawling metropolis, which is home to more than ten million people.
Most non-Thai curries consist of powdered or ground dried spices, whereas the major ingredients of Thai curry are fresh herbs. A simple Thai curry paste consists of dried chilies, shallots and shrimp paste. More complex curries include garlic, galanga, coriander roots, lemon grass, kaffir lime peel and peppercorns.