Tasty Thai Food - Spicy, Salty, and Sour

May 13th, 2008

Food is like a drug. How true is that? This is especially true for me when it comes to Thai food. Once I get started on any Thai dish, I get addicted to more of the same. But hey, there has to be worse addictions that good food right? Some culinary writers describe Thai food as being similar to Chinese food but with a sting. Well, as someone who has lived in Thailand for a number of years now, I think the aromatic, delicious, hot, spicy Thai food is in a class of it’s own, and there is nothing to compare it’s uniqueness with.

Another fascinating fact with Thai food is the variety. If I lived here for a 100 years and tried a different dish everyday day, I don’t believe I would have time to sample it all. The county is split into 5 regions; North, Northeast, East, Central, and South and each region, province, and sub province, all have their own unique dishes and foodstuffs.

Thai food should not just be categorised as being hot and spicy though, as there are many herbs and spices which are also combined to give the individual dishes their distinctive tastes and aromas.

Ever heard of Thai food described using the 3 S’s of flavor? Spicy, Salty, and Sour. It’s the harmonious blend of these 3 that contribute to this gorgeous gastronomy. Let me break this down a little for you.

Spicy - Chili (Prik)

There’s a whole history on how the chili became a part of Thai cooking and I’ll save that for another article, but basically the Europeans, (Spanish or Portuguese) introduced the Chili into the old Siam in the 16th century, and it’s been and integral part of Thai cooking ever since. People who try Thai food for the first time should do so with extreme caution, as there are some dishes that burn your throat so hard that it’s painful to the inexperienced pallet.

Fish Sauce - Salty

Fish sauce is simply called “Nam pla” which when translated means water fish. In Thai cooking this us the second most important ingredient. Fish sauce is made by brewing fish or shrimp mixed with salt and decanting the fermented result into bottles. On its own it smells quite unpleasant but when added to the cooking or sprinkled over rice, it really does contribute to the exotic flavors of Thai food.

Lime - Sour

The lime known in Thai language as “Manao”, is used at every opportunity in a whole variety of Thai dishes. The main role of the lime is to repress the salty taste and strong odor of fish sauce.

Bon appetite!

Aleck Mann is a proficient writer and webmaster for Look at Food dot com where he writes on such issues as Living Longer and Healthier lives! and Diet Information. He also has many other food and healthy eating related pieces on the site.

Tags: cooking, , , , , , , , , food, salty, sour, spicy, tasty, thai, Thai cooking, Thai food

Kalasan Fried Chicken (Indonesian Sweet Fried Chicken)

May 8th, 2008

Ingredients:

4 pcs Big Red Chili (omit the seeds)
100 cc of coconut water
1 pc Tomato (Cut into 4 pcs)
2 pcs Shallots (1 pc cut into 2 pcs)
3 pcs of Salam leaves or bay leaves as a substitute
1 pc of Galangal (bruised)
1 pc of Brown Sugar
1 chicken (cut into smaller pieces)

Method:

Simmer chicken with coconut water, salt and all the ingredients until the water has almost evaporated and the chicken is tender.
Drain and allow to cool.
Set aside the red chili, tomato and red onion from the chicken to make the chili sauce.
Deep-fried chicken in hot oil until golden brown but do not fried it too crunchy.
The chicken is ready to be served with the chili sauce

Chili Sauce:

Grind the red chili, tomato and red onion that have been set aside. Add salt, sugar and shrimp paste. For serving: add Indonesian lime (limau orange) and sweet soy sauce into the chili sauce.

Hanny and her husband, Yochention, is a network marketer. She enjoys her business so much because she can do the business at the comfort of her home while she can still doing what she likes.
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Tags: chicken recipe, , , , , , , cooking, indonesian cooking, indonesian recipe, recipe, Thai food, thai recipe

Thai Fried Rice

March 19th, 2008

Fried Rice is everyone’s favorite; it is the best way to use up leftover steamed rice. This recipe calls for Thai Jasmine rice but any steamed rice can be used to make the Thai Fried Rice. The Thai basil herb distinguishes this recipe from other ethnic fried rice recipes.

How to cook Thai Jasmine Rice:

Take 1 cup of Thai jasmine rice and place in a medium pot. Rinse the rice with cold water and drain water at least three times to remove any debris. Add water to the sauce pan until the water levels 1 centimeter above the rice or 1 1/2 cups of water. Place a lid on the pot. Set the stove element to medium heat and place the pot on the element. After 20 minutes, turn the element off and let the rice rest for 10 more minutes.

Recipe for Thai Fried Rice:

2 cups Thai jasmine rice cooked
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil
3 cloves garlic chopped

Tags: Laos Food, , , Rice, Thai food

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