Thai Hotel

The development of Thai massage began about 2500 years ago in India. Thai massage is based on the old Indian teachings of Ayurveda and Yoga. Additional influences have come from traditional Chinese medicine with it’s meridian system. Thai massage came to Thailand in conjunction with Buddhism and is called Nuad Phaen Boran in the old writings. Nowadays Thai massage is an integral element of the traditional Thai medicine.

On the one Hand Thai massage is a manifold science, which is taught at the university as part of a four-year traditional medical degree program. On the other hand Thai massage is practiced with much skill by many women and men throughout the Thai population with a less formal education. These Thai massage therapists oftentimes obtained their knowledge through oral tradition and have less extensive theoretical knowledge compared to their colleagues trained at the universities.

With Thai massage the active movements of the massager harmonize with the passive movements if the person getting the massage, similar to a dance. Expressed a little more prosaically Thai massage is often called “Yoga for the lazy”, because the person getting the massage is not moving into the Yoga positions, involved in a Thai massage treatment, by himself. The massager rather carefully guides him into the appropriate stance.
These gentle movements, intensive stretchings and the rhythmic way of breathing are an important characteristic for Thai massage. Another characteristic is the pressing of energy points and the treatment of reflex zones. In this way the inner organs, nerves and glands are promoted in their function. Another part of the extensive treatment system of Thai massage is herbal medicine and the application of herbal steam baths.

Thai Massage in Berlin
This article is an information of THAILIN, Certified Institute for Traditional Thai Massage Berlin, and is part of an ongoing series of articles about Thai massage.

THAILIN Thai Massage Berlin
Kurfuerstenstr. 112 / at the corner of Keithstr.
10787 Berlin
Germany

About the author
The author is head of the Institute for Traditional Thai Massage THAILIN in Berlin, Germany. In an ongoing series of Thai Massage articles the shares her knowledge about the origin, the theory and the practical benefits of Thai massage.

As an additional service the author offers a Berlin Gift Voucher Download Shop. Here it is possible to create Thai massage gift vouchers online and send them by email or letter, as a convenient way to give health and wellbeing as a present.

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BANGKOK, Thailand — For years, zesty Tom Yum Gung soup has been a mainstay of Thai cooking. And now researchers are thinking it just might have cancer-fighting ingredients as well as good taste. “Tom Yum Gung is Thailand’s most favorite soup,” according to Chef Rolf Schmitz of the Regent Hotel’s Spice Market restaurant. “It’s a shrimp soup with herbal ingredients like coriander, lemon grass, lime leaves and even galangal roots.” Also called hot-and-sour soup, the dish often includes straw mushrooms and a variety of chilies.

A recent joint study by Thailand’s Kasetsart University and Japan’s Kyoto and Kinki Universities has found that the ingredients in Tom Yum Gung soup are 100 times more effective in inhibiting cancerous tumor growth than other foods. Scientists are seeking to extract the chemical compounds that are most effective from soup ingredients, said Suratwadee Jiwajindra of Kasetsart University. Research also is focusing on edible plants in the region. “The ratio of the cancer pattern in Asians, especially southeast Asians, is very low compared with the pattern in the European and Western countries,” Jiwajindra said. In fact, Thais have a much lower incidence of digestive tract cancers than people do in other countries.

Traditional Thai cuisine — famed for its heavy use of herbs and spices — has long been known to have health benefits, Jiwajindra said. And despite its spicy taste, Tom Yum Gung continues to be popular, said Schmitz, calling the soup “definitely the best seller if you look into the statistics.” Every month, the soup is “at the top of the charts,” he added. “A day, I’d say we are making 50-60 cups in a restaurant like the Spice Market,” said the chef.

Thai Recipes

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Welcome to the Gourmet Chicken Series. Today we bring you Thai Pandan Chicken

Ingredients: 1 package chicken wings or small chicken drumsticks, 1 package pandan leaves, oil for deep frying, Marinade: 1/2 can good quality thick coconut milk, 2 tsp. ground coriander seeds,
2 tsp. dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp. fish sauce, 2 tbsp. oyster sauce, 2-3 cloves garlic, 1 thumb-size piece galangal (or ginger) peeled and sliced, juice from half a lime, 1/4 tsp. pandan paste, 1 green chilli, de-seeded and minced (optional)

Method: 1. Place all marinade/sauce ingredients in a food processor. Process well. (NB: that the sauce will turn bright green, which is what you want)

2. Taste test the sauce for salt and spice.
(If not salty enough, add a little more fish sauce. If too salty, add a little more lime. If too spicy, add more coconut milk. And if it’s not spicy enough, add more green chilli.)

3. Pour 1/3 of the sauce over the chicken and mix to combine.

4. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking, or preferably overnight. (NB: that the longer the chicken marinates, the more “green” it will appear. This is a good sign, as it means the chicken has been infused with the flavor and color of the pandan)

5. Pour the rest of the marinade/sauce into a bowl or container. This will be used later. (NB: If you plan to let the chicken marinate overnight, place covered sauce in the refrigerator)

6. After the chicken is done marinating, take a long pandan leaf in your hand and use it to “wrap” the drumstick or chicken piece.

7. Start wrapping several inches down the leaf to allow enough extra for tying both ends together when you’re done. The leaf needn’t cover the chicken completely - 1 pandan leaf per chicken piece is enough. If using drumsticks, start and end the wrapping at the end of the drumstick (on the bone).

8. Deep fry the chicken pieces (this takes between 10 and 18 minutes depending on the size of the pieces and the heat of your oil), or grill them on the barbeque. Cook until chicken is golden brown and pandan leaves have turned dark/brown.

9. Serve together with the pandan sauce you made earlier (this sauce can be served at room temperature or gently heated up, if preferred. (NB: don’t overheat or cook it, as you will then lose most of the flavor and nutrients of the sauce).

If serving as an appetizer, place the sauce in a bowl in the center of your serving platter for dipping. If an entree, serve with plenty of Thai jasmine rice with the sauce either poured over the chicken, or served on the side. To eat, unwind the pandan leaf from the chicken piece and discard. Dip the chicken into the pandan sauce and eat, or pour some of the sauce over the chicken and enjoy with rice. This makes a terrific party food!

BON AP

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