Skip to main content

Hot And Spicy - Is That What Thai Food All About?

By Witit Sujjapong

Of course not. But, for better or worse, Thai cuisine cannot
losen its association with that hot and spicy taste of chilies.
People tend to overlook the many other herbs and spices that
combine to give Thai food its range of delicacy. It is the very
delicate interplay of herbs and spices that makes Thai food so
well-loved among all peoples of the world.

The single most outstanding charater of Thai culinary may be
the harmonious blend of the three S's of flavor - spicy, salty
and sour. This is achieved fundamentally by the three key
ingredients.

Chili - Spicy

Despite the paramount importance of chili or "prik" in Thai
cooking, it is believed that Thai people only acquired the love
for the spicy taste of chili in the 16th century. It is not
clear whether the Portuguese or the Spanish merchants were
responsible for introducing this chili pepper to the old Siam.
In any case, Thai people have since mastered the use of this
spice in their cooking blending it with other herbs and
flavorings.

The green or red "prik kee noo", literally "mouse dropping
chili" is the tiniest but packs a memorable wallop. Don't ever
eat it one whole or you can burn your tongue instantly.

Fish Sauce - Salty

"Nam pla" in Thai, the second most important ingredient of Thai
food. It is derived from brewing fish or shrimp mixed with salt
and decanting the fermented result into bottles. Don't mistake
this with Chinese or Japanese soy sauce. Its aroma of fermented
fish can be annoying but when blended into other ingredients it
becomes more subtle and unbelievably tasty.

Lime - Sour

"Manao" (lime) and sometimes "magrood" (kaffir lime) are used
at every opportunity in a variety of Thai dishes. Its main role
is to suppress the salty taste and strong aroma of fish sauce.

One very simple use of the 3 main ingredients of Thai cooking
is a "prik nampla" sauce where chili is added to fish sauce with
some lime and garlic. Add a few drops of this to any Thai dish
like "gai yang" (grilled chicken), "khai jeow" (fried egg) or
even plain white rice and you can enjoy the punch of spicy,
salty and sour Thai flavor. This is what most Thai people cannot
do without. And a Thaiphile cannot go about talking Thai food
without ever trying "prik nampla" himself!

About the Author: Witit Sujjapong is the web master of
http://www.thaiphile.com, a website specialized in things thai.

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=36282&ca=Food+and+Drinks

Popular posts from this blog

Fauna Of Himapan Forest (Thai Mythology)

Fauna Of Himapan Forest (Thai Mythology) By ALfie Mella Perhaps the most popular realm in Thai mythology, HimapanForest is the invisible woodland believed to exist in theHimalayas, in the India-Nepal border, just below the equallylegendary Buddhist heaven. The fabled forest is home to a greatnumber of mythical beasts that have become symbols of exemplaryThai traits. Some of such fabulous creatures are describedbelow. *GARUDA: Royalty and Supremacy* Half human and half bird, Garuda has the torso and arms of aman and the head, wings, tail, and feet of an eagle. The kingof all birds is the favored mount of Vishnu, a deity shared byboth the Hindu and the Thai faiths. The Thai people honorGaruda as a symbol of royalty and supremacy. In fact, herepresents the Thai monarchy or government, and an artist’srendition of the majestic creature appears on Thai bank notesand on the royal flag of Thailand. *NOK HASADEE: Ambivalence and Balance* A gigantic elephant-headed bird, Nok Hasade...
11 comments
Read more

Sweet & Sour Chicken (Gai pad preaw warn)

Updated 25-Nov-2018 Ingredients 1 cup boneless skinless chicken cut into small pieces. 1 cup cucumber cut into cubes. 1 cup caned pineapple chuck. 1 tomato cut into four. 1 onion cut into four. 1 carrot  cut into cubes (however you want). 2-3 tablespoons green onion. 1 tablespoon sugar. 1 tablespoon fishsauce 1 tablespoon vinegar 1 bellpepper cut however you want 1 teaspoon tomato paste 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1 tablespoon garlic minced 1 teaspoon corn starch add to 2 tablespoons water Method In saucepan, brown garlic and add chicken, stir well till chicken is almost cook. Add fishsauce, vinegar, tomato paste, and sugar, stir well. Add carrot, pineapple, cucumber, bellpepper, and onion, stir. Add 1/4 cup of water. Add tomato and stir well. Taste and add if needed. Add corn starch, wait till thicken (make sure chicken is cooked), sprinkle green onion. Serve with rice.
3 comments
Read more

All About Thai Curry

By Napatr Lindsley When people hear the words "Thai Curry", the first thing that comes to their mind is some spicy coconut milk with curry paste. This is not totally true. Thais say "Kaeng" which means "Curry". However, Kaeng in Thailand does not only mean curry, but it means the cooking process of mixing various kinds of vegetables with liquid like water or coconut milk. It can be spicy or non-spicy or a vegetarian or non-vegetarian dish like soup, stew, curry or even dessert. I will use the word "Kaeng" throughout this article. In Thailand, there are 2 types of Kaeng: Kaeng Jued and Kaeng Ped. Ped literally means spicy and Jued means tasteless. Kaeng Jued usually refers to non-spicy soup dishes. Kaeng Jued Kaeng Jued dishes are usually comprise of broth, vegetables and meat. Homemade broth is preferred over bouillon cubes. Broth is made from boiling pork ribs or chicken bones in water for a long period of time. You will often hear Thais say ...
Read more