|
|
| |
|
| |
Thai food is internationally
famous. Whether chilli-hot or comparatively
bland, harmony is the guiding principle
behind each dish. Thai cuisine is essentially
a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and
Western influences harmoniously combined
into something uniquely Thai.The characteristics
of Thai food depend on who cooks it, for
whom it is cooked, for what occasion,
and where it is cooked to suit all palates.
Originally, Thai cooking reflected the
characteristics of a waterborne lifestyle.
Aquatic animals, plants and herbs were
major ingredients. Large chunks of meat
were eschewed. Subsequent influences introduced
the use of sizeable chunks to Thai cooking.
With their Buddhist background,
Thais shunned the use of large animals
in big chunks. Big cuts of meat were shredded
and laced with herbs and spices. 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.
Thais were very adapt at
'Siamese-ising' foreign cooking methods,
and substituting ingredients. The ghee
used in Indian cooking was replaced by
coconut oil, and coconut milk substituted
for other daily products. Overpowering
pure spices were toned down and enhanced
by fresh herbs such as lemon grass and
galanga. Eventually, fewer and less spices
were used in Thai curries, while the use
of fresh herbs increased. It is generally
acknowledged that Thai curries burn intensely,
but briefly, whereas other curries, with
strong spices, burn for longer periods.
Instead of serving dishes in courses,
a Thai meal is served all at once, permitting
dinners to enjoy complementary combinations
of different tastes.
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.
|
| |
|
|
|
Eating
and ordering Thai Food |
|
|
| |
| 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.
Ideally, eating Thai food is a communal
affair involving two or more people, principally
because the greater the number of diners
the greater the number of dishes ordered.
Generally speaking, two diners order three
dishes in addition to their own individual
plates of steamed rice, three diners four
dishes, and so on. Diners choose whatever
they require from shared dishes and generally
add it to their own rice. Soups are enjoyed
concurrently with rice. Soups are enjoyed
concurrently with other dishes, not independently.
Spicy dishes, not independently. Spicy dishes
are "balanced" by bland dishes
to avoid discomfort.
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, chillies, 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. |
| |
|
|
What
Comprises a Thai Meal |
|
| |
Titbits
These can be hors d'oeuvres, accompaniments,
side dishes, and/or snacks. They include
spring rolls, satay, puffed rice cakes
with herbed topping. They represent the
playful and creative nature of the Thais
Salads
A harmony of tastes and herbal flavours
are essential. Major tastes are sour,
sweet and salty. Spiciness comes in different
degrees according to meat textures and
occasions.
General Fare
A sweet and sour dish, a fluffy omelette,
and a stir-fried dish help make a meal
more complete.
Dips
Dips entail some complexity. They can
be the major dish of a meal with accompaniments
of vegetables and some meats. When dips
are made thinly, they can be used as salad
designs. A particular and simple dip is
made from chillies, garlic, dried shrimps,
lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and shrimp
paste.
Soups
A good meal for an average person may
consist simply of a soup and rice. Traditional
Thai soups are unique because they embody
more flavours and textures than can be
found in other types of food.
Curries
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 chillies, shallots and shrimp paste.
More complex curries include garlic, galanga,
coriander roots, lemon grass, kaffir lime
peel and peppercorns.
Single Dishes
Complete meals in themselves , they include
rice and noodle dishes such as Khao Phat
and Phat Thai.
Desserts
No good meal is complete without a Thai
dessert. Uniformly sweet, they are particularly
welcome after a strongly spiced and herbed
meal. |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Titbits
A simple kind of titbit is fun to make.
You need shallots, ginger, lemon or lime,
lemon grass, roasted peanuts and red phrik
khi nu chillies. Peeled shallots and ginger
should be cut into small fingertip sizes.
Diced lime and slices of lemon grass should
be cut to the same size. Roasted peanut
should be left in halves. Chillies should
be thinly sliced. Combinations of such ingredients
should be wrapped in fresh lettuce leaves
and laced with a sweet-salty sauce made
from fish sauce, sugar, dried shrimps and
lime juice.
Dips
Mixing crushed fresh chillies with fish
sauce and a dash of lime juice makes a general
accompanying sauce for any Thai dish. Adding
some crushed garlic and a tiny amount of
roasted or raw shrimp paste transforms it
into an all-purpose dip (nam phrik). Some
pulverised dried shrimp and julienned egg-plant
with sugar makes this dip more complete.
Serve it with steamed rice, an omelette
and some vegetables.
Salad Dressings
Salad dressings have similar base ingredients.
Add fish sauce, lime juice and sugar to
enhance saltiness, sourness and sweetness.
Crushed chillies, garlic and shallots add
spiciness and herbal fragrance. Lemon grass
and galanga can be added for additional
flavour. Employ this mix with any boiled,
grilled or fried meat. Lettuce leaves, sliced
cucumber, cut spring onions and coriander
leaves help top off a salad dressing.
Soup Stocks
Soups generally need good stock. Add to
boiling water crushed peppercorns, salt,
garlic, shallots, coriander roots, and the
meats or cuts of one's choice. After prolonged
boiling and simmering , you have the basic
stock of common Thai soups. Additional galanga,
lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, crushed
fresh chillies, fish sauce and lime juice
create the basic stock for a Tom Yam.
Curries
To make a quick curry, fry curry or chilli
paste in heated oil or thick coconut milk.
Stir and fry until the paste is well cooked
and add meats of one's choice.Season with
fish sauce or sugar to taste. Add water
or thin coconut milk to make curry go a
longer way. Add sliced eggplant with a garnish
of basil and kaffir lime leaves. Make your
own curry paste by blending fresh (preferably
dried) chillies, garlic, shallots, galanga,
lemon grass, coriander roots, ground pepper,
kaffir lime peels and shrimp paste.
Single Dish Meals
Heat the cooking oil, fry in a mixture of
crushed chillies, minced garlic, ground
pepper and chopped chicken meat. When nearly
cooked, add vegetables such as cut beans
or eggplants. Season with fish sauce and
garnish with kaffir lime leaves, basil or
balsom leaves. Cooked rice or fresh noodles
added to the frying would make this a substantial
meal. |
| |
|
|
| |
| Information
by Tourism Authority of Thailand . |
| |
|
Thailand
