Thai Food

By Scott Marley

Thai food is unique among the cuisines of Southeast Asia. It has the consistency of Chinese food, but minus the complicated sauces. Also the spiciness of Indian food but without the use of dairy products and curry powder. Thai food is a distinct cuisine in its own right, largely due to the ability of the people to absorb outside influences and develop them into something uniquely their own. The skill of blending the five flavors - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and hot - is the hallmark of Thai dishes. Coconut milk is used to mellow and blend flavours in dishes. It neutralises the pungency of many of the stronger ingredients in meat and fish curries. Coconut is the dairy-product substitute of Southeast Asia. Thais eat with a fork and spoon, but not a knife. Dishes are long on preparation time - ingredients being cut into small pieces; but they are short on actual cooking time. There is no order in which courses are to be served, everything is layed out at once. Diners help themselves to what they please, accompanying their choices with steaming rice. The dishes themselves are served warm or at room temperature. A meal will usually finish with a bowl of fresh fruits or desserts. Presentation is important in Thai food, carving techniques create garnishes which aren't cooked. Fruit and vegetable carving is an art. Thais tend to garnish stir-fried dishes with green onion and coriander leaves. Here are a couple of popular Thai recipes... Tomkha Kai Ingredients 8 oz sliced chicken breast 5 tablespoons of fish sauce 2 cups of coconut milk 6 thin sliced young galangal 2 stalks of lemon grass, cut into 1 inch pieces, crushed 5 fresh kaffir lime leaves 1 teaspoon of black chili paste 2 tablespoons of sugar 1/2 cup of lime juice 1/4 cup of cilantro leaves 5 green Thai chili peppers, crushed To make Combine half the coconut milk with galangal, lemon grass, and lime leaves in a large saucepan, and bring to the boil. Add chicken, fish sauce, and sugar. Simmer for about 4 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked, and then add the remaining coconut milk. Leave to boil. Place lime juice and chili paste in a serving bowl, and pour the soup over them. Garnish with cilantro leaves and crushed chili peppers. Namprik Longrua Ingredients 1-2 long aubergines 2 eggs beaten 50g of sweet pork 1 tablespoon of shrimp paste 3-5 cloves of garlic 3-5 fresh small hot chilies 1 tablespoon of fish sauce 2 teaspoons of palm sugar 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 800g of cooked rice 50g of fried cashew nuts string beans and cucumbers To make Peel cloves garlic, and then pound finely. Add shrimp paste, and pound to form a fine paste. Put in fresh small hot chilies, coarsely crushed. Season to taste with lemon juice, palm sugar, and fish sauce. Taste to flavour. In a mixing bowl, combine cooked rice and shrimp paste sauce, mixing it well. Beat eggs until foamy. Cut aubergines into pieces, and dip them in the egg. Then deep-fry in hot oil until golden. Spoon the rice mixed with the shrimp paste sauce onto individual serving plates. Place the deep-fried aubergines on the tops. Decorate with fried cashew nuts, sweet pork, string beans and cucumbers.

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