If you were to define Thai cuisine, you could say that it is essentially an alliance of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences cleverly meshed into something undeniably Thai. Their national style of cooking has garnered a well deserved place in global culinary culture due to its uniquely combined spicy-salty-sweet-bitter-sour taste of this very special Asian cuisine. Not all Thai food is spicy. In some dishes, such as fried noodle (Phad Thai), spices are optional although the majority of Thais love spicy dishes, such as curry, (Gang), Thai style soup (Tom Yum), and Thai style salad (Yum).
The basic Thai staple is rice, either ordinary or glutinous, accompanied by a variety of dishes that can be eaten in almost any order, and seasoned to individual taste with several condiments such as fish sauce and tiny green (Thai)chili peppers. Alongside will be a soup of some kind, a curry, a steamed or fried dish, a salad, all served with an array of prepared sauces. Desserts may consist of fresh fruit or one of the many traditional Thai sweets.
Much of what is known about Thai cuisine evolved in the Central region. Rice, fish, and vegetables, flavored with garlic, black pepper, and nahm bplah (fish sauce), along with an abundance of fresh fruit, comprised the basic diet of Sukhothai. With the rise of Ayutthaya, other elements were added. The star ingredient, the fiery chili pepper - was introduced at this time, along with the equally popular coriander (cilantro), lime and tomato. These may have been brought by the Portuguese, who also left a lasting imprint in the form of popular Thai sweets based on egg yolk and sugar. Other influences came from India, Japan, Persia, and especially China. Less than a century ago, meals were eaten by hand, pressing the rice into the little balls; today a spoon and fork are used for eating rice, while chopsticks are used for Chinese-type noodles.
If you are serious about Thai cooking, here is a list of must have ingredients:
Staples: black sticky rice, white sticky rice, jasmine rice, coconut (fresh & desiccated), coconut milk, limes, palm sugar, rice flour, Thai rice noodles, tamarind, peanuts.
Condiments: fish sauce, Thai oyster sauce, roasted chili paste, shrimp paste, soy sauce.
Herbs/spices: Thai galanga, cilantro (coriander), cumin, kaffir lime leaves, Thai chilies, Thai basil, turmeric, lemon grass, shallots, ginger.
Now for some recipes. The very first thing I learned about Thai cooking is their celebrated Tom Yum soup, a spicy bowl of soup that will boost your immune system.
To make enough for 4 to 6 you’ll need: 3 pints chicken stock, 1 stalk lemon grass, sliced thinly and minced (tough outer leaves removed), 4 kaffir lime leaves (you'll find these in the freezer section of your local Asian store), 4 cloves garlic, minced, 2 to 4 red chillies, 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, 2 tbsp. fish sauce (Nam Pla, usually available in all Asian stores), a handful of fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly, 12 medium or large raw shrimp, shells removed, 1 can good-quality coconut milk, the juice of 2 limes, a handful of baby spinach or bok choy leaves, a few basil leaves, a little Tamari (soy sauce).
Pour stock into a large saucepan. Add the following: lemon grass, garlic, chillies, and lime juice & leaves. Add the mushrooms and shrimps. Cook briskly for 6-8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the coconut milk and the fish sauce. Stir well then add the baby spinach leaves and basil. Test the soup for spice and salt, adding more chilies and/or fish sauce as you like. If too spicy for your taste, add more coconut milk. Serve in bowls with fresh coriander sprinkled over it. If you feel really hungry you can add some Thai noodles to this...but...but, here's comes the Pad Thai.
Who hasn't eaten a decent Pad Thai? A lovely dish, delicately flavored, it's a winner with intimate dinner parties as the whole thing can be cooked in minutes, with little preparation.
For 4 to 6 persons you'll need 10 oz dried flat Thai rice noodles - these noodles look similar to Italian linguini noodles, except made of rice, 10-14 raw tiger prawns, shell removed, 3 sliced shallots, 1-2 fresh minced green or red chilies, depending on desired spiciness (for milder noodles, omit chili, or remove seeds) 2 free range eggs, the juice of 2 limes, 1 shredded bok choy, 1 cup bean sprouts, 1/2 cup ground or chopped peanuts (unsalted), 3 spring onions, finely sliced, 1 bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped, 3 tbsp peanut oil, a dash of Tamari (or soy sauce).
For the sauce you’ll need: 2 tbsp fish sauce (nam plah), 1 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp. palm sugar, 1/2 tbsp. tamarind paste mixed with 3 tbsp. water, 1-3 tsp. chili sauce, depending on how spicy you want your Pad Thai.
Soak rice noodles in a pot of cool water for 1 hour. Drain when ready to use. The noodles should still be firm and very chewy (they will finish cooking later, when they’re fried). Tip: Rice noodles are best when soaked to soften them, not boiled. However, if you’re in a hurry: bring a pot of water to the boil, then remove from heat and dunk in the noodles. Allow them to soak until nearly soft, but still firm and too crunchy to eat (10-15 minutes). Rinse with cold water and drain well.
Mix all sauce ingredients together in a cup until sugar dissolves. Set aside. Place remaining oil in wok. Over medium-high heat, stir-fry shallots and chilies until fragrant, roughly for 1 minute. Add shrimps and fry until pink (1-2 minutes). Add the chopped bok choy. Make a space in the center of the wok. Crack eggs into it and stir-fry (like scrambled eggs) until they’re cooked. Add a dash of oil and spread it around. Now add the noodles. As you stir-fry them, drizzle the sauce over a little at a time. Lift and turn the noodles very gently (or they will break up) to combine all the ingredients as you stir-fry (1-2 minutes). Add bean sprouts, mixing well and pour a little lime juice over it. The noodles are cooked when they are soft, but still chewy in texture. Serve on large plates and sprinkle with spring onions, ground nuts, and coriander and/or basil.
Now we come to my favorite, the fabled Thai curry. Even though I love the red and the green versions, I really go nuts for their creamy yellow curries, with rice, yellow lentils and potatoes added to it. A carb heaven, a wonderful way to recuperate from a boozy night! This is a recipe for vegetarians, it works well with either fish or chicken if you feel like it though as a vegetable curry, it's unbeatable. You can make your own paste or you can buy it. I'll go the hard road and show you how you can make the pste, providing you have a food processor (I once attempted to do one with a mortar and a pestle, took good hour and nearly broke my thumb)
For the paste: 1 stalk lemon grass, sliced, 2/4 yellow chilies (or 6 Thai green ones if you can’t find them), 2 shallots, 1 knob of galangal (or its close cousin, ginger), 6 cloves garlic, peeled, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tbsp mustard seeds, 1 tbsp turmeric, 4 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp palm sugar, 4 kaffir lime leaves, a pinch of nutmeg, ½ a tin of coconut milk, a dash of soy sauce. To make the paste, place all ingredients except the coconut milk into the processor and give it a whirl, just for a second. Then begin to add the coconut milk as you go, until you get a smooth paste. Voila, wasn't hard was it?
Next, assemble the following ingredients for a knock-out veg curry, say for 6 persons (it'll freeze well if you can't eat it all): 1 medium-sized squash (or a few pumpkin chunks), peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks, 2 red onions, finely minced, 6 garlic cloves, finely minced, 100 gr of yellow lentils that need to be soaked overnight, and rinsed thoroughly, 1 bok choy (or chard, or spinach leaves), 200 gr baby potatoes, 1 large yellow bell pepper, 1 large red bell pepper, both cut into thick strips, 1 fennel bulb, cut into chunks, a handful of mangetouts or snow peas, a small bunch of chopped cilantro, 1 large can of coconut milk and a 250 gr packet of Jasmine Thai rice. Add to this a couple of good quality of vegetable bouillon cubes, enough to make 2 pints, and you're rocking. And a little toasted sesame oil to kick-start this dish:
In a large saucepan, throw a little sesame oil, and add the onions, garlic, stir well, and add half the paste, keep stirring, add a dash of soy sauce or Tamari, then pour the stock made out of the bouillon cubes, then the coconut milk, then the yellow lentils. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat and add the squash, baby potatoes and fennel. Simmer for 20 minutes then add the peppers, bok choy, snow peas and cook for a further 10 minutes. In the meantime cook your rice according to the packet's instructions. Sometimes I cheat and add a little cream to thicken it. It should be ready to serve, add some chopped cilantro on top and you should end up with a delectable dish.
So, what's on your plate tonight, and how was it made?
