We were lucky to have had the chance to be in Thailand for two months and enjoy Thai cuisine. We want to share in this post what we have learned about the cuisine and share about the ingredients that we found to be most common in Thai dishes.
Rice is the staple grain of Thai cuisine. It is the most important part of any meal in Thailand. The word for rice and food is the same, Khai. Thai use various types of rice including brown rice, jasmine white rice, jasmine white rice mixed with brown rice, and jasmine white rice mixed with black rice. Another popular variety of rice is called Khao Neow (white or black) which is sticky rice or glutinous rice. It is cooked very differently than the plain rice. The rice is soaked in water overnight and steamed instead of boiled.
Many ingredients are used in Thai cuisine and here are a few that we found to be common in many dishes -
Rice is the staple grain of Thai cuisine. It is the most important part of any meal in Thailand. The word for rice and food is the same, Khai. Thai use various types of rice including brown rice, jasmine white rice, jasmine white rice mixed with brown rice, and jasmine white rice mixed with black rice. Another popular variety of rice is called Khao Neow (white or black) which is sticky rice or glutinous rice. It is cooked very differently than the plain rice. The rice is soaked in water overnight and steamed instead of boiled.
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Many ingredients are used in Thai cuisine and here are a few that we found to be common in many dishes -
- Fish Sauce - Extract of fish and sea salt fermented up to 18 months
- Molases - Dark, sweet, bitter and syrupy sauce made from sugar cane extract
- Soy Sauce - Sauce made of fermented soy beans. It is a bit salty and sweet.
- Oyster Sauce - It is a condiment made of water, salt, sugar essence of oysters and thickened with corn starch.
- Palm Sugar - Sugar made from the sap of the sugar palm tree.
- Coconut Milk - Made from flesh of ripe coconut.
- Small Rice Noodles - Thin fine noodles made from rice flour and water.
- Big Rice Noodles - Same ingredients as small rice noodles but they are wider.
- Glass Noodles - These are made of green beans and they are transparent.
- Tofu - Also known as bean curd, is made from Soy beans, water, and a coagulant.
- Bean Sprouts - Sprouts from green Mung beans.
Other ingredients that are used are - Galangal, Ginger, Turmeric, Thai ginseng, Garlic, Shallots, Lemongrass, different types of chillies, Kaffir lime, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Lemon, Tamarind, Egg plant, Pandaan leaves, cilantro, coriander, parsley, Basil etc.,
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Many fruits are also part of Thai cuisine, which are either mixed with main meals or eaten separately. Banana, Mango, Papaya, Pineapple, Coconut, and Jackfruit are the common fruits we saw in Thailand.
If you ever went to a Thai restaurant outside Thailand, the first dish that you might have tried is a Thai curry. They come in various flavours and colours. Red Curry, Green Curry, and Yellow Curry. The color of these dishes come from the color of chillies or paprika used in the base paste. The other common way a Thai dish is cooked is stir fried. It is very common to see stir fried vegetables with meat over rice and topped with a half fried egg. Soups are also a big part of Thai cuisine. The most common ones are Thai Chicken Coconut soup and Thai Congee Rice Poridge with Pork. You can see a list of Thai soups and their recipes here.
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Street food in Thailand is mostly roasted and BBQed food -- from hot dogs, to skewers of chicken, pork, fish, and vegetables. It is also common to see dumplings stuffed with meat and/or sweet fruits or Nutella on the streets. There is a wide range of food choices on the streets from snacks, to main meals, to desserts.
Desserts in Thai cuisine came in many varieties. The one that we knew before coming here was Sticky rice with Mango. We tried it and it was delicious. There are many desserts that are made out of rice and fruits (mango, banana, pineapple, berries, etc.,). This site has a big long list of Thai desserts that you can see here.
Thailand being a hot country, there are many cold drinks offered at restaurants and by street vendors. The one we had a few times was Thai Iced Tea. It was cold black tea with milk and condensed milk. There are many other drinks made out of fruits, soda, milk, jello, and a combination of these along with many other sweet items. Beers are also sold almost everywhere. The two most common brands we saw are Chang and Singha, even though there are many other varieties.
After three months in India, we felt that Thai Cuisine was very different especially when it comes to vegetarian dishes. Thai cuisine is primarily meat based, and it was almost impossible to find a vegetarian dish in Thailand as the oyster sauce and fish sauce that were used in almost all dishes is made out of animal extract. Even though we are not vegetarians, Thai cuisine definitely left us craving for more fresh vegetables in our meals. The other thing we missed was plain yogurt. It was almost impossible to find plain yogurt in markets except artificially flavoured ones.
There are many national dishes of Thailand but the most visible one was Pad Thai. It is a stir-fried rice noodle dish. It is a very delicious noodle dish with eggs, peanuts, fresh moong sprouts, and other ingredients. Here is a recipe for the dish - link.
As we continue our travels, we are looking forward to observing the differences (if any) between the cuisines of south east Asia. We will continue to share our observations and experiences in our upcoming blogs.
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| Image Source: https://thetezzyfiles.com |
Desserts in Thai cuisine came in many varieties. The one that we knew before coming here was Sticky rice with Mango. We tried it and it was delicious. There are many desserts that are made out of rice and fruits (mango, banana, pineapple, berries, etc.,). This site has a big long list of Thai desserts that you can see here.
Thailand being a hot country, there are many cold drinks offered at restaurants and by street vendors. The one we had a few times was Thai Iced Tea. It was cold black tea with milk and condensed milk. There are many other drinks made out of fruits, soda, milk, jello, and a combination of these along with many other sweet items. Beers are also sold almost everywhere. The two most common brands we saw are Chang and Singha, even though there are many other varieties.
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| Image Source: http://www.templeofthai.com/ |
After three months in India, we felt that Thai Cuisine was very different especially when it comes to vegetarian dishes. Thai cuisine is primarily meat based, and it was almost impossible to find a vegetarian dish in Thailand as the oyster sauce and fish sauce that were used in almost all dishes is made out of animal extract. Even though we are not vegetarians, Thai cuisine definitely left us craving for more fresh vegetables in our meals. The other thing we missed was plain yogurt. It was almost impossible to find plain yogurt in markets except artificially flavoured ones.
There are many national dishes of Thailand but the most visible one was Pad Thai. It is a stir-fried rice noodle dish. It is a very delicious noodle dish with eggs, peanuts, fresh moong sprouts, and other ingredients. Here is a recipe for the dish - link.
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| Pad Thai. Image Source: https://www.seriouseats.com |
As we continue our travels, we are looking forward to observing the differences (if any) between the cuisines of south east Asia. We will continue to share our observations and experiences in our upcoming blogs.
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