Thai cuisine
Kaeng phet pet yang:
roast duck in red curry
Thai cuisine is the national cuisine
of Thailand.
Blending elements of several Southeast Asian traditions, Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared
dishes with strong aromatic components. The spiciness
of Thai cuisine is well known. As with other Asian cuisines, balance, detail
and variety are of great significance to Thai chefs. Thai food is known for its
balance of three to four fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall
meal: sour, sweet, salty, and bitter.
As an acknowledged expert of Thai
cuisine, David Thompson explains in an interview: "Thai food ain't about
simplicity. It's about the juggling of disparate elements to create a
harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord it's got to have a smooth
surface but it doesn't matter what's happening underneath. Simplicity isn't the
dictum here, at all. Some westerners think it's a jumble of flavours, but to a
Thai that's important, it's the complexity they delight in."
Regional cuisines and external influences
Thai cuisine is more accurately
described as four regional cuisines corresponding to the four main regions of
the country: Northern, Northeastern (or Isan), Central,
and Southern, each cuisine sharing similar foods or foods derived from
those of neighboring countries and regions: Burma
to the northwest, the Chinese
province of Yunnan and Laos
to the north, Vietnam and Cambodia
to the east and Malaysia to the south of Thailand. In addition to these four regional cuisines, there is also the Thai Royal
Cuisine which can trace its history back to the cosmopolitan palace cuisine of the Ayutthaya kingdom. Its refinement, cooking techniques and use
of ingredients were of great influence to the cuisine of the Central Thai
plains. Western influences from the 17th century CE onwards have also led to dishes
such as foi thong and sangkhaya.
Thai cuisine and the culinary
traditions and cuisines of Thailand's neighbors have mutually influenced one
another over the course of many centuries. Regional variations tend to
correlate to neighboring states (often sharing the same cultural background and
ethnicity
on both sides of the border) as well as climate and geography. Southern Thai curry tend to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric,
while northeastern dishes often include lime
juice. The cuisine of Northeastern (or Isan) Thailand is
similar to southern Lao cuisine whereas northern Thai cuisine shares many dishes with
northern Lao cuisine and the cuisine of Shan state in Burma. Many popular dishes eaten in Thailand were
originally Chinese dishes which were introduced to Thailand mainly by the Teochew people who make up the majority of the Thai Chinese. Such dishes include chok
(rice porridge), kuai-tiao rat na (fried rice-noodles) and khao kha mu (stewed pork
with rice). The Chinese also introduced the use of a wok for cooking, the
technique of deep-frying and stir-frying dishes, and noodles, oyster sauce and soybean products. Dishes such as kaeng kari (yellow curry) and kaeng matsaman (massaman curry) are Thai adaptations of
dishes originating in the cuisine of India and the cuisine of Persia.
Serving
Tom yam kung nam khon (Prawn tom yam with coconut milk)
Thai meal in a village temple
Thai meals typically consist of a
single dish if eating alone, or rice (khao
in Thai) with many complementary dishes served concurrently and shared by all.
It is customary to serve more dishes than there are guests at a table.
Thai food was traditionally eaten
with the right hand while seated on mats or carpets on the floor as still
happens in the more traditional households. It is now generally eaten with a fork and a spoon. Tables and
chairs were introduced as part of the Westernization during the reign of King Mongkut, Rama IV. The use of fork and spoon were introduced by King Chulalongkorn after his return from a tour of Europe in 1897 CE. The fork, held in the left hand, is used to push food into
the spoon. The spoon is then brought to the mouth. A traditional ceramic spoon is
sometimes used for soup. Knives are not generally used at the table. Chopsticks are used primarily for eating noodle soups, but not
otherwise used.
It is common practice for Thais and hill
tribe peoples in north and northeast Thailand to use sticky rice as an edible implement by shaping it
into small, and sometimes flattened, balls by hand which are then dipped into
side dishes and eaten. Thai-Muslims frequently eat meals with only their right
hands.
Phrik
nam pla is served with nearly every meal
Thai food is often served with a
variety of sauces (nam chim) and condiments. These may include phrik nam pla/nam pla phrik
(consisting of fish sauce, lime juice, chopped chilies and garlic), dried chili
flakes, sweet chili sauce, sliced chili peppers in rice vinegar, sriracha sauce, or a spicy chili sauce or paste called nam phrik. In most Thai restaurants, diners
can find a selection of Thai condiments, often including sugar or MSG, available on the dining table in small containers with
tiny spoons. With certain dishes, such as khao kha mu (pork trotter
stewed in soy sauce and served with rice), whole Thai peppers and raw garlic are served in addition. Cucumber is sometimes eaten to cool
the mouth after particularly spicy dishes. They often also feature as a garnish,
especially with one-dish meals. The plain rice, sticky rice or the khanom
chin (Thai rice noodles) served alongside a spicy Thai curry or stir-fry, tends to counteract the spiciness.
A Thai family meal will normally
consist of rice with several dishes which form a harmonious contrast of
ingredients and preparation methods. The dishes, also soups, are all served at
the same time. A meal at a restaurant for four people could, for instance,
consist of fish in dry red curry (chuchi pla), a spicy green papaya
salad with dried prawns, tomatoes, yardlong beans and peanuts (som tam thai),
deep fried stuffed chicken wings (pik kai sot sai thot), a salad of
grilled beef, shallots and celery or mint (yam nuea yang), spicy stir
fried century eggs with crispy-fried holy basil (khai yiao ma phat kraphao krop), and a non-spicy
vegetable soup with tofu and seaweed (tom chuet taohu kap sarai) to
temper it all.
Thailand has about the same surface
area as Spain and a length of approximately 1650 kilometers or 1025 miles
(Italy, in comparison, is about 1250 kilometers or 775 miles long), with
foothills of the Himalayas in the north, a high plateau in the northeast, a verdant
river basin in the centre and tropical rainforests and islands in the south.
And with over 40 distinct ethnic
groups with each their own culture and
even more languages, it doesn't come as a surprise that Thai cuisine, as a
whole, is extremely varied and features many different ingredients and ways of
preparing food. Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh (rather
than dried) herbs
and spices.
Common herbs include cilantro, lemongrass, Thai basils and mint. Some other common flavors in Thai food come from ginger,
galangal, tamarind, turmeric, garlic, soy beans, shallots, white and black
peppercorn, kaffir lime and, of course, chilies.
Pastes and sauces
The ingredients found in almost all
Thai dishes and every region of the country is nam pla, a very aromatic and strong tasting fish sauce. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in Thai cuisine and
imparts a unique character to Thai food. Fish sauce is prepared with fermented
fish that is made into a fragrant condiment and provides a salty flavor. There
are many varieties of fish sauce and many variations in the way it is prepared.
Some fish may be fermented with shrimp and/or spices.
Pla ra is also a sauce made from fermented fish. It is more pungent than nam pla, and, in contrast to nam pla which is a clear liquid, it is opaque and often contains pieces of fish. To use it in som tam (spicy papaya salad) is a matter of choice.
Kapi, Thai shrimp paste, is a combination of fermented ground shrimp and salt. It is used, for instance, in red curry paste, in the famous chili paste called nam phrik kapi and in rice dishes such as khao khluk kapi.
Pla ra is also a sauce made from fermented fish. It is more pungent than nam pla, and, in contrast to nam pla which is a clear liquid, it is opaque and often contains pieces of fish. To use it in som tam (spicy papaya salad) is a matter of choice.
Kapi, Thai shrimp paste, is a combination of fermented ground shrimp and salt. It is used, for instance, in red curry paste, in the famous chili paste called nam phrik kapi and in rice dishes such as khao khluk kapi.
Nam phrik are Thai chilli pastes, similar to the Indonesian and Malaysian sambals. Each region has its own special versions. The words "nam
phrik" are used by Thais to describe many pastes containing chilies
used for dipping, although the more watery version tend to be called nam chim. Thai curry pastes are normally called phrik kaeng or khrueang
kaeng (lit. curry ingredients) but some people also use the word nam
phrik to designate a curry paste. Red curry paste, for instance, could be
called phrik kaeng phet or khrueang kaeng phet in Thai, but also nam
phrik kaeng phet. Both nam phrik and phrik kaeng are prepared
by crushing together chillies with various ingredients such as garlic and
shrimp paste using a mortar and pestle. Some nam phrik are served as a dip with vegetables
such as cucumbers, cabbage and yard-long beans, either raw or blanched. One
such paste is nam phrik num, a paste of pounded fresh green chilies,
shallots, garlic and coriander leaves. The sweet roasted chili paste called nam
phrik phao is often used as an ingredient in Tom yam or when frying
meat or seafood, and it is also popular as a spicy "jam" on bread.
The dry nam phrik kung, made with pounded dried prawns (kung haeng,
Thai: กุ้งแห้ง), is often eaten with rice
and a few slices of cucumber.
Fruits
The durian shown here is
of the Long Laplae variety, one of the most expensive durians available in
Thailand
Fruit forms a large part of the Thai
diet and are customarily served after a meal. Although many of the exotic
fruits of Thailand may have been sometimes unavailable in Western countries,
many Asian markets import such fruits as rambutan
and lychees.
In Thailand one can find papaya, jackfruit, mango, mangosteen, langsat, longan, pomelo, pineapple, rose apples, durian, Burmese grapes and other native fruits. Chantaburi in Thailand each year holds the World Durian Festival
in early May. This single province is responsible for half of the durian
production of Thailand and a quarter of the world production.The Langsat festival is held each year in Uttaradit province around the middle to end of September. The langsat (Lansium domesticum),
for which Uttaradit is famous, is a fruit that is similar in taste to the longan.
The fruit of the tamarind
is used to make sour dishes, and palm sugar, made from the sap of certain Borassus
palms, is used to sweeten dishes. From the coconut palm comes coconut sugar, coconut vinegar, and coconut milk. The juice of a green coconut can be served as a drink and the young flesh can be eaten.
Individual dishes
Phat si-io
Khao man kai
Phat thai kung
- Khanom chin nam ngiao - A speciality of Northern Thailand, it is Thai fermented rice noodles served with pork blood tofu in a sauce made with pork broth and tomato, crushed fried dry chilies, pork blood, dry fermented soy bean, and dried red kapok flowers.
Central Thai shared dishes
Thot man pla krai, served with fried basil
Ho mok pla, fish curry paté
Phat khana mu krop
Pla sam rot
Northeastern shared dishes
The cuisine of Northeastern Thailand
generally feature dishes similar to those found in Laos,
as Isan
people historically have
close ties with Lao
culture and speak a language that is generally mutually intelligible with the Lao language.
Som tam (papaya salad), kai yang (grilled chicken) and khao niao (sticky rice) is a traditional Lao and Isan combination
Lap mu (Lao and Isan pork salad)
Mu yang with Nam chim chaeo: grilled neck of pork with a
chili dip
- Kai yang - marinated, grilled chicken.
- Khao niao
- Sticky rice is eaten as a staple food both in the Northeast as in the North of Thailand; it
is traditionally steamed.
- Mu ping
- marinated, grilled pork on a stick.
- Lap - a traditional Lao salad containing meat, onions, chillies, roasted rice powder
and garnished with mint.
- Nam chim chaeo
- is a sticky, sweet and spicy dipping sauce made with dried chilies, fish
sauce, palm sugar and black roasted rice flour. It is often served as a
dip with mu yang, grilled pork).
- Nam tok - made with pork (mu) or beef (nuea) and somewhat identical
to lap, except that the pork or beef is cut into thin strips rather
than minced.
- Som tam - grated green papaya
salad, pounded with a mortar and
pestle, similar to the Laos Tam
mak hoong. There are three main variations: som tam pu (Thai:
ส้มตำปู) with salted black crab, and som tam Thai
(Thai: ส้มตำไทย) with peanuts, dried
shrimp and palm sugar and som tam pla ra (Thai:
ส้มตำปลาร้า) from the north eastern part of Thailand
(Isan), with salted gourami fish, white eggplants, fish sauce and long beans. Som tam is usually eaten with sticky rice but a
popular variation is to serve it with khanom chin (rice noodles)
instead.
- Suea rong hai
- grilled beef brisket.
- Tom saep
- Northeastern-style hot & sour soup.
- Yam naem, a snack made of crumbled crisp rice balls, minced pork, ginger, green chillies, peanuts and onion.
Northern
shared dishes
A selection of Northern Thai dishes,
served as starters
- Kaeng hang-le
- a Burmese influenced stewed pork curry which uses peanuts, dried chilies
and tamarind juice in the recipe but containing no coconut milk.
- Kaeng khae
- is a spicy northern Thai curry of herbs, vegetables, the leaves of an
acacia tree (chaom) and meat (chicken, water buffalo, pork or frog).
It also does not contain any coconut milk.
- Kaep mu - deep fried crispy pork rinds which often eaten with
chili pastes such as nam phrik num but also eaten as a snack on
their own.
- Nam phrik num
- a chili paste of pounded large green chilies, shallots, garlic,
coriander leaves, lime juice and fish sauce; eaten with steamed and raw
vegetables, and sticky rice.
- Nam phrik ong
- resembling a thick Bolognese sauce, it is made with dried chilies, minced pork and
tomato; eaten with steamed and raw vegetables, and sticky rice.
- Sai ua - a grilled sausage of ground pork mixed with spices
and herbs; it is often served with chopped fresh ginger and chilies at a
meal. It is also sold at markets in Chiang Mai as a snack.
Southern shared dishes
- Kaeng lueang
- a sour spicy yellow curry that does not contain coconut milk, often with
fish and vegetables.
- Kaeng matsaman - also known in English as Massaman curry, it
is an Indian style curry, usually made by Thai-Muslims, of stewed beef and
containing roasted dried spices, such as coriander seed, that are rarely
found in other Thai curries. In 2011 CNNGo ranked massaman as number one in an article titled
World's 50 most delicious foods.
- Kaeng tai pla
- a thick sour vegetable curry made with turmeric and shrimp paste, often containing roasted fish or
fish innards, bamboo shoots and eggplant.
- Khua kling
- a very dry spicy curry made with minced or diced meat with sometimes
yardlong beans added to it; often served with fresh green phrik khi nu
(thai chilies) and copious amounts of finely shredded bai makrut
(kaffir lime leaves).
- Sate - grilled meat, usually pork or chicken, served with cucumber salad and peanut sauce (actually of Indonesian origin, but now a popular street food in Thailand).
Desserts sweet snacks
Khao niao mamuang, mango with sticky rice
Khao tom mat, sticky rice and banana
Most Thai meals finish with fresh
fruit but sometimes a sweet snack will be served as a dessert.
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