Thai Food

2011-11-30T22:47:00.001+07:00

Thai food

introduction

Thai food is internationally famous. Whether chilli-hot or comparatively blands, 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-icing' 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 & 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.

Thai Food

2011-11-30T21:22:00.001+07:00

Thai Food : The Harmony of Flavors

Do you like Thai food? It is one of the

world's five most popular culinary styles,
along with those of the Chinese, Indian,
Italian and French. It features hot and
spicy tastes with colourful ingredients
which not only coordinate to boost appetite
but also contain medicinal properties.
Traditional Thai medicine regards food as
a fundamental of a person's physical and
mental health. If one consumes food which
harmonizes with the seasons of the year,
the geographical condition of his locality
and the chemical elements in his body,
good health and clear state of mind will be
his. This principle has been observed by
the Thai people for a long time to keep the
body and mind in equilibrium.

The Harmony of Flavours and Elements

Samples of beverages: lemon juice,
tomato juice, tamarind juice, pineapple
juice

Wind dominated people are those born a
Gemini (15 June-15 July), a Libra (17 Oct.-
15 Nov.) or an Aquarius (13 Feb.-13 Mar.).
There is a tendency for them to develop
problems with joints and bones, the
digestive system and constipation. They
should eat something cool, aromatic or hot.

Samples of vegetables: ginger, galangal,
pepper, holy basil, turmeric, chilli, mint,
lemon grass

According to traditional Thai medicine, a
human body consists of four elements --
earth, water, wind and fire. Earth is a
constituent of 20 organs like hair, nails,
teeth and bones. Water constitutes 12
fluids in the body, such as bile, blood and
lymph. Wind is the breath. It is a factor in
body movements.

Fire provides heat and energy to keep the
body warm and help with digestion. A
balance of these four elements enables the
body to function well. However, for each
person, only one element is predominant
while the other three are supplementary.
For example, a person born on 14 May has
Earth as a predominant element, with
water, wind and fire as supporters. To
maintain the inner balance, it is important
to take food with opposing
properties.Below are some traditional hints
for people of each element, some of which
are still observed.

Samples of Thai dishes: chicken in
coconut cream, hot and sour shrimp clear
soup

Samples of beverages: ginger juice,
galangal juice, lemon grass juice

Fire dominated people are those born an
Aries (13 Apr.-13 May), a Leo (16 Aug.-16
Sept.) or a Sagittarius (16 Dec.-13 Jan.).
These people often have problems of
stomach malfunction, stress, allergies and
diarrhea. Food of bitter and cooling tastes
are suitable for them.

Earth dominated people are those born a
Taurus (14 May-14 June), a Virgo (17
Sept.-16 Oct.), or an Aquarius (14 Jan.-12
Feb.). They tend to be obese and easily
develop diabetes, high blood pressure,
rheumatism, asthma, coughing and cold.
Food that has an astringent, salty or sweet
flavour, or is greasy, is recommended to
them, such as the following:

Samples of vegetables: unripe bananas,
unripe jackfruits, lead plant, spinach,
dishcloth gourds
Samples of Thai dishes: saute dishcloth
gourds with shrimps, spicy soup with
unripe bananas and shrimps
Samples of beverages: Coconut milk,
soya milk, orange juice, guava juice,
pumpkin juice, corn milk.

Water dominated people are those born a
Leo (16 July-16 Aug.), a Scorpio (16 Nov.-
15 Dec.) or a Pisces (14 Mar.-12 Apr.).
Their health problems are similar to those
of the Earth-type people. They should eat
something sour or slightly bitter, such as :

Samples of vegetables: swamp morning
glory, water mimosa
Samples of Thai dishes: saute swamp
morning glory, water mimosa spicy salad
Samples of beverages: watermelon juice,
pandanus leaf juice, chrysanthemum juice

The Harmony of Flavours and Seasons
Even though one eats in conformation with
the above principles, one might still be
affected by seasonal changes which
results in the imbalance of the body. Trying
to eat properly will help maintain the body
in healthy condition. These are some
dietary suggestions for each season.
Hot Season (Feb.-May) The fire element
is directly affected by heat. In this season,
people frequently have fevers or other
symptoms such as fatigue, and thirst.
Eating food having bitter or sour flavour
like papaya salad will cool off and refresh
the body.
Rainy Season (June-Sept.) People tend to
catch a cold and have feverish symptoms
because of the increased moisture and
coolness in the air. Hot and spicy food
such as spicy and sour shrimp soup is the
best medicine for these symptoms.

Samples of vegetables: limes, morinda
leaves, bitter cucumbers, Thai cassia
siamea leaves, trumpet flowers

Samples of Thai dishes: hot and sour
soup with trumpet flowers, saute morinda
leaves with minced pork

Cool Season (Oct.-Jan.) The dry weather
disturbs the water element. The coolness
and the dryness decrease moisture in the
body, resulting in dry skin, headaches,
running nose and sprains

Food which has bitter, hot or sour flavour
and contains krachai, pepper and chilli, like
a mild and spicy soup with sweet basil,
dishcloth gourds and minced shrimps, can
help relieve these symptoms.

Now, let's go for Thai food for its delicious
tastes and a healthy body.

Thai I Cook

Thai Food

Thai Food