Thai cuisine – recipes with photos

Features of traditional Thai cuisine

Thai cuisine needs no introduction. It is popular due to the symphony of flavors that sound in every plate, the richness of aromas and the original presentation.

The cuisine of the Land of Smiles is inseparably dominated by the balance of 5 tastes: spicy, salty, sweet, sour and bitter. The most important seasoning is fish sauce.

Thais practically do not use salt; it is replaced by fish sauce. In addition to the variety of spices and unexpected combinations of tastes, Thai cuisine is also distinguished by a variety of smells.

Europeans who have lived in Thailand for a long time say that they have long been accustomed to all Thai smells and aromas, and only garlic fried with sugar to this day causes a shock to the olfactory receptors.

Rice and noodles

The basis of Thai cuisine is rice. This is a national gastronomic pride, since even with soup it is served in a separate plate instead of bread.

Rice is everything, boiled crumbly - it is the main food product, although in the north and northeast of Thailand they prefer the sticky version.

Contrary to popular belief, in Thailand people do not eat with chopsticks. Here, familiar cutlery is held in high esteem. In all establishments, rice is served with a fork and spoon. Thais consider rice prepared by Russians to be undercooked and will not eat it under any circumstances.

Rice is eaten with chicken, pork, seafood and fish. “Food” in Thai literally means “rice”. In addition to boiled rice, Thais also prefer fried rice, which is cooked with an egg, adding other necessary ingredients.

It all depends on the recipe. It takes an experienced Thai chef no more than five to ten minutes to prepare a standard lunch.

Many delicacies, for example, noodles, were borrowed from their Asian neighbors and processed, so they acquired unique features and began to be proudly called national.

Noodles in Thailand are also rice, but egg noodles are also found. Dishes with it are as varied as with rice.

Seafood and fish

Seafood in Thailand is not only some of the best and freshest, but also the cheapest. Separately, they are fried, boiled, baked, or grilled. But they are also added to various dishes - noodles, rice, soups, sauces, etc.

Fish is usually fried or steamed with spices. Served with various sauces and vegetables.

Fresh fish and seafood are usually placed on ice trays near restaurants and cafes. You can choose what you like, and they will cook it to your taste.

Insects

I would like to say a few more words about bugs - spiders, which are fried in kilograms in Thai bazaars. In fact, Thais don’t really eat cockroaches, grasshoppers or larvae. They were eaten only in some northern regions of Thailand. And then only in lean years.

You can taste the cute reptiles at almost any bazaar. Why? It’s just that the attraction in the spirit of the popular TV show “Fear Factor” was very popular among tourists. Insects are cooked deep-fried with the same spices added. Cockroach fries taste like...

It's difficult to describe the flavor bouquet, so you have to try it. Connoisseurs of this specific protein food claim that the most delicious among this entire company are fried grasshoppers. But the larvae are juicier.

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10 most unusual and healthy fruits in Thailand

Thai cuisine - a balance of five flavors

If you describe Thai cuisine in a few words, it would be “balance”, “diversity” and “beauty”. Many people call the cuisine of Thailand as much a landmark of the country as nature and architecture. Thai cuisine is original in itself, but has also absorbed the traditions of other countries: China, India, Portugal and France. We can say that a real cult of food has developed here. Even when saying hello, Thais often ask instead of greeting: “Have you eaten?” The answer “Yes, I have already eaten” means that everything is fine with the person, and “No, I have not eaten yet” means that things are not good. Like other southern and eastern countries, food in Thailand is seasonal. Although seasonality is relative here. The climate in the country is wonderful, tropical, vegetables and fruits are harvested more than once a year. The main rule is the absolute freshness of the products used, including meat, fish and seafood. Key seasonings include lime, coconut, garlic, chili, ginger root, lemongrass and coriander. Among the products, rice comes first. No meal is complete without rice. Even desserts are made from it. In Thai, the word “food” means “to eat rice.” Two types of this grain are used for cooking: white fluffy rice and sticky rice; it is rolled into balls like the base for sushi in Japanese cuisine.

Next, noodles - they just came to Thailand from China and became an independent dish. Thai dishes often contain meat, especially chicken. Since Thailand is washed by the seas, it is not surprising that there are quite a lot of dishes with fish and seafood in the cuisine of this country.

Thailand is famous for its variety of fruits and vegetables. Only more than 20 types of bananas are grown here, and more than 40 mangoes. There are also fruits that are quite exotic for Europeans: guava, durian, tangerini, sapodilla, mangosteen, rambutan. Vegetables are also varied; they are added to soups and main dishes, steamed or cooked in a wok.

Another feature of Thai cuisine is its creativity. No chef will give you the exact recipe for a dish, because every time he will cook it in a new way, according to inspiration and by eye. But the dish will always maintain a balance of five tastes: sour, salty, spicy, bitter and sweet. Even the ingredients in a dish can change, not to mention the sauces, whose task is to complement and reveal the taste.

Food is prepared quickly, usually in no more than 20 minutes. We remember: the main thing is to maintain the freshness of the product! This is why dishes cooked over an open fire are so popular, often in a wok - a special frying pan with high, thick sides.

By the way, Thais often fry vegetables for salads, which is somewhat unusual for Europeans. Products are cut into small pieces - also so that the food cooks faster. But it’s interesting that such cutting is the reason that Thais do not use knives. They eat with a spoon and fork, and the fork is used to transfer food from the plate to the spoon. Another feature of Thai cuisine is the serving of the dish. In this area, chefs are true artists. Food should be served elegantly and beautifully. Looking at it, a person should receive aesthetic pleasure.

And finally, the most famous dishes of Thai cuisine: 1. Som Tam salad. It contains more than 10 ingredients: peanuts, fish sauce, garlic, chili, green beans, tomatoes, sugarcane paste and others. 2. Salad Pad Pak, or "Morning Glory". A mixture of vegetables, basil, herbs and impomea is fried in oyster sauce, with a clove of garlic and a small amount of chili. Served hot. 3. Tom Yang Kung soup. Its peculiarity is that all ingredients (shrimp, tomatoes, mushrooms, kolgan, lemongrass, lime leaves) are cooked in coconut milk. 4. Panang Gai. This is chicken curried and served in coconut cream. 5. Pad Thai - rice noodles fried in sauce with seafood, soy sprouts and peanuts. 6. Tom Yam soup with chicken/shrimp/seafood. This soup is the hallmark of Thailand. Translated into Russian, “Tom Yam” means “hot spicy soup”; the third word in the name is the type of meat, fish or broth. Tom Yum Kung is a soup with shrimp, Tom Yum Kai is with chicken, Tom Yum Pla is with fish, Tom Yam Thale is with seafood. Required ingredients: kaffir lime leaves, galanga, lemongrass. In the original, Tom Yum is cooked hot and spicy. There are many superstitions associated with food in Thailand. So, eating alone is a bad omen. Therefore, when you decide to cook Thai cuisine, don’t forget to invite your friends over! 5

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Author: Bonduelle

Thai food recipes at home

Don't know how to cook meat in Thai? You can find the recipe with step-by-step instructions and high-quality photographs on the CookLikeMary website. We present to your attention a complete collection of simple but very tasty recipes that will make you admire the art of Thai chefs.

CookLikeMary is excited to bring you Thai recipes. We offer a choice of meat, fish and seafood dishes. If you are on a diet, Thai chicken (the recipe is also on our website) is what you need.

By preparing a dish from this cuisine at home, you will save your household from the need to use a knife, since chopping food is typical for the traditional forge of Thailand.

Perhaps the recipes of Thai cuisine will seem unusual to you, but this is not a reason to deny yourself the pleasure of trying something like that. Test new tastes. Do not hesitate, you will be pleasantly surprised by the cuisine of sunny Thailand!

Thai cuisine: street food of Thailand

I would also like to note that Thai street food is of great importance to the culture of Thailand. This is truly the heart of the people. Trying Thai food will help you better understand the people of this amazing country. At first glance, everything looks very untidy, but we must not forget that Thailand has more lenient SanPiN laws. Plus, due to the fact that street food is in great demand from both locals and tourists, the food does not sit out for a long time. And let me remind you that Thais like to cook over high heat, which means the dishes undergo strong heat treatment.

I think that when you decide to visit this distant and amazing country, you will definitely find something that suits your taste. And you will take this rainbow of sensations with you forever.

Basic components of Thai cuisine

Thais often cook spicy food and like to mix ingredients that produce opposing tastes, such as sweet and bitter, sour and spicy. The play of contrasts in one dish is a characteristic feature of Thai cuisine. The list of products that Thais use in preparing dishes differs significantly from the usual products for Russian people.

Therefore, if you find yourself in Thailand, you should definitely get acquainted with traditional Thai cuisine. But this should be done carefully so that there are no negative consequences from unfamiliarity with unfamiliar food. To begin with, ask to serve the dish “no spicy”, which means “not spicy”; when ordering again, you can take a chance and order “little spicy” - “a little spicy”.

Rice

The most important component of Thai cuisine is rice. Translated from Thai, “eat” literally means “eat rice” (kin khau). Everyone eats rice every day. It is included in a huge number of dishes as a main component or an additional one. It is used to prepare rice soups, stir-fries with various spices, and added to salads.

A wide variety of rice is used here, the most popular being jasmine rice, grown in the Isan region of northeastern Thailand. It is crumbly and is eaten with forks or spoons. Glutinous rice, which is high in starch, is also common. It is cooked by steaming and not in water like any other rice. Small balls are made from the prepared mass, which fit entirely into the mouth. The tradition of making sticky rice comes from neighboring Laos, where it is also very popular.

Seafood

The kingdom always has a lot of fresh seafood, which ranks second in the food popularity ranking after rice. This is not surprising, since Thailand has a very long coastline and produces a lot of fish and various seafood.

Noodles

Noodles and all kinds of pasta came to Thailand from China. Now noodles can be used as a side dish for meat or fish, added to soup or served as a main dish.

The best Thai dishes

There are truly masterpieces of Thai cuisine that you should definitely try if you find yourself in Thailand. Even just photos of these dishes make you want to try them.

Tom Kha

The soup is made with coconut milk and has a sweetish taste – not too hot, spicy and very tasty.

Green curry

A specific paste containing chili peppers, lemongrass, lime leaves, basil, shrimp paste and coconut milk.

Papaya salad

Green papaya (or green mango) salad with crushed peanuts, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, dried shrimp, fish sauce and chili.

Pad Thai

Rice noodles with a choice of seafood, pork or beef with the addition of shallots, garlic, ginger, soy sprouts, seasoned with sauce and sprinkled with grated peanuts.

Fried rice

Rice with vegetables, complemented by seafood or meat with local pineapple sauce.

Roti

Pancakes with various fillings - meat, eggs, seafood, fruit, chocolate.

Sen Khao

Deep-fried egg noodle soup with lime, onion, peanuts, chili peppers, herbs and cabbage pickle.

And of course, the main “zest” of Thai cuisine, the most famous dish is the traditional Thai soup Tom Yam.

Tom Yum Soup

Spicy Thai specific soup. Prepared in chicken broth with various variations of additives: fish, shrimp, chicken. The main ingredients that give the incredible taste and aroma of this wonderful soup: lemon grass, lime, chili, cilantro, galangal root with a pronounced citrus aroma.

Since this is a very spicy dish, rice is offered as an addition to it.

An interesting fact is that this soup is an effective prevention against cancer and therefore Thais are practically not susceptible to this disease - this is confirmed by many years of testing.

What to try in Thailand

Thai cuisine is very tasty and varied, but for many it may be too spicy. Before tasting a new dish, you should evaluate the degree of its spiciness and balance it with the capabilities of your body, so that you don’t have to put out a fire in your mouth.

Important! In Thailand they only drink bottled water. The country lacks sewerage, water treatment facilities and water quality control services.

It is impossible to imagine Thai cuisine without Tom Yum Kung soup. Although the soup is very spicy, it tops the ranking of popular dishes in Thailand.

Pad Thai - rice noodles fried in a wok with seasonings and sauces - ranks second in the ranking of popular dishes.

As for fish dishes, it is worth trying Pla Plu - a small fish stuffed with aromatic herbs, rolled in salt and grilled. The fish simply melts in your mouth and has a specific sweetish taste.

As for drinks, it is interesting to try coconut milk from the nut, which is drunk through a straw.

Only in Thailand can you try juice squeezed from sugar cane - it is prepared right in front of the buyer.

Attention! Cane juice is very high in calories - it is not recommended to drink more than one glass at a time.

As for desserts, you should definitely eat “fried” ice cream. Like all others, this street food dish is prepared in the “here and now” mode. Ice cream is made on an ice board, kneaded and collected into tubes. The preparation time for this amazing delicacy is less than 5 minutes.

Thais prepare wonderful crispy Roti pancakes filled with pineapple or banana, mango with sticky rice and coconut cream.

Among the many colorful, tasty and spicy dishes of Thai cuisine, it is impossible to choose the best one. Like the country itself, Thai cuisine will not leave anyone indifferent.

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