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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 04 June 2007 |
Thai cooking uses special ingredients to make that unique taste that Thai food has. Below is a list of the most common ingredients used in Thai cooking.
Rice (Khow): Rice is the staple food of Thailand. Thai rice is long grained and should be fluffy and well separated when correctly cooked. The rice should be washed well with several changes of water until the water runs clear. Combine in the proportion 225 gm or rice to 600 ml of water and bring to the boil quickly. Cover tightly and simmer for 20 minutes. Recently the majority of Thai families have invested in an electric rice cooker.
Coconut Milk (Nam Katee): Coconut milk is used as a flavouring and thickening agent for many Thai curries. The coconut milk is not the liquid found in a fresh young coconut but is made from the shredded meat of mature coconuts. There are basically two types of coconut milk, the thick and the thin. The shredded meat is placed in boiling water and then squeezed through a very fine sieve to extract the milk. This first pressing produces the thick coconut milk. Repeated squeezings with fresh water produce the thin coconut milk.
Chilies (Phrik): Ever since being imported from the New World by the Portuguese traders in the 16th century, chilies have been an essential ingredient in Thai foods, virtually replacing the black pepper previously available from the Indonesian Spice Islands. The hottest chilies generally used in Thailand are the small phrik kee noo (literal translated means mouse droppings chili). They are green when immature and change from yellow, orange and red as they ripen. Other chilies are the phrik cheefaa (approximately 75 mm long), phrik num (which are slightly larger) and phrik yauk which are large and pale green.
Chilies are also sun dried which makes them wrinkled and crisp and are a colour between deep red and very dark brown. They can be stored indefinitely either whole or powdered (chili powder).
Garlic (Khrathiam): Garlic is used extensively in Thai cooking. It may be used whole, sliced, chopped or crushed and for some dishes may be deep fried to make golden flakes.
Coriander (Phakchee): From the same family as parsley, coriander adds a distinctive flavour which is characteristic of Thai food. The fresh leaves are generally used as a garnish but the root and the seeds are used in the cooking.
Lemon Grass (Takrai): This gives a lemon flavour to dishes more aromatic than the lemon fruit. The fibrous stalks are usually crushed by using the back of a knife.
Fish Sauce (Nam Plaa): An essential ingredient in Thai cooking, it is also used as a condiment. A clear brown liquid, fermented and salty. Sometimes served as a condiment with small chopped chilies and a squeeze of lime.
Shrimp Paste (Kapi): Shrimp paste is a by-product of nam plaa, made from the residue of the shrimps and salt which is left to dry in the sun. The best quality has a fine texture and is not very salty.
Sticky Rice (Khow Niaow): A different strain of rice from the normal one, generally eaten in the North East. The grains are short and opaque. Sticky rice is always steamed, never boiled and it is at its best if soaked in cold water for a few hours prior to cooking. Well cooked sticky rice should be firm and dry and the grains adhere to each other. It is generally steamed and served in a bamboo woven basket.
Tamarind (Makhaam): A fruit which gives a sour flavour to certain dishes. It is also eaten as a fruit. For cooking it is normally used as tamarind juice, which is extracted by soaking the tamarind pulp in hot water for 10 minutes or so and then straining. |
