Thai Cuisine

Thai meal typically consist of either a single dish or it will be rice or khao with many complimentary 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 but it is now generally eaten with a fork and a spoon; this was introduced as part of Westernization during the reign of King Mongkut, Rama IV. It was his brother, Vice-king Pinklao, who, after watching a demonstration of Western dining etiquette by an American Missionary, chose only the Western-style fork and spoon from the whole set of table silverware to use at his own dining table. 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 soups. 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.

Thai dishes use a wide variety of herbs, spices and leaves rarely found in the West, such as kaffir lime leaves (bai makrut). The characteristic flavor of the leaves appears in nearly every Thai soup or curry from the southern and central areas of Thailand. The Thai lime (manao) is smaller, darker and sweeter than the kaffir lime, which has a rough looking skin with a stronger lime flavor. Kaffir lime leaves are frequently combined with garlic (krathiam), galangal (kha), lemon grass (takhrai, tumeric (khamin) and/or finger root (krachai), blended together with liberal amounts of various chillies to make curry paste. Fresh Thai basils are also used to add spice and fragrance in certain dishes such as Green curry, of which kraphao has a distinctive scent of clove and leaves which are often tipped with a maroon color. Further often used herbs in Thai cuisine include phak chi, cilantro or coriander, rak phak chi (cilantro/coriander roots), cilantro (phak chi farang, spearmint (saranae) and pandanus leaves (bai toei). Other spices and spice mixtures in Thai cuisine include phong phalo (five-spice powder), phong kari (curry powder) and fresh and dried peppercorns (phrik thai).

After sharing a few things about Thai cuisine, I also intend to share a simple Chicken recipe that they will surely love it.

Thai Chicken Basil

In a wok, put 1 ½ tablespoon oil. Sauté 2 tablespoons garlic, 1 ½ cup red onions, 1 cup red bell pepper that is sliced into strips and 2 tablespoon green finger pepper, seeded and sliced. Add 1 kilo cubed chicken breast fillet and cook until color changes. Add ½ cup oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 cup water and2 tablespoon soy sauce. Stir in 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro and 1/3 cup chopped basil. Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 ½ tablespoon water then simmer for 1 minute. Serves 6-8.