Ethnic Cuisine: Thailand
Introduction
The
cuisine of Thailand, one of the most coherent in Southeast Asia, is an integrated,
harmonious whole, following definite rules, selecting with care the foreign ideas
it will accept and catering to the eye as well as the palate. Thai is one of the
world's most exciting cuisines, and if you're willing to experiment, you'll be
richly rewarded. Contrary to popular belief, not all Thai food is fiery hot; and
there are plenty of tasty dishes suited to the Western palate. This hybrid cuisine
has been influenced by soups and noodle dishes from China, curries from India
and satays from Indonesia. Most dishes incorporate four elements: sweet, sour,
salty and hot flavors.
Geography
Located in Southeast Asia and bordering the Gulf of Thailand between Burma and Cambodia, Thailand is slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming. The word "thai" means "free," thus "Thailand" means, literally, "land of the free." The people of Thailand experience either a big-city life or a quiet village existence.
The one large city, Bangkok, has well over six million people and is huge, crowded, noisy and modern. International corporations, elegant hotels, theaters, museums, nightclubs, open-air markets and Buddhist temples are all a part of Bangkok. Tourism is the largest source of foreign exchange.
In the villages large Thai families often live together and work the land, as the majority of Thailand's people make a living in one way or another from the land. Seafood, coconuts, tropical fruits, rice, tapioca, cane sugar, mushrooms, bananas and shrimp are plentiful foods.
Thai cuisine varies in different regions of the country. Meals in the north are somewhat milder than in the central plains; northeastern food is fiery hot. Seafoods are most common in the south and the Muslim communities of the deep south are partial to all kinds of curries.
Many spices and herbs are used in Thai food such as hot peppers, garlic, coriander, ginger, onions and curries. These hot tastes are often offset by steamed rice (eaten at almost every meal), mild noodle dishes, sweet Thai teas and coffees, sweet desserts and fruits.
Thai Cookbooks
A Taste Of
The Far East
By Madhur Jaffrey
Thailand is the first section in this
book that includes Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and the
Philippines. Large colored pictures make this an attractive coffee table selection,
as well as a cookbook.
Classic Thai Cuisine
By David Thompson
Beautiful color illustrations help make this book special.
Delightful Thai
Cooking
By Eng Tie Ang
Helpful explanations of curry pastes and
sauces plus diagrams of procedures and a glossary of food terms are included.
Keo's Thai Cuisine
By Keo Sangnikone
The listing of commonly
used ingredients and colorful pictures are pluses.
Modern Thai Cuisine
By Tommy Tang
Bi-coastal restaurateur Tang prepares Thai foods he
features in both Los Angeles and New York; beautiful colored pictures and illustrations
abound.
Practical Thai Cooking
By P. Schmitz & M. Worman
170 classic Thai recipes that blend Thai and Western cooking for the home cook.
Thai Cookbook
By Charmaine Solomon
Cookbook includes an explanation
of ingredients and equipment as well as color pictures and a complete glossary
of food terms.
Thai Cooking
By Kelly Simon
Over 100 easy-to-prepare
recipes in this "Foods of the World" series, each of which is accompanied
by a full color photograph.
Thai Cooking Made Easy
By Sukhum Kittivech
Color photographs come with most recipes. This book is written in both Chinese
and English.
Thai Vegetarian Cooking
By Vatcharin Bhumichitr
Mr. Bhumichitr, proprietor of London's Thai restaurant, The Chiang Mai, adds to
his collection of Thai cookbooks.
The Best of Thailand, A Cookbook
By Evie Righter
Preparation of curries, techniques of stir-frying, the art
of garnishing and conversion tables are parts of this informative
book.
The
Book of Thai Cooking
By Hilaire Walden
100 recipes with color pictures.
Helpful hints such as pictures and information on proper equipment.
The
Elegant Taste of Thailand
By S. Kongpan and P. Srisawat
Curry pastes,
listing of Asian markets and color pictures are features.
The Essential
Thai Cookbook
By Vatcharin Bhumichitr
The lengthy introduction to
each chapter and many recipes help make this colorful picture cookbook special.
It Rains Fishes: legends, traditions and the joys of Thai cooking
By Kasma Loha-Unchit
Delectable recipes, folklore, tales and beautiful watercolors.
The Original Thai Cookbook
By Jennifer Brennan
This book has
a lot of practical information and traditional recipes (no pictures).
The
Taste Of Thailand
By Vatcharin Bhumichitrs
Beautiful full page colored
pictures add to this work by an experienced Thai cookbook author.
For more books on Thailand, check out our Thai book review section.
Thai Cooking Videotapes
Thai
Cooking School Video
Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
10 recipes,
60 minutes
$29.95, Visa/MasterCard, 1-800-545-8424
This professionally
produced full color video starts with an explanation of Thai herbs and spices
as well as cooking utensils. Two full meals, either lunch or dinner, are prepared
before a group of cooking students at the hotel by Chef Chalie Amatyakul. A colored
recipe booklet is included that goes along with the video so there is no need
to take notes. A few of the authentic recipes are: green curry with fish balls,
herbed crispy vermicelli, prawn rolls, thick curry with beef and baked custard
with marzipan. Educational, colorful and comprehensive!
A Taste of Thai
16 recipes, 40 minutes
$12.95, Visa/MasterCard, 1-800-243-0897
Beautiful
scenery and clear, understandable recipes make this color video quite useful.
Thai temples, beautiful countryside and vendors at the markets are included as
backdrop for the "Taste of Thai" food products, which are used throughout.
American Chuck Landrey narrates with the help of his Thai friend Yupa. Recipes
include Thai
vegetarian pizza, pad Thai, coconut ginger soup, beef panang
curry and Thai peanut chicken. Printed recipes come with the video so there is
no need to take notes.
Glossary of Thai Ingredients
cardamom
A sweet, aromatic black seed spice encased in a hard pale
green shell much like a tiny head of garlic, used in massaman curry.
chilies
Many types are used in Thai cooking, both fresh and dried, whole and ground; the
smallest and hottest is birds eye; dried red chilies are popular.
coconut
milk
Grate fresh coconut meat with boiling water or use canned coconut
milk that has been diluted in half with water.
coriander
The whole,
round seeds of cilantro is roasted and ground to use as a spice in curry pastes.
curry paste
An intensely flavored paste of herbs and spices used
to flavor coconut curries and soups; either home-made or store bought (as an alternative);
red, green or golden in color.
fish sauce
"Nam pla" or
a thin salty brown extraction of small fish such as anchovies; sold in bottles;
used to season many Thai dishes.
galanga
First cousin of ginger;
is pale and creamy encircled with thin, dark rings; has a sharp peppery-lemony
taste; is used in large, thin pieces to flavor soups, stews and curries.
lemon
grass
Long, pale green stalks have a woody texture and a lemony scent;
seldom eaten because of the fibrous texture; placed in sauces, soups and curries.
lime leaves
Kaffir lime leaves can be grown fresh or bought dried
and stored in a spice jar; added to Thai dishes while they are cooking.
palm
sugar
Dark brown compressed sugar made from palm trees or coconut palms;
added to sauces, curries and sweets; brown sugar can be used as a substitute.
rice
Thai people prefer the aromatic, long-grain white Jasmine rice
cooked by the absorption method; the taste is toasty and nutty; sold in 25 pound
sacks at Asian markets.
shrimp paste
Salty paste of sun-dried,
salted shrimp used in curries, sauces and soups; has a very strong, fishy flavor
and smell; the consistency of thick mud; sold in small jars.
star anise
An eight-pointed brown seed pod shaped like a star with a strong anise flavor;
one ingredient of the Chinese five spice powder.
sticky rice
Opaque,
short-grain also called glutinous and sweet rice; staple of northern Thailand;
cooks to a thick starchy mass; used in desserts.
tamarind
The ripe
fruit of the tamarind tree with a sweet-sour taste; sold in small blocks of dark
brown pulp in Asian markets; soak in warm water, mash to a thick soft paste and
strain to use.
Thai coffee
Roasted sesame seed and corn kernels
are added to Thai coffee for an unusual burnt flavor; served either ice cold and
sweet with evaporated milk or hot with sweetened condensed milk.
Thai tea
Cinnamon, vanilla, star anise and food coloring give Thai black tea its flavor
and terra-cotta coloring; served cold and very sweet or hot at the end of the
meal.
Thai Products by Mail Order
Online
Thai Supermarket
Interested in Thai Food? www.importfood.com
is a complete source of authentic Thai recipes, ingredients and cookware…all
online. This website includes 125 authentic Thai recipes, fresh Thai produce that
can be shipped to you as well as starter kits of ingredients, perfect for cooks
new to Thai food. Carving tools, rice serving bowls, steamers and ceramic tableware
are just some of the other items offered for sale.
www.importfood.com
1.888.618.THAI
(8424)
Uwajimaya
519 Sixth Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: (206) 624-6248, FAX: (206) 624-6915
Hours: 9am-8pm PST
15555 N.E.
24th & Bel-Red Road, Bellevue, WA 98007
Phone: (425) 747-9012
Hours:
9am-8pm PST
and
10500 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy.
Beaverton, OR, 97005
email: catalog@uwajimaya.com
www.uwajimaya.com
Call for a free catalog (1-800-889-1928) if you cannot visit their two locations.
Thai ingredients can be ordered by mail. Uwajimaya has been selling "fresh
groceries and gifts from east and west" since 1928. They are the Pacific
Northwest's largest family owned Asian retail store offering produce, meat, seafood,
deli items, food items, gifts, clothing and souvenirs. There is a mail order section
of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Philippine and Thai foods. Payment by credit card
only.
Adriana's Caravan
78 Grand Central Terminal
New
York, New York 10017
www.adrianascaravan.com
Phone: (212) 972-8804, (800) 316-0820; FAX: (212) 972-8849
International food
source mail order catalog including spices and herbs, mushrooms, oil and vinegar,
hot sauces, dried fruits, beans and lentils, grains, rice, extracts, coffee, tea
and chocolate. They also offer cookware, cookbooks and gift baskets. Products
are categorized by country (including a broad selection from Thailandand other
Southeast Asian countries). Call for a catalog.
Thai Cooking Schools
Kasma's
Cooking School
P.O Box 21165
Oakland, California 94620
Phone/Fax:
(510) 655-8900
Email: kasma@thaifoodandtravel.com
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/
Regular SF Bay Area Series taught by Kasma Loha-unchit, author of It Rains
Fishes
Series: The Beginning and Intermediate series each contain
4 classes.
Cost: The cost of each four-week series is $125, which includes
the food cost for four full meals. Each class is concluded with a four-course
Thai feast!
Location and size: Classes are held in a private kitchen
in Oakland, California and are kept small (limit of 12) to ensure maximum participation
and personalized instruction.
Sign-up: Plan to register early as classes
do fill up (only 12 students per class). Payment is requested in advance and fully
refundable if you cancel with at least a week's notice.Do not mail this until
you have confirmation that there is a place for you! Phone or email to make sure
there is still space available. Phone number is 510-655-8900.
Week-long
Intensive Class: The weeklong intensive is for people outside the Bay Area,
as well as local residents who are not able to take evening classes. The course
is designed to benefit both beginners, as well as people who have done some Thai
cooking but wish to move beyond recipe dependence to creative Thai cookery.
The intensive will be limited to 12 participants. The classes will give hands-on experience and personalized instruction, with a focus on learning to taste, create exquisite flavor harmonies and develop a sense of working with exotic ingredients. A fieldtrip to local Asian markets is planned to provide shopping tips for Thai ingredients and Asian produce - both those used in class and many others which students may wish to explore on their own using principles covered in the classes. The cost of the 5-day intensive is $450 inclusive of all class materials, food and beverage fees, and a 7- to 9-course feast each day!
The Thai Cooking
School at the Oriental Hotel
48 Oriental Avenue
Bangkok 10500 Thailand
(662) 236-0420
(662) 236-1937 fax
The school runs four classes every
week. Price includes apron, spice pack and lunch.
PRICE: 3000 baht (U.S.
$100)
The Boathouse, Phuket
2/2 Moo 2, Patak Road
Kata Beach
Phuket 83100 Thailand
(66 76) 330015-17
FAX: (66 76) 330561
Weekend
mornings Executive Chef Tummanoon Punchun teaches students to cook traditional
Thai dishes. Price includes the cost of two classes including apron and lunch.
There is also an early morning visit to the market (optional).
PRICE: 1,200
baht (U.S. $40)
Modern Women Institute
45/6-7 Setsiri Road
Samsen, Phayathai
Bangkok 10400 Thailand
(662) 279-2831
8-day courses
covering the basics of Thai cuisine including use of curries, chilli pastes and
yummy desserts.
PRICE: 4,000 baht (U.S. $133)
The Thai House
32/4 Moo 8 Tambol
Bangmaung, Ampur, Bangyai, Nontaburi
Thailand
(662)
280-0740
(662) 280-0741
Learn the basics of Thai cooking -- from picking
the herbs to preparing unique, creative Thai dishes -- in a traditional teak guesthouse
located 22 km from Bangkok. Price includes transportation to Thai House, lesson
and lunch.
PRICE: 2,150 baht (U.S. $72) per person, one day course; 14,450
baht (U.S. $483) per person, four day course.
Thai Food Product Lines
These products are usually available at grocery stores and specialty stores (many at Cost-Plus Imports).
A Taste of Thai
33 products -- all made in
Thailand -- including salad dressings, soups, sauces, seasonings, curry bases,
rice and coconut milk. Curry dinner kits have everything except meats and vegetables
to make a curry dinner for four. They include mussaman, green, yellow, panang
and red curry dinner kits.
Maggie Gin's
Thai Sauce with the familiar
Thai taste of roasted peanuts and chilies, it can be added to hot or cold noodles
or used as a satay, marinade, basting, cooking or dipping sauce. The product is
available in two sizes, a 13.75 ounce net weight and a one-half gallon plastic
container for foodservice.
Thai Kitchen
32 products -- all made
in Thailand -- including fish sauce, red and green curry pastes (red works well
with beef, pork, fish and vegetables and green compliments chicken and seafood),
coconut milk, coconut sugar, satay sauce, lemon grass and jasmine rice are among
their products. In the interest of health, Thai Kitchen has a pure coconut milk
lite, a second press coconut milk with about one half the calories and fat of
their regular coconut milk.
Thai Chef
24 products that highlight
the flavors of Thailand, some being quite innovative. Flavored pastas include
black bean and red chili; lemon grass garlic and basil; ginger garlic with cilantro;
and red chili with peanut. Tortilla chips and Bangkok salsas in peanut, mango,
ginger and cilantro flavors plus Thai spiced peanuts and trail mix round out the
unique offerings. Other traditional items are curry pastes, jasmine rice, coconut
milk, lemon grass, rice noodles, fish sauce and hot sauce.
Thai Restaurants in San Francisco
Ar-roi
643 Post Street
(between Taylor and Jones), San Francisco, CA
(415) 771-5146
Authentic
Thai food in an upscale, white tablecloth environment is what you will find at
this downtown restaurant. Located a few doors from the popular China Moon Cafe,
Ar-roi is open for both lunch (six days a week) and dinner (seven nights a week).
A variety of herbs and spices is mixed with fish sauce to flavor meats and vegetables
and their curries are a blend of curry paste, coconut milk and herbs to give their
food a "spicy hot or spicy not" taste. Barbecue, numerous seafood choices
and salads are special here.
Chiang Mai
5020 Geary Blvd. (at 14th
Ave.), San Francisco, CA
(415) 387-1299
Open for lunch and dinner, Chiang
Mai showcases a glassed-in Oriental garden with a waterfall. This clean Richmond
District spot offers a few northern specialties, dishes that go beyond the traditional
Thai offerings. Kao soy Chiang Mai, egg noodles topped with beef stew, curry and
coconut milk sauce, and num prig onge, minced pork sauted with hot chili paste
and tomatoes, served with cucumbers and cabbage, are just a few. Fifteen white
cloth covered tables make this a cozy choice.
Gatip
2205 Lombard
(at Steiner), San Francisco, CA
(415) 292-7474
This clean, comfortable
spot on busy Lombard Street is named after a bamboo container in which sticky
rice is served. Gatips come plastic lined and in various sizes. The traditional
Thai food is mild-flavored so if you are into spicy food, ask for it. Open for
lunch and dinner, Gatip offers lunch specials and complete dinners of 5 items
for $12.95 or $16.95 per person. Vegetarian dishes, chicken, pork or beef BBQ,
curries and the namesake sticky rice are standouts.
Narai
2229
Clement Street (at 24th Ave.), San Francisco, CA
(415) 751-6363
The proprietors,
ethnic Chinese from Thailand, offer an upscale environment -- decorations and
white tablecloths. Narai serves a combination of Thai cuisine and food from the
South China coast called Chou Chow cooking. Many innovative specials such as jelly
fish salad, pompano fish, fried rainbow trout, royal hot prawn and fresh mussels
are offered. Menu items yum woonsen, or silver noodles salad with shrimp and pork,
goong kratiem, prawns sauted with garlic and white pepper, and fried crab rolls
should not be missed.
Thai Stick
698 Post Street (at Jones), San
Francisco, CA
(415) 928-7730
Genuine Thai cuisine with several creative
choices is what you will find at this downtown eight year old spot: kanom bueng,
a crepe appetizer filled with shrimp, chicken, coconut, ground peanuts and bean
sprouts; huarapa sauce made from chilies, basil and other spices; peanut sauce
made from 15 ingredients including lemon grass, galanga, coconut milk and peanuts;
many vegetarian and seafood choices; Thai tea, mango, coconut, coffee and lemongrass
ice cream. Their second location is in Millbrae.
Thep Phanom
400
Waller Street (at Fillmore), San Francisco, CA
(415) 431-2526
This eight
year old S.F. favorite is on a busy Civic Center street corner. They do a very
good job of blending the essential flavors of fiery chilies and lively herbs,
a combination of hot, tart, salty and sweet tastes. White tunics and native Thai
dresses are worn by the staff, colorful china, art and relics from Thailand adorn
the restaurant as does the smell of incense. The restaurant has a warm feel but
when the 18 tables are full it makes for a noisy room. The large menu is offered
at dinner only. Try any of the curries; marinated, fried quail in garlic and pepper;
and soups.
Use your new-found knowledge of Thailand by attempting the companion crossword puzzle to this article!