Thai Food Recipes for Cooking Spicy Thai Food

Thai Cuisine:
I love the flavors of Thailand. When I think of Thai cuisine, I think about lemongrass and chillies, the fresh tartness of lime and the heavy flavor of coconut milk. Thai cuisine is unique in that it shares a lot of its influences from its history of invaders and emigration over the years.

You can trace back the roots of Thai cuisine from as a far as the first century A.D., during the ime of the Chinese Han Dynasty to the sixteen century when the Portuguese introduced chillies to South East Asia. Trade with Arab and Indian merchants were important and so it was not surprising to find many Muslims living in what was known as Siam at the time. In 1939 after a long period of political upheavel, 21st century Thai reflects much of her past. Thai people are known for their love of life and their joy in entertaining and eating. Today you can see streets and waterways lined with all types of food vendors selling many different variety of snacks from their stalls, bicycle and boats.

In Thailand, the biggest religious denomination is Buddhism which forbids the killing of animals. However, most butchers in Thailand are usually immigrant workers. The Buddhist religion strictly forbids the eating of meat thought it is often regarded as a special treat such as weddings, birthings and or forth. The humble chicken is perhaps the most common meat, far more comman than beef and it's not unusual to find chicken or pork combined with seafood delicacies such as shrimp or crabmeat. Another bird meat like duck is one of Thai favorite dish to prepare and is frequently grill or roasted with flavorful spices or glazed with sweet glazes, not unlike how the Chinese prepare their ducks.

For breakfast, Thais love making and cooking soup dishes. As for lunch, you would often find a large bowl of soup (thin stock-based broth) loaded with various types of vegetables, fine noodles and sprinkle with fresh red or green chillies. Most soup dishes come with egg strips or tiny fish or meat balls or cubes of tofu. In Thai restaurants, you can find these soups served in large firepots with a central funnel of burning coals to keep the contents pipping hot throughout the meal.

As for dessert, the normal perfecting ending to a wonderful Thai meal usually comes in a basket of fruit. It would not be uncommon to find a mixture of mangoes, mangosteens, jackfruit, lychees and guavas just to name some of these extoic fruits. You can also find sweet glutinious rice and tapioca which are often molded and soaked in beautiful scented syrups. Most Thai drinks are colorful and exotic in flavor and are often served with a dash of whiskey or other spirits. Try the Thai Cocktail Sling for an example of a Thai alcoholic beverage.

One of Thailand's greatest invention is the presentation of food, a source of Thai's pride and joy. Vegetables and fruits are often carved into wonderful, complex shapes for use as garnishes to important visitors. These intricate and elaborate patterns by a skilled artist are an integral part of Thai culture which exhibits an appreciation of all things beautiful. Thai desserts are usually cut up tropical fruits and are simple and refreshing.

The Thai website that I am now offering to share with you will be a mixed of cuisines from region to region. I have coupled a number of cuisines from Burma and Cambodia as well as incoporating recipes from Buddhist and Hindu communities.

Thai Recipes

Index of New Thai Recipes:

• Thai Jasmine Rice with Lemon and Basil ^NEW
• Carrot and Mango Salad ^NEW
• Coconut Shrimp ^NEW
• Shrimp and Pineapple Curry ^NEW
• Bananas in Coconut Milk ^NEW
  
  Thai Chicken, Duck, Quail & Poultry Recipes:
  
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Chicken Balls with Dipping Sauce
• Fried Quails
• Green Chicken Curry ^popular
• Peanut Chicken
• Spicy Thai Chicken Skewers
• Tom Kha Gai (Chicken & Coconut Soup)
  
  Thai Pork, Mutton, Beef, Veal and Lamb Recipes
  
• Beef and Coconut Curry
• Pork and Lemon Grass Stir-Fry
• Pork Curry with Eggplant
• Spicy Kaeng Khiao Wan Nuea (Green Beef Curry) ^popular
• Thai Beef Salad ^popular
  
  Thai Seafood Recipes
  
• Bot Daek (Seafood clay pot)
• Calamari Salad
• Clam with Chilli and Basil ^popular
• Pineapple and Shrimp Roasted Curry
• Prik Naam Plaa (Sweet sour fish sauce) ^popular
• Salmon with Red Curry in Banana Leaves
• Spiced Baked Fish Thai Syle
• Spicy Tong Yum Kung (Hot & sour shrimp soup) ^popular
• Tod Man Pla (Thai Fish Cakes) ^popular
• Thai Style Snaper with Sweet Chilli Glaze
• Thai Squid Salad
  
  Thai Vegetarian Recipes
  
• Cucumber Salad with Peanuts and Chilli
• Hot and Sour Noodle Salad
• Mango and Carrot Salad
• Pineapple and Cucumber Salad
• Spicy Eggplant with tofu
• Spicy Thai Salad with Green Mango ^popular
• Thai Kale Salad
• Vegetarian Tofu Satay
  
  Thai Noodles, Rice & Bread Recipes
  
• Brown Rice with Lime and Lemon Grass
• Chiang Mai Noodles
• Phad Thai (Thai shrimp noodle salad) ^popular
• Spicy Red Thai Curry Noodles
• Thai Vegetarian Noodles
  
  Thai Dessert & Sweets Recipes
  
• Thai Cocktail Sling ^popular
• Mango Ice Cream with Passion Fruit ^popular
• Sangkhaya Fakthong (Custard pumpkin)
• Thai Rose Ice

Basil
These varities of sweet basil are often used in Thai cooking, but the variety commonly sold in the West also works well. ASian food stores often sell the seeds for Thai basil so you can try growing your own. Also known as bai kaprow or "holy basil". Thai basil has small, crinkly leaves, purple stems and a strong, somewhat bitter flavor. Most often used in stir-fries and curries.

Also known as bean shoots. These are tender new growths of assorted beans and seeds germinated for consumption as sprouts. Most readily available are mung beans, soy bean, alfalfa and snow pea sprouts.

Chillies
The many varieties of chilli vary in heat from very mild to fiery hot, so choose carefully. The small red or green Thai chillies are often used - they are very hot. If you prefer milder heat, remove the seeds. Red chillies are generally slightly sweeter and milder. Larger chillies tend to be milder. Dried crushed chillies are used for seasoning.

Cilantro
I love this herb! It has a pungent, citrus-like flavor, widely used in most savory Thai dishes. It wilts quite quickly so you can retain its freshness by buying ones attached with the roots. Otherwise, you can grow your own as it taste even better. Also known as Chinese Parsley and coriander.

Coconut Milk
Made from grated, pressed fresh coconut. Sold either in cans or longlife packages, in powdered form or in blocks as creamed coconut. Coconut cream is skimmed from the top and is slightly thicker and richer.

Curly Mint M. aquatica crispum
Can be used in teas and salads.

Garlic
There is nothing on earth quite like garlic! This pungent cloves are used abundantly in Thai cooking. Fresh garlic is used whole, crushed, sliced or chopped. Also found in many Thai curry paste. Pickled garlic can be useful to have in your pantry as it makes for a wonderful garnish.

Ginger
Fresh gingerroot is peeled and grated, chopped or sliced for a warm, spicy flavor. Keep a frozen ginger in your freezer and grate it when you need powder ginger. Khing Gare (Old Ginger) Khing On (Young Ginger)

Gui Chai or Garlic Chives Allium tuberosum
Salads, stir-fried with seafood, and as a garlic substitute.

Kaffir Lime Leaves
A most refreshing and wonderful leaves. It has a distinctive lime scene and can be bought fresh, dried or frozen. The closet subsitute would be lemom leaves.

Kha or Galangal Languas galanga
Most curry pastes, hot & sour soups, and seafood dishes. A relative of ginger, with milder, aromatic flavor. Usually available in most Asian grocery store as dried, fresh or frozen.

Lotus Root
Is the rhizome of the lotus plant. Is usually available frozen, dried or canned. It has a subtle flavor and crunchy texture and is used in the cooking of China, Japan, Thailand and India. Soak dried lotus root in hot water with a dash of lemon or lime juice about 20 mins before using.

Mara or Bitter Melon Momordica charantia Linn
For use in soup, curry or salad.

Magrood or Kaffir lime or Leech lime Citrus hystrix
Strong flavor, used in curry or hot & sour soup. Use fresh if possible.

Palm Sugar
This rich, brown and unrefined sugar is made from coconut palm and usually sold in blocks. The best way to make use of it is to crush the blocks with a mallet. Subsitute with maple syrup or turbinado sugar if you are unable to find palm sugar.

Pak Chee Farang or Saw Leaf Herb
The herb has a similar but rather more pungent flavour than the coriander leaf. Saw leaf herb is used as a flavouring for meat dishes.

Prik Keenooh or Thai Sweet Pepper Capsicum frutescens Linn
Strong, delicious flavor, adds some spicy sweetness to most dishes.

Rice Stick Noodles
These come in a variety of thickness and are also known as rice vermicelli. Soak in boiling water to soften (about 4 to 8 mins) but test often because they can turn mushy quickly. Noodles can be deep-fried without prior soaking.

Rice Vinegar
Mrin or sweet rice vinegar has a moderate savory flavor. Sherry or white wine vinegar can be subsituted.

Soy Sauce
Dark and light soy sauce are generally used for seasoning. The light sauce is saltier than the dark suace and is usedd in stir-fries and with light meats. Dark soy sauce adds a rich flavor and color to braised and red meat dishes.

Tamarind Paste
The pulp of the tarmarind fruit is usually sold in blocks. It gives a sour and sweet flavor. Soak the pulp in a bowl of hot water for 30 mins, then press out the juice and discard the pulp and seeds. You can subsitute with lemon or lime.

Thai Curry Paste
This flavoring varies in heat with yellow being the mildest, red variable and green the hottest.

Thai Fish Sauce
Also known as nam pla, this is used for seasoning and has a distinctive intense aroma. Is a must in any good Thai kitchen. Use sparingly.