Cooking Thai Foods and New Trend

My step son – Albert was born in US, and he is interesting in Thai food. He loves to eat Thai food. I am a Thai, living in the US. I have been cooking Thai food at my house and also cooked for him every day while he stayed with my family in Florida. Recently, he moved back to stay with his mom in California, and he works at a Thai restaurant along with taking Culinary Arts classes in San Francisco. This inspires me to give him the idea and how to cook Thai food as a native, and for me to share the experience. I also visit my hometown once each year. I can see the new trend of Thai foods in the market.

1. Basic introduction:

Below is map of Thailand showing six geographical regions- North, Northeastern, Center, Eastern, Western and Southern.

On the other hand, there are only four different kinds of food region, and local Thai languages. They are Northern, Northeastern, Center, and Southern of Thai Food.

You may have fun to learn about the Thai pronunciations in each local region.

More info:

http://www.transparent.com/thai/regional-dialects-of-thai-part-1-of-2/

Thai Table Setting:

The main Thai table setting will sit together as family member and serve all the food at the same times. They use forks and spoons to eat the food, and they have serving spoons for each food plate. Everyone will use serving spoon to scoop the foods and put in their own plate. Then they are done eating, they will put forks and spoons together in their own plates.

In the Northern and Northeastern regions, especially when eating with “Sticky Rice”, the Thai will eat with their hands – scoop the stick rice in shape (oval or round), replacing the use forks and spoons.

2. What Kind of Thai Foods

Here are the lists:

Thai Snack /Appetizers/Deep Fried:

Chicken, Beef or Pork Satay, Thai Style Chicken Wings and Spring Rolls etc.

Thai Salad/Yum:

Green Papaya Salad, Seafood Salad, Crispy Catfish Salad with Green Mango, Shrimp Salad with Lemon Grass and Mint Leaves etc.

Individual Dish /Stir-Fries /One Dish:

Pad Thai, Pad Se –Ew, Stir Fried Rice Noodle with Gravy, BBQ pork with Stream Rice, Steamed Chicken with Rice Pork with Garlic and Pepper, Fried Rice with meat and Shrimp-Paste Fried Rice etc.

Noodles & Rice and Rice Vermicelli:

Rice Vermicelli with Green Curry and Chiang Mai Noodles Curry etc

Curry/Soup:

Tom Yum Soup, Chicken and Galangal in Coconut Milk Soup, WonTon Soup, Green Curry Chicken (beef or seafood) in Coconut Milk, Massaman Curry, Panaeng Beef Curry, Yellow Curry and Red Curry, Fried crab in yellow curry and Fish Curry in Babana Leaves etc.

Thai Spicy Dip (Naam Prik)

Fried Mackerel with Shrimp Paste Sauce, Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce and Chili Paste etc.

Thai Desserts:

Mango and Sticky rice, Durian and Sticky Rice, Taro Balls in Coconut Cream, Thai Pumpkin Custards, Crisp Rubies and Banana in Coconut Cream etc

Thai Fruit Drink / Tea & Coffee

Young Coconut Juice, Fresh Water Melon Juice, Fresh Mango Juice, Fresh Pine Apple Juice, Tamarind Drink, Sugar Cane Drink, Thai Ice Tea and Thai Coffee Drink etc

3. Ingredients:

a) Basic and Fresh

http://www.realthairecipes.com/category/glossary/herbs-and-spices/

b) Commercial Thai Paste or Ready to Cook Package

These are pre-package with all ingredients mixed all together, ready for you to cook. It is convenient, saving you time and very easy to cook. Mostly, I like these packages since they are hard to find fresh individual ingredients and cost much more in US.

4. Cookware

They are specialty when you try cooking Thai foods; for example Thai Stone Mortar and Pestle, Sticky Rice Steamer Basket – basket and pot , Cheesecloth, Thai Chinese-style stacked steamer, etc

Introducing Cookware, which now is popular using in any Thai restaurants in Thailand. You can also buy your own and cook at home.

a) Asian Tabletop Charcoal Grill in Thai Style

This is for grill and using chopsticks to place & cook any slice meats – chicken, pork, beef and seafood, including vegetables on the top. The set should come with the base adding the heat. About the meats, some people will mix with any Asia marinade which they like before cooking. They also dip with Thai style sauces, which more choices and variety of sauces for example seafood sauce, sweet and sour sauce or sukiyaki sauce etc

b) Thai Hot Pot Soup Bowl

The hot pot soup bowl is for all kinds of soup for example: Tom Yum Soup or Chicken and Galangal in Coconut Milk Soup etc. The base will add heat candle or charcoal as the stove, making it warm. This is for serving only and use serving spoon to put in small bowls for individual eating.

c) ShaBu ShaBu Hot Pot Soup in Thai Style

This pot is different from the Hot Pot Soup from “b”. They use a small electronics stove, replace using the charcoal for heating. In the image above, the pot divides in two parts. First is for boil water, using individual Wire Mess Skimmer to boil all kinds of the meats and vegetables, and another one is for soup. They will add slices of white radish for more delicious taste.

All the meats & vegetables, including the Thai style sauce, they prepare as same as the Asian Tabletop Charcoal Grill - from "a"

The idea & how to prepare Shabu-Shabu Hot Pot Soup:

*About the Chicken Stock*

If you have time, add the fresh whole chicken and boil in the water to make Chicken Stock Soup.

5. Cooking Food Techniques:

More info:

http://www.ezythaicooking.com/cooking.htm

The idea thinking like a Chef:

a) Know the basic Cooking Techniques:

It is normal and basic cooking any foods. You should know how to cook and select the kind or size of the meats & vegetables for the best testing.

b) Use only the freshest and right Ingredients for “Original Thai Food Testing”

More info:

http://thaifood.about.com/od/introtothaicooking/a/cookingtips.htm

c) Apply your local foods products: Sample

d) Go to healthy food

Use organic products, making low-fat meals, reducing sugar and increasing the fiber.

Lastly, the new things for Thai food with Spaghetti and Flour Tortillas

a) Spaghetti with Chili Paste and Fry Basil Leaves

(English)

Ingredients:

• Boiled spaghetti mixing with cooking oil
• Cooking oil
• Fish sauce
• Fresh chili – chopped and sliced
• Mushroom
• Garlic - chopped
• Basil leaves
• Oyster sauce
• Sugar (optional)
• Meats – pork, chicken, beef or seafood

Preparation

Step 1: Heat the oil in wok or pan and put some basil leaves to fry until crispy and leave in a plate.

Step2: Stir –Fry with cooking oil and garlic, fresh chili chopped, then adding fresh chili- sliced, meats, mushroom and fresh basil leaves until mix together.

Step3: Add fish sauce, sugar, and oyster sauce then mixing with the boil spaghetti.

Step4: Serving with fry basil leaves (from step1) on top of the plate.

*note - you can use commercial of Thai Chili Paste with Basil leaves replace the recipe from above*

b) Green Curry with Flour Tortillas

Ingredients

• Meats – Chicken, Pork, Beef or Seafood
• Green Curry Paste
• Coconut Milk
• Kaffir Lime Leaves
• Fresh Chilies - sliced
• Basic Leaves
• Green peas or Bamboo Shoot (in water) or Young Corn (optional)
• Fish Sauce

Preparation

Step1: Put the green curry paste with coconut milk in the pot, stir them all together until hot & fragment.

Step2: Add meats and Kaffir lime leaves, basil leaves, red chilies and fish sauce then tasting.

Step3: Serving with heat Flour Tortillas

Heat Tortillas Techniques:

http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/mexicancookingfaqs/f/heattortillas.htm

Cookware & Commercial Thai Paste in Amazon: