# Taste of Thai



## bknox (Jul 17, 2005)

Every now and again I make curry paste. This opened a discussion with my younger brother about 'what is a true Thai flavor'. Curry always makes me think of Thai food but Tim says Lemongrass reminds him of Thai and that curry is too universal to be Thai specific (whatever).

My question;

What flavor or flavors remind you most of Thai cooking?

Bryan


----------



## jennyema (Jul 18, 2005)

There are also many, many Thai dishes that don't use curry at all.

I'll say fish sauce and lemongrass.  But again, those are used in Vietnamese and Cambodian cuisines, as well, so they are not uniquely Thai.


----------



## GB (Jul 18, 2005)

For me it would be lemongrass. Like Jenny said, it is not specific to just Thai food, but when I think of Thai I think of lemongrass. I might also add cilantro as well.


----------



## Cookie Monster (Jul 18, 2005)

*Green Curry Paste*

Hello!

I'm new here and thought I'd chime in since this is such a fun topic and one I can relate to these days.  I recently started cooking Thai dishes at home  So far, the two ingredients that seem to remind me of Thai restaurant food are 1) coconut milk and 2) Green Curry Paste. 

Boy, is green curry paste ever hot.  You have to be careful with that stuff.  The flavor is excellent, but too much will burn your tongue off. 

Fish sauce also tastes very Thai to me, but I don't like fish, so I don't use a lot of it.  As for cilantro, I love the stuff, but it reminds me of both Tex Mex and Thai at the same time.

I haven't used much lemon grass, but I do have some dried Penzey's lemon grass which I plan to break out soon.


----------



## jkath (Jul 18, 2005)

Hello Cookie Monster!
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




Welcome to the family! 
I'm with you when it comes to fish sauce - I always look for a substitute in the recipe! I love cilantro as well, and tend to overuse it quite often 

We have some other texans on this site, and I'm sure they'll be along shortly to welcome you too.


----------



## The Z (Jul 18, 2005)

I'd say Coconut Milk and Lemon Grass are the two ingredients that spring to mind when thinking Thai.

Curry (in my mind) is more Indian.

I realize that all of these ingredients are pretty widespread, but these still conjure thoughts of the cuisines indicated.

.


----------



## CharlieD (Jul 18, 2005)

For me personally curry is a sign of Indian cuisine.


----------



## kitchenelf (Jul 18, 2005)

When I think of Thai I think of cilantro first thing - then coconut milk, lemongrass, and finally curry.  It may not be in all Thai dishes but when you walk into a Thai restaurant that's what you smell - and it smells heavenly!


----------



## bknox (Jul 18, 2005)

I think I will have to give up the curry, It does remind more of Indian cuisine, and go with more of a lemon grass and coconut milk combination.

I was digging through some spice blends the other day to try and define a Thai flavor and came across the following rub recipe. I used it on chicken.

1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground Anise seed
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground dry ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspooon ground cloves

I thought it was great. Reminded me of Asian cuisine but not Thai specifically. Maybe I will play with using lemongrass and ginger and see if it hits any nerves.

Bryan


----------



## Ishbel (Jul 18, 2005)

I'm with CharlieD!

In the UK, 'curry' usually means Indian subcontinental food (most of our 'Indian' restaurants are actually Bangladeshi or Pakistani).  Thai has become popular over perhaps the past 10 years or so - but I prefer 'Indian' curries!


----------



## jkath (Jul 19, 2005)

Cookie! That recipe sounds really tasty! You ought to post it on it's own thread so more folks will see it  -  yum!


----------



## kyles (Jul 19, 2005)

I was lucky enough to live with a group of very lovely Thai boys at university. They used fish sauce, chilli, lemon grass when they could afford it, and lots of sugar to take the fishy taste away, which used to make me laugh (in a nice way) they would splash in the sauce, taste and throw in sugar! Lemongrass was not freely available in 1990's Tasmania so they made do.
They used a lot more vegetables than you find in restaurant Thai cuisine.
I really miss them, especially Bhun Pheng, who was so funny. The uni had lots of mushroom compost laid down and he used to pick all the mushrooms and cook them. Sadly the university didn't like a sandaled and shorted Thai boy picking mushrooms by the side of the road, and had them poisoned. He just couldn't believe our attitudes in the west to how we waste food.


----------



## Chopstix (Jul 20, 2005)

I'm very lucky to be living in Bangkok for half a year now. On top of many wonderful things, it's been an amazing gastronomic experience. For me what makes up Thai flavor is the creative combination of contrasting yet complementary flavors, colors, and textures -- sweet, sour, hot, salty, crunchy, spicy -- and always, the exotic taste of fresh herbs (like Thai Basil, cilantro, kaffir lime leaves, mint leaves, lemongrass, etc). An indispensable condiment on any self-respecting Thai's table are chopped bird's eye chili in fish sauce.

They have an incredible appetizer dish here called Mien Kam. All the ingredients are laid out on a tray and you're supposed to place 1 or 2 pieces of each ingredient on a small cookie-sized round leaf (mind you, this is a leaf from some plant and not from a vegetable): small dried shrimps, ginger, peanuts, toasted coconut shavings, chopped chili, diced onion, diced lime. Top everything with a thick sweet coconut paste and roll the whole thing up like a tiny spring roll. Pop it all in your mouth in one go. I promise you, you won't believe the amazing explosion of flavours in your mouth! 

How the Thais thought to combine all these different things to make such an incredibly simple but unforgettable dish is beyond me. Just one more thing that fascinates me about the Thai people.


----------



## bknox (Jul 20, 2005)

Wow, excellent. Great insite Chopstix. Do you know of any Thai recipe sites that you would recommend for authentic Thai cuisine. I have Thai cookbooks including Keo's Thai Cuisine which I like a lot, but could always use new resources.
Thanks 
Bryan


----------



## TomW (Jul 20, 2005)

bknox said:
			
		

> ...I was digging through some spice blends the other day to try and define a Thai flavor and came across the following rub recipe. I used it on chicken...


Thanks for posting the recipe, Bryan.  Since the anise seed caught my eye, I ground up a batch of the blend last night, and tried it on some chicken.  It was great!

Question for you:  Normally, when fresh ground pepper is called for, I grind it by hand in my pepper mill.  But since making a double batch required two tablespoons of pepper, I elected to use my electric spice mill since it was already out to grind the anise seed & cloves.

I measured out two tablespoons of peppercorns to grind.

Is there a better rule-of-thumb when measuring peppercorns when the end goal is ground pepper?

Thanks,
Tom


----------



## bknox (Jul 20, 2005)

How about it! i thought the anise seed was unusual as well but thought the dry rub was excellent. 

As far as measuring anything, my rule of thumb is get as close as possible. I use a coffee mill as well to grind spices and find that if you measure before you grind it is pretty close. My biggest problem is not grinding it into a fine powder because I prefer pepper to be a little crunchy.

Glad you enjoyed the recipe. I am going to attempt a new one tonight that hopefully will be more specific to a Thai blend. I failed horribly last night and I had to make my wife something else. If I succeed I will post the recipe.

Bryan


----------



## Chopstix (Jul 20, 2005)

Hi Bryan,  I don't know of authentic Thai recipe websites.  I have a couple of basic Thai cookbooks which so far are a disappointment. Somehow I still have to tweak the recipes A LOT to match the authentic taste I get from the local restaurants and eateries.  In general, I would avoid all Thai cookbooks not authored by a Thai. Anyway, between me and my Thai housekeeper who knows a few local dishes, we have recreated my favorite Thai dishes to near authentic-tasting levels (I think).  (Also, a big factor to authentic taste is the use of authentic ingredients.)


----------



## jennyema (Jul 20, 2005)

Chopstix said:
			
		

> In general, I would avoid all Thai cookbooks not authored by a Thai.
> 
> Also, a big factor to authentic taste is the use of authentic ingredients.


 

In general I agree but this book is a huge exception to the rule:  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1580084621/qid=1121889523/sr=8-6/ref=pd_bbs_6/102-3271792-9188125?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

It's a fabulous Thai cookbook, albeit perhaps too authentic for many.

And I agree 1000000000000% about the use of authentic ingredients.


----------



## bknox (Jul 20, 2005)

Keo's Thai Cuisine is written by a Thai gentleman who owns a couple of restaurants. I like all the food in the book and it taste authentic although what I would consider fancier dishes, probably served at his place. If you could impart a local recipe to test out I would love to give it a shot.

I am still attempting to make a Thai dry rub. Now on version 3 I may be getting closer to what I expect. When I get one worth trying I will post the recipe.

Thanks,
bryan


----------



## buckytom (Jul 20, 2005)

for me, thai is galangal, kaffir lime, lemongrass, cilantro, thai bird chiles (fresh, dried whole, dry ground, or vinegar paste), chopped peanuts, thai basil, nuoc mam, and garlic.it's interesting how we think of the spices used when thinking of thai, rather than any specific whole dishes.


----------



## Chopstix (Jul 21, 2005)

Hi Bryan,  I'll try to post my recipe for Larb Moo (Spicy Ground Pork Salad) in the next few days.  

Meantime, regarding your quest for a Thai-flavored dry rub, it would interest you to know that FritoLay is doing big business here with their Lays potato chips.  To tap the Thai people's love for spicy, flavorful snacks, they've concocted a few Thai-inspired potato chip flavors such as Mien Kam (the appetizer dish I described in my first post on this thread), sweet basil & chili, and another flavor I can't quite recall (it wasn't so good anyway).  My favorite is the Mien Kam flavor -- basically the taste is tangy, sweet, sour, salty, hot with the flavor of lime and other spices. The sweet basil & chili flavor is quite good too and tastes exactly like what it says but sweetish.


----------



## bknox (Jul 21, 2005)

As I have been pouring through Thai recipes and cookbooks I think my problem is that Thai dishes can be fairly complex. As you stated "tangy, sweet, sour, salty and hot.

My last attempt at the Thai rub, I added fresh basil and cayenne (actually more of a wet rub than dry, but anyway). I think it still falls short of what I am expecting but will dredge forward. The Anise seems to be a good route, I like the Asian Dry Rub as it was, but I am having a time with a citrus flavor. I used Rose's Lime Juice the other day (mainly because it was Margarita time) but I do not think it tasted as citrusy. I am going to try with dry lime , lemon or orange peel as soon as I can go out and get some.

I look forward to your Larb Moo recipe,
Bryan


----------



## TomW (Jul 21, 2005)

bknox said:
			
		

> ...but I am having a time with a citrus flavor...


Have you considered cardamom?

Tom


----------



## bknox (Jul 21, 2005)

Cardamom, excellent. I forgot about the citrus flavor and will add it to my list. Not sure I have any here.

I know there are a couple types of Cardamom. Do you know if one is stronger than the others. 

Thanks
Bryan


----------



## TomW (Jul 21, 2005)

*There's a choice?*



			
				bknox said:
			
		

> ...*I know there are a couple types * of Cardamom. Do you know if one is stronger than the others.


Then you know more than I do! 

Tom


----------



## jennyema (Jul 21, 2005)

Never heard of cardomom in Thai cuisine... I would think the very strong taste would be sort of overpowering.  But maybe I am confused and you are trying to make an Indian curry rub or something?  I am easily confused.

Try dried kaffir lime leaves for the citrus.

Also, dried bird chilis.

Penzey's makes a Thai spice mixture. The ingredients in it may guide you (galangal, lemongrass, garlic, etc).

*Another beautiful book: "Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia"*


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1579651143/qid=1121958969/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-3271792-9188125?v=glance&s=books&n=507846


----------



## bknox (Jul 21, 2005)

Kaffir lime leaves are on my list as well. I can sometimes get them fresh here in Chicago but need to walk down to the Thai Grocery (actually named Thai Grocery or maybe its Market) to check.

I found Cardamom in the pantry and to be honest, as much as I cook, I can not remember using it begore except when I make Garam Marsala. Anyway I made a test batch with Cardamom and think I put to much in it. Knowing that the Cardamom I found was at least 1 year old and not having much faith in it having any flavor was really strong and fragrant. The Cardamom, although definately in the right direction, over powers the Anise. Maybe I will try another batch later and tone it down, and if my wife likes me today will check for fresh lime leaves on her way home.

Bryan


----------



## TomW (Jul 27, 2005)

*Repeat effort*



			
				bknox said:
			
		

> I was digging through some spice blends the other day to try and define a Thai flavor and came across the following rub recipe. I used it on chicken.


Bryan,

I tried the seasoning again last night on grilled leg quarters.  But this time, I made a marinade of it using vegetable oil & apple juice.  I thought it was excellent!

How's that latest effort coming?

Tom


----------



## bknox (Jul 27, 2005)

Nicely done! I have used apple juice on pork and loved it as well. I have been chained to my desk lately but am still going to re-make the dry rub with Kaffir Lime Leaves and Galangal when I can sneak out. 

I am going to try the oil/apple juice/dry rub marinade as well. I should know better than to start talking chow in the morning, it makes me hungry.

Thanks for the marinade tip and checking in on the Thai dry rub. I will be sure to let you know when I make another attempt.

Bryan


----------



## ironchef (Jul 27, 2005)

bknox said:
			
		

> Every now and again I make curry paste. This opened a discussion with my younger brother about 'what is a true Thai flavor'. Curry always makes me think of Thai food but Tim says Lemongrass reminds him of Thai and that curry is too universal to be Thai specific (whatever).
> 
> My question;
> 
> ...


 
Curry is true Thai flavor, but only if it's Thai curry. A lot of Asian cuisines have their own curry (Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc.) but each one tastes different from the rest.


----------



## s4awd (Jul 27, 2005)

The smell of cut up Makrut leaves.


----------



## Claire (Aug 4, 2005)

I love this site!  One thing:  When I lived in Hawaii, there was a rumor that Keo was actually a Cambodian or Laotian (don't remember which).  His food was great, no matter what.  Any of you who like to read should consider reading "The English Governess at the Siamese Court" just to get an idea of the ethnic mix in the area, and the way the borders have moved.  There are a lot of influences from a lot of countries in Thai cuisine, and there was even in the 1860s, so you can just imagine how the modern cuisine has evolved.  

To me the thing that really, really makes me thing of Thai cuisine (I've never been to Thailand, hubby was stationed there BC)(no dirty jokes there, OK?!) and hubby agrees is the masses of fresh herbs.  Quite often at even the most authentic Thai restaurants in the US, they don't bother with them ... the 'locals' don't 'get it', don't appreciate it, so it isn't worth the trouble and expense.  Ditto Vietnamese cuisine.  But in Hawaii and out west, when we'd eat southeast Asian cuisine, there would be masses of fresh mint, cilantro, basil, etc, not only cooked into the dish, but presented with the dishes, to break and put into your food.  Those fresh flavors are missing in most US restaurants I've visited.  

My favorite Thai dish isn't available most places around the country .... mee krob (you can spell it a half-dozen ways), and is one I'm unlikely to try to reproduce (hate to deep fry).  

But I vote for tons of fresh herbs and greens.


----------



## shantihhh (Aug 11, 2005)

bknox said:
			
		

> Every now and again I make curry paste. This opened a discussion with my younger brother about 'what is a true Thai flavor'. Curry always makes me think of Thai food but Tim says Lemongrass reminds him of Thai and that curry is too universal to be Thai specific (whatever).
> 
> My question;
> 
> ...


 Quite honestly Indian curries and Thai curries share very few of the same ingredients!!!

Flavours of Thai cooking are kaffir lime leaves (bai magroot), chiles of course, Thai Basils (bai Krapao, bai mengluk, and bai Horpha), lemongrass, and of course fish sauce/nam pla.  However a good fish sauce is of great importance.  It should be a light carmel colour and have little fragrance.  If it is overtly fishy it most likely is old or a dreadful brand.  Golden Boy is an excellent brand of fish sauce.


----------



## shantihhh (Aug 11, 2005)

*Thai dry rub & Thai Barbecued Chicken (Gai-Gai)*

I think you are confusing Indian and Thai with adding anise and cinnamon.  These are not commonly if ever used in Thai cuisine.  Fresh giner rarely, galangal or kha chai yes.  Garlic often.  

Sugar/date palm sugar is used as a balance with sour of lime juice.  Remember Thai cuisine is a balance of spicy, sour, salty, sweet, and sometimes bitter like the pea eggplants in some curries.

One of the favourite Thai dishes is barbecued chicken.  When you stop along the way on the train or nuses local people come onboard with skinny barbecued chickens on bamboo sticks yelling gai-gai.  It is usually served with sticky rice and chilli (sic) sauce in the North of Thailand.

Bangkok barbecue is more of a yellow curry-coconutr  milk marinade.

Mary-Anne
Thai Food Editor
Bellaonline.com





			
				bknox said:
			
		

> I think I will have to give up the curry, It does remind more of Indian cuisine, and go with more of a lemon grass and coconut milk combination.
> 
> I was digging through some spice blends the other day to try and define a Thai flavor and came across the following rub recipe. I used it on chicken.
> 
> ...


----------



## shantihhh (Aug 11, 2005)

*vegetables, fish sauce, and such*

   The sugar was NOT added to cover the flavour of the fish sauce.  It was added as a balance if using lime juice and sugar.  Remember Thai cuisine is about balance!!!!  They would have been very haooy to have date palm sugar instead of the common white stuff.

In Issan (north east) many more vegetables are used than in other parts of Thailand.  Many times these vegetables have a sourness to them.  This is eaten with the special rice of theis area.  It is a Jasmine, but is somewhat like stickyt rice in consistency.  It is best steamed not ever boiled.

My guess by his name, Bhun Pheng, was Lao-Thai and from Isan.  Many people are a mixture as they cross the border river and are of mixed blood.

Mary-Anne, Thai Food Editor
Bellaonline.com



			
				kyles said:
			
		

> I was lucky enough to live with a group of very lovely Thai boys at university. They used fish sauce, chilli, lemon grass when they could afford it, and lots of sugar to take the fishy taste away, which used to make me laugh (in a nice way) they would splash in the sauce, taste and throw in sugar! Lemongrass was not freely available in 1990's Tasmania so they made do.
> They used a lot more vegetables than you find in restaurant Thai cuisine.
> I really miss them, especially Bhun Pheng, who was so funny. The uni had lots of mushroom compost laid down and he used to pick all the mushrooms and cook them. Sadly the university didn't like a sandaled and shorted Thai boy picking mushrooms by the side of the road, and had them poisoned. He just couldn't believe our attitudes in the west to how we waste food.


----------



## shantihhh (Aug 11, 2005)

*Thai ingredients & good Thai cookbooks*

 David Thompsens book is sort of the Larouse of Thai cooking and probably not for a Beginner.

Fresh ingredients are a must.  Remember dry lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves are worthless!  A huge element in Thai cuisine is fragrance!

There are several very authentic books I'd suggest.

Victor Sodsok's True Thai is filled with excellent recipes.  You follow these recipes and you will cook great Thai food.

My favourite Thai cooking instructor (Oakland, CA) and authour is Kasma Loha-Unchit.  Her fist book Raining Fishes won the James Beard award for the International category.  Her second book is Dancing Shrimps.

The recipes in her books are mainly for seafood as she is from Bangkok.

Following recipes in Kasma's books guarantees authentic Thai taste.  Many of her recipes are available on her site:

www.thaifoodandtravel.com

I might add at the moment I have over 70 recipes posted that I have learned in Thailand during my 30+ trips to the Kingdom on the Thai Food section on Bellaonline.com

Mary-Anne, Thai Food Editor
Bellaonline


			
				jennyema said:
			
		

> In general I agree but this book is a huge exception to the rule: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1580084621/qid=1121889523/sr=8-6/ref=pd_bbs_6/102-3271792-9188125?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
> 
> It's a fabulous Thai cookbook, albeit perhaps too authentic for many.
> 
> And I agree 1000000000000% about the use of authentic ingredients.


----------



## shantihhh (Aug 11, 2005)

*Bangkok and cuisine*

Yes Miang Kam is wonderful.  BTW that leaf is called Chaploo in Thai or Lalot in Vietnamese.  Most Asian markets in the US call it lalot.  It is also used a vegetable.  You can  roll ground meat, lemongrass, chiles, garlic, etc. mixed together in these leaves.  You secure with bamboo like toothpicks (shorter) and grill.  Wonderful taste.

If you are in BKK if you haven't expierence Somboon's curry crab-do so!!!!!  One location is near Patpong and the other is way out maybe soi 120.  They closed the one by Chulalongkorn University :-(  Oh and there is one near Siam Square.  Don't order the crab meat out of the shell.  LOL  You must suck the meat and curry out of the shells for real flavour.  You will be hooked for life like our family!

On every trip we eat there several times.

You do understand about Thai cuisine and it's balances of hot, sour, sweet, salty and sometimes bitter!  Textures are fabulous like the Kay Soy (Curry noodle soup) It is usually made with a curry rich with coconut milk, chicken, egg noodles, and topped with crisy fried noodles.  It is typical of Chiang Mai and near the Burmese border as it is originally a Burmese dish.

Mary-Anne
Thai Food Editor
Bellaonline.com




			
				Chopstix said:
			
		

> I'm very lucky to be living in Bangkok for half a year now. On top of many wonderful things, it's been an amazing gastronomic experience. For me what makes up Thai flavor is the creative combination of contrasting yet complementary flavors, colors, and textures -- sweet, sour, hot, salty, crunchy, spicy -- and always, the exotic taste of fresh herbs (like Thai Basil, cilantro, kaffir lime leaves, mint leaves, lemongrass, etc). An indispensable condiment on any self-respecting Thai's table are chopped bird's eye chili in fish sauce.
> 
> They have an incredible appetizer dish here called Mien Kam. All the ingredients are laid out on a tray and you're supposed to place 1 or 2 pieces of each ingredient on a small cookie-sized round leaf (mind you, this is a leaf from some plant and not from a vegetable): small dried shrimps, ginger, peanuts, toasted coconut shavings, chopped chili, diced onion, diced lime. Top everything with a thick sweet coconut paste and roll the whole thing up like a tiny spring roll. Pop it all in your mouth in one go. I promise you, you won't believe the amazing explosion of flavours in your mouth!
> 
> How the Thais thought to combine all these different things to make such an incredibly simple but unforgettable dish is beyond me. Just one more thing that fascinates me about the Thai people.


----------



## shantihhh (Aug 11, 2005)

*spices*

Remember to pan roast your spices to release the flavours before grinding.


 


			
				bknox said:
			
		

> How about it! i thought the anise seed was unusual as well but thought the dry rub was excellent.
> 
> As far as measuring anything, my rule of thumb is get as close as possible. I use a coffee mill as well to grind spices and find that if you measure before you grind it is pretty close. My biggest problem is not grinding it into a fine powder because I prefer pepper to be a little crunchy.
> 
> ...


----------



## shantihhh (Aug 11, 2005)

*Fresh Herbs*

 In Vietnamese Cuisine the "salad" plate of mounds of fresh herbs is a must for every meal.  These herbs are eaten with each dish.


The Thais garnish often with the herbs incorporated in a dish to accent the flavours.

I love making Thai salad rolls using shrimp, pork, bean thread noodles, fresh herbs, red leaf lettuce. etc.  You wrap this all in rice papers, and have a dipping sauce.  The recipe is on Bellaonline.com Thai Food.  This is a fresh and easy meal for summer time.  You could even have a roll your own party!

BTW it is easy to grow the herbs.  In many cases such as with the Thai basils (bai horpha, bai krapao, and bai mengluck) you can buy a bunch remove and use the leaves, then stick the stems in a glass of water, after the roots devlope, just plant for new busy plants.  I do this with Shiso called purple mint also in SE asia.

Mary-Anne
Thai Food Editor
Bellaonline.com


			
				Claire said:
			
		

> I love this site! One thing: When I lived in Hawaii, there was a rumor that Keo was actually a Cambodian or Laotian (don't remember which). His food was great, no matter what. Any of you who like to read should consider reading "The English Governess at the Siamese Court" just to get an idea of the ethnic mix in the area, and the way the borders have moved. There are a lot of influences from a lot of countries in Thai cuisine, and there was even in the 1860s, so you can just imagine how the modern cuisine has evolved.
> 
> To me the thing that really, really makes me thing of Thai cuisine (I've never been to Thailand, hubby was stationed there BC)(no dirty jokes there, OK?!) and hubby agrees is the masses of fresh herbs. Quite often at even the most authentic Thai restaurants in the US, they don't bother with them ... the 'locals' don't 'get it', don't appreciate it, so it isn't worth the trouble and expense. Ditto Vietnamese cuisine. But in Hawaii and out west, when we'd eat southeast Asian cuisine, there would be masses of fresh mint, cilantro, basil, etc, not only cooked into the dish, but presented with the dishes, to break and put into your food. Those fresh flavors are missing in most US restaurants I've visited.
> 
> ...


----------



## Chopstix (Aug 12, 2005)

shantihhh said:
			
		

> If you are in BKK if you haven't expierence Somboon's curry crab-do so!!!!!  One location is near Patpong and the other is way out maybe soi 120.  They closed the one by Chulalongkorn University :-(  Oh and there is one near Siam Square.  Don't order the crab meat out of the shell.  LOL  You must suck the meat and curry out of the shells for real flavour.  You will be hooked for life like our family!



Hey Shantihhh, many thanks for all that information about Thai food.  A friend's invited me to Somboon but I passed.  I'll try it soon.  What's the Thai name of the curry crab with shell on?


----------



## Aurora (Aug 12, 2005)

Aside from fish sauce, lemon grass and lime I think of peanuts as a main ingredient in Thai food.

We've had about 4 new Thai restaurants open in our area in the past year and all the food is just wonderful.


----------



## shantihhh (Aug 12, 2005)

*Somboon*

 They understand English and it is the number one item served!  Just look around and point.  LOL  I talked them into letting me observe the chefs making it!  Helped me get it down.  Now I make one with Dungeness crab even better than theirs.
VBG

Another great "deal" with lovely atmosphere is the prix-fix meal at the Thai restaurant at the Hyatt.  It is cheap as you can order anything on the menu for lunch.  What we do is order a couple of appetizers, and then just keep ordering items 2 by two otherwise you would get everything at once and it's going to get cold.  Also the Hyatt has their own water purification system so you can drink the water!

Eating at the weekend market out at Chatuchuak Park is fun too and very cheap!

Enjoy!



Mary-Anne



			
				Chopstix said:
			
		

> Hey Shantihhh, many thanks for all that information about Thai food. A friend's invited me to Somboon but I passed. I'll try it soon. What's the Thai name of the curry crab with shell on?


----------



## shantihhh (Aug 12, 2005)

*Thai ingredients*

 Thais don't really use much peanuts in Thailand.  I think this has become an American thing VBG

Kaffir lime and Thai basils are up there along with galangal, Khrachi and lemongrass sometimes.  Many times chiles and kapi and also shallots and garlic are used a lot!

Mary-Anne, Thai Food Editor
bellaonline.com




			
				Aurora said:
			
		

> Aside from fish sauce, lemon grass and lime I think of peanuts as a main ingredient in Thai food.
> 
> We've had about 4 new Thai restaurants open in our area in the past year and all the food is just wonderful.


----------



## shantihhh (Aug 12, 2005)

*nam pla/fish sauce*

Try a brand of fish sauce like Golden Boy.  It is a must in Thai cuisine.  You shouldn't taste fish sauce it is to balance the salty thing.



			
				jkath said:
			
		

> Hello Cookie Monster!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## bknox (Aug 15, 2005)

I'm back. Had to go out to New Mexico for a while. Visited Hatch where they grow all the chili peppers. If you expect to see a pepper museum or monument you will be disappointed. Beautiful coutry and lots of it, great place to hide out.

Anyway I have made a new Thai dry rub (attempt) with fresh lime leaves and it was ok. I can not seem to find the recipe at the moment but will post it when it shows up again. Next time I think I am going to use dry lime leaves (Kaffir) and grind them into a fine powder. I removed the Cardomom from the recipe as it is overpowering.

I'll be back when I find the recipe.

Bryan


----------



## bknox (Aug 15, 2005)

OK, I have a bad habit of reading through threads backwards. I want to thank everybody for all the great information. I may have to give the Thai dry rub a rest for a while as I am a little busy trying to catch up after my trip. 

Thanks again,
Bryan


----------



## kitchenelf (Aug 15, 2005)

I read cookbooks backwards - I guess that's kind of the same thing.


----------



## GB (Aug 15, 2005)

kitchenelf said:
			
		

> I read cookbooks backwards - I guess that's kind of the same thing.


Is that so you can skip right to the desserts


----------



## kitchenelf (Aug 15, 2005)

lol - never thought of it that way!!!!!!


----------



## Claire (Aug 15, 2005)

Thanks, bknox, for making me feel not all alone.  Sometimes I think I've read all the entries, and find I've missed a few.  I don't know if I mentioned this before, but when Keo first started up in Hawaii, I'd swear someone told me he was Laotian or Cambodian, hubby says he thinks the former.  May have only been rumor.  Doesn't matter, great food.  Happy memories of coming in with a cooler full of beer & wine (at the time they didn't have a booze license) and sitting there sweating because we all like it "Thai-Hot".  One freind speaks Thai fluently (Keo himself may or may not be Thai, but the wait staff was), so we got great service.  The restroom in those days was single (both ***es) and outside.  Good freinds, good food, good fun.  It became famous and up-scale after that.  But it is one of my favorite ethnic food memories.  We were just drenched in sweat from eating it so hot.


----------



## Claire (Aug 15, 2005)

When I lived in Hawaii, I had a kaffir lime tree in a pot.  Oh, how I miss that flavor.  In Florida I grew lemon grass in a corner of the yard.  That one was funny.  We'd gone to a Thai restaurant in Orlando, and I looked down at the stuff growing by the sidewalk, and saw ... lemongrass.  We were leaving, and I just was going to grab one or two stalks to start a plant at home.  I got caught, but do what I always do when I'm caught out in a transgression --- apologise and explain.  The owner's wife was thrilled that I even knew what I was doing, and gave me a good size cutting, and I had a ton of lemongrass for the rest of the 6 years we lived there.  I'd like to try growing both (lemongrass and Kaffir) in pots, and someone gave me a source a few months back, but I can't find where I saved it (the story of my life).  I use lemon balm or verbena (the latter is better, but haven't found a plant lately) in the summers, but lime skin in the winter, to give the zip of lemongrass/kaffir lime.  Not the same, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.


----------



## jennyema (Aug 15, 2005)

Claire,

Just buy a stalk of fresh lemongrass from the supermarket/asian market, stick it in water and let it sprout. then plant it.

I have a planter on the deck that is wildly overflowing with lemongrass as I kept splitting them and re-planting.

SHOUT OUT to *Jkath* and *JPMCgrew* for helping me with this project earlier this spring! http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11473&highlight=lemongrass

I can buy fresh kaffir lime leaves at my asian market, so haven't thought about the tree, but here's some info: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=grow+%22kaffir+lime%22
Have been making tons of green curry dishes, such as this one: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_21150,00.html


----------



## shantihhh (Aug 16, 2005)

*Indian Curries/Thai Curries*

There is a great Thai restaurant in Knightbridge just across and down from Harrod's called Thasi Orchid (I think).  Anyway they do fix real Thai food!!!  I also love Indian having been to both India and Thailand over 30 times each, but Thsai cuisine has a freshness.


Indian curries are far more complex and each dish has a different mixture of spices/masalas which make the curry, whereas Thasi curries are divided into much more basic like green, red, yellow, choo chee, jungle curry, sour yellow, mussaman and panang in the south, and so on.  The ingredients for the curry paste do not vary much from dish to dish.

I love all curries!  Well Japanese curry is sort of boring, but even curries of Malaysia, Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and China all can be quite tasty, not to mention curries of the Caribbean.  Guess I should just say I love spices!

 Mary-Anne



			
				Ishbel said:
			
		

> I'm with CharlieD!
> 
> In the UK, 'curry' usually means Indian subcontinental food (most of our 'Indian' restaurants are actually Bangladeshi or Pakistani). Thai has become popular over perhaps the past 10 years or so - but I prefer 'Indian' curries!


----------



## shantihhh (Aug 16, 2005)

*Kaffir Lime*



			
				Claire said:
			
		

> When I lived in Hawaii, I had a kaffir lime tree in a pot. Oh, how I miss that flavor. In Florida I grew lemon grass in a corner of the yard. That one was funny. We'd gone to a Thai restaurant in Orlando, and I looked down at the stuff growing by the sidewalk, and saw ... lemongrass. We were leaving, and I just was going to grab one or two stalks to start a plant at home. I got caught, but do what I always do when I'm caught out in a transgression --- apologise and explain. The owner's wife was thrilled that I even knew what I was doing, and gave me a good size cutting, and I had a ton of lemongrass for the rest of the 6 years we lived there. I'd like to try growing both (lemongrass and Kaffir) in pots, and someone gave me a source a few months back, but I can't find where I saved it (the story of my life). I use lemon balm or verbena (the latter is better, but haven't found a plant lately) in the summers, but lime skin in the winter, to give the zip of lemongrass/kaffir lime. Not the same, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.


 
Four Wind Growers will ship them to you. 

http://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/

Maybe Bhatia in NJ has them, not sure as they carry mainly Indian things like Curry Leaf/Murrieya Koenigii.

Lemongrass, just buy a few stalks at an Asian Market, root them in a glass of water and pot up in a large diameter pot.

You can grow the lemongrassoutside in your area, but bring in a potted clump to over winter. Harvest and fresh your lemon grass for all winter use.

The Kaffir Lime/Magroot will need to be brought in if the temps are below about 40 deg F. Four Winds grafts onto frost hardy stock. We get temps that hit 32 deg F a few times a winter and they are quite hardy to that, but where you are you will need to bring them in to a bright window area. Don't let them dry out due to winter indoor heating systems.


----------



## Bangbang (Aug 16, 2005)

For me I think curry paste and rice. I just started eating Thai and I am kicking my self in butt for waiting so long.


----------



## TastyNosh (Nov 11, 2005)

Say Thai food, I think of spciy, sour, fresh, sugar, fish sauce and chilis, lemongrass, coconut milk, spicy salads, galangal and tom yum paste.


----------

