Joanna James
We could seldom find a person who dislikes Thai food. Having tested Thai cooking at restaurants, it would be an amazing thing to try out these recipes on your own at home. Here are a few great tips and tricks to follow before trying out your favourite Thai recipes.
A little bit of mashed ginger adds a magical flavour to any Thai dish. Don't forget to add fresh ginger when you sauté any basic flavour which includes onions, garlic and shallots. Thai people use fresh aromatic additions such as onions, galangal, lemongrass, shallots and ginger as a flavour base for their food. Keep in mind, these ingredients are often added at the beginning of the cooking process in the form of minced or curry pastes.
A common ingredient amongst many an Asian! Coconut milk can be obtained by adding shredded coconut flakes and water to a blender until you end up with a smooth consistency. This creamy homemade coconut milk is a great base for stews, soups, curries and cooking liquids. Be it any vegetable you are going to try out, in a large pot add some oil, garlic, ginger, sauté onions, vegetable/s and spices and let it cook for about five minutes. Then you can add the creamy coconut milk to end up in a flavourful curry.
Have you ever tasted coconut milk ice cream or mango sticky rice? These are traditional Thai dishes you should definitely try out. These dishes seem quite strange to some, but you should try preparing them on your own. In order to keep the creamy and saucy texture in the dish, cook with sugar and coconut milk instead of water. You can simply substitute coconut milk for cream in ice cream. Many Phuket restaurants the likes of Age Restaurant offer a range of scrumptious Thai desserts to satisfy your sweet food cravings.
"Fish sauce" – sounds unwonted? This super salty brownish liquid adds a mouth-watering flavour to Thai dishes. It is a bi-product obtained from fish fermentation. Fish sauce is used with savoury recipes to give a more savoury and complex flavour. It gives food a bit of umami flavour. Don't worry, a good fish sauce does not taste overwhelming 'fishy as it contains sugar, acid and salt. It also gives up a lovely texture with plates of pasta. Most of you might scoff hearing about the fish sauce but it is made of anchovies which are in most of the pasta dishes you eat in many Thai restaurants. Add a little bit of fish oil at a time because too much sauce will ruin your dish.
Have you ever thought lime juice can add a magical flavour to any Thai dish? – Yes, it does! Once you finish preparing the dishes, don't forget to add some lime juice to cut through fat and tone down the heat. It should always be added right before you take the pot out of the heat or after taking it off since cooking the lime juice will add a dull flavour.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
