The juxtaposition of sweet, sour, hot and salty flavors is what makes Thai cuisine so distinct and nowhere is it more noticeable than in the Thai national soup tom yam. Thai chefs are extremely talented in appropriating foreign dishes and making them their own - such as in a typical noodle dish.
Forget green salad for a while - enjoy a hearty papaya salad, otherwise known as som tam, while Thai green curry is as distinct a dish as they ever get. Enhance your stay in Thailand with its delicious food.
1. Tom Yam Goong.
This is the national aroma of Thailand, thanks to the generous use of fragrant herbs. Lemongrass, lime leaves, galangal, and shallots provide the memorable smells, with chilis and fish sauce providing the kick. Substance comes in the form of jumbo shrimp and mushrooms. The flavor is a unique combination of spicy hot and sour and makes for an ideal start to a meal, or, when paired with rice, a worthy main dish.
2. Pad Thai.
Thailand's calling card to the rest of the culinary world, pad Thai doesn't need an introduction. There are an infinite number of variations on this timeless tradition, but usually noodles are dressed up with tofu, bean sprouts, onion, and the brilliant final touch: peanuts ground to near dust. Pad Thai is a diner-participation meal; you put on the finishing touches of fish sauce, sugar, chili powder, and crushed peanuts to suit your taste.
Brush up on your chopstick skills and get your slurping muscles ready, noodle soup is a quick-and-easy staple of the Thai eating experience. Variations in ingredients mean ten different vendors could serve it ten different ways ' making it nearly deserving of its own top ten list. Noodles ' usually thin, occasionally broad ' are served up in a broth with just about any edible meat: pork, chicken, beef, duck, and seafood being the most popular. One sample and you may not stop until you've tried them all.
4. Som Tam.
Som tam, spicy papaya salad, comes from northeast Thailand, but it's reached near-cult status throughout the rest of the country. Slight regional differences in ingredients means placement on the sweet-or-sour scale may vary greatly between restaurants. Common to all recipes is shredded green papaya and a healthy dose of heat. Barbequed chicken and lumps of sticky rice are the perfect companions.
5. Gai Med Ma Moung (Chicken cashew nuts).
Roasted cashew nuts. Sweet soy sauce. Honey. Garlic. And, of course, chilis it would be Thai food without a little enjoyable pain. Three cheers for the clever soul that figured out nuts and chicken were a good mix. A dish this popular must be more than a little good. Phuket raises the standard with a vast supply of some of the world's best cashew nuts, and they're grown locally.
6. Geng Kheaw Wan Gai (Green curry chicken).
So what gives green curry its color? Green curry paste. Sorry, not an exciting answer, but it is an exciting dish. Of all the curries, and there’s plenty of them, the one that’s the color of American money is among the spiciest. It’s also the least like Indian curry; Thailand has a way of making borrowed food distinctively Thai. The proof is in the coconut milk.
Possibly the world's most refreshing soup, tom kaa gai combines coconut milk with lemongrass, galangal, ginger's Asian sister, and chicken. It's a sweet, tame twist on tom yam goong. On a table filled with delectable Thai dishes, tom kaa gai stands out; your spoon will return to this bowl time and again.
8. Kao Phad (Fried rice).
Ah, good old fried rice. On first sight, kao phad appears to be little more than a big heap of rice; you call that a meal? But try it. Augmented with your choice of meat shrimp and chicken being the most popular and egg, onion, cilantro, garlic, and tomatoes, this is rice with hidden secrets. Spice to taste with chili sauce and enjoy.
Massaman is the Thai word for Muslim, which is the community to heartily thank for this concoction of coconut milk, potatoes, roasted peanuts, bay leaves, sugar, cinnamon, and tamarind sauce. The meat of choice is often beef or chicken, but because it's been embraced by the Buddhists, pork can also be found.
10. Khao Man Gai (Chicken and rice).
This is Thailand’s answer to British fish and chips – an ubiquitous meal served mostly during the daytime at special khao man gai dedicated stalls and restaurants. The chicken is gently boiled until it is tender then the water is used in boiling the rice. This means that khao man gai, apart from being delicious, is high in cholesterol. Served with a chicken broth and delicious sweet and spicy sauces, it’s the perfect midday snack.
I have always loved Thai food, in a matter of fact, i have tried all this platters except number 8 and 5, but i have to try them very soon!!
ReplyDeletethat's true , I too have always loved this style of food and all the thai culture, however, here in Latin America do not know many good places to eat this type of food
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