Special Feature Thai Cuisine

Thai cuisine includes food and beverages as well as how to cook typical Thai. Hallmark of Thai cuisine is spicy and full of flavor, but combined with a balance of sweet, salty, sour, and spicy.
Although it is called Thai cuisine, in Thailand there are four types of regional cuisine originating from the four main regions: Northern Thailand, Northeast Thailand (Isan cuisine),  Central Thailand and South Thailand. Each regional cuisine influenced by Chinese cuisine and dishes from neighboring countries. Unlike the typical Thai curry using fresh herbs, curry southern Thailand using dried spices like curry fried in India. Another distinctive feature cuisine of southern Thailand is the use of turmeric coconut milk and fresh. The majority of the population is Muslim southern Thailand. Their ancestors came from the Indian subcontinent more than two thousand years ago so the cuisine of southern Thailand similar to the cuisine India. Northeast Thailand (Isan) cuisines often use lime juice, and is strongly influenced by the cuisine of Laos. Most Thai food is known today is an adaptation of Chinese cuisine that was introduced in Thailand by Tio Ciu people who form the majority of Chinese-Thai. Cuisine who originally came from China, for example: jok, kwetiau rad na, khao kha moo (moo pa-loh), bamii, dan khao mun gai.
Herbs and spices used in a fresh condition (rather than dried spices). Among the common herbs in Thai cuisine are chilli pepper, red chili, coconut milk, fish sauce (nam pla), ginger, garlic, onion, coriander leaves, lemon grass, shrimp paste (kapi), palm sugar and tamarind . Source: Wikipedia

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Posted in: Thai,Typical Cuisine of Each Country

Thai chicken curry

Ingredients

• 2 shallots , or 1 small onion
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3-4 tsp red Thai curry paste
• 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar , brown is best
• 4 freeze-dried kaffir lime leaves
• 400ml can coconut milk
• 20g pack fresh coriander 

1. Peel shallots or onion and cut in half from top to root. Lay the cut sides flat on a board and thinly slice. Very finely slice the lemongrass, starting at the thinner end, stopping towards the base when it gets tough (often described as 'woody' and white in the centre).
2. Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan for a couple of minutes until the oil separates (it looks more liquid at this point). Add the shallots or onion. Fry for 3-5 mins, until soft and translucent. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 min, stirring all the time.
3. Add chicken pieces and stir until they are coated. Add the fish sauce, sugar, kaffir lime leaves and coconut milk. Bring slowly to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 mins until the chicken is cooked. Stir the curry a few times while it cooks, to stop it sticking and to keep the chicken submerged.
4. While the chicken is cooking, strip the leaves from the coriander stalks, gather into a pile and chop very roughly. Taste the curry and add a little more curry paste and salt if you think it needs it. Stir half the coriander into the curry and sprinkle the rest over the top. Serve with Thai jasmine or basmati rice.
   
   Source

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Posted in: Chicken,Thai

Classic Thai BBQ/Grilled Chicken Recipe (with Tangy Dipping Sauce)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• SERVES 2 (Double the recipe for 4 or more people)
• 1/2 fresh chicken, chopped into small parts, OR 4-8 fresh chicken thighs
• MARINADE:
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce (OR 1 more Tbsp. regular soy sauce)
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 3 Tbsp. sherry (cooking sherry works well too)
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, crushed with pestle & mortar, OR coursely ground with coffee grinder or pepper mill
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• DIPPING SAUCE or GLAZE:
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar (OR other type of vinegar: white, white wine, or apple cider)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 fresh red chilies, minced OR 1/3 to 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili OR cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Preparation:

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add chicken parts or thighs, turning several times to ensure the chicken is covered with marinade.
3. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate while you heat up the grill and prepare the dipping sauce. OR allow chicken to marinate overnight, or up to 24 hours.
4. To make the dipping sauce/glaze, place all the dipping sauce/glaze ingredients in a sauce pan. Stir and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low. Allow sauce to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken as it cooks and become tangy - a mixture of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.
6. Tip: this sauce can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold, so you can easily make it ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator until needed.
7. Brush your grill with a little vegetable oil, then grill the chicken, turning occasionally. Brush the chicken with the leftover marinade for the first 10 minutes or so, then discard marinade. To Cook Chicken in Your Oven: Place chicken pieces on a grill pan or on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, or until chicken is nearly done (thicker pieces may need slightly longer, while small or thin pieces may cook faster).
8. Turn oven to the "broil" setting (on "high" if you have a choice), and move chicken to one of the upper racks of your oven. Baste both sides of chicken with the leftover marinade, or with a little of the dipping sauce, then broil 3-5 minutes per side, or until fully cooked (stay near the oven for this process, or chicken may burn).
9. Serve with the dipping sauce on the side, OR spoon a little sauce over each piece of chicken as a glaze before serving. This dish goes well with a salad or serve with rice. ENJOY!

Source

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Posted in: Chicken,Thai