Thai cuisine is known for its five most amazing flavours – sour, bitter, sweet, salty and spicy. It is a flavourful mix of all these flavours that make the food absolutely delicious. This works efficiently to lure all the food lovers into its aromatic spell. Thai food has been influenced by other Southeast Asian cuisines such as Indian and Chinese, but it still manages to be completely different from them. Originally, Thai cuisine used to be a lot spicier than it is today, but over time, the hot elements were reduced and other flavour boosters like lemongrass and galangal were introduced to the cuisine.
Are you planning a Thai dinner, tonight? Here are some of the best and full of flavour dishes from Thai cuisine for you to try.
- The Thai Green Fish Curry
Ingredients:
- Thai green curry paste 2 tbsp
- coconut milk 400g tin
- sugar snap peas 200g
- skinless fish fillet 400g
- fish sauce to season
- red chilli 1, finely sliced
- coriander leaves a handful, chopped
- rice to serve
Instructions:
- Add the curry paste to a pan with the solid top of the coconut milk and heat gently until it starts to sizzle
- Add the rest of the coconut milk, bring to a simmer, add the sugar snaps and cook for 1 minute
- Add the fish and cook gently for 3 minutes or until the fish is cooked through, then season with a few splashes of fish sauce
- Now, sprinkle on the chilli and coriander, and serve with rice.
2. Pad Thai
Ingredients:
For the pad thai sauce:
- 3/4 tablespoon tamarind paste
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 3 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 to 3 teaspoons chilli sauce (to taste)
For pad thai:
- 8 ounces of rice noodles
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken breast (or thigh, chopped)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- Optional: 1 to 2 fresh red chillies
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 3 cups bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 3 green onions
- 1/3 cup peanuts
- Garnish: lime wedges
Instructions:
- Gather all the ingredients
- Make the sauce by combining the tamarind paste mixture, chicken stock, fish sauce, brown sugar, and chilli sauce. Stir well to dissolve
- Now, do a taste-test for a tangy balance between sweet and sour. Add more sugar if too sour or more tamarind if too sweet
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and dunk in rice noodles. Stir to separate. Only cook until they are limp but still firm and slightly crunchy
- Drain the noodles and rinse well with cold water to prevent sticking. Set aside
- Place the chicken in a small bowl and stir together the soy sauce and cornstarch and pour over the chicken. Stir well and set aside
- Preheat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil followed by the garlic and minced chilli, if using. Stir-fry until fragrant
- Add the marinated chicken and when the wok or pan becomes dry, add the chicken stock. Stir-fry 5 to 7 minutes, until the chicken, is cooked
- Add the drained noodles and pour the prepared sauce over. Using two utensils or chopsticks, use a gentle “lift and turn” method to fry the noodles (like tossing a salad)
- Stir-fry in this way for 5 minutes, or until the noodles are chewy. If you find your pan too dry, add a little more oil.
- Add the bean sprouts and continue frying for 1 more minute, or until the noodles are cooked
- The noodles are done when they taste chewy and a little sticky. Taste-test for seasoning, adding more fish sauce until your desired flavour is reached
- Top with generous sprinklings of fresh cilantro, green onion, and crushed/chopped nuts. Serve with fresh lime wedges on the side.
Are you looking for more Thai recipes, you can check out your guide to Thai curries.
