Cooking Techniques

Thai cooking is very simple. Its flavour come mainly from the skilful manupulation of certain essential ingredients such as Thai basil, chillies, coriander, ginger, coconut cream, garlic, onions, shallots, lemon grass, fish sauce and soy sauce. In most dishes, very little oil is used and the ingredients are lightly cooked to retain their crunchiness and natural flavour. The main methods of Thai cooking are described below :

STIR-FRYING [pad] : Stir-frying is a quick and fuss-free method of cooking. If you do not have a wok, a large frying pan (skillet) will suffice. Ensure that the wok is hot before adding in the cooking oil. Allow the cooking oil to heat up before adding in your ingredients. Stir them around quidkly with a spatula to heat them through. Once the food is cooked, dish out and serve hot. Because the stir-frying process is so quick, you need to have all the ingredients prepared and on hand before heating up the wok. This will ensure that ingredients do not overcook or burn as you are busy with the other ingredients. Cooking Tip : when stir-frying seafood, toss it quickly to cook. This will seal in the juices without overcooking the seafood. Overcooked seafood will be tough.

STEWING [toon] : Stewing helps to retain all the nutritional goodness and sweetness of the ingredients in the stewing liquied. Tougher cuts of meat can also be used as the cooking process will render them tender. To stew food, the ingredients are usually cut into pieces of similar size and placed into enough luquid to cover them completely. The pot is covered and placed over low heat so the ingredients cook slowly. The stewing liquid is sometimes served as it is to accompany the dish, but it may also be reduced or thickened into gravy.


STEAMING [neung] : In steaming, the ingredients are cooked by the vapour that rises from the boiling liquid below. As the ingredients do not come in direct contact with the liquid, most of the nutrients are retained, making this a healthy means of cooking food. To get the best results out of steaming food, always use the freshest ingredients. To steam food, place the ingredients in a heat proof (flameproof) plate or container and place over boiling liquid. Cover thightly with a lid to keep the steam in.


DEEP FRYING [tod] : This is a method where food is cooked in a large amount of cookng oil, deep enough to cover it completely. Deep-frying can be done in a wok or in a deep pan. Fill the oil halfway up the wok or pan so that any splattering will be contained. The temperature of the coking oil is very important when deep-frying. If not hot enough, the food will absorb all the oil and be greasy; but if too hot, the food will burn. The optimum temperature for deep-frying is at 180C (350F). Have on hand a wire strainer or tongs to remove the deep-fried food from the oil once it is ready. Drain on absorbent paper to remov excess oil. This will also help the food to stay crisp longer.


GRILLING [yang] : Grilling is done by setting food above or below a heat source to cook it. This can be done over hot coals/charcoal, under the electric grill, in the oven or even on the top of the stove using a heavy-based pan. In Thai cooking, meats are exposed directly to the heat, or wrapped in leaves and/or aluminum foil. Screwpine (pandan) leaves and banana leaves are commonly used as they impart a lovely fragrance to the cooked food. For successful grilling, the heat must be well-regulated so the food does not burn or blacken on the outside too reaily while remaining raw on the inside


SALADS [yum] : The outstanding features of Thai salad are the strong taste and the freshness of the ingredients used. The tastiness includes sourness, saltiness, and hotness. As for the sweetness, it is added only to improve the flavor. The hot taste helps making the dish more delectable. The taste of the salad dressings depends upon the diners. Chilies can be omitted from dressings if desired. The sour taste can also be adjusted as desired. Most of the ingredients used, whether meat or vegetables, are usually cut into small pieces and blanched. Special care must be taken when mixing the salads to avoid bruising the vegetables. Salads must be eaten immediately after the dressings are mixed in.

Herbs in Thai Food

Spices and various plants used in Thai cooking are herbs, which have medicinal properties that can heal illness. The benefits of herbs used in Thai food may not always be obviously known, so the following are examples of herbs used in Thai cooking :

Finger Root [kra-chai] : The fresh plump roots have strong aroma and are juicy. Peel away the thin brown skin and wash thoroughly to reduce their strong flavour before cooking. The benefit of Finger Root is to dispel gas and can help with digestion and colic. Rhizome also contains many vitamins such as vitamin A, B12 and calcium

Dried Chilies [prik-haeng] : Both spur and hot chilies are used. Dried hot chilies are normally roasted and ground, and used as the seasoning. While dried spur chilies are used mostly in curry paste. The benefit of chilies is to boost the appetite, and the spur chili also acts as a tonic for the system. It dispels gas, phlegm, urine and can also be used to treat indigestion.

Onions [hom-yai] : Good quality onions are heavy with dry and smooth skin. Keep them in a ventilated area or in a basket for longer use. Do not refrigerate.
Galangal [khaa] : A member of the ginger family, it has pungency and tang, quite unlike that of the common ginger. Buy only young galangal with plump roots and pinkish white skin. The benefit of galangal is to dispel intestinal gas and ease dysentery. Besides relieving the distensions of the abdomen, galangal also helps dispel phlegm.

Lemongrass [ta-krai] : Pick the ones with plump base and light purple in color. Peel away the outer bulb until the pinker insides appears. The benefit of lemongrass is to help in digestion and the functioning of urinary passing. It induces sweat and cures discharges and vomiting. In addition to lowering blood pressure and dispelling gas, it is also used to treat fever, stomach pain, as well as gallstones and other disease of the urinary tract.

Shallots [hom-daeng] : The ezesty small red onion. The ones with glossy purplish red skin give strong smell, while those with yellowish orange skin are sweeter in taste. The benefit of shallot is to dispel gas, helps ease urinary passing, regulates menstrual cycles and is an effective treatment for the common cold

Cooking Utensils

Thai cooking is very easy and it is not really necessary to have any special equipment in order to cook Thai food. Any pots and pans that you have at home will do but we would like to introduce you to some of the utensils that are commonly used in Thailand
Thai cooking involves making curry pastes and all the ingredients need to be combined together so that they form a paste. A large, heavy granite pestle and mortar is used for this. Thai families will always have one in their kitchen and they can also be used for grinding dried spices. If you do not have one, you can use an electric blender to make the pastes and a coffee grinder to grind the dried spices. Wooden pestle and mortars are used for making salads, most notably,
The most important and most used cooking utensil is probably the wok. If you are thinking of buying some cooking equipment especially for cooking Thaifood. we would suggest purchasing a wok. They are very versatile and can be used for all sorts of cooking. They distribute the heat evenly and are excellent for stir-fries. However, if you do not have one, you can use a frying pan instead, but you may find that it is not easy in stirring process as all ingredients might fly everywhere!

Woks can be made of iron, aluminum or brass. For our point of view, we like to use an iron wok and normally most of Thai popular restaurants in Thailand always use these too. However, they have to be burnt in a flame until they are red and turn to black color. Before using, they need to be seasoned by putting little oil into the surface and heating it with medium heat for a couple of minutes. Aluminum and brass woks also need to be seasoned with a little oil as above. The purpose of this oil seasoning process is to make the wok to be non-stick when cooking. Woks come in various sizes. The size you get should depend on the portion of food you normally will be cooking each time. Cooking Tip, if you cook small amount of food in a large wok will mean that the food will dry up easily and burn more readily. On the other hand, cooking a large amount of food in a small wok will also mean that the food will not be in contact with the heat evenly and will take longer to cook. Woks with wooden handles will enable you to hold it even when the wok is hot, but those with mental handles mean you have to use oven gloves or a kitchen towel.

A steamer or double boiler is used to steam sticky rice, fish and vegetables. There are various types of steamers, but the most common are the aluminum multi-tier steamer and the bamboo steamer. The aluminum steamers consist of two or three steamer baskets and a bottom pan. The steamer baskets consist of holes which allow steam from the bottom pan to rise to cook the food. A bamboo basket is also used to drain the water out of the sticker rice after it has been soaked. Bamboo steamers are less expensive than the aluminum type, but sun-dry them after use to prevent mould growth. As they do not come with their own bottom pan, place it snugly in a wok or pan or pot of boiling water.
Cleaver is useful for separating bones from meat, tenderising meat, finely shredding vegetables and also smashing garlic.
Spatula in Thai cooking is used for stir-frying. The rounded corners of the shape enable food to be easily moved around the wok without scratching the non-stick surface.
Apart from above utensils, you can apply to use whatever equipment in your kitchen instead. After you get use to Thai cooking way, you will know that you can use which equipment for which purpose and which one you can use for other purpose. For example, you can use wok for boiling soup (instead of using pot only).

Coconut important in Thai food

Flaked or shredded coconut meat and desiccated coconut are rarely used except for sweets and garnishes. But coconut milk (pulped flesh, not juice) is one of the most important ingredients. It is used in curries, meat, vegetable and seafood dishes as well as for desserts and sweets. The sweetness in coconut milk gives the blend of nutty and sweet flavors. In Thailand it is possible to get fresh coconut milk but it also comes in tins, as a dried powder and in a creamed form. Fresh coconut milk is made from the coconut flesh. The flesh is grated or chopped by putting it into an electirc blender. Coconut milk is one kind of fatty substance which is derived from the process of removing the husk and the shell from matured coconut.

To make 750ml (3 cups, 24 fl oz) of coconut milk you need 500g (1 lb 2 oz) of grated coconut, then add 500ml (2 cups, 16 fl oz) of warm water to the grated coconut. This then needs to be squeezed by hand for about 10 minutes or longer to obtain the milk. It is then put through muslin or a strainer. It needs to be squeezed hard to make sure that the thick coconut milk (also called coconut cream) is obtained. It is then left for 10 minutes and the thick coconut milk and think coconut milk will separate out.

Tinned coconut milk needs to be shaken before using. To separate the thick and thin coconut milk the tin can be forozen for 10 minutes. The easy way out (and sometimes the cheapest) is to buy ready-made, canned coconut milk at major supermarkets. Instant coconut milk powder is now available and is a handy substitute.


Coconut milk can be divided into two categores suitable for different kinds of cooking as follows.
Coconut Milk from Unskinned Grated Coconut (Coconut Milk for Curry Making) : The coconut milk used for making curry or other Thai main dishes is usually extracted from grated coconut from which the dark brown skin has not been removed. The milk obtained from this unskinned kind of grated coconut is creamy in color, rather than milk white. This kind of coconut milk is therefore not suitable for dishes that require a whitish appearance and is mainly used in making curry. Ingredient making up curry paste gives color to the curry such that the cremy color characteristic of this type of coconut milk will not affect the dishes.

Coconut Milk from White Grated Coconut (Skinned Coconut) : Coconut milk is also an essential ingredient contained in most Thai desserts. Therefore, the coconut milk used must be very white to give a more appealing color to the dessert. The dark brown skin of the coconut must be removed before grating, such that the grated coconut will yield a pure white and delectable looking milk after being squeezed. However, skinned coconut milk is equally creamy and aromatic as milk from unskinned coconut.

Seasoning in Thai Food

Thai food usually is very tasty. Aside from the main ingredients used in Thai cooking. Whether meat or vegetables, seasonings also play important role to enhance flavoring. Thus, one should keep in mind and become familiarized with all the key flavors prevalent in Thai cooking as described below.

SWEETNESS : The sweet taste found in Thai food is partly derived naturally from some of various meats used and partly by adding other sweeteners to further enhance the flavor. The key sweetening agent is, of course, sugar, of which comes in a variety of forms, including refined sugar, palm sugar, and brown sugar. As different kinds of sugars have varying levels of sweetness, the type of sugar used affects the overall flavor of food.
Refined sugar has a sharp sweetness and does not change the color of the food. Palm sugar, on the other hand, has a milder in sweetness and suitable for food containing coconut milk. When dissolved over the heat and added to Thai noodle dishes or even the Thai spicy casserole "Palo", palm sugar can improve the flavor as well as enhance the aroma of those dishes. Brown sugar, in powdered form, is suitable for certain kinds of food and sweet. Yet another kind of sugar namely palm sugar cakes, which are made from boiling palm sugar and ladled into chunks then left to dry.

SALTINESS : The saltiness in Thaifood is derived from fish sauce and salt. Fish sauce is added to main dishes not only for the salty taste but also for its unique aroma. Besides fish sauce and salt, soy bean sauce and other all purpose sauces are now used in Thai cooking, depending upon the dishes made or the preference of the cook.


SOURNESS : Most of the sourness comes from adding lime juice, tamarind juice, kaffir lime juice, or vinegar. The acid agents used in seasonings must be carefully chosen to compliment each dish. For instance, when making salad, lime juice should be used for its aroma. Tamarind juice has a sweet and sour taste, suitable for mixing with food containing palm sugar as a sweetener, in order to enrich the flavor of such dishes. Kaffir lime juice is used in certain dishes that require its aroma. When mixed with lime juice and used in hot and sour vegetable soup, it will greatly improve the flovor

SPICENESS : Most of the hot taste in Thaifood is mainly from Chilies. Fresh spur chilies are sliced and added to curries and stir-fried dishes to give color and spiciness. Dried spur chilies are also another essential ingredient to make the hot taste in Thaifood. Hot taste from chili also promotes the appetite.

Noodle

There are many different sorts of noodles and many different sizes. They come in fresh and dried forms and are made from rice, wheat or mung beans. If it is possible we recommend to use fresh noodles. Yellow or egg noodles are yellow because egg yolk is added and they are used for noodle coup. Noodles are used in stir-frieds, soups and salads.


If you use dried noodles then they need to be soaked in water for 15-20 minutes before using. They are then ready to be stir-fried. If they are to be used for noodle soup, they need to be put into the hot soup for about 2 minutes. Fresh noodles do not need to be soaked and can be put straight into the soup. If they are needed quickly then the dried noodles can be put into boiling water for 3-5 minutes and once they are soft they are transferred into cold water and then they are ready to be used.


Rice vermicelli which are to be deep-fried for a crispy noodle dish do not need to be soaked. They can just be fried in hot oil.
Bean vermicelli or glass noodles are made from mung beans. They need to be soaked in water for 5 minutes before using. If they are going to be used for a salad then they need to be put into boiling water after they have been soaked and then transferred into cold water.

Rice and Thai Food

For Thai food, rice is the staple diet. It produces carbohydrate as energy giving for the body. Rice also contains many vitamins and minerals. Rice comes in many different forms. There is long and short grain rice and the color is also different. It can be white, brown, red or black in color. Plain rice is eaten mostly in the central and southern Thailand. The glutinous or "sticky" rice is popular in the north and north-east of Thailand. However, sticky rice is also used mainly for snacks and sweets in Thaifood.

PLAIN RICE (LONG GRAIN) :

To cook plain rice, for every single measure of rice you put two measures of water into a pan and bring the water to a boil. Boil the water until the rice is soft on the outside but still hard in the center for about 10-15 minutes. The time will vary depending on how much rice is being cooked. Put the lid on the pan, turn the heat right down and let the rice cook until the water has evaporated for about 5-10 minutes. If the rice on the top is cooked, then all the rice in the pan will be cooked as well. Once all the water has evaporated care must be taken not to burn the rice at the bottom of the pan.

STICKY or GLUTINOUS RICE (SHORT GRAIN) :


Sticky rice is a different grain of rice from plain rice and it is eaten mainly in the north and north-east of Thailand. The sticky rice needs to be soaked in water for at least 3 hours and overnight before it is cooked.
Drain the water out of the sticky rice into the top part of a steamer. If the steamer has big holes in it, then put a muslin cloth in the steamer first, to stop the rice falling through the holes. Then bring the water in the bottom part of the steamer to the boil. Once the water is boiling, it will start to cook the rice. When you can see steam coming through the sticky rice then put the lid on the steamer for 5 minutes. Check the rice and if it is not hard in the middle it is cooked. If the middle of the rice is still hard then you need to replace the lid another few minutes.



Once it is cooked turn the heat off and put the sticky rice onto a tray or plate. Use a spoon to move the rice around to get rid of all the hot steam. If you do not do this, the sticky rice will go soggy. The sticky rice is then ready to be eaten. It can also be kept to eat later in the day.