Thai Dining Etiquette - The Moo Kata

Posted by Kawita in Moo Kata, Travel-and-Leisure

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By Nick Cox

Thai food is becoming increasingly popular, with a growing number of Thai restaurants opening throughout the UK. The consumption of foreign foods is now a common occurrence in our daily lives, possibly encouraged by the increase in people choosing to take holidays in more exotic locations.

Either way, food manufacturers at home are noticing that there is a growing demand for flavours that are more exotic. They are supplying that demand with an ever-increasing amount of foreign dishes for us to choose from.

Despite the increase in choice, the most obvious way to truly appreciate foreign food is still to experience it first-hand in the country that it originates from. There is no substitute for freshness of ingredients, and Thai food in particular is famous the world over for using only the freshest of ingredients. Often, when people return from a trip to Thailand, it is the food they miss most. They find that what faces them on the dining table at home to be bland by comparison.

It is no secret that Thai people love to eat, and dining in large groups is something that they have down to a fine art. Whereas Westerners tend to order individual dishes they share only when offering the occasional 'tasters' to friends, Thais prefer to go about it in a far more communal manner.

Thai diners pass dishes around, with all the food available being shared. It's a social event, with everyone making sure they have a dip of all that is on offer. It would be an alien concept for a Thai person to go to a restaurant and order only the one dish for themselves.

An interesting mode of Thai communal eating, uniquely perfected over the centuries, is called Moo Kata - which literally means 'pork skillet'. It consists of a dome shaped metal pan with a trough running around the edge, not dissimilar to a large, metal bowler hat.

This strange contraption sits on top of hot coals and is placed in the centre of the table. It is then loaded up with a variety of meats while the trough around the edge is filled with hot water. Juice from the meat runs down the side of the dome and mixes with the hot water, quickly turning it to a broth. Green leafy vegetables such as water spinach are added to the mix. In time, this turns into a tasty soup, which is in then ladled into individual bowls.

You really can't compare the experience to anything else; at times it feels like a team sport, where cooperation and skill is required to ensure that every one gets their fair share and that what's cooking on the Moo Kata is cooked to perfection before being served.

If you happen to be with a large group, however, make sure your chopstick skills are up to scratch, as everyone will be working feverishly to cover every square inch of the hot surface.
To travel and to not experience the food is a trip wasted, and Thailand has such a vast array to be discovered that you could possibly eat a different dish every day for the duration of your stay, no matter how long that stay may be! With the increase in cheap flights there has never been a better time to explore Thai food at its source.

Find and compare cheap flights and cheap hotels at travelsupermarket.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Cox

The Taste Of Thai Food

Posted by Kawita in Thai food

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By Pauline Go

Pauline GoLevel: PlatinumPauline Go is a highly respected internet marketer in Thailand. She has worked with many successful website such as Thailandbuddy.com, easyonlinefunds.com, ..etc. ...

Thai food offers a variety of flavors and taste. Almost all Thai food is made with the subtle mixture of herbs and spices. Thus, Thai food is widely known for being hot and spicy.

A basic Thai meal includes the following: the staple is rice which is accompanied by a number of dishes. There will be a soup, a curry, a steamed or fried dish, a salad and one or more basic sauces. While breakfast includes fresh fruits and a variety of traditional sweets.

Thai food differs from region to region. In the central region people prefer mostly steamed food, which includes fresh water fish and fresh vegetables. Thai food like noodles is extremely popular in Bangkok and one can see tourists enjoying their fare at road side eateries. In the northern region people prefer milder food when compared with other regions of Thailand. The influence of neighboring Burma is more in case of food habits in northern Thailand. Most dishes are prepare using tamarind, turmeric and ginger.

In the southern region coconut plays a predominant role. Coconut is used in almost all the dishes. The southern people use coconut in various ways. They use coconut milk, oil and meat. The coconut milk is used to temper the heat of chili laced soups and it is also used in curries. The coconut oil is used for frying and they use the meat of coconut for garnishing and decorating food items and this gives an added taste to the food.

In ancient days, Thais used to eat the food with their bare hands but now due modernization and influences of western countries, people use forks and spoon to eat rice and chopsticks are used to eat noodles.

Check Out More Articles:
Thailand Travel Information, Chinese Love Horoscope, Tetris The Flash Game,
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pauline_Go

Thai Food and Culture

Posted by Kawita in Thai Culture, Thai food

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By Michael Moran

Thai Superstitions Surrounding FoodIn Thailand, meals are traditionally eaten in a group setting. Unlike in America, the Thais believe it is bad luck to eat alone. Considering the Thais eat in large groups, it's therefore not surprising that a typical Thai dinner consists of three or more different dishes. And since, in Thailand, it is bad luck to throw food away, normally all of these dishes would be consumed in one sitting. Discarding food might anger the Thai "god of rice", a female deity who watches over the people, ensuring everyone has enough to eat. Bad luck or even widespread famine may ensue if food goes uneaten or is needlessly wasted. A Typical Thai Meal In Thailand, a typical meal would consist of the following:

One or two curry dishes, such as green, yellow, or red curry. These might be made with red meat, poultry, tofu, vegetables, or seafood, depending on the region and what protein sources are readily available.

A noodle dish such as Pad Thai noodles. These flavorful rice noodles might be made with tofu, chicken, or prawns.

A vegetable stir-fry dish made with just one or a variety of fresh local vegetables. With all meals, Thai jasmine-scented rice is served on the side. Dessert may consist of something as simple as fresh fruit such as pineapple or papaya. For a beverage, most Thais enjoy their meal with a cold lager or a cool drink such as lime water or Thai iced tea. How do Thais eat?You've probably noticed that most Thai restaurants provide chopsticks to their patrons. And while the Chinese did bring chopsticks to Thailand several centuries ago, today most Thais prefer to use Western cutlery-but in their own special way. Thai cutlery generally consists of a fork and large spoon (tablespoon). The spoon is held in the right hand and used (in place of a knife) to cut meat as well as to scoop up the food (in place of a fork). When eating, most Americans load up their plates with various types of food, as at a buffet table. In contrast, the Thais do not combine various foods on their plates, but rather, they sample one dish at a time, always eaten with a mound of Thai jasmine-scented rice on the side. Unlike the Chinese style, bowls are used mainly for soup, not in place of a plate. Finally, just for fun, encourage your family or guests to eat like the Thais do, sampling one dish at a time and eating with a spoon and fork. Most of all, take the time to enjoy your good health, your friends and loved ones, and last but not least, the wonderful Thai food on your plate. After all, good food truly is a reason to celebrate!

Michael Moran is the founder of Curry Simple Thai food products. With sauces made in Thailand, CurrySimple allows the average person the ability to cook a restaurant quality Thai meal at home. The concept evolved after spending years working in Thai restaurants while listening to his customer's conversations about the difficulty and complexity of cooking Thai food. Now with the development of the sauces (the hard part in Thai cooking), enjoying the taste and health benefits of Thai food is easy.Visit CurrySimple for more product information and recipes.
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Thai Food - Phad Ka Prao and Kaeng Liang Recipe

Posted by Kawita in Kaeng Liang, Phad Ka Prao, Thai food

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By Wevangti Vangra

Phad Ka Prao

Ingredients
Phad Ka Prao sauce 80 g Chicken fillet 80 g Steamed rice 250 g Cut in 0.5 cmVegetable oil 20 g Water 5 g Sliced red spur chili 25 g

Note: This portion is for 2 servings.

How to cook
1. Stir-fry sliced chicken with oil until the meat is cooked.
2. Add spur chili, steamed rice and Phad Ka Prao sauce, mix thoroughly. Put basil, mix together before removing from the heat and it is ready to serve.

Phad Ka Prao sauce Ingredient

Ingredients
Basil 50 g Garlic 375 g Galangal 50 g Shrimp paste 15 g Palm sugar 100 g Vegetable oil 500 g Hot chilies (green/red) 150 g Shallots 125 g Grounded pepper 2.5 g Fish sauce 375 g Salt 25 g Water 1000 g

Note: This recipe makes 2.5 kg of Pad Ka Prao sauce

How to cook

1. Ground hot chilies, garlic, shallots, galangal, pepper and shrimp paste together. Add basil and roughly grind them.
2. Stir-fry Pad Ka Prao paste with oil until fragrant.
3. Add fish sauce, palm sugar and salt.
4. Pack in plastic bags, 80 gram per bag.
Strong point of Khao Phad Ka Prao: Lower calories and fat compared to Phad Thai. High phosphorus from chicken.

Medical Benefit
- Basil: Release tension, high blood pressure
- Red & green hot chili: Digestive, laxative, expectorant, cold relief
- Shallot: Relief cold, catarrh
- Garlic: Reduce cholesterol, cancer, infection, antifungal
- Galangal: Carminative, expectorant

Kaeng Liang (Spicy herb vegetables soup) Main Ingredient

Ingredients
Kaeng Liaeng soup 500 g zPeeled and sliced pumpkins 450 g Peeled and sliced sponge gourd 300 g Mushroom 250 g Ivy gourd 150 g Lemon basil 70 g

Note: This recipe is for 3 servings.

1. Add Kaeng Liaeng soup in a pot, bring to boil.
2. Add sliced pumpkins first and then add other vegetables such as sponge gourd, mushrooms and ivy gourd. Bring to boil. Remove from the heat and then sprinkle lemon basil.
3. Ready to serve.

Kaeng Liang Soup Ingredient

Ingredients
Grounded pepper 100 g Shallot 750 g Dried shrimps 600 g Food seasoning (pork flavor) 270 g Shrimp paste 260 g Thai chilies 40 g Water 13 kg
Note: These ingredients are for 13 kg.

How to cook
1. Pound dried shrimps finely. Add pepper, Thai chilies, shrimp paste and shallots in the mortar and pound finely.
2. Put Kaeng Liaeng paste and water in a pot. Add food seasoning and bring to boil.
Strong point of Kaeng Liang: Low fat and low calories. Fibers from vegetables.

Medical Benefit
Pepper: Peptic, carminative, cooling
Shallot: Relief cold, catarrh
Hot chili: Digestive, laxative, expectorant, cold relief
Sweet basil: Carminative
Gord gourd: Carminative, relief fever, nourish eyes
Sponge gourd: Nourish heart, laxative, cooling
Pumpkin: Nourish eyes

thaifood2.blogspot.com thai-foodvideo.blogspot.comWevangti
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wevangti_Vangra

Thai Food - Phad Thai and Tom Yum Kung Recipe

Posted by Kawita in Phad Thai, Thai food, Tom Yum Kung

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By Wevangti Vangra

Phad Thai

Ingredients
Narrow rice noodles 400 g.
Water 400 g.
Phad Thai sauce 320 g.
Dried shrimp 60 g.
Chopped Salted white radish 40 g.
Yellow soybean curd 160 g.
Bean sprouts 400 g.
Chinese leek leaves 60 g.
Egg 4
Vegetable oil 120 g.
Ground peanut 40 g.
Chinese leek leaves 60 g.

How to Cook
- Fry noodles with water until soft
- Add sauce and mix thoroughly
- Add dried shrimp, Chopped Salted white radish and soybean curd
- Add oil around the pan, break eggs and fry until done
- Add bean sprouts, Chinese leek leaves and fry and serve warmly

Phad Thai Sauce Ingredients
Shallot 50 g.
Garlic 25 g.
Palm sugar 125 g.
Sugar 10 g.
Fish sauce 50 g.
Tamarind juice 25 g.
Vinegar 33 g. Salt 1 g.
Ground dried chili 1 g.
Oil 40 g.
Vinegar 33 g.
Salt 1 g.
Ground dried chili 1 g.
Oil 40 g.

Note: The sauce recipe makes 2 kg.

How to cook
- Pound shallot ingredients in a pot. Heat the ingredients until melted.
- Bring to boil and then add the sautéed shallots and garlic.
- Mix them together and pack in plastic bags, 80 grams each.
- Scramble egg and mix with the seasoning noodles. When the noodles look dry, add bean sprouts and Chinese chives.
- Stir them together with noodles until cooked. Then remove from the heat.

Strong point of Phad Thai: High calories, protein, fibers, calcium and phosphorus.

Tom Yum Kung

Main Ingredients
Shrimp 500 g.
Rice straw mushroom 600 g.
Chili paste 150 g.
Soup stock 2,500 g.
Citric acid 10 g.
Salt 15 g.
Fish sauce 100 g.
Sugar 20 g.
Lime juice 15 g.
Hot chili 10 g.
Dried Chili 10 g.
Lemon grass 40 g.
Shallots 40 g.
Galangal 10 g.
Kaffir lime leaves 5 g.
Vegetable oil 100 g.

How to cook
1. Roast chilies, kaffir lime leaves, shallots, galangal and lemon grass and then grind them until smooth to Tom Yum paste.
2. Stir-fry the Tom Yum paste with oil. Add sliced lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves, set aside.
3. Put citric acid, salt, sugar and water into a pot. Melt it and bring to boil. Then add fish sauce and bring to boil again.
4. Add the Tom Yum paste into the pot. Stir it thoroughly and bring to boil again. Pack in plastic bags, 90 gram per bag.

thaifood2.blogspot.comthai-foodvideo.blogspot.com
Wevangti
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wevangti_Vangra

Introduction to Thai Food - Somtam

Posted by Kawita in Isan food, Somtam, Thai food

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By Robert Orson

Being married to a Thai for the last few years has meant learning a fair amount about Thai food. This isn't such a great accomplishment because it's usually the main topic of our conversations.
My wife once told me that a Thai would be most happy if she could eat seven times a day and I think she is pretty close to that mark. Any time she's not actually eating she can be counted on to be thinking of what or where to eat next.

There's obviously some kind of health secret here. If she's carrying two pounds extra, I have no idea where she's hiding it. If I ate like she did, it would take a crane to get me out of bed in the mornings. The answer must be that what she's eating must be healthy as well as delicious. Her number one favorite meal, snack, between meal pick-me-up, comfort food and health potion is ... somtam.

I confess that I had been thinking of somtam as a low class street vender food until I read a newspaper review of a local restaurant in Chiang Mai (Huen Phen) that quoted world class chef and author, Anthony Bourdain as saying that "their papaya salad is in fact the best salad he has ever eaten." Interesting.

Since then I've eaten it there, ordered it in other restaurants and stood beside street vendors in back alleys as they made some for me. It's always very good and I'm reminded of the great line that David Mamet wrote in Wag the Dog,"There are two things I know to be true. There's no difference between good flan and bad flan, and there is no war in Albania." My wife tells me that all somtam is good but there are some she likes more than others.

Regardless of where you get your somtam in Thailand, what I like is that it is always prepared fresh and usually in the front section of the restaurant (or behind the small glass booth perched on the street cart.)

The essentials are basic: a sharp knife, a spoon and a morter and pestle. The preparation is a blur of culinary poetry.

Throw a handful of chilies into the morter and give a good pound or two with the pestle to release the heat. In quick succession add some coarsely chopped tomato, a dash of sugar, a good splash of fish sauce (available now in most oriental markets,) a small spoon of lemon juice, a clove or two of garlic and (usually) some MSG.

The sauce is finished with the addition of a few tiny, whole crabs (poo) and some salted, fermented fish (balak.)

Pound and stir to bruise and mix the sauce then quickly julienne a firm green papaya and add the spaghetti sized pieces to the brew.

Pound and stir one last time to wilt the green fruit in the sauce. Spoon the salad to a plate or bowl and it will invariably look naturally elegant.

Now for the vocabulary to make sure it's done to your taste. Order Somtam Lao if you want the pungent, sour taste of the balak (fermented fish.) Somtam Thai omits the balak and adds peanuts, which I prefer.

"Mai Sai Poo" means hold the crab. "Mai Pom Chulot" is "no MSG." The somtam beginner should say, " mai phet" meaning "not spicy." I like to order "phet mai mak" or "not too spicy." Only a serious masochist should say "phet gadai" and should not then whine about the fiery pain that the true somtam addict craves.

Hot or not, somtam blends soft with crisp and has an intense but surprisingly balanced flavor that is sweet, salty, sour and bitter in every bite.

Robert Orson writes for: Easy Chiang Maihttp://www.easy-chiangmai.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Orson