Thai Recipes

As one's culture can be seen through a window of one's kitchen. Thai cuisine is clearly an inseparable part of Thai culture. The following not only describes common Thai recipes and cooking by Thai natives but also proudly shows Thai culture and heritage.

If you are comparatively new to Thai food, you may find the lower end of the range still too much for you to take; on the other hand, if you have spent a lot of time in Thailand and love the intensity of food there, the upper end of the range may fall short of where your preference lies. So play around until you get the combination of flavors most suited to your palate.

Most Thai dishes are "rescuable" if you are adept at balancing flavors. Since ingredients can vary considerably, it is important to make adjustments in the quantity used to bring about the optimal flavor balance in each dish. Therefore, do not follow recipes religiously, but rather, cook "to taste." Remember that recipes serve as guidelines; they cannot speak for variances in the quality of ingredients that are available in different locales. They also cannot speak for your particular taste preference, so cut down on the amount of chilies if you can't take the heat and the amount of limejuice if you don't like sharp sour flavors. Use more garlic and basil if you are a garlic and basil lover, less if you find them too strong for your taste, and so on.

Thai-style Stir Fried Noodles:

Ingredients

1/2 lb. dried thin gkuay dtiow or rice noodles (also known as ban pho to the Vietnamese)

3 Tbs. fish sauce, to taste

3 or more Tbs. tamarind juice the thickness of fruit concentrate, to taste

2 Tbs. palm or coconut sugar, to taste

4 Tbs. peanut oil

1/3 lb. fresh shrimp, shelled, deveined and butterflied

3/4 cup firm pressed tofu, cut into thin strips about an inch long, half an inch wide and a quarter inch thick

4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with half a medium onion)

1/4-cup small dried shrimp

1/4 cup chopped sweetened salted radish

2-3 tsp. ground dried red chilies, to desired hotness

3 eggs

3 cups fresh bean sprouts

1 cup garlic chives, cut into 1 1/2-inch-long segments (optional)

Garnish

2/3 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts

1 lime, cut into small wedges

A few short cilantro sprigs

4 green onions - trim off root tip and half of green leaves and place in a glass with white end in cold water to crisp (optional)

Soak the dried rice noodles in cool or lukewarm tap water for 40 minutes to one hour, or until the noodles are limp but still firm to the touch. While the noodles are soaking, mix the fish sauce with the tamarind juice and palm sugar; stir well to melt the sugar. Taste and adjust flavors to the desired combination of salty, sour and sweet. Prepare the remaining ingredients as instructed.

When the noodles have softened, drain and set aside. Heat a wok over high heat until it is smoking hot. (Note: If your wok is small, do the stir-frying in two batches. The recipe may also be halved to serve two.) Add 2 teaspoons of oil and quickly stir-fry the shrimp until they turn pink and are almost cooked through. Salt lightly with a sprinkling of fish sauce and remove them from the wok.

Swirl in the remaining oil, save for 1 teaspoon, to coat the wok surface and wait 20 to 30 seconds for it to heat. Add the tofu, frying 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pieces turn golden. Add garlic and stir-fry with the tofu for 15 to 20 seconds. Follow with the sliced shallots and cook another 15 seconds. Then add the dried shrimp, sweetened salted radish and ground-dried chilies. Stir and heat through a few seconds.

Add the noodles and toss well with the ingredients in the wok. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes and when most of the noodles has changed texture and softened, push the mass up along one side of the wok. Add the teaspoon of oil to the cleared area, crack the eggs onto it and scramble lightly. When the eggs have set, cut into small chunks with the spatula and toss them in with the noodles.