Thai food is incredibly effective at drawing foodies under its spell of flavour. You'll be compelled to indulge in their decadent sweets, flavorful appetisers, fragrant sauces, and rich and creamy curries again and time again. It takes talent to master, but the secret to making any Thai cuisine is to balance the five essential flavours of sour, bitter, salty, sweet, and spicy. As a result, no Thai food is ever monotonous and always gives your taste the much-needed punch.
Almost all Thai dishes start with a paste. Although you can buy pre-made Thai pastes (such red, yellow, and green curry), they won't have the same flavour and scent, much alone the nutrition, of a paste produced from scratch. Pastes were originally created in the Thai kitchen by pounding whole spices and herbs (some fresh, others dried) with a pestle and mortar. Although many Thai cooks still use this technique, a food processor is a practical and suitable replacement.
The basic ingredients of most Thai pastes are shallots (or onions), garlic, and green or red chilies. There are numerous more herbs and spices that can be used, such as dried or fresh coriander, Thai chilli powder, galangal, green peppercorns, lemongrass, and turmeric. Another frequently used ingredient is makrut lime leaves, which give pastes and simmering meals a distinctively Thai flavour.
Thai cuisine employs lemongrass in a number of different ways. When making soups and curries, it may be diced and crushed for some recipes or simply sliced into long pieces and "bruised" (bent and kneaded or even lightly cut in numerous places) to release the aroma and taste.
Both fresh turmeric and galangal are related to ginger. Ginger can be used as a substitute for galangal if you are unable to acquire it (in North America, it is typically found frozen at Asian grocery stores). Many Thai meals benefit from the beneficial nutrients and depth of flavour that these roots (rhizomes) contribute. And last, without a plentiful supply of fresh basil, no Thai kitchen would be complete. Thais employ a variety of basil varieties in their food, including Thai holy basil and sweet basil.
Even though Indian and Chinese cuisines, which are also from Southeast Asia, have had an influence on Thai food, it still manages to remain entirely unique from both of these other cuisines. Thai food used to be significantly spicier than it is now, but over time, the fiery ingredients were reduced and additional flavor-boosters like galangal and lemon grass were added. The usage of minced or sliced meat in the meals is another regular thing. Thai curries, som tam salad, tom yum soup, pad thai noodles, and satay are just a few of the well-known Thai cuisines.
