Thailand is a land of contrasts. The bustling, chaotic, and fast paced metropolis of Bangkok often seems a million miles away from the peaceful, easy going countryside. Wealthy businessmen cruise around in luxury European cars alongside those risking their lives in the pollution and traffic on bike, and palatial, air conditioned shopping malls tower above street side flea markets. Thailand is indeed many different places to many different people, but there is something that all sides of the country share – a love of good, simple food.

Good food in Thailand is not a privilege of the elite. Ask anyone, rich or poor, where the best food can be found and you’ll always get the same answer – on the street.

In part one of this series on Thai street food, we’ll be looking at some of the most common stalls involving rice.

Khao Raad Geng – Rice with Curry

Thai Curry and Rice Stall by NeilsPhotography (Flickr)

Like all curries, those in Thailand taste better when they’ve been left bubbling for a while. Street vendors know this too well so the curry stall will have rows of cauldrons, each with a different variety of Thai curry. As they’re all cooked in advance, there’s no way they can tone down the spice for the delicate western mouths so prepare for a taste of really authentic Thai food!

A meal at one of these stalls is ordered by selected 1, 2 or 3 types of curry from the counter, which will be ladled onto a generous helping of Thai rice. These stalls are particularly convenient for visitors as food can be ordered almost entirely using the medium of mime! If the vendor’s smiling to herself while serving your curry, it probably means you’ve asked for something incredibly spicy!

Khao Man Gai/Khao Kaa Moo – Rice with Boiled Chicken/ Rice with Pork

Boiled Chicken with Rice Stall

Rice and meat. It seems so simple and unadventurous that most tourists ignore this national favourite and opt for something green or red instead. However, as with many things in life, sometimes the simplest things are also the best. The rice is steamed in a stock of the meat, and balance of flavours between the succulent meat, the spicy sauce and the soft, slightly meaty rice are near perfection when done well. People will travel for miles to get a good Khao Man Gai!

The ‘meat and rice’ stalls can be spotted by looking for carts with single large cauldrons of broth in the middle and whole, boiled chickens hanging in glass cabinets (hanging cooked pork for the pork variety). You’ll be able to hear the sound of rapid chopping as small pieces of meat are expertly sliced with an enormous cleaver.

The choice at these stalls is pretty simple. Boiled chicken, fried chicken, pork leg, or crispy pork set atop a mound of rice with a bowl of broth on the side. With the chicken you’ll get a chunk of boiled chicken blood as a tasty extra which you don’t have to eat, although I’ll promise you it is pretty good!

Although just a small selection of the variety of food on the streets of Thailand, I hope this article can help inspire confidence to seek out and try some of the food that fuels the soul of Thailand and it’s people. Good luck and happy eating!

Ahaarn Dtaam Sang – Food Made to Order

By oksidor (Flickr)

These stalls can be easily recognised by a large display of fresh meat, fish and vegetables on the front of the cart. There will be a skilled Thai chef working the wok and the constant clinking sound of utensil against pan. Look out for a periodic fireball shooting up from the stall as one of the popular ‘Fai Daeng’ (red fire) dishes are prepared for hungry customers. The dining experience is enhanced further if you can find a seat with a view of the wok; you’ll find out the Thai meaning of Fast Food!

If you’re eating here, I recommend the classic fried rice (Khao Pad) with pork (Moo), chicken (Gai) or shrimp (Goong). Ask for a scrambled egg to go on top and eat with a little chilli sauce and feshly squeezed lime. Another favourite is the devilishly spicy stir-fried pork with holy basil. If you’re in a group try eating banquet style (gap khao) and order Tom Yam Taley Nam Khon (Spicy Tom Yam Soup), Pad Pak Bung Fai Daeng (stir-fried ‘red fire’ morning glory) and Gai Pad Med Mamuang Him Mapaan (stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts).

A Delicious Spicy Thai Tuna Salad

This is a great, quick and easy Thai style salad which is ideal as a starter or as an accompaniment to a Thai banquet meal. You can experiment with many different variations such as mixed seafood, grilled beef, cold duck etc.

You will need:

• 30ml fish sauce
• 40ml lime juice
• 5 finely chopped bird’s eye chillies
• 1/2 tsp (3ml) sugar (or use melted palm sugar for a really authentic flavour)
• 250g of cooked tuna (canned tuna is fine)
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 small onion
• ½ stick of celery

1. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chopped chillies to a small bowl and mix well. Taste the mixture and adjust the balance of ingredients to get the taste just right. It will be very spicy, but the dish will lose some of the spice when the other ingredients are added.

2. Finely chop the onion and the celery and mix with the tuna.

3. Cut the cherry tomotoes in half and add to the tuna.

4. Put the tuna mix onto a plate and pour the dressing over the top.

5. Serve chilled with warm steamed jasmine rice.

Thai Spring Rolls

Here’s our favorite Thai spring rolls recipe at Chantra Authentic Thai. They taste great and are easy to prepare.

Basically there are 2 parts to the cooking process:

1. First you need to stir-fry the stuffing

2. Second part involves wrapping them up and deep-frying them.

Here are the things you need:

• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup shredded or chopped cabbage
• 1/2 cup shredded or chopped carrot
• 5 shiitake mushrooms, cut into matchstick or small pieces(if you use dry mushrooms, soak them in hot water for about 5-10 min or until soft before cutting)
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 small packet of Thai glass noodles (they are sold in dryversion at the supermarket in Thailand and in most Asian grocery stores, soak them in hot water for about 3 minutes or just follow the instruction on the packet, don’t forget to drain them after soaking)
• 1/2 cup of water
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp vegetable cooking oil
• *** If you’d like, you may add some minced chicken or pork or some tofu (cut into matchstick pieces)

For wrapping, deep-frying and eating:

• 1 packet of large spring roll wrappers (thawed if frozen)
• 1 Egg, beaten- Some vegetable oil for deep frying
• Thai sweet chilli sauce
• *** Optional: You may add some roughly chopped fresh coriander to the sweet chilli sauce

Preparation:

1. Over a medium heat, put the cooking oil in a wok or a large frying pan. Add minced garlic – stir-fry for 1 minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic. (If you’re adding minced chicken or pork or tofu, put them in now and cook for about 3-5 min.)
2. Add carrot, cabbage, mushrooms and water. Stir-fry 2-4 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
3. Then add bean sprouts. Stir-fry for another minute. As you stir-fry, add the sauce and sugar.
4. Mix in the glass noodles.
5. Do a taste test for salt. If not salty enough add more fish or soy sauce.
6. Remove from heat. Drain if there’s too much liquid.
7. To assemble the spring rolls, place a spring roll wrapper on a clean working surface cut diagonally in half so that you have two triangles. Place the triangle in front of you with it pointing away from you. Place 1 1/2 tbsp full of the filling in the middle of the wrapper about 2 inches away the edge nearest to you.
8. Fold the bottom edge up 1/3 of the way and then the left and right sides of the wrapper over the filling. Roll to the other end. Secure the roll by dipping your fingers in some egg and wetting the end, “pasting” it shut.
9. To fry, heat some vegetable oil, about 2 inches deep, in a wok over medium heat. When hot, place spring rolls in oil and fry while continuously rolling the spring rolls. The Spring rolls are done when they turn light to medium golden-brown. Place on paper towels to drain.
10. Serve the spring rolls while still hot with Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce.

Let us know in the comments what you think of it!

Thai Sweet Basil Fried Rice

Fried Rice is a common dish in Thailand and can be found in almost any market, restaurant or food hall. Although it is a simple dish, the variety of different ingredients which can be used make it a dish which never grows old.  This is one of my favourite recipes for fried rice made with Thai Sweet Basil.

Ingredients:

• 100g Chopped Chicken/Pork
• 2 Cups of Cooked Jasmine Rice
• 3 Large Cloves Garlic
• 2 – 3 Birds Eye Chillies
• 2 Teaspoons Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
• 10ml (2 Teaspoons) Fish Sauce
• 2g Dried Sweet Basil

Instructions:

1. Start by soaking the dried sweet basil in hot water. Prepare the chillies by breaking them in half and crushing with a knife handle. Finely dice or crush the garlic.

2. Heat some oil in a wok and then add the garlic and chillies. Wait until you can smell the garlic, and then add the meat.

3. Immediately add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar and stir fry until the meat in brown.

4. Put in the rice and stir fry until hot throughout.  Add the sweet basil and stir fry for 1 minute. Taste and add more fish sauce and oyster sauce as needed. Serve with fresh cucumber and sliced tomato.

A delicious bowl of Spicy Tom Yam Soup

Tom Yam soup is without doubt one of the iconic dishes of Thailand. It is available at almost every Thai restaurant, both in Thailand and abroad. There are two variations, one with coconut milk and shrimp paste (ต้มยำน้ำข้น) and one without (ต้มยำกุ้งน้ำใส). As with most Thai dishes, it is extremely quick and simple to make.

Ingredients:

• 500ml Chicken Stock
• 3 Birds Eye Chillies
• 5g Dried Lemongrass
• 3 Whole Kaffir Lime Leaves
• 5g Sliced Galangal
• 6 Large Fresh Shrimp
• 100g Mushrooms
• 4 Tablespoons Lime Juice
• 7ml (1.5 Teaspoons) Fish Sauce

Instructions:

1. Prepare the shrimp by removing the heads, legs, and peeling. Leave the tails on.

2. Bring the stock to the boil, and add the galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. Break the chillies in half and crush them with the handle of a knife before adding them to the soup.

3. After 2 – 3 minutes, add the shrimp and the mushrooms and bring to the boil again.

4. Add the fish sauce, and then remove from the heat. Finally add the lime juice to taste. Add more fish sauce or lime juice to taste. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve  immediately.

Thai Curry

Thailand is famous worldwide for its food and anyone who has sampled the delights of real Thai food will agree that it ranks amongst the most delicious cuisines in the world. Thai food is sometimes sweet, sometimes sour, sometimes salty but almost always spicy. Here is an overview of some of the types of food you will find on the Thai dinner table:

Curries Thai curries are quite thin and more like a soup than their Indian counterparts. They often contain coconut cream which gives them a sweet flavour but are usually spicy. The following are some examples of Thai curries:

• Green Curry (Geng Kiaow Waan) – A favourite amongst foreigners, this is a sweet, green coloured curry with a generous amount of coconut cream. It is usually served with chicken and a vegetable called ‘Makeuah’ which is similar to an egg-plant or aubergine and is often quite spicy.
• Red Curry (Geng Phed) – Similar to its green counterpart, this is also a popular dish with visitors to Thailand. It has a softer flavour than the green curry and is particularly delicious when made with duck and exotic fruits.
• Masuman Curry – Originating from Muslim culture, this curry is not as spicy as the green or red but is still quite sweet. It is also usually quite thick and is served with potato and chicken legs and is made from a peanut base.

Thai Curry

Stir-Fry Dishes The variety of Thai stir-fry dishes is almost endless, with each dish having countless variations. Here are a few of the more popular examples:

• Stir-Fried Chicken/Pork with Holy Basil – Be prepared as this one is often very spicy. It consists of ground pork or chicken simply stir-fried with holy basil. It is delicious when eaten with a fried egg, and is a popular quick lunch for people all over Thailand.
• Pad Thai – Pad Thai is one of the signature dishes of Thailand. Rice noodles are stir-fried with egg, bean sprouts, a special Pad Thai source and usually shrimp. It is eaten with ground peanuts, spring onion and flaked chilli and freshly squeezed lime.
• Hoy Tord – This is usually made at the same place as Pad Thai and is another signature dish of Thailand. Fresh mussels are fried with bean sprouts and batter to make a crispy seafood pancake type thing. It is usually eaten with chilli sauce.

Stir Fried Noodles

Salads Salads in Thailand are very different from the Western version, which are usually quite bland and full of greenery. Thai salads have an intensely sweet and sour dressing which is always spicy. There are many different varieties with many restaurants in Thailand selling just salads. There are two main types of salad – Papaya based salads and Yams:

• Som Tam (Papaya salad) – Famous for their potent spiciness, these are a right of passage for anyone who claims to like spicy food. They are made in a pestle and mortar by crushing unripe papaya, tomatoes, lime, garlic and a good handful of chillis. There are many different varieties of this classic dish including a salty crab version (Som Tam Bpuu).
• Yam – This is similar to a Som Tam but without the papaya. Common versions include Yam Talee (Seafood salad), Yam Wunsen (Glass noodle salad) and Yam Ma Praow (Young coconut salad)

Spicy Thai Salad

Soups Soups in Thailand are watery and often quite sour. They get their taste from ingredients such as lemongrass and galangal which can’t be eaten but infuse the soup with their flavour.

• Tom Yam Gung – The most famous of all Thai soups and the name of a popular Thai film, this is a sour thin soup which is often served with shrimp or seafood (Tom Yam Talee.) The soup is flavoured with lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime and chilli.
• Tom Kaa Gai – This is a sour soup made with chicken and coconut milk to give it a distinctive white colour. The flavour is dominated by galangal although it has got chilli and lemon grass contributing as well.
  

  Tom Kaa Gai