Perhaps Thai cuisine has gained popularity with a lot of spices, and maybe it is the fascinating flavor of Thailand that plays its part. Healthy and delicious Thai dishes with a unique taste are loved all over the world. Just imagine - in order to prepare one dinner, in a refined restaurant of Thailand the chef uses about 40 ingredients, including spices and spices.
The gamma of unique tastes is always diverse, but almost always it is a flight of imagination of a cook based on a specific “pattern” of a dish. Thai chef will not back down from any recipe. Knowing the structure of the dish, he will make it special and unique.
Initially, the main product of Thai cuisine was fish. But the spices that gradually migrated here from China many years ago, and European vegetables (chili, corn), made the kitchen much more diverse. Now the word “food”, literally meaning “eat rice”, includes many more dishes. Among them are vegetables, meat with various sauces, and, of course, salads. And rice is still an important product, both as a separate dish and as an ingredient in all kinds of salads. The most popular jasmine and sticky varieties.
Thai Salad - General Cooking Principles
The basic principle of Thais - harmony in everything - is most vividly embodied in the preparation of salads. A distinctive feature of the Thai dinner - it consists of several dishes, including necessarily rice, sauce, hot dish and several salads, among which is always spicy. Seafood is also common, they can be in the composition of a hot dish or in a salad. At first glance, the combination of products may not be quite ordinary, but from the point of view of proper nutrition, they are ideal.
And this is achieved with the help of a large number of tricks. For example, products undergo minimal heat treatment. The amount of fat is also minimal, so the vitamins and trace elements are saved as much as possible. The complex composition of dishes with a large number of ingredients collects a large number of useful elements, they are well balanced, perfectly saturate. Sauces and vegetables are low in calories, and therefore Thai cuisine like no other is useful to those who want to lose a couple of three kilograms, or even more. A lot of Thai sauces are dedicated to weight control.
Thai Salad - Preparing Food and Dishes
Permanent ingredients include shredded shallots and mint leaves. The smaller the leaves in size, the better for the salad, and the large leaves are not cut with a knife, they are torn by hands. Thai salad differs in a special way of cutting large ingredients - only lengthwise, shavings or long straws, or at an angle obliquely - in this way lemon grass is cut, which gives a spicy flavor to Thai dishes. This method of cutting does not allow the salad to settle, providing it with a beautiful and fluffy shape. The juiciness of the dish, the freshness of flavors and the richness of the color are ensured by the fact that such salads are not prepared for future use, but only on order, often even before the eyes of the customer.
Thai salad recipes:
Recipe 1: Thai salad with chicken
For various cuisines of the world, chicken dishes are traditional. Thai chicken salad is also popular among the inhabitants of this sunny country. In addition to chicken, the dish includes juicy fruits growing in Thailand and other ingredients.
Ingredients Required:
- one breast, lime,
- grapefruit,
- two bananas,
- sesame oil,
- soy sauce,
- Spices: one red chili and one green chili pepper, herbs mint and cilantro, two cloves of garlic.
Preparation Method:
Wash chicken breast, peel off bones and skin, cut into small cubes or strips. Marinate the chicken for 10 minutes in the juice of half lime, mixed with a small amount of soy sauce. Then it is necessary to fry the meat for two minutes on each side in oil in a hot frying pan.
Cut the peppers into rings, divide the banana into slices and divide the remaining lime and grapefruit into slices. Combine all the ingredients with meat. Wash herbs, chop and send to meat. For dressing, mix two tablespoons of sesame oil and a spoonful of soy sauce. After dressing, let the salad stand for 15 minutes. Amazingly delicious dish is ready!
Recipe 2: Thai cucumber salad
Oddly enough, in addition to various exotic ingredients, Thais use the usual, familiar to us vegetables, and the taste is unsurpassed! Ingredients Required:
- 300 grams of cucumbers,
- a pair of sweet chili peppers,
- sweet shallot onion pairs, or half of an ordinary onion,
- a pair of garlic cloves,
- a spoonful of sugar,
- spoonful of light soy sauce,
- a spoonful of fish sauce and rice vinegar.
Preparation Method:
For sauce mix fish and soy sauces, vinegar, sugar. Onion cut into slices or thin feathers and pour over the sauce. Cucumbers (if desired, can be cleaned) cut into rings, chili - half rings, chop the garlic and cilantro finely, peanuts fry well, and then grind in a mortar. Mix all the ingredients and the perfect salad is ready!
Recipe 3: Thai Shrimp Salad
The ingredients of the salad fold into a very harmonious and refreshing ensemble. Surprisingly tasty and hearty dish.
Ingredients Required:
- pound of shrimp,
- half the egg noodles,
- green onions (5 pieces),
- coriander (2 spoons),
- red fresh pepper (1 piece),
- chick peas (100 grams),
- lime,
- ginger (2 spoons),
- soy sauce (6 spoons),
- garlic (2 teeth),
- chili sauce (1 spoon),
- wine vinegar (4 spoons) and sesame oil (2 spoons).
Preparation Method:
Cook noodles (until soft, about two minutes). Mix soy sauce, vinegar, oil, grated ginger, chopped garlic and chili sauce with noodles. Add chopped onion, red pepper, peas, coriander and whole shrimp. Mix gently and serve with lime slices.
Recipe 4: Thai beef salad
This salad, despite the Thai roots, is close to the European understanding of this dish. It has a pleasant, refreshing taste and can be served both at the beginning and at the end of lunch.
Ingredients Required:
- 150 grams of beef,
- lettuce leaves,
- carrot,
- a pair of chili peppers,
- a bunch of basil,
- cilantro and green onions,
- a teaspoon of sesame,
- for dressing: lime juice, a spoonful of sugar and vegetable oil, 2 tsp. fish sauce
Preparation Method:
Small beef steak should be fried to medium degree of roasting, let cool and cut into thin slices. Add meat juices to the dressing and marinate the meat for about half an hour in this mixture. Cut carrots into thin straws, chop the greens by hand. Mix all the ingredients and the salad is ready!
Recipe 5: Thai salad with melon
This salad will give an unsurpassed taste of the tropics and will make a stunning impression on you and your guests!
Ingredients Required:
- Different grades of melon,
- watermelon - a total of one and a half kilograms of pulp.
- For refueling - half a cup of lime juice, 2 tablespoons of palm or cane sugar, 2 tsp. soy sauce, half a cup of dried shrimp, half a cup of unsalted peanuts, 3 cloves of garlic, a little fresh cilantro.
Preparation Method:
Sugar dissolved in the juice, add soy sauce. Shrimp grind into powder, chop garlic, peanuts, cilantro and add everything to the sauce. Pour the prepared cubed dressing into cubes (with a side of about 3 cm) of the cooled pulp and serve it to the table. Enjoy your meal!
Thai salad - secrets and tips from the best chefs
An important feature of Thai salad is seasonality. Its ingredients should be at the peak of the “salad” form. Quite often, this does not imply the complete ripeness of fruits and vegetables, but quite the opposite. Some unripe fruits are used in vegetables in Southeast Asia. For example, mango and papaya are cut in green and added to the salad as a vegetable element. The famous somtorn salad is made from green papaya.
