Introducing Thai Cuisine: Adapted Recipes

You can start with the myth that Thai cuisine is impossible spicy. In fact, many dishes seem such only to those who, in principle, are not used to spices, and according to general estimates of professional chefs, the countries of Southeast Asia, in terms of using seasonings, are little more than Creole or, say, Algerian cuisine.

Another myth is that rice is a staple. But firstly, dozens of its varieties of amazing taste are known in Thailand, and secondly, it is rather a popular auxiliary ingredient, whose presence often allows for the personal discretion to regulate the spiciness / spiciness of a particular dish. It is also often mixed with meat stews in thick gravy /

History

The history of Thai cuisine has more than 2,800 years, and significant moments of change have occurred in it, in fact, as well as throughout the world, during a period of increased economic and cultural contacts with other countries from which new recipes and products came.

However, on the whole, Thai cuisine today remains surprisingly distinctive, and it is not she who adapts to the modern world, but seeks to “read” her food in a new way.

And here it is important not to make a big mistake when adapting recipes, replacing some ingredients with others, because in the end it will turn out something just “in Thai style”.

So, there is nothing to replace the fish sauce, but tamarind paste can replace lime juice.

And what other ingredients are often used in Thai cuisine:

• banana leaves (wrapper for baked fish);
• Chinese black wood mushrooms;
• coriander root and leaves;
• coconut milk and cream;
• different variations of Indian curry seasoning;
• egg noodles;
• shrimp paste and dried shrimp;
• soy sauce.

Thailand’s cuisine is very diverse, it has grilled meat under fruit sauces, a delicacy of sweet yarns (like cotton candy), steam buns made from dough with fillings (similar to pyan-ce). Many dishes mix different types of meat and always use a lot of fresh greens. Soups are often clear broths with coarsely chopped ingredients. Salads with green crispy papaya and fish baked entirely in herbs and salt are popular.

Recipes

Tom Yam Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken thigh;
• 0.5 chili peppers;
• fresh cilantro greens;
• 120 ml of coconut milk;
• 1 tbsp. l fish sauce;
• 80 g of shiitake mushrooms;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• 1 shallot onion;
• 70 ml of vegetable oil;
• 0.5 lime;
• 1 wand of lemongrass;
• a piece of ginger root less than a centimeter long;
• 2 leaves of lemon or lime.

Preparation:

1. At the chili pepper, remove the stalk, cut the pod, clean the seeds, chop the flesh finely.
2. Also chop the onion and garlic finely.
3. Fry the garlic and onion alternately on hot oil, remove them on a plate, put the pepper into the oil and stew for 3 minutes. Return the onions with garlic to the pan, then another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and chop the fried foods in mashed potatoes. Unused residues, by the way, can be stored in a glass container in the refrigerator.
4. Boil the chicken in 1 liter of water, remove the meat from the bones in a bowl, and strain the broth.
5. Return the broth to the plate, throw lemon leaves, lemongrass (or zest with half a lime), and ginger. Count down 5 minutes. Remove the lemongrass and ginger.
6. Add 1 tbsp to the soup. l chili paste
7. Cut the prepared mushrooms (for example, preferably soaked dried for the whole night) and cut them together with the chicken into a saucepan.
8. Pour in fish sauce, count down 4 minutes.
9. Add coconut milk and measure another 5 minutes.
10. Squeeze half a lime and chop cilantro finely - when serving, add a spoonful of the juice of the first and a generous pinch of the second to each plate.

Noodle Pad Thai

Ingredients:

• 300 g of rice noodles;
• 2 eggs;
• green onions;
• 3 tbsp. l soy sauce;
• 200 g chicken fillet;
• 6 large shrimp;
• 4 tbsp. l fish sauce;
• vegetable oil;
• half a cup of soybean sprouts;
• 50 g of roasted (but without salt!) Peanuts;
• 3 tbsp. l cane (brown) sugar;
• 1 jalapeno pepper;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 2 tbsp. l tamarind paste or 4 tbsp. l lime juice.

Preparation:

1. Cut poultry fillets into strips, cut each shrimp into 2-3 pieces. Stir meat products with 1 tbsp. l soy sauce and leave for 15 minutes.
2. In jalapenos, remove the tail, cut it in half and scrub the seeds, cut them thin across;
3. Chop onion feathers from beginning to end.
4. Squeeze garlic through a press.
5. Fill the noodles with hot water (according to the instructions on the package and usually it is for 5 minutes), then drain in a colander, shake.
6. Combine tamarind paste (or juice) with fish sauce and the remaining soy, as well as sugar.
7. Break eggs, stir and fry for a couple of minutes in a greased pan in a sloppy omelet - in the process, disassemble it with a spatula into small pieces.
8. Heat the oil in a pan, put the green onion, jalapeño and garlic, fry everything.
9. Put the shrimps with chicken in the frying pan and count on 4 minutes for frying.
10. Add an omelet to the meat.
11. Then the noodles. Begin to mix it with all products, gradually adding the sauce.
12. Add the sprouts last, mix everything again, sprinkle with peanuts.

Roti Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 70 ml of milk;
• 430 g of flour;
• vegetable oil;
• condensed milk;
• several ripe bananas;
• 120 ml of green tea;
• chocolate and nut paste;
• salt;
• 2 tsp. honey

Cooking:

1. Sift the flour twice into the bowl.
2. Stir in sugar and a pinch of salt.
3. Pour in warm green tea, warm milk and about half a glass of vegetable oil, add honey.
4. Put in a not-dense, elastic dough. Give it “rest” in a bowl for 40 minutes.
5. Remember the dough and divide into pieces - pieces 20, roll them in oil and leave in a bowl for 20 minutes.
6. Proceed to baking pancakes, for which each ball of dough should be rolled into the thinnest translucent layer and put on a well heated pan, oiled.
7. Immediately (the pancake is cooked very quickly) put the slices of bananas in the middle of the dough in a pan, you can still - a spoon of chocolate and nut paste.
8. Wrap the pancake with the edges towards the center on both sides and gently turn it upside down for a while — in about half a minute or so it’s time to remove it from the pan.

Put the roti on a plate and quickly cut it into four pieces with a knife. Pour with condensed milk.