Thai food features fresh spices, herbs, and nothing too heavy. This cuisine offers a light, clean, and very fresh flavor, which is why it is so unique and very popular. Most Thai recipes are simple to prepare and just call for a wok, a handful of fresh herbs and some meat, fish or vegetables. Always use fresh ingredients and slice your meat thinly so it soaks up plenty of flavor.

A Closer Look At Curries

There are four basic curries in this cuisine and they are green, red, massaman, and panang. You can make your own curry pastes using a flavorless oil with spices. Blend the paste in a food processor and freeze or refrigerate it.

Thai curries are usually served with jasmine rice. Cook three tablespoons of your preferred curry paste in a very hot wok with the thick part of some coconut milk, and then thin the sauce with thin coconut milk. Coconut milk is used a lot in the south of Thailand as the liquid in curry recipes and you can store it on the shelf or in the refrigerator. If you refrigerate it, the milk will separate. You can them use the thicker part to fry your curry paste in the wok and the runny part to thin the sauce afterwards.

You will need a wok for successful Thai cooking because vegetables and other ingredients must be cooked over a very high heat very fast. You should first heat up the wok and wait for it to smoke, then add the oil. This is different from western cooking when you add the fat and then warm the pan up.

Key Thai Ingredients

One of the most distinctive tastes in this cuisine has to be lemongrass. This fresh-tasting plant can be chopped coarsely to add flavor to fish or chicken or thinly sliced for stir fries. Cut the end off of the stalk and peel three layers off before you chop it. Kaffir lime leaves have a leathery feel and they will brighten up your recipes. You can freeze these and thaw them on the countertop just before you use them.

Bird’s eye chilies are tiny but do not let their diminutive size fool you because they are very spicy! In fact you should wear rubber gloves to handle them because they can burn your skin. Galangal looks a bit like ginger but it is not as strong. Never use ginger instead because the two plants have very different flavors. Thai basil does not taste like Italian basil – it tastes more like anise.

Fish sauce is made from fish which has been fermented for a year and a half or more. It is often used instead of salt in Thai recipes. Try to buy good quality fish sauce which has been made in Thailand. You can store it in the pantry for a year and a half. Bear in mind that a little goes a long way, so use it sparingly.

Food & Hotel Thailand 2010 offers an all-in-one networking opportunity for those involved in food, drink and hospitality industries within Thailand and across the region.

Bangkok,August 2010 – Active players at the forefront of the food, drink and hospitality industries are ready to dazzle and entice their prospective buyers and partners at Food & Hotel Thailand 2010 at Royal Paragon Hall from 15 to 18 September this year.

This highly acclaimed exhibition, organised by leading exhibition organiser Bangkok Exhibition Services Ltd. (BES) and supported by several government organizations and professional associations, will showcase a comprehensive range of local and international products and services in four major industry categories on a space of 12,000 square metres. These include Food & Beverage, Restaurant/Hotel Equipment & Supplies, Hospitality Interior & Supplies, and Hospitality & Retail Technology.

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Thai cooking has drawn significant influence from Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Burma, Laos, and Malaysia. Some of the basic fundamental essentials of authentic Thai cooking include both dried and fresh spices, lemon grass, coconut milk, chili, Kaffir lemon leaves, basil, garlic, and ginger.

Coconut milk is usually available in concentrated form in cans. The milk is processed and can be stored for long in refrigerators. Both dried and fresh lemon grass must be soaked in water for at least of thirty minutes before using it in your recipe. Another special Thai ingredient is the Kaffir leaf that is available at every supermarket that stocks multi-cuisine spices and herbs. Small-sized Birdseye chilies and fish sauce prepared from fermented shrimp are other basic things that add authentic Thai flavor to the food.

These components can be availed easily from your local supermarket or grocery store. Once all the aforesaid essentials are gathered, cooking Thai food becomes extremely easy. The best thing about Thai cooking methods and recipes is that you can experiment with your favorite ingredients to invent your own personalized recipes.

One of the most distinctive aspects of the cuisine is its use of herbs and spices. With regard to the spices, some Thai dishes are very hot, but by no means all of them. The herbs have another function, in addition to providing flavour, in that they all have to varying degrees various medical and therapeutic benefits. Thailand has a long history, going back to ancient times, of the use of herbs for medical purpose, and this in turn has permeated the ways of cooking and preparing food. Coupled with its low-fat qualities and its essential freshness, this helps make thai food one of the healthiest anywhere.

Another important aspect about Thai food is the hospitality and friendliness, the sheer enjoyment of good companionship and of eating that is such a powerful element of the Thai personality. Sharing a meal is an important part of the day for any Thai person, and meal are very seldom taken alone. That is why all the dishes are generally served at once during Thai meal, and why there is a communal spoon placed alongside each dish for people to help themselves and to serve others.

A Thai meal ideally is a communal affair, principally because the greater the number of dinners the greater the number of dishes that can be sampled. Diners choose what ever they require from share dishes and generally add it to their own plate of rice. All the dish are serve simultaneously, or nearly so. The object is to archive a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet and sour, and a meal is meant to be equally satisfying to the eye, nose and palate. Thailand is blessed with many varieties of plants, herbs and spices which ensure s balanced diet. Today, visitors can both relish classic Thai menus and the benefits of a natural diet, and study the art of Thai cooking at several specialist schools in Bangkok and major beach resorts.

Thailand food

It is beyond any doubt that food is a part of any gathering, thus, becoming the part of social occasions or itself the reason to celebrate. Normally, as per the western culture, a normal meal in any restaurant consists of starter, main course and then dessert. But in Thailand, the custom is bit different with regard to Thailand food, as there is no single dish for a single person. As a general, all present in a gathering share the same dish together. So, it’s better to have many guests together around the table than to enjoy with one or two as eating alone is considered a bad luck in the country.

One of the good things about Thai food is that they never dispose away the leftover food, as they consider it inauspicious and an enraging act to a female deity, ‘God of rice’. Generally there are four seasonings in Thailand food- sweet, sour, salty and spicy. The food is satisfied only if it contains all the four tastes. Thai dinner mostly include meat, fish, noodles, vegetables and soup followed by desserts including fresh fruits and colorful rice cakes. Besides meals, there are snackers consisting of chicken or beef satay, spring rolls, salads, raw vegetable with spicy dips and sweets.

Thailand culture

Thailand culture is highly influenced by Buddhism in addition to some influence of Hinduism and other Southeast Asian neighbor. Thai art is the main item included in Thai Culture. Buddha image is the main constituent in different period having distinctive styles. At present, there is a fusion of traditional art with modern techniques. India has also laid much influence on Thailand literature. It includes the most notable work, Ramakien, the version of Indian epic, Ramayana. The poetry of Sunthorn Phu is also quite famous in Thailand.

Spoken drama is not given any importance in Thailand, but instead there is Thai dance, divided into three categories- Lakhon, Likay and Khon. A form of shadow pay, Nang Drama, is popular among southern Thailand. Folk music and classical music both are have their significance in addition to pop music.

Apart from it, one of the common customs included in Thailand is Wai, a common gesture that is similar to Indian Namaste. The hospitable and generous people of Thailand pay a lot of respect and homage to their elders, as it is the core of their faith and spiritual belief. Seeking blessings from the elders is considered important mark of respect.

Experienced travelers have go costly holidays, because of apart from food and culture, Thailand is also well-known about temples, shopping centers, property,etc. All these characteristics build a separate and interested Thailand.