Travel To Thailand To Experience It's Amazing Food

By Author: Lucy Lee
Total Articles: 20
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Thai food is a world famous cuisine. Several important aromatic ingredients and a lot of chili go into making the distinct culinary flavor of Thai food. Soups, stews, and stir-frys, all contain a generous amount of the small fiery chilies that Thai food is famous for, so if you find it hard to stomach, or prefer your food a little less spicy it is important to make a vital distinction when ordering Thai food; ped mak mak - literally translated as a lot of chili or ped nit noi - a little chili.
Thai food is generally characterized by being hot (spicy), sour and sweet and has been influenced over the years by Burma, China, Malaysia and Laos.

When cooking Thai food at home there are some vital ingredients, which can easily be obtained from any Thai market or grocery store. Coconut is very popular, particularly as a base for making soups and curries. Noodles both fried and boiled, rice, and sticky rice compliment the fiery nature of the dishes and are a staple, eaten at almost every meal. And of course, we can't forget the herbs and spices that give Thai food its distinctive flavor. Lemon grass and galangal, Thai basil ...
... and ginger as well as garlic, turmeric and cilantro. While there are some very famous Thai dishes, such as ‘pad Thai' and ‘massaman curry', if you are looking for a fabulous culinary taste experience that will tickle your taste buds, why not try some of these lesser-known Thai favorites.

One of the spiciest Thai dishes called in Thai, ‘Tom Yum'.
Healthy and delicious this hot and sour soup is served up country wide. The basic stock is made from lemon grass, kaffir lime, galangal and fish sauce and a generous amount of crushed chilies, and is served up with either prawns or chicken.

‘Thom kha gai' is another great favorite.
This chicken and coconut soup is thick, hearty and warming with a strong flavor of galangal. It is usually not spicy at all, but has more of a sweet, fragrant flavor of lemon grass. Served in a big bowl, it is usually a dish to be shared between everyone at the meal.

‘Pad Krapow gai' is a spicy chicken dish served with rice. First the chicken is minced and stir-fried, in a wok, with plenty of chili. Then some basil is added and fried. It is served up, steaming hot, on top of rice, often with a fried egg on top.

‘Khao soi' is a Burmese influenced, northern delicacy, found in and around Chiang Mai.
It contains a big bowl of soup that is a coconut based curry like sauce, accompanied by deep fried crispy noodles. Several bowls of condiments are served up alongside the soup, which can be added to taste. They usually contain diced onion, chili, garlic, lime juice, and pickled cabbage. With so many flavors to add in, yo can literally make your curry taste wholly your own.
No dish is served in Thailand without a small dish of an accompanying condiment - ‘prik nam pla' or fish sauce. Consisting of lime juice and chili paste as well as rice vinegar this extremely hot sauce is served with every meal. Just remember to say ‘ped nit noi' if you don't want yours too hot. Either way, you are sure to have a delicious meal, and if you want a real treat, why not try cooking some yourself.