Discovering Thailand Through Its Food

I’ve always wondered why Thai food isn’t more popular in India. I put it down to ingredients—both the lack and the understanding of them. It certainly isn’t the taste that we seem to have taken to unanimously. If you love Thai food and happen to be in Bangkok, don’t miss the chance to visit a wet market, preferably with a young chef who can explain everything to you, as I recently did.

I signed up for a Thai cooking class at Spice Spoons by Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort, which includes a market visit to buy your ingredients for a four-course cooking session. To get into the mood, you hop into a tuk-tuk (don’t forget to wear flip-flops). Thai markets are a riot of colour and aroma, selling everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to fish and fowl. They smell of freshness rather than filth, and this is an invaluable part of learning to cook Thai.

Thai cooking is a singular cuisine, easily distinguished even from its nearest neighbours. Yet this distinctiveness isn’t born of insularity but of remarkable openness. Throughout Thailand’s long history, its resilient culture has absorbed the unfamiliar without fear of compromise. The chilli, for instance, is a late but defining addition. In Europe, it took 200 years for the tomato to be accepted as edible, while Siamese cuisine had fully embraced the chilli within a century. Today, Thai food is unimaginable without it.

Tips, Tricks, And Facts

• The Thais love their food hot—some of the world’s hottest chilli peppers are grown in Thailand. Interestingly, it was the Portuguese traders who first introduced the chilli to the country.

• The wok and the art of stir-frying came from China, but Thai stir-fries are lighter, more aromatic, and never thickened with cornflour—making them far healthier.

• Indian influence is evident too. While we make curry pastes or masalas from dried spices, the Thais pound fresh herbs and aromatics—chillies, lemongrass, coriander root, lime leaves, ginger, garlic, and shallots. Nam Prik Pao—the base of the famous Tom Yum soup—is an exception, made from dried chillies, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, sugar, and salt, all fried in oil.

• Palm sugar is used for sweetness. It’s a light caramel-coloured paste, not as dense as our southern Indian palm sugar cakes or as dark as Bengal’s nolen gur syrup. It’s also far less sweet than jaggery powder and can be used as a substitute. 

• Fish sauce is used instead of salt in almost every dish. For a vegetarian dish, replace with light soy sauce or stock.

• Curries are both explosive and creamy, thanks to the generous use of coconut milk and cream instead of dairy. Ingredients such as pork, chicken, beef, or fish are sliced thinly (a Chinese influence) rather than chopped into chunks as in Indian curries.

Recipes from the Spice Spoons Cookery Class…and some asides from the chef

Thai Seafood Sauce

This has nothing to do with the creamy “seafood sauce” we usually associate with Thousand Island dressing. It’s a bright, non-oily condiment that Thais drizzle over seafood—or just about anything. I’ve had it over steamed vegetables, grilled chicken, and even plain rice.

Ingredients

• 6 cloves of garlic
• 2 fresh chillies (red or green)
• 6 fresh coriander roots (washed well)
• 1 tbsp palm sugar (or jaggery powder)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (or light soya sauce/vegetable stock for vegetarians)

Method

Pound the garlic, chillies, and coriander root together.

Add palm sugar, then finish with lime juice and fish sauce. 

Thais carry this when they travel—much like we carry our achaar!

Eggplant Dip

A simple, vegetarian starter taught to me by Chef Sa. She used long, light green eggplants—similar to those found in Indian markets—and replaced fish sauce with soya sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 long green eggplants, roasted till charred
• 2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• Juice of ½ lime

Method

Fry shallots, garlic, and chillies in a little oil until soft.

Smash the roasted eggplant and mix it all together in a mortar and pestle or bowl.

Adjust seasoning and serve at room temperature.

Pla Goong (Spicy Prawn Salad)

Ingredients

• 3 medium tiger prawns
• 2 tbsp lemongrass (sliced)
• 2 kaffir lime leaves (sliced)
• 3 tbsp shallots (sliced)
• 20 mint leaves
• 1 tsp red chilli (sliced)
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves
• 2 iceberg lettuce leaves

Dressing

• 5 tbsp roasted chilli paste (Nam Prik Pao)
• 5 tbsp fish sauce
• 5 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp palm sugar
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped bird’s eye chilli
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander stems

Method

Clean and devein prawns, leaving tails intact.

Lightly grill or fry.

Combine all dressing ingredients, then toss with the prawns, lemongrass, shallots, kaffir lime leaves, mint, and coriander.

Serve on lettuce and garnish with mint.

Tom Kha Gai (Coconut Chicken Soup)

Ingredients

• ½ chicken breast, sliced thin
• ½ cup chicken stock
• ¾ cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp galangal
• 3 oyster mushrooms
• 2–3 bird’s eye chillies
• 2 tbsp lemongrass
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• Juice of 1–2 limes
• Coriander leaves and chilli oil for garnish

Method

Bring stock to a boil.

Add galangal, lemongrass, and lime leaves; simmer 5 minutes.

Add coconut milk, chicken, and mushrooms; simmer till cooked.

Season with chillies, fish sauce, and lime juice.

Garnish with coriander and a drizzle of chilli oil.

Khao Niew Mamuang (Mango with Sticky Rice)

Ingredients

• 250 g sticky rice (or jasmine rice)
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup coconut cream
• ⅓ cup white sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 pandan leaves (optional)*
• 1 ripe mango

Topping

• ½ cup coconut milk
• ½ tsp rice flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Pinch of salt

Method

Wash and soak rice overnight in 1 cup of water.

Stir to make sure it is cooked through.

Boil coconut cream with pandan leaves, sugar, and salt. Cool. 

Cook the rice for 8–10 minutes, then mix gently with the coconut cream syrup.

For the topping, simmer coconut milk with sugar, salt, and rice flour until slightly thickened. Cool.

Serve the rice with sliced ripe mango and pour over the topping.

Tip: In Thai supermarkets, you can find coconut milk already infused with pandan for this dessert.