อาหารไทย
อาหารไทยเป็นการผสมผลานอย่างลงตัวของรสชาติทั้งห้ารส ได้แก่ เปรี้ยว, หวาน, มัน, เค็ม และรสเผ็ด ซึ่งรสชาติเหล่านี้ช่วยสร้างสมดุลให้แก่กันละกัน
A Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the five taste elements: spicy, sweet, sour, savoury and bitter (optional). These should complement each other, balancing the flavours and textures and satisfying the senses of sight, smell and taste. It is for this reason that all the dishes are served simultaneously with all the element being present together.
In addition to rice, a typical meal might include a soup, a curry, a salad, a fried dish and a steamed dish, and vegetables. There will also be a variety of sauces and condiments.
Most Thais eat steamed rice, though in the North and Northeast there is a long tradition of eating glutinous or sticky rice. Rice for the meal is kept in a large bowl and ladled out by the host or a server, so the guest will start with a plate of rice, onto which he or she places spoonfuls from each dishes spread out on the table.
Essential to each meal is yam, a hot, tangy salad made from lime, herbs, chilli and salad leaves with a choice of meat, seafood or vegetables. Soup is not an appetiser before the main meal; it is there to add moisture, and is usually spooned onto the rice to bring out the flavour of the ingredients. The soup may be spicy or plain, and the spiciest is tom yam, usually made with fish or seafood -- shrimp is by far the most popular ingredient, as in tom yam kung.
Thai curries differ from Indian curry in that they are usually made from fresh, rather than dried ingredients. Many use coconut cream as their chief ingredient, with duck, chicken, pork, beef, seafood or fish being added after the cream has been brought to the boil. Massaman curry has Malay origins and is one of the most frequently seen curries in restaurants in Thailand.
Stir-fried dishes originated in China but over the generations many have evolved that are essentially Thai in character. While beef stir-fried in oyster sauce is Chinese, chicken stir-fried with ginger, garlic and chilli is Thai, especially if cashews, native to Thailand but not China, are added.
A fresh fish cleaned and wok-fried in oil is not only quick and easy, it is also vary satisfying. Steamed fish is somewhat more elaborate and usually involves a topping of colourful and tasty ingredients such as Chinese celery, onions, lemongrass, garlic, preserved Chinese plums and others. Sometimes a whole, fresh fish is wrapped in a balana leaf to preserve all its natural juices and grilled over a charcoal fire. Large shrimps are barcecued with the head still on to retain its natural moisture; squid are parboiled to keep their creamy texture.
The list of recipes and ingredients for noodle dishes is endless, whether sir-fried or as soup. A bowl of noodles makes a satisfying breakfast, a plesant mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack, and a wonderful supper.
Spices and herbs in Thai cooking
Here are some of the herbs and spices essential to Thai cooking. The proper combination of all these ingredients is regarded as an art in Thai cuisine, one that requires both skill and time.
โหระพา, กะเพรา, แมงลัก
Three types of this annual herbaceous plant are commonly used. Fresh leaves of sweet basil (horapha) are eaten raw as garnish or used as a flavouring. It is good for the digestion and for the stomach generally. Sacred or holy basil (kaphrao) is an important flavouring and it is also good for the digestion and is a diuretic. Hoary basic (maenglak) has a slightly hairly appearance and its pale green leaves are also used in a garnish or as a flavouring. It is a diarrhoretic and good for easing cough symptoms.
พริกขี้หนู
เป็นพริกพันธุ์ที่เล็กที่สุด และเผ็ดที่สุด ซึ่งเป็นชนิดที่ท่านควรจะหลีกเลี่ยงถ้าไม่คุ้นเคยกับอาหารเผ็ด อย่างไรก็ตาม พริกช่วยกระตุ้นการไหลเวียนของโลหิต และยังช่วยป้องกันโรคหัวใจ และมะเร็งอีกด้วย Other therapeutic uses are as an antiflatulence agent and a digestive.
อบเชย
The cinnamon found in Thailand is the bark of the cassia tree. It is used as a flavouring in many meat dishes, notably in massamam curry. Cinnamon and cassia extracts have been used madically to treat gastrointestinal problems and as a specific for diarrhea, and it has antibacterial properties.
ผักชี
This is one of the most widely used herbs, its leaves added to innumerable dishes for their distinctive perfume. The roots are pounded together with garlic and black pepper to make a seasoning, while the seeds are both a seasoning and an aromatic ingredient. Cooks regard coriander as one of the most vesatile spices.
ข่า
A member of the ginger family with a slightly bitter flavour, it is commonly used in Thai coking as a flavouring. The oil content has the therapeutic uses as an antirheumatic and antimicrobial agent and is good for the digestive system.
กระเทียม
Garlic, either whole doves, crushed or in garlic oil, is found in almost every Thai dish, with dried mature bulbes are used as a flavouring and a condiment. Its therapeutic uses are as an antimicrobial, diuretic and an expectorant. It reduces flatulence and may lower choleseterol.
ขิง
Ginger has over 400 members in its family. It is easily grated and eaten raw or cooked in many Asian cuisines. It is helpful in easing nausea and flatulence.
ใบมะกรูด
These fleshy green leaves have a unique flavour and are finely shredded and added to salads, or torn and added to soups and curries. In folk medicine, the juice of kaffir lime is recommended for brushing the teeth as it is said to promote gum health. The rind is an ingredient in blood tonics and is known to have beneficial properties for the digestive system.
มะนาว
Lime is used principally as a garnish for fish and meat dishes. The fruit contains the anti-inflammatory flavonoids hesperidin and naringin. Lime juice stimulates the appetite and is good for treating coughs and flu.
ตะไคร้
Lemongrass is indispensable for tom yam and also makes a refreshing and comforting drink. Only the base of the plant is used; the green, leafy part is discarded. It can be finely chopped and eaten, but older stalks may be used only as a flavoring. It aids digestion and is known as a diurectic, antiflatulent and antimicrobial agent.
ใบสะระแหน่
The fresh leaves of this herbaceous plant are used as a garnish and a flavouring. The volatile oil content gives the plant several therapeutic uses, notably as a mild antiseptic with digestive properties.
ใบเตย
These long narrow leaves are used for flavouring and as a pale, green colouring. They are also used to wrap food for cooking. They have a cooling effect and are said to be good for treating internal inflammations, urinary infections, colds, coughs, measles, bleeding gums and skin diseases.
พริกไทย
Both black and white pepper are used in countless dishes as a spice and condiment. It is carminative, antipyretic, and diuretic.
งา
Rich in protein and in flavour, the seeds and oil are used as flavouring. The oil has several medical and pharmaceutical applications. It is soothing, a mild laxative and a powerful antioxidant. The seeds and fresh leaves may be used as a poultice.
หอมแดง
Shallots, small red onions, contain a volatile oil, and are used for flavouring and seasoning. They alleviate stomach discomfort and cough symptoms, and are an antidiarrhoeal, expectorant, diuretic and antiflu agent.
ต้นหอม
These green onions are eaten raw with fried rice dishes and used for garnishing soups and salads. They provide a more subtle flavour for many savoury dishes and are rich in vitamins A and C and calcium.
ขมิ้น
Turmeric is a member of the ginger family, providing aromatic qualities and yellow colouring for Thai food. Turmeric has a mild, spicy flavour and is good for the digestive system.