Thai Cooking

Thai food is flavorful, unique, and delicious. Traditionally, Thai cuisine culinary techniques were mainly stewing, baking, and grilling. Thai cuisine was influenced by the Chinese as well and with that tofu, soy sauce, fermented soybean paste, stir frying, and deep frying came into Thai cuisine. The famous chili pepper was brought from the new world to Thailand by Portuguese explorers.

A typical Thai meal is full of various dishes including soup, curry, a steamed dish, a fried dish, and rice served on the floor surrounded by family and friends. Thai dishes are a perfect blend of sweet, salty, sour, and spicy. There are a decent number of vegetarian options in Thailand due to the prominent religion of Buddhism.

What are the main ingredients in Thai cuisine?

• Chili
• Galangal
• Palm or coconut sugar
• Lemon grass
• Kaffir lime
• Turmeric
• Fish and oyster sauce
• Shrimp paste
• Holy basil
• Cilantro
• Shallot
• Tamarind

The “holy trinity” so to say of Thai food is galangal, kaffir lime, lemongrass, and turmeric. Meaning the basis of most curry and Thai food consists of these ingredients. Thai curries include red curry, green curry, khao-soi curry, and masaman curry. 

Khao Soi is a northern Thailand dish made with khao soi curry paste, coconut milk, egg noodles, and typically chicken topped with fried egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallots, and cilantro. It was one of my favorite dishes in Thailand. Here is a traditional Thai vegetarian khao soi recipe that will have you wanting more.

Khao Soi

1 Tbsp. of khao soi paste

1 firm tofu, cubed

Yellow egg noodles

½ cup of coconut milk

½ Tbsp. coconut sugar

½ tsp. curry powder

½ tsp. turmeric

¼ cup of cilantro stem

½ tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. of light soy sauce

Avocado oil

Top with- crispy fried egg noodles, sliced shallot, cilantro, fried chili, lime segment

Method of Preparation:

1. Boil water, cook noodles, strain, set aside.
2. Heat oil and add cubed tofu until cooked golden brown. Remove and set aside.
3. Heat oil and cook curry paste until fragrant. Add curry powder and turmeric powder, stir.
4. Add ½ cup of coconut milk, 1 cup of vegetable stock. Cook until soup simmers.
5. Add tofu, cilantro stem, light soy sauce, salt, and coconut sugar. Stir.
6. Add toppings and enjoy

Khao Soi paste includes: mild dried chilis, coarse salt, ginger, turmeric, shallots, coriander seeds, and black cardamom