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Royal Thai Cuisine, complete restaurants guide
in Thailand and USA |
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Thai people purchase their poultry alive or freshly killed from the market. While this guarantees freshness, the sight of bamboo cages filled with scrawny chickens, pigeons and ducks can be daunting to the visitor. At present Thai people like to buy stuff in the supermarket including meat and poultry since they are fresh and clean. They will buy them alive only on Chinese festivals. |
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Chicken (Kai):
 Chicken is one of the most popular meats in Thailand. Its delicate, versatile flesh suits the pungent Thai spices and simple methods of cooking. It seems that every area of Thailand has its own favorite chicken curry recipe. It also lends itself to other treatments when it is seamed with lemon grass or cashew nuts. Frying, cooking on a barbecue or brazier or roasting is also popular methods. Stir-fried chicken with chilies and basil is a specialty, the cool flavor of the holy basil tempering the warmth of the chilies. Chicken is delicious when roasted with lime and sweet potatoes and chicken cooked on a barbecue is a common sight along the roads or at street markets.
Cooking Tips:
Use the leftover bones to make stock, adding onion, celery and a piece of bruised fresh root ginger or crushed lemon grass stalk. |
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Duck (Ped):
Thai cuisine owes much to Chinese influences .Thai people love to eat ducks. It is often cooked in the same ways as chicken, but some duck dishes are very elaborate. In "Ped Yang", the duck is marinated in a mixture of honey, soy sauce, bean sauce, chili, garlic and vinegar, and then roasted on a rotated stove made from an empty drum of oil until the skin is crisp. The dish of roasted duck rice is as popular as chicken rice. Duck meat is also often cut into bite size pieces. Sometimes we use the duck meat to make red duck curry ( Kaeng Pet Ped Yang) |
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Meat:
Although rice, noodles and vegetables form the major part of the Thai diet, Thai people are not, in general, vegetarians. Pork is the meat of choice, except for Muslims, who do not eat pork for religious reasons. Where they are large Muslim populations, beef or lamb is usually eaten instead. |
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Pork (Moo):
This meat is enormously popular in Thailand and every part of the pig is eaten, from the tips of the ears, to the end of the tail and everything in between. Pork is very versatile and can be combined with a wide range of ingredients: vegetables, rice, noodles, and the pungent spices and aromatics that are used in Thai cuisine. Many of the pork dishes illustrate the Chinese influence in Thai cuisine, including the ubiquitous barbecue-spiced pork and sweet-and-sour pork. For stir-frying fillet, lean leg and belly (side) are the preferred cuts, while for stews and braised dishes, belly pork is used. The dried crispy pork is very popular as snacks or a dish with boiling rice. Some is used to stuffed in bread too. |
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Pork Belly (Moo Sam Chan):
This is the same cut of pork that is used for making bacon, with a layer of red meat, fat and skin. Pork belly is regarded as one of the tastiest cuts of the animal despite its fatty content and it is a particular favorite, whether fried until crisp or slowly cooked with five-spice powder. The long cooking method makes the pork particularly tender and also helps render much of its excess fat. Cooked this way, it is often served with plain boiled rice and vegetables. Pork belly is often used minced as a secret ingredient in other dishes to provide flavor and moistness. It is often combined with prawns (shrimp) in prawn cakes and also with beef to give certain lightness. |
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Pork Skin (Nang Moo):
Used as it is or deep-fried, pork skin is a Thai specialty. It is made by removing all the hair and fat from the skin, which is then scraped clean, boiled until tender, and then sliced. It can be found in the frozen food section of Asian stores. It can be used in soup or stir-fried with vegetables. |
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Beef (Neua):
Until fairly recently, beef was rarely eaten in Thailand as cattle were considered beasts of burden and, as such, were highly valued for their work. Today, beef is no longer regarded as such a luxury but it still tends to be expensive. Beef is generally cut into bite- size pieces. When cutting beef for stir-frying it is first sliced lengthwise along the grain, then crosswise across the grain into paper thin slices. Beef is also grilled (broiled) and served as satay, minced (ground) and stir-fried or made into meatballs, and cut into chunks and cooked slowly in braises or stews. |
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