The Land Of Smiles - Thailand Feast..!!!

Dear Friends,

I was on my passage to bring World Food before you, but had a long break, now back on my heels..!

Now I'm starting with ASEA and have glimpsed URE and some posts on South India...

Here I'am to bring for you,

'THE LAND OF SMILES' - THAILAND

* Thailand - the Land of Smiles, "Muang Thai" - the "Land of the Free", as the Thais call their country.

* The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.

* Capital - Bangkok, also the country's center of political, commercial, industrial and cultural activities.

* Area – 513115 sq km,



* Languages – Thai Is the official language, English is widely spoken.

THE MOST ATTRACTIVE OF TOURIST DESTINATION "CHUMPHON":

Chumphon province southern Thailand is around 450 km south of Bangkok along the Gulf of Thailand.



Wat Chumphon Nikayaram Rajaworaviharn is an old royal temple It is an old Ayutthaya temple with seven beautiful Buddha images, the main one being called Phra Vipassi.



THAI DANCE AND CULTURE:



The Khon masked drama draws its story line from the Ramakian, the Thai version of the Indian epic Ramayana. Khon performances are characterised by vigorous, highly-formalized action. Acting and dancing are inseparable, and each step has a definite meaning, which is emphasized by precisely defined music to suggest walking, marching, laughing, etc.

Other dance forms are Lakhon, Likeh, Nang and hun, Ram Muay etc.,


Spectacular colourful masks looks lovely on the Thai dancers.

STREET FOOD:

Street food in thailand includes varieties of noodles with pork and salads.



These may be dishes such as,

Ba mee nam - egg noodle soup with wonton
Iohk - rice soup
Khao mun gai tod - fried chicken on rice cooked in chicken broth
Khao moo daeng - red pork with rice
Khao pad - fried rice



Sai-Gok - Look-chin - meat or fish balls
Moo pad ga-prow - fried pork with basil and rice
Pad see iew - pan fried noodles
Pad Thai - fried noodles with dried shrimp and tofu
Rat naa - noodles and pork in thick gravy
Som Tam - spicy papaya salad

FRIED FOOD(BUGS???..!)

One of the Thai delecacies are the 'Fried insects':





Fried bugs take a main place at the temple fair. Main delights may be fried Cockroaches, Silk Worm larva, Grass hoppers, Bamboo worm etc.. People tasted them say the fried cockroaches tastes like overburned chicken.

FAMOUS FRUIT - DRAGON FRUIT:



The Famous and nutritious fruit is Dragon Fruit.
Dragon fruit is a member of the cactus family, the dragon fruits is relation to the night blooming cereus. There are many types of the fruit from the South East Asia and South America. The fruit is oblong or over coated with a bright-red or yellow skin with small scales. It has a white, juicy, sweet, pulp containing many tiny black seeds filled with Moisture, proteins and multi-vitamins.

THAI FLAVOURS:

Thai cuisine is famous for the blending of four fundamental tastes:



1. Sour (vinegar, lime juice, tamarind):
-'nam som prik'. This is basically sliced chilies (prik) in vinegar (nam som).
2. Spicy(Chillies):
-'prik pon' which is basically dried red chili which is either flaked or ground to a powder. This is the heat.
3. Sweet (sugar, fruits, sweet peppers):
-'namtaan' which is normal white sugar, fruits.Thais do and put a good tablespoon full in soups!
4. Salty(Fish sauce, soy sauce):
-'nam blaa', or fish sauce.
Most of the soup combine all these flavours..!

THAI MEALS:

Thai Meals comprises of,

1. Titbits - They include spring rolls, satay, puffed rice cakes with herbed topping.
2. Salads - A harmony of tastes and herbal flavours are essential. Major tastes are sour, sweet and salty. Spiciness comes in different degrees according to meat textures and occasions.
3. General fare - A sweet and sour dish, a fluffy omelette, and a stir-fried dish help make a meal more complete.
4. Dips - A particular and simple dip is made from chillies, garlic, dried shrimps, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and shrimp paste.
5. Soups - Traditional Thai soups are unique because they embody more flavours and textures than can be found in other types of food.
6. Curries - the major ingredients of Thai curry are fresh herbs. A simple Thai curry paste consists of dried chillies, shallots and shrimp paste. More complex curries include garlic, galanga, coriander roots, lemon grass, kaffir lime peel and peppercorns.
7. Single dishes - Complete meals in themselves , they include rice and noodle dishes such as Khao Phat and Phat Thai.
8. Desserts - Uniformly sweet, they are particularly welcome after a strongly spiced and herbed meal.

SOME OF THAI DELIGHTS AND RECIPIES:

1. Tom Yum Kung (Spicy soup):



This dish is the Thailand's national dish and famous around the world.

Ingredients :

1. Chicken stock - 2 cups
2. Fresh mushrooms, quartered - 5 oz.
3. Fish sauce - 4 - 5 tbsp.
4. Fresh prawns - peeled 8 oz.
5. Kaffir lime leaves - 2 leaves
6. Bird's eye chili peppers - 4 whole
7. Fresh coriander leaves - 4 sprigs
8. Fresh lemon grass - sliced thin 3 tbsp.
9. Fresh lime juice - 5 - 7 tbsp.

How to make this?

1. In a pot, bring to the boil the chicken stock, kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass.
2. Allow the stock with the herbs to boil for one minute to allow the herbs to impart their scent to the stock. Add fresh mushrooms and boil until done (one minute).
3. While the liquid is still boiling add the prawns and season with fish sauce and lime juice. Garnish with bird's eye chili peppers and coriander leaves, serve immediately. Do not over cook the prawns, once the prawns turn white, turn off the heat.

Yummy right? don't have some ingredients, if i get would surely try and post for you all...!!!

2. Tod Mun (Thai fish Cake):



Ingredients:
1. Fish filets, catfish or other white fish, skinless and boneless - 1 pound,
2. Egg, beaten - 1,
3. Fish sauce - 1 tablespoon,
4. Red curry paste - 1 tablespoon,
5. Oil - 1/4 cup.

How to make this?
1. Add all the ingredients except the oil to a food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Heat the oil over medium-high flame till it shimmers. Drop spoonfuls of the fish paste into the hot oil and flatten into patties. Fry until browned, then flip and brown on the second side. Remove the patties to a plate lined with paper towels and hold warm while you repeat with the remaining fish paste.
3. Serve hot as an appetizer with acar ketimun cucumber pickle.

3. Mee Krob (Fried Noodles):

mee krob is a popular dish in Thailand that takes crispy fried rice noodles and tosses them with a tasty sweet-sour sauce.



Ingredients:
1. Rice vermicelli noodles (broken into pieces) -- 1/2 pound,
2. Eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon water -- 2,
3. Firm tofu, thinly sliced -- 1/4 pound,
4. Ground pork, ground -- 1/4 pound,
5. Shrimp, peeled and deveined -- 1/4 pound,
6. Garlic or garlic pickle, minced -- 1 tablespoon,
7. Scallions or shallots, minced -- 2 tablespoons,
8. Lime juice -- 3 tablespoons,
9. Fish sauce -- 2 tablespoons,
10. Brown or palm sugar -- 2 tablespoons,
11. Tomato paste -- 1 tablespoon,
12. Red pepper flakes -- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon,
13. Cilantro -- 1/2 bunch,
14. Mung bean sprouts -- 1 cup,
15. Thai or serrano chile pepper, sliced into thin rounds -- 3,
16. Oil - for deep frying.

How to make this?

1. Heat the oil for deep frying oil in a wok, add the rice noodles and fry, flipping them over, until they puff up for a few seconds. Strain to drain on paper towels.

2. Dip fingers into the beaten egg and then let the egg drip into the hot oil to make lacey strings. Remove the egg immediately with a slotted spoon to paper towels. Repeat until all egg is used up. Chop into small pieces, and set aside.

3. Deep fry the sliced tofu till it browns. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and set aside.

4. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the oil out of the wok or deep pot. Add the pork and stir fry it, breaking it up, until it is cooked through, then remove to a plate. Add a little more oil if needed and stir fry the shrimp until it is just cooked through. Remove to the plate with the pork.

5. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the garlic and minced scallions or shallots. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes, then stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, brown or palm sugar, tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Simmer over low heat until it is reduced to a syrupy consistency, 3-4 minutes.

6. Stir half of the fried rice noodles into the sauce to coat. Then stir in the pork, shrimp and the remaining of the noodles. Mound noodles on a large serving platter.

7. Top the noodles with a garnish of egg strips, tofu, chopped scallions, cilantro, sprouts and chiles. Serve immediately...

Yummy fried rice,..! It is a definite try..! Do try out friends, will post mne soon..!!


4. Kaeng Kiao Wan Kung (Green shrimp curry):



Ingredients:
1. Coconut paste - 1 cup,
2. Green curry paste - 2-3 tablespoons,
3. Coconut milk - 3 cups,
4. Fish sauce - 1/4 cup,
5. Palm or brown sugar - 2 tablespoons,
6. Shrimp, peeled and deveined - 1 pound
7. Thai holy basil or Italian basil, shredded - 1/2 cup packed,
8. Kaffir lime leaves (optional) - 3,
9. Thai or serrano chile pepper, sliced int thin rounds - 2-5.

How to make this?

1. In a large saucepan or wok, simmer the coconut cream over low heat until most of the moisture boils away and the oil separates out. Stir in the curry paste and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Do not allow to burn.
2. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
3. Stir in the shrimp and simmer another 5-6 minutes, or until the shrimp is just cooked through. Adjust seasoning adding more fish sauce or sugar if you like and stir in the basil and lime leaves.
4. Serve in individual bowls with steamed rice or rice noodles and garnish with the sliced chili pepper.

Yummy green shrimp curry!

5. Khao Niao Mamuang (Sweet coconutrice with mangoes):
This luscious dessert is a form of rice pudding that is paired with mangos at the peak of their ripeness during mango season.



Ingredients:

1. Short-grain sticky rice - 1 1/2 cups,
2. Water - to cover,
3. Coconut milk - 2 cups,
4. Brown or palm sugar - 1/2 to 3/4 cups,
5. Salt - 1 teaspoon,
6. Mangoes, peeled and sliced or cubed - 3-4,
7. Mint sprigs (optional) - 1 for each portion.

How to make this?
1. Place the rice in a large bowl and fill bowl with enough water to cover rice by 2 to 3 inches. Let soak for at least 3 hours or, if possible, overnight. This is an important step, so don't skip it.
2. Drain and rinse the rice. Set up a steamer (steel or bamboo) over about 3 inches of water and line the inside with moistened cheesecloth. Pour the soaked rice into steamer. Bring the water to a boil over medium flame, cover tightly and steam the rice for 25-30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring the coconut milk, sugar and salt to a slow simmer in a medium saucepan over low heat. Do not boil.
4. When rice is finished, remove it to a large bowl. Stir half the sweetened coconut milk into the rice. Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for about 30 minutes.
5. Place the coconut rice in a large bowl or individual serving bowls. Lay a few pieces of mango on the side and garnish with a mint sprig. Pour a little of the remaining coconut milk over each portion and serve at room temperature.

Mere reading makes us yummy know, i can't wait to try dears..!! Will surely make it..!!

Contents, Pictures courtesy: Yahoo, asiafood.com,enjoythaifood.com, what4eats.com.

Hope you enjoyed the Thai delicacies...! Awaiting your feedback and comments..!