Questions tagged [thai-cuisine]
Questions with this tag should be about traditional ingredients, preparations or dishes from Thailand - such as swimming rama, phad thai or coconut curry. Questions about ingredients common to Thai-style cooking, but which aren't about a specific Thai dish, should not use this tag.
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Is pad thai actually Thai?
More like meta-cooking question, but I believe it fits here better than on travel stack.
All around the world, one of the symbols of Thailand is Pad Thai. And multiple versions of curry.
But when I ...
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24
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19
answers
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How do I prevent coconut milk from separating in Thai curry?
It seems like every single attempt I've made at making a Thai-style coconut curry ends up with the sauce mixture separating. Although it usually still tastes good, the coconut ends up looking like it ...
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23
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7
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How do I use whole fresh tamarind?
On a whim I bought some tamarind at the grocery store this week. I'm most familiar with it from the dish Pad Thai. My idea at the time was that I would "do something" with it and a pork chop. Pork ...
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22
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9
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What can I substitute for Kaffir Lime Leaves?
Kaffir Lime Leaves seem to be a common ingredient in Thai food, particularly coconut based dishes. I have never seen them in Atlanta, and I've looked (farmers market, whole foods, normal grocery, but ...
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20
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7
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How to thicken Thai curry
I made some Thai red curry a few days ago. It turned out pretty well. The only problem is that it was fairly runny. I thickened it up with a slurry which helped a bit. I doubt a roux would have any ...
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16
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4
answers
4k
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How do Thai People Make Peanut Sauce?
I'm interested in making my own Thai Peanut sauce. However, every recipe I see online says to use peanut butter. I like Thai Peanut sauce I have in restaurants, but I HATE peanut butter. So when I ...
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8
answers
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What's the difference between Red and Panang curry?
I love Panang curry and Thai food in general. However, whenever I try to make curry at home it always comes out as indistinguishable from Red curry. What's the distinction between these two dishes? I ...
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14
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3
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When should I add curry paste?
This week I was preparing Thai curry and something odd struck me when comparing the two packages of curry paste in my pantry. They're both from the same brand; the yellow curry says
Cut 300-350g of ...
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13
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4
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"Indian Spicy" vs. "Thai Spicy"
What ingredient(s) make the spiciness from Indian food distinct from the spiciness of, say, Thai food?
Indian good seems to have a longer, slower burn, rather than a "sharper" spiciness of Thai. I ...
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13
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6
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27k
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Should lemongrass be edible or just a flavoring?
In my limited experience with lemongrass (which I buy fresh-ish in plastic bags from the fridge of my local asian supermarket - not frozen or dried or anything), it's hard and impossible to chew, no ...
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13
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4
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8k
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How to make tofu that is crispy and flavorful outside and soft inside?
I know how to fry tofu to make it firm, and also how to dry fry it and marinade it to make it flavorful. Neither of these cooking techniques mimics the tofu I get at my local Thai restaurant.
When I ...
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12
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3
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8k
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Non-spicy substitute for chili peppers when making a Thai curry paste from scratch
I'm making a green Thai curry paste from scratch. I'm very happy with the recipe, and I've made it with much success in the past, but today I am cooking for someone who can't take much heat. Or well, ...
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11
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1
answer
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How to cook extremely soft chicken?
I had this chicken that was extremely soft at a thai restaurant in Portland, Or. The cashew nut chicken dish had small strips of extremely soft chicken.
As you can see, the chicken is not cripsy or ...
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10
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10
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What is coriander root and where can you get it?
I mentioned the book Thai Food in an answer to another question. This reminded me of one of my longest running quandaries with it. Many of the recipes mention “coriander root”. I am aware of being ...
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10
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2
answers
628
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Thai curry cooking
In Thai cooking, for curries I notice two different methods. One is where the coconut cream is put to boil and then the curry paste is added and rest of the ingredients are added. The other way is oil ...
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2
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Can I store fish sauce at room temperature, and how do I know when it's gone bad?
For a long time, I believed this advice:
Don't refrigerate your fish sauce. Whatever can happen to this brew
has already happened; it's not going to go bad. You can pass your
half-empty bottle ...
- 1,416
10
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1
answer
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What does a Thai Scented Candle impart?
Amazon Link
There is a traditional cookie that is pretty much just a thick sugar cookie that is baked and then put in a covered bowl with the candle overnight. I ran into it because I was looking at ...
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9
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4
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3k
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Is it worth making Thai red curry paste from scratch
I noticed that many Thai curry recipes start with a foundation of red curry paste.
My local grocery store has one, small, overpriced jar of the stuff. The Asian grocery store, located at a very ...
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8
votes
4
answers
87k
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Is ginger a good substitute for galangal in Thai green curry?
Is fresh ginger a good substitute for galangal in a Thai Green curry? (I cannot get fresh galangal here anywhere)
Would I use less or more ginger than galangal quantity?
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4
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Cracking coconut cream
I have several recepies which call for cracking coconut cream (Thai curries).
I used to just fry the curry paste and add coconut cream (or coconut milk) which produces reasonable results, but on ...
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8
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2
answers
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Am I making this noodle correctly?
I decided to make pad thai noodles from scratch. The recipe I found for rice noodles said to let the rice soak overnight then grind the resulting mixture in a blender. After that it called for ...
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6
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Why is garam masala in many curry paste/powder recipes?
Garam masala, of course, is a blend of warming spices. However, many of those spices are listed individually in recipes for curry pastes and powders that also call for garam masala.
Since most garam ...
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7
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2
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3k
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Are egg rolls supposed to be eaten with chopsticks or hands?
Are egg rolls, common in Asian restaurants, such as Chinese, Thai, or Vietnamese (at least in America), supposed to be eaten with chopsticks or hands?
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3
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What is the proper/most common way to serve curry?
I went to a Thai restaurant this afternoon and ordered Massaman curry, which I've never had before. When I make curry at home, I usually mix it with chicken and pour it over rice and eat. But this ...
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3
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How should I use lime leaves when making Thai green curry?
When making Thai green curry should the fresh lime leaves be torn in to big pieces and then taken out when ready or shredded so that they can be eaten ?
I have found that when I shred them they ...
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7
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3
answers
4k
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Thai Curry seems more watery over the last year?
I've made Thai Penang Curry probably ONE THOUSAND TIMES. Not quite weekly for 25 years. No joke.
Over the last year or so, I've noticed it's surprisingly watery, however I haven't changed my method ...
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7
votes
3
answers
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How to store tamarind paste?
I bought some tamarind paste the other day, and I am wondering how should I store it once opened, as the package does not say anything special. Should I put it in the fridge? Store it in an airtight ...
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7
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1
answer
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Can dried shrimp be used as a substitute for shrimp paste in a recipe for thai curry paste?
I'd like to make my own thai red curry and green curry pastes but both of these call for shrimp paste which isn't widely available in my country. I do have a packet of small dried shrimp (with heads/...
7
votes
2
answers
475
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Ratios in traditional Thai peanut curry recipes
I tried to make a Thai peanut curry and used a highly rated recipe:
I have no experience making Thai food and have only eaten it in restaurants.
It did occur to me that the peanut butter content ...
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7
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2
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5k
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Does "1 lime leaf" mean a pair of leaves, or half a pair?
I love lime leaves. In fact, I bought a lime tree so that I can have them all the time without making a grocery run. The leaves look like this:
I have some very nice recipes that call for them but ...
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6
votes
1
answer
678
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Why is the English word "curry" used for all these different dishes?
More like meta-cooking question, but I believe it fits here better than on travel stack.
Why is English so poor at differentiating all those different things hidden under one common name: curry?
Is ...
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6
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3
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13k
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How can one use Thai basil stems and flowers?
What parts, besides the leaves of Thai Basil, are usable? I am making Thai Basil Chicken (Gai Pad Krapow) using the leaves but can I use the stems and flowers as well?
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What is glooi in English?
Warning! As is discussed in the comments to the answer, the plant and tuber may be poisonous and must be cooked by experts.
I went to a village market in NE Thailand. They had many products from "the ...
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6
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1
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What is this Laotian mystery leaf?
In Luang Prabang, Laos, I was served this mystery herb on the side of a dish of green papaya salad (ຕຳຫມາກຫຸ່ງ tam mak hung, aka som tam on the Thai side of the border).
What exactly is this? The ...
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5
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7
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Where does the Asian dish "sang choi bow" come from?
I'm currently travelling in Laos where my favourite local dish is called "larb" or "laap" (ລາບ in Lao, ลาบ in Thai).
When I described it to my Australian friend he said it sounded like a dish that ...
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5
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2
answers
28k
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Difference between types of Thai black soy sauces (Healthy Boy brand)
I've noticed that a lot of Thai dishes call for thick black soy sauce, but they rarely specify the type. Occasionally, a recipe will specify a certain brand, and sometimes they'll note if you should ...
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2
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What are the transparent strands in this salad?
What are the transparent, irregularly winding strands at the bottom of the following picture? They can obviously be had cold together with salad. They are very crispy.
They are much firmer and ...
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4
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What are the crunchy bits on top of Thai mango with sticky rice?
My favorite Thai restaurant makes a fantastic mango and sticky rice dessert, and it seems like it'd be pretty simple to recreate at home. I've searched around the internet for mango and sticky rice ...
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5
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1
answer
1k
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Difference between Thai ingredients ginza and galangal?
I have a cookbook from a Thailand cooking school for tourists that lists
1 Tbsp galangal chopped finely
and then
6-8 cm ginza, skin removed (substitute: old dull ginger)
I assumed from this recipe ...
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5
votes
1
answer
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Why did my peanut butter sauce split?
I made a peanut butter sauce/marinade for some tofu bits, with peanut butter, soy sauce and pineapple juice. It tasted good and was the right creamy texture when I put the tofu in it.
After a couple ...
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1
answer
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What is this Thai tea, spiral plant-part?
I bought these, for me, nicely spiral looking dried fruits(?) in a tea-specialized shop in Bangkok in the area of the bridge leading from Phra Khanong towards On Nut (pictured below a cooked product).
...
user79730
5
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2
answers
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Making Thai Khanom Tang Teak (ขนม ถัง แตก)
I desire to make Thai Khanom Tang Teak (in standard Thai: ขนม ถัง แตก);
It is a pancake-like dish made from a batter with the following recipe:
About one cup of White Rice flour
About 2 cups of Sugar ...
user79730
5
votes
1
answer
9k
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Why did my thai curry have a bitter aftertaste?
I'm on the low fodmap diet so i tried making my own thai curry paste (without shallots or garlic). Here are the ingredients that i used:
1/4 cup coriander leaves, stems and roots
1/2 tsp black ...
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7
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1k
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Whats the simplest possible spicy thai curry?
I love massaman, green curry, red curry, yellow curry, etc.
Can any of these be made quickly at home with only 4-5 ingredients?
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3
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Why does my coconut sauce lack a strong coconut taste?
Why doesn't my coconut sauce have a strong coconut flavor similar to what is served in Thai restaurants? Do they use real coconut or coconut essence or coconut oil? I use a can of coconut.
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4
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What type of noodle and sauce is used to making Thai Drunken Noodles?
I LOVE drunken noodles from Thai food restaurants, but am never able to find those wide, thin noodles in the markets and don't know what they're called to ask. Also, what sauce is used in drunken ...
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1
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What is considered "mild" vs. "hot" in different countries? (measured empirically)
In different countries, what is generally considered "hot" for local residents dining on local cuisine?
I'm an American and have experienced this at a number of Thai, Korean, and Indian ...
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1
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2k
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Can I substitute "green beans" for "string beans"?
The famous Thai salad "Som Tam" uses raw, crushed string beans in small amounts, and I have seen recipes that suggest raw normal green beans as a substitution. How will the subsitution affect the dish?...
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4
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3
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997
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Flat Thai Panaeng Curry
Help! I have tried making Panang Curry several times at home with the canned pre-made paste (forgot the brand name) and it just doesn't taste like the restaurant versions I've had.
I fried the curry ...
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2
answers
500
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Help in identifying a Thai condiment
At my favorite local Thai restaurant, they have a trio of spicy condiments available to add to your food. Of the three, one is chile-garlic sauce, one is a crushed dried red pepper of some kind, and ...
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