The Mouth Watering Thai Cuisine

Thai cuisine is fast becoming internationally famous. The food reveals a great deal about the country - its political history, geography and trade. Thailand, as it developed, was influenced by countries like India and China and it's clearly shown in the food. Yet Thai cuisine, like its people, has maintained its own unique identity.

The distinct flavors of Thai cooking come from the local spices and produce: coconut milk, lemongrass, tamarind, ginger, garlic, basil, palm sugar, turmeric, peppers, shallots, spring onions and chili which has become one of the main players in Thai taste and much Thai food is fiery hot. Fish sauce and shrimp paste appear in nearly every recipe as well. Making the taste a harmonious blend of the spicy, salty, subtle, sweet and sour. Thai food is mostly stir-fried, boiled, steamed, some are grilled but, like most countries in the region, a lack of fuel in the old days precluded baking.

Some of Thai most well known dishes are Tom Yum Gung - spicy prawn soup with herbs, Pad Thai - stir fried rice noodles, Gaeng Khiew Waan - sweet green curry, Tom Kha Kai - Spicy and sweet soup with chicken and galangal, Panang - dry sweet curry, Som Tam - papaya salad, among other tasty dishes.

The Mouth Watering Thai Cuisine

The Mouth Watering Thai Cuisine

Top Thai Cuisine

Thailand has some of the best food in Asia with many signature dishes that are enjoyed all over the world. Hot and sour flavours mixed with aromatic lemongrass are classic ingredients that let your taste buds dance with excitement. Here are some of my favourite Thai dishes that I enjoyed eating whilst I travelling Thailand. Enjoy!

Pad Thai- Thai-style Fried Noodles - A great noodle dish that everybody knows. A classic dish that you'll find on every corner in Thailand being cooked by the experienced street venders. Best enjoyed cooked with prawns and an egg. No trip to Thailand is complete without Pad Thai. Gaeng Massaman Gai- Thai Massaman Curry. A mild peanut based curry usually cooked with beef or chicken. The "massaman" indicates that the recipe is of Islamic origin. One of the real highlights of travelling in Thailand. Penang Gai- Penang Chicken Curry. A creamy coconut curry with subtle flavours of kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil. You'll find this on most places during your Thailand trip. Pad gkaprow mu - Thai Basil Pork - A spicy favourite for travellers in Thailand that mixes ground pork with hot chillies and Thai sweet basil. Always served with sticky rice and topped of perfectly with a fried egg. Tod Man Plaa- Spicy fried fish cakes. Delicious fish patties perfectly accompanied by hot and sour dipping sauce. Great to snack on during your Thailand trip. Khao Neeo- Thai Sticky Rice. A great accompaniment to any Thai dish and perfect if you start running out of money while you're travelling in Thailand. Khao Soi- Chiang Mai Curry Noodles. This is a noodle dish, prepared in a rich creamy curry sauce, which is traditional to Northern Thailand. If your Thailand tour takes you up north, this dish is a must. Tom Yum Goong- Thai Prawn Soup With lemongrass. Tom Yum is one of the main signature dishes that characterises Thai cuisine. With both hot and sour flavours it's the base of many Thai soups. Gaeng Khiao Wan Gai - Thai Green Curry with Aubergine. A great veggie option of the classic Thai curry. Yum Nuea - Thai Beef Salad - Yum Nuea means "tossed beef" and that is the basis of the dish. It's a great option for a light meal on the beach while you're travelling in Thailand. Delicious barbequed beef that's tossed in sweet, smokey and sesame flavours. Pad Mee - Thai Fried Vermicelli Noodle - Spicy thin noodles with all the best bits. Simple but great and definitely part of a try Thailand trip. Tom Yum Soup - Hot and Sour Soup - Classic Thai dish that you'll find whilst travelling all over Thailand. Strong hot and sour flavours with a hint of lemongrass. Yam Ma Maung - Green Mango Salad - A refreshing salad with green mango, garlic and Thai sweet basil. Again, perfect on the beach. Gai Pad Med Mamuang Himaphan - Chicken And Cashew Nut - Cashew nuts being the key ingredient in the dish combined with strong Thai red chillies, lemongrass and young kale. To-hu tawt - Deep fried tofu - Light and spongy tofu puffs that are deep fried to a crispy treat that mixes well in to most vegetarian dishes. Vegetarians who travel to Thailand will definitely enjoy this dish. Som Tum - Thai Green Papaya Salad - This dish you'll see many of the street venders mixing up with a pestle and mortar to get all the flavours out of the ingredients. Fresh papaya, Thai string beans, palm sugar, green chillies and dried shrimp all get mixed together to create a fiery salad. A real highlight of any Thailand trip. Kanom Chan - Steamed layered coconut dessert - The main ingredients used to make a Kanom Cham include sugar, coconut milk and flour. One of the great features regarding the Kanom Chan is the natural colourings used to create the sweet that is also derived from herbs. Great for sweet-toothed travellers to Thailand Khanom Kluay - Banana Pudding - Khanom Kluay is a delicious Thai dessert that is found all over Thailand and Khanom Kluay translates as Thai steamed banana cake. You definitely have to try this during your Thailand trip.

Tempted? Why not start planning a trip to Thailand to sample all of these amazing dishes.

Top Thai Cuisine

Top Thai Cuisine

The Diversity of American Cuisine

"American Cuisine"! What on earth is that? The Americans don't have any cuisine they can call their own. That is the typical response of any gourmand and connoisseur of food, who considers himself knowledgeable and informed. But is such a sweeping dismissal true? Granted the food that we know today as coming from the continent of America is not really indigenous to the people of America, nonetheless the fact remains that food brought by the immigrants from their home countries have been assimilated and Americanized, so much so that now, one can state with conviction that yes, there is an American cuisine that is typical to America alone.

In actual fact, if one delves a bit into the history underlying American recipes and cuisine, one realizes that what unfolds is a time line of American history. We get a sweeping overview of the various stages in the history of the American nation when immigrants from different countries came to America in droves and were amalgamated and assimilated into a part of the mainstream of American life.

The original inhabitants of America were the Native Americans, popularized in novels and films as tomahawk toting, feathered headdress sporting 'Red Indians'. They were a simple tribal people who grew their own corn, squash and beans. Ironically, even till today, somehow the influence of these three products remains on the variety of American cuisines available across the country. They are ubiquitously present as grits and cornbread in the South, baked beans in the North and tortillas and pinto beans in the Southwest. The next influx of immigrants was the African Americans, and I for one personally feel, the quintessential American barbecue is entirely to their credit. Smoked meats began their journey on the American palate with them.

The Diversity of American Cuisine

Lifestyles too led to the molding of certain kinds of American cuisine. Thus the gracious plantation owner's wife helped by an astounding array of cooks and underlings, most of whom were slaves pre Civil war, led to Southern cooking being elaborate. The meals were long and there were plenty of side dishes, condiments and varieties of breads and biscuits. It was a way of life to have leisurely meals with many courses and this lifestyle helped create many of the Southern recipes in American Cuisines. Typical dishes being pork, smoked hams with biscuits dripping gravy and the fried chicken that has been popularized by the omnipresent Kentucky Fried Chicken in cities worldwide.

The French too left their imprint on American cuisines. In fact both Cajun and Creole cooking are heavily influenced by the French reliance on butter, oil and flour, which gives the dishes a 'roux' taste that is so typically French in its flavor. Creole food has a more cosmopolitan flavor having influences from other French colonies creeping in. Cajun food on the other hand simmers slowly for a long time in the pot, the food cooking slowly in its own juices. Thus we have the sublimely delicious prawn etoufees and gumbos.

The Mexican nation too heavily influenced American cuisine. Of course the proximity as well as the large numbers of Mexican immigrants also added to the impact. 'Guacamole', ' chili', 'tamales', 'enchiladas' all these are terms Spanish in origin which the Mexicans brought with them to influence American Cuisine. In fact 'Salsa' is not just a popular dance form, it is now universally popular over the world as a spicy tomato and chili dip.

And Mama Mia, when one speaks of American Cuisine can one ever dream of leaving out the pastas and pizzas of the Italians. They brought sun dried tomatoes and pizza bread to this continent and today no American teenager worth his salt would claim ignorance to the difference between pepperoni and margarita toppings. Spaghetti and meat sauce still continues to be a staple of most American children growing up across the nation.

With the arrival of Chinese laborers came Chinese food and soon "American Chop Suey" became a part of the Chinese menu in restaurants worldwide. Can one imagine no Chinese takeout in cartons!! Half on America's corporate populace survive on Chinese takeaway meals and TV dinners.

South east Asian recipes are a recent addition to American Cuisine but chutney, poppadums and tandoori are now familiar terms in the American chef's lexicon. Bangladeshi food, Vietnamese food, Thai curries....the list is endless the possibilities are always expanding. As the country continues to be a symbol of hope and success to the immigrant the parameters of American cuisine and cooking keeps constantly changing. And I really don't think the American people are complaining!

The Diversity of American Cuisine

A Healthy Paleo Thai Salad And How to Make One

Ahh the wonders of Thai food, We have all be wanting to go to Thailand and if we never get the chance we must all have to try Thai food. The enthusiasts among you will know that Thai food is rich with exotic flavors that will make everyone's mouths water. Full of lovely sweet, sour, pungent, salty and spicy flavors that make our mouths quench for more. The problem is however that most restaurants that serve thai food do so in an unhealthy manner with most dishes full of bad oils and sugar, and also given with massive portions of noodles and rice.

What differentiates this Thai salad from other similar dishes is the three herbs that are used in the dish. the three herbs that we are going to be using in this dish are found very easily from your local supermarket, grocery store, or perhaps even your local farmers market. the three herbs in question are of course: basil, mint, and cilantro. Make sure that when your do get these herbs, that they are fresh as possible. The fresher the herbs the more vibrant the flavors will be in the final dish. Whatever dish you are planning to make always try to bring fresh herbs to the table as it can make a very big difference to the end product.

The three herbs that we will use here will being a nice aromatic and refreshing new flavor and also adds to the mild flavors of the mung bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, avocado, snow peas and the red peppers. On the other side the mangos will bring both a refreshing color to the plate along with a nice sweet taste, which can really make a difference to the salad. However if you do not like sweet taste in your salads then go for an unripe mango.

A Healthy Paleo Thai Salad And How to Make One

The dressing used in any salad can make a world of a difference to the quality of the end product. Its important in both taste and look, you do not want people tasting your salad that is full of rich flavors but dry in the mouth. The dressing that we will be using for our Thai salad will have salty, sour, spicy flavors. The key ingredient will of course be fish sauce. I know it doesn't sound very appetizing but fish sauce is one secret ingredient that adds a massively great flavor. Fish sauce is a key ingredient in a lot of different Asian ingredients, and it should be very easy to find at your local supermarket. Below is what you need to get you going:

Keep in mind this will serve 5 people.

- 1 small bunch spinach, quickly chopped

- 1 cup snow peas, cut up into sticks

- 1 small can bamboo shoots, cut up into sticks

- 1 red bell pepper, cut up into sticks

- 1 bunch scallions, cut up into sticks

- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

- 1/2 cup chopped basil

- 1/3 cup chopped mint

- 1 mango, diced

- 1 avocado, diced

- 2 medium tomatoes, diced

Dressing:

- juice and zest of 2 limes

- 1/2 cup olive oil

- 2 teaspoons fish sauce

- 1 teaspoon tamari sauce

- 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

- 2 teaspoons ginger juice, and that's it.

For more great recipes and in-depth instructions please visit, http://www.mypaleocookbook.com

A Healthy Paleo Thai Salad And How to Make One

How to Make Food More Spicy

Spicy food seems to be growing in popularity. Some of the cuisines that are associated with a lot of spice include Mexican, Thai, Szechuan Chinese, and Indian. How you create the spiciness for each of these cuisines will differ slightly due to the ingredients.

Mexican food, for example, is associated with spicy flavors, yet most recipes use milder chilies like jalapenos, serranos, and anchos. The more chilies that are added, the more heat you will feel when you eat the dish. Hot peppers like habaneros will really increase the flames. Try different chilies before you add several to your cooking. Build your spice gradually.

Many Asian recipes rely on chili oil. A few drops can really spice up a recipe. It is often used in soups, salad dressings, stir fries and other recipes. Infused oils like this are great for people who love the heat but cannot tolerate chili flakes or seeds in the actual food. Chili oil also blends into the food well, putting the heat in every bite.

How to Make Food More Spicy

You can use a variety of chilies to build up the spiciness in a dish. Anchos create a lingering heat that builds slowly. Jalapenos jump in with their heat, though chipotle and dried jalapenos will be less potent. Aleppo flakes are perfect for adding heat to Indian dishes. It is similar to the ancho chili, but hotter. It sneaks up on the diner and lingers on the palate. Cayenne fits many different cuisines and can be easily controlled in a dish when using the powdered version.

If you do not want to use chili peppers, ginger can give a nice spice to a dish. Use it in Mexican or Asian dishes to add depth of flavor. Ginger also blends nicely with other ingredients, adding that little "something extra" that we often find lacking in some recipes.

Recipe for Spicy Chorizo and Eggs

Wrap this spicy Mexican sausage and egg dish up in a tortilla for a delicious breakfast burrito. If serranos are too spicy, try jalapenos.

What You Need

2 Tablespoons oil 1 pound chorizo sausage 1 white onion, chopped 2 serrano chilies, seeded and chopped 8 eggs 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped 4 flour tortillas 1 avocado, mashed 1/2 cup fresh salsa How to Make It

Warm the oil in a heavy skillet on medium heat. Fry the chorizo until it is brown. Remove the chorizo from the pan and set aside. Drain excess oil from the pan and fry the onion in the remaining grease. Add the chilies to the onion after a few minutes.

Beat the eggs in a bowl until they are frothy. Pour the eggs into the pan. Add in the chorizo and stir to scramble the mixture. Fold in the chopped cilantro just before the eggs are set.

Serve the eggs with warm flour tortillas, fresh salsa, and mashed avocado.

For a breakfast burrito, spoon eggs and sausage onto warm tortilla. Add salsa and avocado, and then roll up so the filling is contained.

How to Make Food More Spicy

Growing a Themed Kitchen Herb Garden

I really like learning to cook meals from other countries, especially some of the best Mexican dishes. Do you enjoy tasting yummy international dishes? You can try your hand at planting a yummy themed kitchen herb garden.

You can cultivate the major herb plants in your own garden and have the freshest ingredients to add to your recipes, or experiment on your own.

You do not need a special location for your themed kitchen herb garden. You can grow them in containers or in your usual garden bed.

Growing a Themed Kitchen Herb Garden

Look no further than these suggestions for your own themed kitchen herb garden:

Asian: From Thai and Vietnamese to Indian and Chinese, Asian cooking has a lot of flavors and spices to select from. Try raising lemongrass, cayenne pepper, cardamom and anise in your Asian kitchen herb garden. The licorice taste of anise adds a warm sweetness to baked goods, soups and Indian dinners. You can brew it with your tea and add it to your cookie dough for a special treat. The growing popularity of Asian cuisine has helped it fall back into favor in the US in the last few years. Mexican: Not a week goes by when I don't chow down on a Mexican meal. I love to eat my favorite Mexican meals, such as burritos, fajitas or quesadillas at least once a week. The best Mexican recipes usually include these: Cayenne pepper, Cilantro and Garlic. Italian: What is your favorite Italian dish? My favorite is lasagna, of course. Among the best herb plants to use in your Italian dishes are basil, fennel, parsley, garlic, marjoram, oregano, rosemary and thyme. You can add garlic to all your favorite Italian dishes and savor the oniony taste! You can add garlic to your mashed potatoes and even roast it with some olive oil to eat it by itself. Do not overcook your garlic because it loses its flavor the longer it cooks. Middle East: If you haven't tried any of the exciting and flavorful foods from the Middle East and Northern Africa, you are missing some fantastic dishes. There is such variety in the array of herbs used in Middle Eastern cooking. Add chick peas, couscous and figs to your pita and herbed yogurt sauce for something extra special. These herbs are often to be found in the recipes for Middle Eastern meals: cardamom, garlic, parsley, rosemary and saffron. German: You can have your own Oktoberfest any time you like if you have got all the right German herb plants. These are a few of my favorite and most often used in authentic German dinners: chives, dill, horseradish, sage and thyme. Horseradish, which is in the mustard family, is a wonderful condiment, opening the sinuses while adding tang to the taste buds. Use it to add an extra twang to beef, fish, cream cheese spreads, potato salad, mayonnaise and meat loaf.

One of the fantastic things about herb gardening it that herbs are a gift that keeps on giving. If you remove a few leaves from your sage plant, it will grow back. Oftentimes it can grow back bigger and fuller than it was before.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows

Growing a Themed Kitchen Herb Garden

Annette Sym Recipes

Annette Sym's story is truly an inspirational weight loss story. She lost her weight by adopting a healthy lifestyle - and by losing weight I don't mean 10 or 20 pounds - She lost around 70 pounds. She replaced her unhealthy eating habits with exercise and low fat foods. She hates dieting and so did not want to miss out on eating her favorite foods to lose weight. Instead she came up with low fat recipes for almost everything - low fat versions for butter chicken, curries, burgers, cheese cakes and even for chocolate cakes. Annette has a sweet tooth and she loves cakes and she still eats them regularly them - thanks to her low fat recipes.

Her healthy eating was the secret behind her dress size - from size 24 to size 12. The amazing thing in this true story is the fact that she lost seventy pounds and managed to keep it off for nearly 2 decades. Had she opted for pills or diets or any other such fads there is no way she could have managed to keep it off for such a long time.

After losing her weight, Annette decided to put together all her recipes into a cookbook and sell the book - She self published her book as she could not find a publisher to back it. Her book is called 'Symply Too Good To Be True'. All her recipes have the nutritional information as well (Calories, saturated fat, fat etc etc).

Annette Sym Recipes

The book was an instant success - people loved the book, because all her recipes tasted good but had hardly any effect on their waist lines. She recently published the American version of this cookbook and this too is a huge success.

I recently bought a copy of the book and now my cooking styles have changed dramatically - Same taste (actually better) but much less fat. Here is an example - I love Thai food - lot of coconut milk in Thai recipes - 40-odd grams of fat a cup - but with Annette Sym's Recipe, it is only 4 grams.

Annette Sym Recipes