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Radhanasthai.com
The best Thai food in central New Jersey
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Something About Thai food in the U.S.
Thai food is eaten with a fork and spoon. Even single dish meals such as
fried rice, or main course like chicken basil are served in bite-sized
slices eliminated the need for a knife. The spoon, with the help of fork
to gather food, is used to convey food to the mouth. Chopsticks are used
with food which served in bowls such as noodle or rice soup.
Traditionally all foods on the table are for everyone at the table,
each person might order one or more dishes, so there will be a varieties
of foods to enjoy.
The ideal Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet
and sour, and is meant to be equally satisfying to eye, nose and palate.
A typical meal might include a clear soup (perhaps bitter melons stuffed
with minced pork), a steamed dish (mussels in clay pot), a fried dish (fish
with spicy three flavor sauce and basil), a hot spicy salad (beef salad)
and a variety dipping. This would be followed by sweet desserts and/or fresh
Thai fruits such as mangoes, durian, jackfruit, papaya, grapes or melon.
Matching
Thai Food With Drinks
You
couldn't go wrong having Thai food with beer and whisky & club soda(or
water), that the way Thai people having their meal. Difference story to
the Americans, most of whom love drinking wine.
There are thousands of wines in the world, and each of them is different.
Certain kinds of food react in predictable ways with certain kinds of wine.
Since many but not all Thai dishes are hot spicy and some are a little sweet.
In general:
Tannic wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon including Bordeaux,
Barolo and Barbaresco and other which have become tannic form aging in
new oak barrels could diminish the perception of food sweetness,and can
taste astringent,or make your mouth fell dried when drunk with hot spicy
food.
Sweet Wines like White Zinfandel, Riesling, Mateus
Rose can taste less sweet and make salty foods more appealing and
go well with sweet foods.
Acidic wines like Italian white wines Chablis, red
Rioja, dry Rieslings and other Sauvignon Blanc that are fully dry
can taste less acidic when having with slightly sweet foods.
High-Alcohol wines go well with slightly sweet
foods.
People has difference taste difference palate for me in summer I prefer white
wines like Pinot Grigio, Mateus Rose and for the less of time Merot, Bordeaux.
However as a Thai my first choice is beer all year round.
A
typical Thai meal might include :
Titbits :
Appetizers or snacks, including spring rolls, sa-tay and
crispy rice cakes with dipping sauce. These represent the creative nature of
the Thais.
Salads :
The balance of tastes and flavors are essential. Major tastes are hot, sour,
and salty. Spiciness comes in different degrees according to individual person.
The most common form of salad are Beef Salad (Yum-Nua) Noodle
Salad (Yum Wun Sen).
Dips :
Dips could be the major dish of a meal when accompany with vegetables and some
sort of meats like fried Mackerel, grilled and sliced beef or pork. The most
popular dip is Shrimp Paste Dip (Num-Prig-Ka-Pi) made from chilies, garlic,
dried shrimps, lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar and shrimp paste.
Main Dishes :
These could be shrimp sweet and sour, omelets with ground pork, and a stir-fried
dish like spicy chicken basil help make the meal more complete.
Soups :
Unlike the western meal, Thai soup is served along side all other. Traditional
Thai soups are unique because they embody more flavors and textures than can
be found in other types of food.
Curries :
There are varieties of Thai curries. The major ingredients of Thai curry are
fresh herbs and dried spices. A simple Thai curry paste consists of dried chilies,
shallots, lemon grass, galangal, kefir lime rind and shrimp paste. This is
base curry for more complexes such as Panang curry, Musamun curry. The most
common curries dishes are red or green chicken/beef
curry.
Desserts And Fresh Fruit :
To complete the meal Thai dessert like sweet sticky and ripe mango.
Single Dishes :
The other form of Thai food come in a complete meal in one dish, they include
rice and noodle dishes such as Khao Pad and Pad Thai or chicken curry top over
rice. These single dishes mostly consumed in launch time.
Rice
Soul food of the Thai people. The northern and northeastern people prefer glutinous
rice, while the rest eat long-grained rice esspecialy the most popular
and world's best rice "Hom-Ma-Li".
Thai
Basil
Many varieties of Thai basil with different fragrances are used in Thai cooking.
The most common are :
Bai Horapha (Sweet Basil), which has a slight aniseed
flavor and a reddish purple color at the leafstalk, often sprinkled on
curries.
Bai Kaphrao (Holy Basil), often stir-fried with
meat, which has hotter flavor, and slightly hairy.
Bai Maenglak (Hoary Basil), a milder form often
sprinkled over soups and salads. When these are not available,
western sweet basil may be used, though the taste will be somewhat
different.
Chili
Several different types of chili (Phrik) are used in thai cooking. As a general
rule, the smaller the chili, the hotter it is. The hottest of all are the tiny
red or green Phrik Khi Nu, followed by the slightly larger Phrik Chi Fa. Dried
chilies (Phrik Haeng) and ground chili powder (Phrik Pon) are also used.
Coriander (Cilantro)
Called Phak Chi in Thai, this is essential to many Thai dishes. Not only are
the leaves used, but also the stems, roots and seeds, all of which impart a
different flavor.
Coconut Milk
The wonder fruit, coconut, every parts of it are used in many ways. It's meat
is used to make coconut milk by grating the white flesh, soaking it in hot
water, and then squeezing out liquid through a fine sieve, which is used as
a base in most of Thai cooking such as soups, curries and dessert too.
Fish Sauce
Nam Pla in Thai, this salty, brownish liquid made from fermented small fish
or shrimp is the heart in Thai's cooking as a condiment to provide a salty
flavor and also used in dipping sauce and dressings.
Galangal
A relative of the ginger root, galangal (Kha) imparts a delicate, unique flavor.
It is used fresh, dried or powdered.
Ginger
Knobby, light brown colored rhizome comes in two varieties, young and mature.It
is used in various ways in Thai cooking for foods and drinks too.
Garlic
Thai garlic (Krathiam) is smaller than the western variety. It is used both
fresh and pickled in Thai cooking. Minced fresh garlic is used in almost Thai
dishes.
Kaffir Lime
Both the fruit and leaves of this shrub, Makrut Thai, lend a distinctive taste
to many Thai food especially curry pastes. There is no real substitute though.
Lemon Grass
This tall, grass-like plant, known as Takhrai, has small bulbous roots and
a lemony flavor and aroma, is an essential in Thai cooking. The bud and base
leaves are chopped and pounded for many dishes, as well as, for a refreshing
herbal tea.
Lime
Thai used lime more over lemon, to provide sourness like in shrimp
soup, beef salad and most dipping
Palm Sugar
Known in Thai as Nam Tan Pip, this is derived from the fruit of the palmyra
palm and comes in the form of dried thick pancakes.
Tamarind
The pulp of the pod of the tamarind tree (Makham) adds a sour taste to a number
of meat, fish dishes and soups.
Turmeric
Khamin in Thai, this is another member of the ginger family and provides a
bright yellow color to some Thai curries and Sa Te.
Chili
paste (nam prik paow)
This is made with sugar, shallot, soya bean oil, garlic, dried chili, fish
sauce, dried shrimp and tamarind paste. It can be eaten as a dipped or use
in Tom Yum soup.
Shrimp paste
It is an essential ingredient in a variety of dishes and one of curry ingredients.
Made from tiny shrimp called Kaoy which have been salted, dried, pounded and
then left to ferment in the hot humid conditions until the aroma is very pungent.
