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Thai Vegetarian Cuisine |
Article Submitted by: Tommas Johnson
Saturday, 27 February 2010
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Thai cuisine is centered on spicy tasting, colorful dishes that are both light and delicious. Balance, variety and detail are of essence in Thai dishes. Foundational to thai meals are the fives elements of taste, bitter, salty, spicy, sour and sweet. Based on geography, thai cuisine has regional style of meals and the preparations that go into making them. Regionally you have the Northern, North Eastern or Isan, Central and Southern styles of cuisine. Thai meals usually consist of a single main dish or will be Khao (Rice) served along with many accompanying dishes. The Jay Tradition Vegetarian Thai cuisine has definite roots in Thai culture and is not new or just as an alternative offering to the vegetarians the Jay tradition of vegetarian cooking existed in Thailand for a long time. Thai Jay restaurants can be found in every city and offer an assortment of ingredients like chili, garlic and onion based dishes. During religious and ceremonial traditional times almost all Thais observe Jay style of meals. Hot or sour sauces and pastes are used generously to enhance the heat or tangy tastes of the dishes. Fish sauce (Nam pla) is almost universally used in Thai cuisine, but other vegetarian equivalents like sweet chili sauce or the spicy chili sauce (Nam phirk) or the sriracha sauce can be used just as easily. Nam phirk are Thai chili pastes and sauces used for dipping vegetables, cucumber, cabbage and beans. Nam phirk pao is a sweet rasted chili paste that is often spread on bread. Apart from these, a slew of soy sauces are also used like Dark soy sauce (si-io dam), light soy sauce (si-io khao) and fermented soy beans sauce (taochiao). Herbal Foundations Thai cuisine acquires it distinct aromas from a blend of herbs used in its cooking. Prime among them is the Kaffir lime leaves, whose typical flavor accompanies almost all thai soups and curries. Other ingredients are the Thai lime or Manao, the Galangal or Kha, Tumeric or Kha min, garlic and lemon grass. A wide range of vegetables are used such as eggplant (in which some varieties are eaten raw), broccoli, cabbage or Phak kat khao, yard long beans or Thua fak yao, bean sprouts or Thua ngok, bamboo shoots, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and corn.Shitake mushrooms or Hey horn, are sometimes added as now it has become a favorite among Thais. Native Foods Fruits are generally served after a meal. Integral to most meals are papaya, mango, jackfruit, langsat, longan, pineapples, or durian. These are usually added to a salad or dessert. While it might sound odd to Western ears, the use of pumpkin and coconut milk in a single dish like soups, curries and desserts are very common. Some popular soups include Gang jued tofu (Clear soup with tofu, noodles, cabbage and garlic), Tom yum puck (spicy and sour vegetable soup). Rice culture Rice is a foundational food of Thai cuisine. The fragrant jasmine rice, gives the dishes an otherworldly aroma just like that of roasted popcorn or nuts and has a soft texture when eaten alone. Curries, stir fry and other dishes are combined with rice creating a single dish called Khao rat kaeng. Steamed rice is accompanied with fragrant curries, stir fried vegetables, and similar dishes. Another variety commonly used is the sticky rice and that is used in rural northern and northeastern cuisine. Another major food stuff are the noodles made from rice flour (Kuai tiao), wheat flour, or mung bean flour (Wunsen) which is an extremely thin noodle. The main dishes include Rice dishes, Curries; Stir fried vegetables, salads and desserts. Some of them are, vegetarian khao pat (fried rice, Thai style), Kuai tiao nam (rice noodle soup served spicy condiments and vegetables), Mikrap (deep fried rice vermicelli) and others. The curries from the south region are coconut milk based and with turmeric whereas northern dishes are tinged with lime like Chok (rice porridge) and kuai tiao rat na (fried rice noodles). Desserts A sweet snack or fresh fruit is a fine way of completing an excellent Thai vegan meal. Rice flour and tapioca flour are used for thickening agents in the desserts. Some odd sounding but delightfully tasty desserts are jasmine scented coconut pudding or Tako, grass jelly or Chao kuai ans finally Ruammit which has nuts, fruits and coconut milk added. Drinks or beverages like Cha yen (iced tea), Oliang (black ice coffee) and Sato (rice wine) are also served at the end of the main meal. Contrary to popular belief and many 'fast food' type of restaurants in the West, Thai cuisine can actually be very healthy and has a long tradition of vegetarian meals in its history. Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com |
About The Author:
To add Thai Cuisine to your menu plans go to Vegan Heretic to learn more about how to spice up your dining experience.
To add Thai Cuisine to your menu plans go to Vegan Heretic to learn more about how to spice up your dining experience.
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