Cultural differences and cooking culture - 2 golden rules
The first rule is that eating is an essential part of Thai culture (and I am sure that this is true for Chinese, Asian and some European cultures as well). “Have you eaten yet?” is a question that you would hear when Thais greet each other. Thai food, and particular ways of eating and ordering it, are central to most social occasions. For example, in Thailand there is no such a thing as a ‘starter’. Soup or any other small dishes are eaten as main courses in Thailand. Nor are there any dishes on a table that would belong only to one person. The Thai way of eating is for all at the table to share and enjoy every dish together. All Thai restaurants have to adapt to suit Western ways of eating. This is a rule that you have to remember when you cook Thai food. It is not just about cooking- the variety of foods and ways of eating mean that you might need to change some of your perceptions. Choose a couple of dishes from the menu or cook them for one meal and share them with your family and friends.
The second rule is that Thai food is well known for its complex flavours. Combinations of sweet and sour, spicy and salty, or sweet and spicy, are common. Typical Thai dishes have 4 main favours: salty, sweet, sour and spicy. In one meal, it is recommended to mix some spicy dishes with some non-spicy ones to tone down the spicy dishes. This is one way in which Thai food is different from other Asian food. Western people familiar with Chinese food may find Thai food is a different taste experience.
The second rule is that Thai food is well known for its complex flavours. Combinations of sweet and sour, spicy and salty, or sweet and spicy, are common. Typical Thai dishes have 4 main favours: salty, sweet, sour and spicy. In one meal, it is recommended to mix some spicy dishes with some non-spicy ones to tone down the spicy dishes. This is one way in which Thai food is different from other Asian food. Western people familiar with Chinese food may find Thai food is a different taste experience.
Nut allergy and Thai cooking
Have you ever wondered why Thai (and Asian) people cannot understand what nut allergy is? Or if you are allergic to nuts, have you found it is difficult to explain to Thai restaurants or Asian people about your allergy? This information can be useful to you.
First of all, nut allergy is not common at all in Asia, or especially in Thailand. When I grew up I never met anyone who was allergic to nuts in Thailand or who came from other Asian countries. Thai people love their peanuts, cashew nuts and other kinds of nuts you would not see in the UK. Peanut oil is sometimes used in Thai cooking. Secondly, the Thai word for nuts is ‘tua’ but this word is used at the beginning of words for vegetables as well such as ‘tua-fak-yaw’ (Thai long green bean), ‘tua-ygua’ (beansprout) and ‘tua poo’ (an indigenous Thai vegetable) so Thai people simply cannot get their heads around why some Westerners are allergic to peanuts (‘tua-li-song’) but not to long green beans (‘tua-fak-yaw’).
One other thing to bear in mind is that in Thailand some chefs will use crushed nuts or peanut oil as a garnish for dishes that have no nut content, so those who are nut allergic must be careful.
In all my recipes I only use nuts where explicitly stated in the ingredients. The vast majority of my dishes have no nut content at all because I have adapted them for my wonderful husband, who happens to be nut allergic.
Stir-frying technique
You will be amazed how quickly you can prepare a Thai-fushion meal using Thai stir-frying technique. You only need to have all the vegetables and meat prepared and chopped beforehand. The cooking time itself is actually short.
Most Thai and Asian dishes involve 'stir-frying'. The term implies that the ingredients are stirred while cooking. Stir-frying is best done in a long-handled wok or deep fry pan over high heat. It is simple and fast. The rationale for stir-frying is to keep the flavour by cooking the food really fast. Vegetables should always be cooked for the minimum amount of time so they remain crisp and fresh. You can toss the pan over the heat as well.
The key is you need to heat the oil until it is really hot before you put the chopped garlic and meat in the pan.
It is difficult to say how how long the meat or vegetables should be cooked as Thai cooking is very intuitive and you learn what works by trial and error.
If you can get used to stir-frying technique, you can prepare a great meal in 15-30 minutes including preparation time.
Stir-frying technique
You will be amazed how quickly you can prepare a Thai-fushion meal using Thai stir-frying technique. You only need to have all the vegetables and meat prepared and chopped beforehand. The cooking time itself is actually short.
Most Thai and Asian dishes involve 'stir-frying'. The term implies that the ingredients are stirred while cooking. Stir-frying is best done in a long-handled wok or deep fry pan over high heat. It is simple and fast. The rationale for stir-frying is to keep the flavour by cooking the food really fast. Vegetables should always be cooked for the minimum amount of time so they remain crisp and fresh. You can toss the pan over the heat as well.
The key is you need to heat the oil until it is really hot before you put the chopped garlic and meat in the pan.
It is difficult to say how how long the meat or vegetables should be cooked as Thai cooking is very intuitive and you learn what works by trial and error.
If you can get used to stir-frying technique, you can prepare a great meal in 15-30 minutes including preparation time.
