Thai Dining

April 2000

Thai Dining

By: Susheela UhlContributing Editor

Thai cuisine is capturing North American palates with its intense flavors, fragrant aromas and eye-appealing presentations. Thanks to multidimensional flavors and pungent, spicy notes, Thai food is quickly becoming more mainstream, and Thai restaurants can be found in almost every corner of the United States.

  According to the Washington, D.C.-based National Restaurant Association's (NRA) soon to be published Ethnic Cuisine II publication, two-thirds of North Americans are familiar with Thai food, and more than a quarter have tried it. Moreover, the survey shows that those who try it, like it. The NRA also reports that since its 1994 Ethnic Cuisine study, consumption of Thai food has been on the rise - of those who eat it, three in 10 are eating it more often.

  Thai food is hot and spicy, with strong and unique flavor profiles, great aromas and a tremendous variety of ingredients. Fish sauce, lemongrass, palm sugar, galangal, lime juice, coriander leaf, anise, basil, kaffir lime leaf, mango and eggplant are essential to Thai cooking. To the mainstream consumer, Thai cooking could be characterized as similar to Chinese, but with stronger spicing.

  An authentic Thai meal consists of white rice or noodles with a variety of accompaniments - a curry, stir-fry, grilled, fried or steamed dish, a spicy hot-and-sour salad or vegetable dish, and soup. Sometimes different flavors are presented in a single dish, as in a bowl meal, or through many side dishes and condiments. Soup and salad are eaten either at the beginning or end of a meal. Salads are fiery, aromatic and crispy, with grilled meat or chicken, fresh fruit or vegetables, chile peppers and leafy spices. For example, som tam is a spicy pungent salad made with shredded green papaya, and yam som oh is a hot-and-sour pomelo (a large citrus fruit native to Malaysia) salad. Dressings often combine sweet, sour and spicy, mixing together ingredients such as tamarind, lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, fresh basil or cilantro leaves and sugar. With their meat, chicken, vegetable and rice or noodle components, soups can also serve as an entire meal. Typical soups include tom yum koong (hot and spicy shrimp soup) and tom kha (coconut herb soup). Tidbits or appetizers called khong wang also sometimes become part of a meal.

  Thai foods have strong, hot flavors. They're marked by a wide range of tastes, textures, temperatures and colors, which are balanced to provide variety and harmony in a meal. An ideal Thai meal balances spicy, sour, salty, sweet, bitter and hot sensations, while also pleasing the palate, nose and eye.Lunches are usually a one-dish meal. One-dish or bowl meals are also popular as snacks and quick-to-fix dinners. Based on rice or noodles with meat, chicken or seafood and vegetables, these meals tend to be spicy, and are frequently accompanied by condiments and garnishes.

  A Thai dinner usually consists of a number of seasoned dishes and condiments served with rice. Rice is the centerpiece of the meal, and all dishes balance each other in flavor and texture. For example, in a green curry, the sharp, piquant chiles and spices and bitter eggplant are tempered by sweet coconut milk and palm sugar. In pad Thai, the nuttiness from peanuts and the saltiness of soy sauce are balanced by pungent fish sauce and dried shrimp. In yam som oh salad, hot chile peppers meld with sour lime juice, and in tom yum koong, sweet-sour tamarind is balanced by citrusy lemongrass, hot chile peppers and pungent fish sauce.

  Ingredient preparation techniques and cutting, shaping and marinating methods are important preliminary stages before frying, grilling, stewing, steaming or roasting. Steaming, frying and stir-frying are the main cooking techniques. Simple stir-fries are important to Thai cuisine, as is the more sophisticated "palace-style" cooking that has given rise to subtle, layered flavorings and artful decorations.

  Aromatic sensations, vivid colors and crunchy textures are important to the overall perception of the meal. Aroma not only defines flavor, but also gives a perception of freshness. In a Thai meal, aroma comes from fresh leafy spices, floral essences and pungent roots. Texture also conveys freshness. Depending on preparation methods and cooking techniques, dishes take on any number of characteristics. Roasted peanuts, steamed bean sprouts, crispy shallots and chopped cilantro are used as garnishes and provide contrasting texture and flavor in a dish or meal.

  Appearance is another important factor in Thai meals. Colorful sculptured fruits, chile peppers and vegetables sit on a backdrop of stir-fried noodles, grilled fish or fried rice. Banana leaves used as plate liners provide an authentic touch to any dish.

  Pickling and fermenting create characteristic flavor profiles from ingredients such as garlic, ginger, seafood, fruits and vegetables. Seasoning sauces and pastes such as nam pla (salted, fermented fish sauce) and kapi (fermented shrimp paste), and ingredients such as dried prawns, salted eggs, salted cabbage, salted soybeans, oyster sauce and soy sauce are characteristic of Thai cooking. Condiments and dips containing these seasoned ingredients began as peasant staples, but are now essential to any Thai meal.

  Other condiments include nam prik, or chile-pepper water, which contains nam pla or kapi with garlic, black pepper, onions and lime juice; pickled garlic; crushed dried chiles; preserved radish; cut chiles in rice vinegar and soy sauce; nam prik num (a chile- and eggplant-based sauce); and spicy peanut sauce. There are many versions of nam prik, depending on various cultural and regional preferences.

  A Thai meal is usually followed by a variety of fresh-cut fruits. More elaborate sweet desserts such as mango and sticky rice, diced water chestnuts in sweetened coconut milk, pumpkin custard, sweet ginger eggs, coconut ice cream topped with peanuts, or banana fritters are served on special occasions. Many authentic Thai desserts are not popular in the United States, since they include unfamiliar items such as mung-bean cake or black glutinous rice. However, fusion-style desserts incorporating Thai ingredients, such as lemongrass, or Asian fruits, such as longan and lychee, are becoming more popular.

  Like other ethnic foods popular in the United States, Thai cuisine also has many regional variations. Thailand's cuisine has been influenced over the centuries by its neighbors and by immigrants to the country. Soups and noodles from China, for example, along with curries from India and Sri Lanka, and satays and fiery fish pastes and coconut sauces from northeast Malaysia, have all influenced Thai cooking.

  Certain flavors predominate in different regions, depending on the populations inhabiting the area, ranging from ethnic Thai, Chinese and Muslims to various hill tribes and other indigenous groups.

  Mild and hot flavors predominate in the mountainous regions of north Thailand, reflecting Burmese and Laotian influences. Steamed glutinous rice, wild game, mushrooms and chile-lime dips are also a favorite here.

  With its rivers and canals, the central region is Thailand's heartland. Here, dishes with elegant jasmine rice and noodle presentations are served frequently, complemented by a variety of freshwater fish and various fruits, vegetables and hybrid-type curry flavors.

  Tastes in the northeast tend to be fiery, hot and tangy. The area is influenced by Laos, and its dishes use chiles abundantly. Northeast specialties include laab (spicy hot minced pork or chicken salads) and som tam (spicy sour green papaya salads), which are laced with lime, pungent fish paste, fiery chiles and ground peanuts. Pork and chicken are common, but beef is rarely eaten except when marinated and combined with fresh leafy spices and chiles.

  South Thailand reflects Malaysian, Indonesian, Indian, Arabian and Portuguese influences, as well as that of its large Muslim population. Coconuts, fermented shrimp, cashews, pineapples and lemongrass flavor this region's foods. Specialties include spicy, sweet, coconut-based curries such as Mussaman curry, gaeng luang pla (yellow fish curry), tom yam gai (chicken lemongrass soup) and satays made with marinated or seasoned and barbecued chicken, beef and seafood.

  Rice, noodles and fish have been staple ingredients in Thai cooking since ancient times. Most dishes are rice- or noodle-based, featuring fish, chicken and pork more frequently than beef or lamb. Fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, hot chile peppers, pungent fish sauces and fresh leafy spices form the basis of Thai flavoring systems.

  Two main types of rice are eaten in Thailand - fragrant long-grain jasmine rice, or Thai fragrant rice, and sticky, short-grain glutinous rice. Jasmine rice is steamed, boiled, stir-fried or even dry-fried to provide a crunchy, nutty texture and slightly burnt flavor to many dishes. Rice is also made into vinegars and wines ranging from light and mildly flavored to dark and intensely flavored. White, brown or almost black sticky rice, with the bran intact, is often ground for use in sweets and desserts.

  Noodles, which came to Thailand with the Chinese, have become a mainstay in Thai cuisine. They are convenient, quick to prepare and flavorful, and are used in dishes eaten at any time of the day. Noodles come in many varieties, each with its own flavor and texture. They can be made from rice, wheat or mung bean, and come in fresh and dried varieties such as guey teow (a white, flat and broad fresh rice-flour noodle), kanom jeen (a fettuccine-like white rice-flour noodle), ba mee (a medium-yellow, fresh, spaghetti-like egg and rice-flour noodle that comes in circular shape), sen mee (dried rice vermicelli), woon sen (translucent dried mung-bean noodles) and sen lek (medium-sized flat rice noodles used for pad Thai). Noodles give texture and flavor to soups, salads, stir-fries and sauces. Deep-fried versions add a crispy texture to fillings and toppings.

  Garlic and shallots are essential flavorings for Thai foods. Garlic stir-fried in vegetable oil imparts flavor to the oil before other ingredients are added. Garlic is also deep-fried to a golden-brown color and sprinkled over dishes for added texture and flavor, or is pickled, which adds a more pungent flavor to many dishes. Chopped shallots are stir-fried or steamed to provide sweetness and crispness to soups, curries and desserts.

  Fragrant, fresh, leafy spices are also essential tools for creating appealing, characteristic aromas. Cilantro, mint and different basils such as holy, sweet-anise type and lemon are commonly used in stir-fries and soups, and as garnishes. Kaffir lime leaves and the fruit's grated rinds provide a citrusy tang to salads, curries, soups and stir-fries.

  Thai cooking does not use dried spices as abundantly as do certain other cuisines, such as Indian. Rather, the flavors and textures of sauces and curries are derived from fresh, leafy and root spices. However, certain dried spices such as coriander, peppercorns (black and white), star anise, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and cumin, all of which are used whole or ground, are popular.

  Fresh rhizomes such as galangal, ginger and turmeric are also essential flavorings and colorings for curries, soups and sauces. Coriander root provides a pungent note to red curries and stir-fries, while turmeric gives a rich, orange-yellow color and unique flavor to sauces. Galangal (kha), a ginger-like root, and its milder relative, lesser galangal, provide aroma to fish curries. Lemongrass, called takrai, gives fresh, citrusy-minty notes to many dishes. Its fresh form is preferred to the dried or ground form, which lacks the flavor of the fresh variety. Five-spice powder, which contains black peppercorns, fennel, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and sometimes ginger, seasons Chinese-style dishes.

  Thais have a penchant for hot flavors. Chile peppers are not indigenous to Thailand - they were introduced to the country from South and Central America by the Portuguese. Whether fresh or dried, chiles have become the heart and soul of Thai cuisine. Many varieties are used as flavorings and as visual meal elements, including bird peppers, New Mexican chiles and red cayennes. These peppers add heat, flavor, texture, color and visual appeal to meals, and are often sculpted and used as garnishes. They are also made into pastes and flakes, or are ground up or processed into sauces. The most popular sauce is sriracha, which has a garlicky chile flavor. Chile peppers define many of the local curry colors and flavors - for example, dried cayenne chiles are used in red gaeng, while fresh green chiles are added to green gaeng.

  There are six basic seasoning sauces and pastes in Thai cooking - nam pla, kapi, oyster sauce, soy sauce, bean sauce and curry paste. Nam pla comes in varying degrees of fishy intensity, and is the main flavoring ingredient and condiment in Thailand. Made from salted, fermented fish, it can range from a thin, brown liquid with little fishy aroma to a salty, dark, heavy and bitter fishy paste.

  Fish sauce is to Thai cooking as soy sauce is to Chinese and Japanese cooking. It provides saltiness and flavor to almost all Thai dishes. Fermented-shrimp paste, kapi, goes well with basil, chile peppers, mint and vegetables, and is used in dips for seafood, curries and sauces. Dried shrimp are used as a popular seasoning to perk up bland vegetables, bean curd, fruits, sticky rice and noodles. Others sauces, such as black and brown types of bean and oyster sauces, and light and dark types of soy sauce, show up in Chinese-influenced dishes.

  The country's curries are influenced by many cultures, which have added diverse ingredients to create many different-flavored curries. Popular versions include red (nam prik gaeng ped), green (nam prik gaeng kiew wahn), Mussaman, and Panang. Pungent red curry paste contains red chiles, galangal and coriander root while green curry paste contains green chiles, lemongrass, coriander leaf and green eggplant. Mussaman curry uses cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and bay leaf, while Panang contains coconut milk, basil, brown sugar and peanuts.

  Shrimp paste, fish sauce, shallots, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves are essential flavorings for curries. Thai curries are fragrant, generally thin, hot and sweet, with coconut milk, vegetables and meats or chicken. Curries are garnished with roasted peanuts, basil or fresh chiles. Curry pastes also add zest to dips, salads, sauces and stir-fries.

  Palm sugar, derived from the sap of the coconut or sugar palm, has a dark-brown color and a rich caramelized taste, which resembles that of maple syrup and brown sugar. It is used in many desserts that contain glutinous rice and fruits. Coconut milk, the sweet, milky liquid extracted from coconut nutmeat, serves as an essential flavoring for curries, soups and sweets.

  A variety of tropical fruits are abundant in Thai cuisine, including mango, pineapple, longan, rambutan, durian, mangosteen, papaya, jackfruit, guava, banana, lychee and rose apple. Green papaya, green mango, pomelo, lychee and pineapple are used fresh in desserts and beverages, or appear in cooked foods and condiments to provide sweetness and tartness. Fresh-squeezed lime juice is a must in soups, salads and curries.

  Vegetables include eggplant, bitter gourd, mushrooms, squash, okra, water spinach, long beans, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, cabbage and cucumber. These ingredients are added to stir-fries, curries or soups, or are pickled and used as condiments. Vegetables are popular in yams, the hot, spicy and sour salads that contain seafood or meat combined with spices, and which are sometimes served as appetizers.

  And last but not least, wrappers such as banana leaves and pandan leaves are used to cover rice, seafood, pork, chicken and meats before grilling, steaming or baking. They provide unique aromas, colors and textures to finished products. Whole colorful hibiscus, orchids and bougainvilleas add visual appeal to meals, while flower essences such as rose and jasmine provide fragrant aromas to desserts and beverages.

  The Thai food found in the United States is not the same as that served in Thailand. Flavor profiles are modified to suit North American palates, and dishes are adjusted to accommodate the available supply of ingredients. To be successful at developing processed Thai foods, food designers must understand authentic Thai cuisine and capture its unique and balanced tastes, aromas and textures. However, they must also be able to modify these tastes, aromas and textures to suit North American preferences.

  Prepared Thai products can be a substantial source of sales and profits if created properly. While Thai foods are indeed growing in popularity, the NRA's ethnic-cuisine survey indicates that at present, consumers do not prepare Thai food at home from scratch, but generally eat it at restaurants or purchase it as carry-out meals. The reason? Thai foods are not all that easy to prepare at home, and the ingredients can be difficult to locate in the average grocery, so processed Thai foods that are tasty, quick and easy to prepare are sure-fire winners. This creates great potential for Thai product development, and heralds a bright future for this rich and varied cuisine.

  Susheela Uhl, author of the upcoming Handbook on Spices, Seasonings and Flavorings (Technomic Publishing Co., Lancaster, PA) is president of Horizons Inc., a Mamaroneck, NY-based food consulting firm. She develops ethnic and fusion products, provides information on spices and other flavorings, and gives presentations exploring culinary trends and the factors contributing to their emergence. She can be reached via e-mail at [email protected] or by visiting www.SusheelaConsulting.com.

Back to top

3400 Dundee Rd. Suite #100Northbrook, IL 60062Phone: 847-559-0385Fax: 847-559-0389E-mail: [email protected]Website: www.foodproductdesign.com