Influenced by Chinese stir fries and Indian curries, Thai cuisine is a hodgepodge style of cooking that encourages experimentation, which will come in handy if you have trouble finding some of its more obscure ingredients.

Unfamiliarity with these foreign flavors, let alone figuring out how they relate to each other, is a common beginners’ obstacle,cheap timberland boots The Classic Car Club of America distinguishes a classic c, but don’t let that discourage you! We promise this will be quick and relatively painless, and the reward—exposure to a new world of flavors—is well worth the effort.

So the next time you’re planning a meal, resist your hankering for a quick take-out fix; check out our beginners’ guide to Thai cuisine below instead, and find out how a little culinary background info and an adventurous palate can make cooking something you actually look forward to, and healthy! We’ve also compiled a list of several traditional Thai ingredients along with everything you’ll need to know to about them, from cooking techniques to health benefits to tips on where to get them. So get psyched for…

Thai Cooking 101

Unlike westerners who generally eat in several courses, a typical Thai meal has just one and is laid out all at once. Steamed rice is a constant at mealtimes, and is accompanied by a number of (typically wok-fried) dishes—approximately one per guest. Eating together is a communal activity, and all the dishes are shared around the table according to custom.

There is generally a balance between sour, salty, sweet and spicy flavors in a dish or across a meal, and it is believed to restore harmony between the body’s Yin and Yang forces. The Yin represents cold, or soothing energy, e.g. coconut milk, and the Yang represents hot energy that increases the pulse rate, e.g. chili peppers.

This theory has been passed down from generation to generation, and while many swear by it, we encourage you to find out for yourself,replica montblanc pens.

Jasmine Rice

The highly-prized and aromatic jasmine rice is almost exclusively native to Thailand, making it one of the less accessible fundamentals of Thai cuisine :( Don’t panic just yet, jasmine rice lovers: more health food and specialty stores are stocking jasmine rice in their packaged grain section,nike shox torch 2, and Asian groceries/marketplaces are even more likely to carry it. Another popular Thai rice is short-grain sticky rice which is easier to find at similar markets, and can be substituted by sushi rice if unavailable.

Tip: Store dry Jasmine rice in a cool area away from moisture and open air; cooked rice can be refrigerated for up to seven days, or stored in the freezer for six months.

emongrass

An essential ingredient in Thai dishes, Lemongrass is an aromatic (some say minty) herb with a lemony flavor. It grows in long fibrous stalks of which only the juicy white-yellow bulbs are used, and it is customary to bruise them with a knife before cutting and cooking to help bring out their aroma and flavor in a dish.

Lemongrass can be finely minced and added to curries and pastes, but it’s most often used like cinnamon or bay leaves, which are typically removed before serving.

Lemongrass has been used since ancient times to relieve fevers, abdominal pain and cold symptoms. It is slowly becoming a more common sight in health food stores and can almost always be found at Asian groceries. If you’re not lucky enough to have one in your area, a mix of lemon zest (rind) with a small amount of ginger is a common substitute for lemongrass, and lemon leaves are sometimes also used. If fresh lemongrass is unavailable, there are dried and powdered varieties. Two tablespoons of powdered spice is equal to about one fresh stalk, and use an extra 2-3 pieces if cooking with dried lemongrass (when seasoning, bear in mind that dried lemongrass is already salted).

If you want the freshest lemongrass possible, you can grow it yourself, but keep it indoors during the colder months if you live in a cooler climate. Seeds can be bought online or at specialty seed stores, or you can just germinate a bulb from another stalk in a jar of water until it roots, and then transfer it to its own pot.

Tip: Basil is another garden-friendly component of Thai cuisine that flourishes in many climates.

Coconut Milk

A ubiquitous staple in Thai food, Coconut milk is the rich base for many curries, sauces, drinks and sweet dishes and is often used to balance out hot or spicy elements. It can be found in most supermarkets or even made at home!

To prepare coconut milk, mix the grated meat of a ripe coconut with warm water and then squeeze out the juice, but unless you can find fresh coconuts, you’re better off using the canned stuff.

A layer of fat at the top is normal (like with real milk), and this fat lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) while promoting good cholesterol. Coconut milk also boosts immunity and provides valuable fatty acids,cheap montblanc pens, putting it at the top of the list of healthy Thai ingredients.

Palm Sugar

Palm sugar is made from the sap of the palm tree and can be found at Asian or Indian specialty food stores,Link. Since it stores well, ordering online is also entirely acceptable. Aside from sweets and desserts, palm sugar can also be used in savory dishes, like fish, to play against their saltiness. The sugar is a golden brown paste, and can be light-colored or dark and gooey. If you can’t get your hands on any, you can substitute with brown sugar.

Fish Sauce

Perhaps the most widespread taste in Thai food is fish sauce, sometimes called the soy sauce of Southeast Asia.

The best fish sauces are usually thin and virtually clear with a salty taste derived from fermented fish (anchovies are the most common).

It has a very pungent aroma and is said to be an acquired taste, but it’s practically used as a salt substitute in many parts of the world. Sugar is sometimes added to highlight its saltiness.

Fish sauce can virtually always be found at an Asian marketplace/grocery near you and is also becoming a regular in the aisles of many specialty-foods store.

Chilies

Generally speaking, the smaller the pepper the hotter it is, and the prik kee noo, the smallest and most popular of the Thai chilies, is no exception. Recent studies show that eating hot red peppers like these can help you fight fat all in itself! Chilies can be served in countless forms, from dried pieces (which are hotter than fresh ones) to minced in a sauce.

The pri kee noo is rated the second hottest pepper in the scoville scale, an index of hot peppers, and the seeds are the hottest part. Many cookbooks recommend preparing them with gloves to avoid skin irritation and not to touch your eyes before washing your hands.

If you can’t find Thai peppers, try dried whole Mexican chilies and soften them with a soak in hot water.

Tip: Don’t drink water to relieve chili heat—rice, beer or milk drinks do a better job.

Congratulations! You’ve passed the course and learned the basics of Thai cooking. Hopefully this guideline has made you feel more comfortable about experimenting with eastern cuisine and armed you with all the facts you need to prepare mouthwatering nutritious meals. For healthiest results, use small amounts of oil and opt for steaming instead of frying whenever possible. Now go have some fun, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different ingredients and combinations. Variety really is the spice of life, and it’s also one of the best ways to get your family excited about eating healthy.




I’m so thankful that it’s turkey and chocolate truffles month! Thanksgiving is my favorite all-American holiday. When else can you stuff yourself silly with a feast that might include some veggies and turkey, but most definitely offers mounds of rich desserts? And, it’s considered a good thing – a tribute to those fun-loving Europeans who came over and partied with the Wampanoag Indians on this day.

Arnold Schwarzenegger loves this holiday, too, perhaps due to his fun-loving European background. He’s been quoted as saying, “I love Thanksgiving turkey … it’s the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts.” He might even be more fun than the Puritans who ate turkey and corn, and I believe chocolate truffles, at the original Thanksgiving table.

Since there was no Thanksgiving Day football game or Macy’s parade when all this got started, they focused totally on food. Chocolate truffles were everywhere! They used them to decorate the top of the pumpkin pies; dropped them in their champagne-filled flutes; squished them between slices of warm bread (thus making the first pain au chocolat); and mixed them with their bowls of popcorn to munch on during the turkey races.

I’m proud to say we continue all those chocolate truffle traditions in my family except, being city dwellers; we don’t have any turkeys to race. My Uncle Milton has his own tradition that I’d like to put a stop to. I’m thinking about gluing some truffles to the seat of my dress so when he goes for his annual grope – surprise! He might get mad, but so what? I think he’d enjoy dinner at Arnie’s better anyway. They could gaze at those big, natural breasts together.

Sorry, I fear I’ve digressed. This is about thanksgiving, an exercise in personal development we are all reminded of at this time of year. However, I happen to be a very thankful person year round. I always say, ‘thanks for last night,’ ‘thanks for the Lexus,’ etc. But I’m especially thankful (and not afraid to show it) when I receive a beautiful box of chocolate truffles. To me, those bite-sized babies are worth their weight in gold.

I’ve been told that the true measure of a person’s thanksgiving nature is when you can be just as thankful for someone else’s gifts as you are for those bestowed upon yourself. That’s kind of a tough one for me. But I’m working on it and want to take this occasion to tell you all that I hope you get tons of chocolate truffles to go with your turkey,nike shox clearance Many couple's sex life revolves around roleplaying and exoti. And, I’m going to include that when we go around the table at our house to say what each of us is thankful for. Really, is there any better way to show the family what kind of person I am? Mmmm, I think not. So, thank you for giving me something else to give thanks for. I’m also adding Black Friday to my list – the perfect day for stocking up on chocolate truffles for Christmas gifts.

Hope to see you at the mall!

(P.S. For anyone na?ve enough to believe all the above is true --- it’s not! But, I’d like to talk to you after dinner.)