Versatile dishes of Thailand
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Condiments contribute a great deal to Thai cuisine. But unlike in other countries where salt and pepper do the job, no table setting in Thailand is complete without a handy dish of nam pla or fish sauce, served with tiny floating chilies. Many Thailand visitors have yet to go beyond westernized Chinese food when it comes to Asian cuisine. So those who happen to sample authentic Thai food are delightfully surprised. Chili is a mainstay in Thai cooking. And it’s something you won’t find in a Chinese restaurant back home. But even without the chili, there’s something distinct about Thai food. Rice is a basic item in every typical Thai meal. In Bangkok ,the long grained white rice is popular, while around Chiang Mai and the Northeast, it is the glutinous or sticky rice. A famous rice preparation is the kao pat, or Thai fried rice. Condiments contribute a great deal to Thai cuisine. But unlike in other countries where salt and pepper do the job, no table setting in Thailand is complete without a handy dish of nam pla or fish sauce, served with tiny floating chilies. One of the most popular – and most filling – main Thai dish is gaeng or curry, heavily spiced and aromatic. Its main ingredients are curry paste, garlic, peppercorns, lemon grass and, of course, chilies. Coconut milk gives it that rich and creamy texture Gaeng kieo wan is a classic Thai curry, green and slightly sweet. Usually prepared with chicken, it’s mildly hot. In Northern Thailand, a popular curry is gaeng hang lae, an adapted Burmese curry made of pork, pork fat and ginger. It is usually eaten with sticky rice. Thai soups are sometimes called gaeng, as in the case of “gaeng jeud.” Not a meal in itself, it is often eaten with other dishes. Its ingredients include chunks of beef, duck, minced pork or fish balls in a clear vegetable broth. Perfect for the timid, it’s not hot at all. Thai meals usually consist of a soup, a curry dish with condiments and a dip with fish and vegetables on the side. The soup can be spicy, but the curry should be replaced by non-spicy items. Each flavor to the total taste of the meal. No matter where, when or how you eat Thai food, it’s sure to leave a lasting impression on you. Jus remember to tell the cook to go easy on the chilies.
Tom yam for good health The ingredients of Thailand’s best-known soup, tomyam khung has been discovered to help prevent cancer of the digestive tract. Penanapha Subcharoen director of the Institute for Traditional Thai Medicine, revealed recently that all ingredients of the soup has individual anti-cancer properties. Bai ma-krut or kaffir lime leaf is known for its blood-purifying properties, including lowering high blood pressure. Ta-khai or lemon grass is known for its digestive qualities, as it discards gas and destroys bacteria. Hom daeng or red onion and mango are antioxidants and known for their Vitamin C content. Kha or galangal ginger also helps in digestion. Even the tiny, spicy chilies have cancer-preventing properties. The institute had earlier studied 10 types of chilli paste and found that at least four of them help to reduce cell mutation which often leads to cancer. Thus the tom yam khung soup effectively helps to prevent tumours in the digestive tract much more effectively than other anti-oxidants, including vitamin precursor Betacarotene and Vitamin C. A study shows Thailand’s popular soup helps prevent cancer The study also revealed that galangal ginger, lemon grass, kaffir-lime leaves, which are important ingredients of the soup, are all effective in inhibiting tumors. Bergamottin, found in kaffir lime leaves, is three times more effective than betacarotene, and humulene in lemon grass is 30 times more potent. So, the next time you tuck into this delectable soup at your Thai restaurant, revel in it because you know it’s good not just for the taste buds but the health chart too.
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