4 Easy Thai Dishes to Make at Home
Thailand is an exciting destination known specifically for a vibrant culture and incredible cuisine. Traditional Thai fare boasts bold flavors and exotic ingredients, as well as careful preparation that results in favorites like curry, fried noodles, and seafood dishes. If you love the taste of Thai food but don't want to go to a restaurant to enjoy it, use one of these easy recipes to try your favorite Thai dishes at home.
1. Pad Thai
This is often considered to be the national dish of Thailand. It is simple to prepare, found on every street corner in Bangkok and is boasts sweet, salty, spicy, and sour flavors. Start by making a sauce that consists of fish sauce, tamarind, brown sugar, and chili powder. Mix this together ahead of time. You will also need to soak rice noodles in cold water for a few minutes before cooking the dish. Traditional Pad Thai is made one or two portions at a time in a hot wok. Heat a wok or a frying pan with oil and cook your favorite Pad Thai toppings like chicken, shrimp, tofu and garlic. Add in a serving of rice noodles and bean sprouts before cracking an egg over the whole dish. Incorporate the egg until the whole dish is cooked through and serve straight away.
2. Tom Yum Gai
This Thai soup is the perfect alternative to an ordinary chicken noodle soup. In a large pot, make a fragrant soup stock using chicken stock, leftover cooked chicken, lime leaves, ginger, chili, mushroom, and celery. Once all the ingredients of the stock are cooked thoroughly and the celery is soft, add in coconut milk, fish sauce, juice from a fresh lime, sugar, and soy sauce. This soup will take less than twenty minutes to prepare and is a delicious warm meal full of exotic flavors. To serve Tom Yum Gai, simply ladle it into a bowl and top with chopped spring onions or even fresh coriander.
3. Chicken Satay
If you need a fun finger food to bring to a potluck or you just want to create some elegant appetizers for a party, chicken satay skewers fit the bill perfectly. The night before, marinate diced chicken thighs or breasts in a Thai marinade. This marinade should be made from lemongrass, soy sauce, coriander, turmeric, chili flakes, cilantro, ginger, honey, and vinegar. Let the chicken sit in the marinade overnight or for up to 24 hours. Then, simply skewer the chicken pieces onto sticks. These can be easily grilled outdoors or even placed in the oven and broiled for 10 minutes.
4. Fresh Mango and Coconut Sticky Rice
This classic dessert is the most popular way to finish off a meal in Thailand. Using a rice cooker, cook Thai Jasmine rice using half water and half coconut milk. This will give it the sweet, sticky consistency for which it is known. Let the coconut rice cool in the fridge before serving it with fresh mango for dessert. To add some extra flair to the dish, top each serving with shaved coconut pieces or even a dollop of whipped cream.Although Thai food may involve some exotic ingredients like fish sauce and lemongrass, these items are inexpensive and can be used in hundreds of different recipes. Try one of these four delicious dishes next time you are craving Thai food at home.
Renee Varney is a freelance blogger and occasionally writes for delivery.com a site she loves using to find local Thai DeliveryOrder Chinese Delivery