Cooking Thai Cuisine with the Personal Touch

The taste in any Thai cuisine is a combination of five flavors: spicy, sweet, salty, bitter and sour. It is one of the most innovative and adaptable cuisines in the world and could even be considered dynamic, because it combines all the flavors in a very harmonious manner. Because Thai cooking uses fresh ingredients, the taste is absolutely unique.

The exotic ingredients used in Thai recipes may not be available everywhere, but it is still possible to create some delicious dishes at home with the help of some essential ingredients. So at home you could make the fish sauce, the Pad Thai, the Sticky Rice, Curry and even Satay. In fact Thai cooking is so meditative, relaxing and enjoyable, that the food always turns out to be tasty, even if you take the simple recipes.

When you are following a recipe, there is no need to include everything that is present in the ingredients list. The recipe is like a guideline, and once you develop a personal taste for Thai food, you will be in a position to deviate and explore. The combination of the flavors is important, and heat is the binding factor. Since there are no measuring cups in Thailand, you can learn by watching somebody cook it and helping out.

Actually the intensity of each ingredient's flavor can be different every time. Besides, every person has different preferences in the flavor spectrum. So, only when you taste it, you can make out and decide whether you want to add something more or just omit something because you don't like it. The secret of a good Thai dish is an ideal combination of the flavors.

In the Thai cuisine no ingredients are measured exactly, the cooking is therefore flexible. You still have to follow recipes at the beginning, but there is plenty of room for exploration. Measurements of ingredients are mentioned in the recipes, but your 'touch' could vary the taste of the dish, every time you make it.

The common ingredients in Thai food are coconut milk, fresh turmeric and lime juice. Its cuisine is influenced by the cuisine of the neighboring countries especially India, China and Malaysia. A Thai full meal consists of either a single dish or rice khao with many complementary dishes served with it. Rice is the staple food, and jasmine rice with its natural aroma is made as steamed rice. To accompany the rice are highly aromatic curries and stir fries which have large quantities of chilies, lime juice and lemon grass.

Noodles are also an important part of the Thai cuisine and are cooked as a single dish, like the stir fried Pad Thai or noodle soups. For desserts, coconut is the main ingredient, especially a combination of milk and shredded coconut. Coconut milk forms the base of many dishes like soup and curries. And desserts are rolled in shredded coconut to make them tasty and look good.

The Thai cuisine could be purely vegetarian, but there is a large variety of fish, poultry and meat dishes as well. Take your choice and cook the perfect Thai meal for your family and friends, just to suit everyone's taste.