Mastering Thai Cuisine

Thai cooking is exciting and combining all these new and exotic flavors results in some stunning dishes. The fusion of various flavors and spices separates Thai cuisine from most other culinary styles. The great thing about Thai cooking is that it is not difficult to master and the steps and utensils are very simple and easy to master. Learn a few Thai tips and tricks will make the process easier and a whole lot of fun.

Master these and you will be on your way to some great Thai cooking:

1. Use only fresh in season produces – this will differentiate you Thai cooking from bad Thai cooking. Fresh lemon grass is far superior in texture and flavor to dried lemon grass. If fresh is unavailable rather use frozen as often the flavors are still intact.

2. You need to use the right Thai cooking utensils. These would include a wok and a wooden spatula. These items are fairly inexpensive but are a key to success. One of the basic skills in Thai cooking is stir frying – you can’t do this without a wok. Another useful implement is a marble mortar and pestle to grind and crush the ingredients. A mortar and pestle is much better at extracting the flavors than a blender for instance. You should also obtain a rice cooker – most Thai dishes do use cooked rice.

3. When making fried rice you should use cold leftover rice. Cooked rice doesn’t work as well. Always refrigerate leftover rice – this will add the right texture to your fried rice. Usually about 2 days old works best.

4. Thai cooking is fast cooking so prepare all you ingredients ahead of time. All your oil to heat up before adding your ingredients to the wok – this will prevent the food from absorbing the oil. If the oil has dried up as you stir fry, just add cooking wine or water instead of additional oil.

Learning Thai cooking can be an exciting and tasty adventure for any gourmet cook. Mastering these basics is all you need to know to get started.