Thai Foodcast

Easy Thai Food Explained

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Asian Ingredients
Coconut Milk Print E-mail

coconutmilk.jpgCoconut Milk is a white milky product of coconut meat crushed and infused with water used in cooking throughout Asia. It should not be confused with coconut juice, a refreshing drink which is the naturally occurring liquid inside fresh coconuts. Usually sold condensed in cans, and found in any grocery store, (or online here) coconut milk is used as a base for several Thai recipes, including Coconut Chicken Soup, and Green Curry Chicken, as well as some desserts.

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Jackfruit Print E-mail

jackfruit.jpgThe jackfruit is the single largest fruit in the world that comes off a tree. They can weigh up to 80 pounds and be three feet in length. The outside of the fruit is greenish yellow, and it has a thick leathery spiky skin. The sap inside is as sticky as glue, and it takes some work to get the fruit out.. The fruit itself looks like large corn kernels and is fibrous and sweet.

In Thailand most families have a jackfruit tree in their backyard, the reason is that the name of the fruit in Thai is "ka-noon". "Noon" means "support" in Thai. So by having this tree behind you, you have support behind your family.

Practically what this means is that there are millions of these trees producing these incredibly large fruits and they are commonly found everywhere in the kingdom. The fruit inside is delicious, and I think best served a bit chilled.

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Chili (Thai) Print E-mail

thaichili.jpgThai Chilies (also known as birds-eye chili, or prik kee new in Thai) are the staple flavoring of most Thai cuisine. These small but very hot peppers are not native to Thailand, but were introduced by the Portuguese, and man the Thais just ran with them. They flavor just about every food, breakfast, lunch, and dinner with these spicy peppers.

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Coconut (Fresh) Print E-mail

freshcoconut.jpgFresh Coconut (also called green or young) looks different than the normal coconuts that you might buy at the supermarket. They are usually sold with the husk still around the hard shell. In fresh coconuts the meat hasn't had the time to get hardened yet, and has a soft smooth texture and rich flavor that make them especially tasty. Fresh coconut is not suitable for cooking or shredding, and is only for eating fresh.

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Basil (Holy) Print E-mail

holybasil.jpgHoly Basil gets its name from its long time use as a medicine and in religious ceremonies in India. The leaves themselves are small, green and hairy, with a smattering of purple. The stems are purple as well, and it has a slightly bitter and extremely pungent taste and odor, it's one of the strongest tasting basils.

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