Thai High

If ever I’ve to choose my last meal, I’ll pick all my favorites from Thai cuisine to get that last high! The bursts of flavor on my tongue and the aroma would be refreshing, satisfying and divine to all my senses alike. It’s a harmonious blend of sweet, salty, sour, spicy and bitter, all of it together.

Thai cuisine is extremely diverse as it has adapted some culinary traditions from its neighboring countries of Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, China and Cambodia. But it’s the balance, freshness & magic of Thai ingredients and strong aromatic herbs, and the ways of preparation that makes it irresistible. Common herbs like basil, mint, lemongrass, cilantro, taste and smell very different in Thailand. Other flavors come from galangal, ginger, tamarind, turmeric, garlic, shallots, black & white peppercorn, kaffir lime, and of course spicy red and green chilies.

Pla Goong – Spicy Prawn and lemongrass salad

Deep fried Crispy Fish with Mango Salad

Stir fried Blue crab with fresh green pepper and vegetables

Thai meals consist of either a single dish, like stir-fry noodles (Pad Thai), Noodle soup, fried rice, or it’s rice (Khao in Thai), accompanied with many complementary dishes like salad, curry, fried seafood and fresh crunchy vegetables. Rice is a staple here like many asian countries. The Thai version is a very aromatic sweet-smelling ‘jasmine rice’.
Thai cooking lays emphasis on lightly prepared dishes & fresh ingredients and the food is served with a variety of sauces (nam chim) and condiments. There are various sauces, using ingredients like fish sauce, lime juice, chopped chillies, garlic, dried chili flakes & rice vinegar. Kaffir lime leaves appear in almost all soups and curries.

Tom Yum – Spicy lemongrass soup and Tom Kha – Spicy coconut soup

Goong Pad Kee Mao Sen Yai – Stir fried flat noodles with prawn

Pad Thai – Thai style stir fried rice noodles (usually at breakfast)

Its best enjoyed in a group as there are more dishes to savour. I eat Thai food regularly and some of the dishes are just so heavenly that I am trying to learn their Thai names.
Some pictures of the mouth-watering Thai food…Sanook! 🙂

Ba mee (egg noodles) – Egg noodle in soup with fish balls & minced BBQ pork

Khao Phad NumPrik Phao – Fried rice in chili paste

Crayfish stir fried and fried rice

Prawn fried rice

Most of the photographs are from Secret Cliff Restaurant at Phuket, Thailand. Baan Rim Pa at Kalim Bay near Patong beach is the best in Phuket with amazing views, service & ambience. It has won many awards too.Promthep Cape Restaurant at Promthep Cape, the southernmost tip of Phuket also has great views and authentic thai food. And last but not the least is Kan Eang @ the Pier, at Chalong Bay. Kan Eang serves great Thai food with views of the pier at Chalong Bay. Enjoy the views of the above restaurants in my earlier post on Gastronomy : With a view.

Dessert – Coconut ice cream and Fried Banana with ice cream

P.S. A useful tip if you like your food super spicy – ask the chef to make the dish Thai style phet. Phet means ‘hot’ in Thai.

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