While Thai food boasts hundreds of incredibly tasty individual dishes, many of the dishes include the same foundation ingredients added in variations of delicate balance that depend on the desired, and traditionally strict, requirements of the dish. In addition to ingredients, Thai food requires very few specific cooking implements, which is why it’s possible for a Thai food vendor to offer a menu of up to twenty dishes from a 7ft by 3ft mobile workspace that features two gas heads and a couple of woks.
Here to assist with the first steps in creating a kitchen inspired with eastern culinary potential is an inventory of some basic items and ingredients essential for getting started in creating that unique Thai gourmet experience.
Thai Pestle and Mortar
When making Thai curry paste it’s essential to have a good pestle and mortar. While some western Thai food enthusiast might go for the easier option of using a fine electric blender, you won’t know your potential for being a good spouse (a Thai old wives tale) if you don’t test your rhythm and stamina on this sacred culinary devise! The traditional Thai kitchen has two types of pestle and mortar; the first is the heavy rough stoneware type that is used mainly for making pastes. The second is the oversized wooden type that is used for making spicy salads, particularly the lusciously sweet, sour and spicy ‘som tam’ (green papaya salad).
Thai Wok
Generally there are two types of wok used in Thai cooking; the flat bottom wok and the round bottom wok! The round bottom wok is the more traditional of the two with the flat bottom wok only making an appearance in recent years. The main benefits of the round bottom wok include being able to dish-up easily without leaving bits in the pan and also the heat is distributed more evenly when using gas. If you’re using an electric hob, go for the flat bottom option, otherwise the wok will be rocking and rolling all over the place! Go for a relatively light material. The traditional Thai wok is made of uncoated carbon steel, which can be a bit heavy, particularly if you want to impress your friends with your wok-flair by showing off your one handed stir, lift and toss technique, only to find that the wok feels like it’s welded to the stove. Approximately 70 percent of Thai food is cooked using the versatile wok, from deep-frying to boiling, so choose a good one and you will have invested in a good friend to keep you company on your Thai cooking journey.
Essential Thai Sauces
Three of the most essential sauces used in Thai cooking include soy sauce, fish sauce and oyster sauce. Soy sauce is used in a myriad of dishes; a Thai kitchen without this ultra versatile black liquid is equivalent to a western kitchen not having any salt. Equally important is fish sauce. Some westerners find the smell and taste of this pungent sauce a bit too much for the senses, but using this all important ingredient effectively requires balancing its powerful and salty flavour with sugar and often lime and chilli (as in most spicy ‘yam’ salads). Oyster sauce is another essential ingredient used in many Thai dishes including ‘pak boon fai daeng’ (stir fried water spinach). Again, oyster sauce is very salty, so don’t be too health conscious when adding a bit of sugar to balance the flavours.
Essential Thai Herbs
Among the most important Thai herbs to have in your west meets east fusion kitchen are ‘kra phrao’ (holy basil), ‘horapa’ (sweet basil) and ‘pak chi’ (coriander). Save some money – these herbs are massively overpriced in western supermarkets - by planting the seeds for a Thai herb garden (a windowsill will do) after the last winter frost, but keep the little babes inside until the weather is ready to be kind to them. Your herb garden should be fully grown by early summer, at which time you can use those essential greens for dishes such as ‘pad krapao pak’ (stir friend vegetables with holy basil), ‘gaeng khiaw wan’ (green curry), and the wonders of ‘pak chi’ can use in around 40 percent of Thai dishes.
For further information and guidance on authenic Thai cooking, take a look at these related Suite 101 article:
- Thai Cooking Lessons - How to take a Thai Home Cooking Course without Offending a Nation
- Pad Thai Recipe - Authentic Pad Thai for those who Enjoy the Real Thai Food Experience
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