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Thai Cooking Tips

Cooking is easy. Yet, superior cooking requires paying attention to each and every step in the process. If you have been cooking for a long time, you unconsciously have already made hundreds of decisions every time you are in the kitchen. This does not require more cooking time, in fact it is easier and more enjoyable, especially once you get a grasp on the fundamental techniques used to create the authentic tastes of any region and Thai food is no different. Once you master the basics, you can modify recipes and create your own dishes with ease. The first stage of a recipe often requires some preparation of the raw ingredients. In the following section you will find some of the most common techniques explained. Once you get everything prepped, then it’s time to cook.

Recipes are merely guidelines. The variance of the raw ingredients and the use of different equipment requires adaptation to the changing situation in the kitchen. Sometimes it’s good to get ahead. I have provided you with tips for preparing lemongrass, chilies, rhizomes, and peanuts. All of these actually freeze rather well, nothing tastes like fresh, but depending on your location this may be the difference of making something with what you have stored away or not making it at all.

For the lemongrass, chilies, rhizomes, if they are whole, I peel them first and place in a thick, air-tight plastic resealable bag. When I need some, I pull it out and cut it as needed otherwise using a rasp or other grater to grate off exactly what I need. When you have already prepared them I suggest you spread them out on a baking sheet, then freeze. This keeps the individual piece separate, once frozen, gather up quickly (avoid defrosting) and refreeze in a bag, allowing you to easily retrieve what you need, when you need it.

I recommend that you read the recipe first, you may even want to follow it the first time you make it. Take the time to read through the recipe, a couple of times if possible. I gather everything I am going to use and get organized. Take a few minutes now, it will make cooking easier and more enjoyable.

What stove do you have? All the recipes in the book were tested extensively on a standard gas range. The traditional recipes were adapted to work at home. Electric ranges can be used, frankly a electric cook-top can often have more heat than a gas home range, but the big down fall is the lack of response (delayed really) making cooking on these difficult. When you need to begin on high heat and then lower it quickly, I turn on two burners—one high and one low so I can move the pan when I need to “lower the heat” immediately.

Can you spell Thai? Since the Thai language is not based on the Roman alphabet, translating into the written English language gives way to numerous spellings for recipes and ingredients alike. There may be a government standard but ingredient labels, menus, books, and website spellings vary, keep alert so you can recognize the recipe or ingredient.

I have given you weights (in grams) for any dry ingredients with a ¼ cup or more per recipe. Depending on how you pack a measuring cup with basil the amount can vary greatly. (A cup of basil averages 25 grams but when testing the recipe we had as little as 30 grams and as much as 40 grams) Don’t worry about it, it’s cooking after all, use what you feel is correct, you can always add more!

Preparing Ginger and Galangal

These underground stems are very fibrous and hence may need to be cut a certain way to ensure the best texture for your recipes. Whether they are whole or prepared already, you can freeze these successfully.

Peeling First: I like to use the edge of a spoon to scrape away the peel.

Slicing: Large wafers can infuse broths and curries. I recommend cutting them into ¹⁄8 inch (3 mm) thick to extract the maximum flavor and still thick enough to pull them out later.

Mincing: Trim off one edge creating a flat surface to stand it up on, slice large thin slabs ¹⁄16 – ¹⁄8 inch (1–3 mm). Restack these up, then cut into very thin, ¹⁄16 – ¹⁄8 inch (1–3 mm) strips, gather these up, turn them 90 degrees and cut across. Then cut each half lengthwise into fine long strips. Turn these 90 degrees and cut perpendicular (¹⁄8 inch/3 mm) to create a minced ginger. Then cut back and forth a few times to make sure it is all cut evenly.

Preparing Lemongrass

Usually store-bought lemongrass has the long leaves trimmed from the top. The hearty stalk’s bottom 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) is the most tender and aromatic and they are the part most often used in cooking.

1 Cut off the tops, discarding the discolored layers. Save the tops for another use such as the Lemongrass Iced Tea (page 115) or add a few of these to a simmering stock. I keep a re-sealable plastic bag in the freezer and add a few at a time as I cook, then occasionally I need them when fresh is not available or I may make some iced tea.

2 Trim off the discolored bottom of the root end, then peel off any discolored outer layers, I usually take off at least one of the older outer layers that has been exposed to other shoppers’ hands and is probably dehydrated anyway.

3 The next step is determined on what you want to do with the lemongrass.

Thinly sliced to be used as is or ground into paste: Carefully cut the trimmed stalk in half lengthwise, then cut off the hard core at the bottom. It does not taste good, certainly not like the rest of the stalk so I generally cut it out. Turn halves 90 degrees and cut perpendicular very thinly (¹⁄8 inch/3 mm maximum), creating crescent-shaped slices.

Bruised for Infusion

Use a blunt object to bruise the stalk.

Bruised for infusion: Use a blunt object to bruise the stalk (the back of a knife works fine), bruise just enough for the liquid to penetrate and allow the flavor to escape, keeping intact so it does not fall apart in the simmering curry or soup.

Minced to be used as is: Carefully cut the trimmed stalk in half lengthwise, then cut off the hard core at the bottom. Next cut each half lengthwise into fine long strips. Turn these 90 degrees and cut perpendicularly (¹⁄8 inch/3 mm maximum) to create a fine mince of lemongrass. Then cut back and forth a few times to make sure it is all cut evenly.

Thinly sliced for garnish or paste

1 Cut the trimmed stalk in half lengthwise.

2 Cut very thinly into crescent-shaped slices.

Roasting Peanuts

Sounds simple enough, and it is, nevertheless, how you roast them is of utmost importance. Most traditional Asian kitchens do not have ovens and hence have developed non-oven roasting techniques: pan roasting or deep-frying nuts as opposed to the “Western” oven roasting tradition.

Southeast Asian cooks often pan-roast peanuts over low heat, pushing them around the wok as they develop a more complex flavor with dark spots and lighter areas. Chinese cooks have a penchant for deep-frying nuts and this yields a very deep and rich flavor and color. Some cooks buy pre-roasted nuts (I don’t), if you do, at least make sure they are not coated with a seasoning mixture or salt. Regardless of technique, make sure to cool the nuts before grinding them, otherwise they can grind unevenly.