Articles
78 posts
Prepare hor mok fish curry custard in ramekins and compare mixing methods
How to make hor mok pla, the Thai steamed fish curry custard, in four 6-ounce ramekins, how batter and mousse mixing methods differ, and how to check doneness at 160°F.
Cucumber Dipping Sauce for Thai Fish Cakes, and How It Differs from Ajat Relish
Make the sweet-sour cucumber dipping sauce for Thai fish cakes: ingredients, order of steps, consistency cues, and how it differs from ajat cucumber relish.
Understand and prepare Thai fish cakes, their springy paste and accompaniments
How to make tod mun pla with a springy curry-fish paste, judge the paste and cooked cakes, keep seafood safe, and choose what to serve with Thai fish cakes.
Identify fingerroot or krachai and choose a form for Thai cooking
What krachai (fingerroot) is, how to tell it apart from galangal, ginger and kencur, which Thai dishes use it, and how to choose between fresh, frozen, brined and powdered forms.
Distinguish culantro, cilantro and coriander parts in Thai cooking
Culantro and cilantro are different plants, and coriander can mean leaf, stem, root or seed. Learn which one a Thai recipe means and when substitution makes sense.
Understand Kua Kling Dry Curry and Compare Meat and Tofu Preparations
How Southern Thai kua kling works: paste, protein and added liquid compared across meat, pork-with-coconut and tofu-mushroom versions, with method order and cues.
Prepare Thai long-bean salad with its pounded dressing
How to make som tum tua, the Isan-style pounded yardlong-bean salad: ingredients, mortar sequence, gentle bruising of the beans and taste cues before serving.
Identify fresh banana blossom and prepare its usable inner portions
Banana blossom, called hua plee in Thai, is the purple-red flower bud of the banana plant. Learn its English names, how to recognize it, and how to trim and soak it for Thai dishes.
Prepare Thai banana blossom salad with prawns and coconut dressing
A practical guide to Thai banana blossom salad with prawns: trimming and slicing fresh blossoms, building a tamarind and coconut cream dressing, and assembling the dish.
Identify culinary pandan and choose leaves, extract or flavoring
How to recognize Thai pandan (bai toey), which form a recipe needs (fresh leaves, frozen, dried, extract or bottled essence), and how to prep, store and freeze the leaves.