When you are next ordering a Thai takeaway to your Highgate home, consider the history of the food you are eating.
Thailand has a rich food culture going back many centuries and even millennia.
Chicken satay
One of the most famous dishes to come out of Thai cuisine is chicken satay. It has become famous the world over due to the tasty convenience it offers. If you haven’t had it before it is marinated chicken, served with a spicy peanut sauce
Traditionally the meat can consist of sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork fish or other meat and even tofu and most authentic versions will be served on a skewer from a coconut palm frond. These are traditionally cooked over a charcoal or wood fire so will have a smoky element to them.
The history of this dish is interesting, as it is thought that the dish originated in Indonesia, after it was brought there from Muslim traders beginning their chicken kabab from the Middle East, via India.
Though it is very popular across South East Asia, it is really Indonesia that can claim it as its own.
Pad Thai
Nothing says Thailand quite like a Pad Thai, it is even in the name. Pad thai is made with soaked dried rice noodles, which are stir-fried with eggs and tofu. The distinctive taste comes from tamarind pulp, fish sauce, dried shrimp, garlic or shallots, red chili pepper and palm sugar. It is then of course served with chopped peanuts and slices of lime.
There are of course a wide range of other ingredients that can be added to a pad Thai, including a range of other vegetables and meat. The vegetables that can be added are a great way to introduce yourself to myriad southeaster vegetables such as radishes or raw banana flowers.
It is thought to have been introduced to Thailand from Chinese traders, and the Thai Government even banned the creation of pad thai with pork at one point, as it argued this was a Chinese meat.
Khao phat
This is one of the most popular rice dishes in Thailand and sees jasmine rice mixed with meat or fish as well as egg, onions, garlic and sometimes tomatoes. It is most similar to Chinese fried rice which you may have had before.
The dish will also be seasoned with soy sauce, sugar salt and chilli sauce, of course ever popular nam pla plays a role in bringing out the umami flavours of this dish.
If you are celebrating a special occasion and want to go fancier then ask for a Khao op sapparot which is always served inside a pineapple with raisins and nuts.
There are a range of other products that can be added to the fish, and Khao Kluk Kapi includes shrimp paste which makes the rice taste slight salty, and is surround by shredded sour green mango, sliced chillies, cucumbers, omelette, more shrimp and sliced shallots.
