A Thai Restaurant Provides A Good Place To Sample The Food Of Thailand

Oriental cuisine in its many different forms has been popular in the United States for years; however there is one form of Oriental cuisine that has recently gained more popularity. Thai cuisine shares many of the styles and ingredients of other Oriental cuisines. Chances are if there is a Thai restaurant in your area then it most likely serves some of the traditional favorites of Thailand.

Upon your first visit to a Thai restaurant you may think that many of the dishes are similar to those you will get a Chinese or Japanese restaurant. However, one you try some of these dishes you will notice a difference in the two cuisines. Typically Thai food tends to contain a fair amount of heat, meaning it is rather spicy. This does not mean that all Thai cuisine is spicy, in fact there are different regions of Thailand that all have an effect on the heat and flavor intensity of the food.

The popularity of Thai cuisine has increased greatly in recent years, with at least one Thai restaurant in each major city across the United States. If you have a Thai restaurant in your area but you have hesitated to try them because you are simply not familiar with the food that is served, this simple explanation of some of the more popular dishes may encourage you to try Thai food.

While the two foods are not exactly the same, if you enjoy Chinese food you will probably enjoy Thai food as well. The mainstay in both cuisines is rice and it is probably prevalent in many of the dishes that your local restaurant offers. It is tradition to serve groups of dishes with a complement of rice accompanying it. Thai food is prepared in several different ways but the most popular are stir fry and steam cooking.

Seasoning is an important part of oriental cuisine and this is no exception with Thai food. Many of the most popular dishes will be a culmination of sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. It is also common to find the food served with various condiments that accent the flavor of the food.

The condiments that you will typically find in a Thai restaurant is chili powder, sweet chili sauce, fish sauce and a condiment known as nam pla. Nam pla is a type of fish sauce that consists of anchovies, salt and water. The anchovies and salt are placed in a box and allowed to ferment. The end result is an intensely flavored condiment.

There are several times that can be found in any good Thai cook's kitchen. Including in these mainstay items is ginger, coconut milk, chilies, and cilantro. Rice is of course something that will be found in the pantry of a Thai restaurant. Rice is often served alongside dishes and is also used as main ingredient in cooking. Rice is used to make pasta and wrappers for spring rolls.

Perhaps the most popular rice dish in traditional Thai cuisine is Pad Thai. Pad Thai is actually a term that translates to Thai style frying. This is a noodle dish that is made from stir fried rice noodles that are combined with eggs, peanuts, shallots, sprouts and a choice of meats. The Pad Thai that is found in many American Thai restaurants is a variation of a popular dish that is sold at roadside stands all throughout Thailand.

Also popular is a dish known as Rad Na. This dish is a common item found on the menu of a Thai restaurant. Rad Na consists of rice noodles that have been cut wide, mushrooms, and garlic. This dish will also contain sea food or another protein and will be covered in thin gravy that is made of corn starch or tapioca.

Article Source: TravelFreeGuides.com

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Learn more about Thai restaurants, St Paul. Stop by Choua Phia 's site where you can find a full menu of Thai dishes available

by: Choua Phia

Total views: 4 Word Count: 643 Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2010 Time: 5:27 PM - 0 comments

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