Tips for Thai food
Did you enjoy your holiday—and especially the incredibly delicious Thai food—in a romantic beachside restaurant overlooking the sea? Would you like to relive those wonderful memories at home by cooking Thai food yourself? No problem! You can find the ingredients at many markets, and the specialty items at an Asian grocery store. To make cooking easier, I’ve put together a few tips for you here. I learned most of what I know while cooking at the wonderful "Blue Elephant Restaurant" in Bangkok.
Freezing Coriander
Coriander is seasonal where I live, so it’s only available fresh in summer. I don’t like it dried. For me, the best way to have coriander on hand when I need it is to buy several bunches at the market in summer. Anything I don’t use straight away, I chop finely and freeze.
The leaves: chop them up, put them in an ice cube tray and top up with a little water. Freeze, then transfer to a container so you can portion them out.
Stems and roots: Wash them. Cut the stems into pieces, trim the roots and rinse them. Then freeze the stems and roots separately! After a few hours, take them out and put them back in the freezer in a freezer-safe container.
Mortar and pestle – bigger is better
I originally had a small mortar too, the kind that looked more like something from a pharmacy. It was only in Thailand that I learned a large mortar is easier to use thanks to the weight of the pestle, and simply does the job more reliably. For example, a few strokes are enough to crush lemongrass or coriander roots and release their juices and aromas. And if you want to make your own curry paste—which I highly recommend—you can’t do without a good mortar. You’ll find one in any well-stocked Asian grocery store!
Working with chillies the right way
Rule 1: Chillies are extremely hot! Not just in your stomach, but on your skin too. You must wash your hands THOROUGHLY after handling chillies, preferably with soap! Otherwise, you may be in for a surprise if you touch your face or the area around your eyes without doing so!!
Rule 2: You can significantly reduce the heat of the chillies by slicing them lengthwise and removing all the white seeds!
Mise en place—get everything ready!
Thai cooking is fundamentally different from the way we cook at home. For example, at home I can boil the potatoes and calmly prepare the vegetables while they cook, then move on to the schnitzel. Our cooking times give us enough time to do things one after another.
A great many dishes in Thai cuisine are cooked in a wok. Sometimes the next ingredient is added after just 20 seconds. If you haven’t prepared everything in advance, including having the right equipment ready, your food can quickly overcook. So:
- Get the knives, peeler, pots, pans and oven ready
- Prepare all the ingredients in advance and, if necessary, weigh them out and place them in small bowls, for example next to the stove. So if the recipe says to cut lemongrass into 1 cm pieces, don’t put the whole stalk out.