Did you know that “Nam Jim” is a generic name that is used as a blanket term for pretty much ALL of Thailand’s dipping sauces? And you’ll see this name used on all of the dipping sauces in restaurants and street food stalls, even though the ingredients between certain kinds can vary greatly. However, the flavour among all of them resonates in between notes of spicy, sour and sweet. I personally always serve my nam jim alongside whatever Thai snacks and general meals that I make everyday. But how many kinds of nam jim are there? After perusing through my mum’s cookbook and some internet sleuthing, I’ve found there to be over 10 varieties of Thai dipping sauce regularly available...
Now we all know that Thai curries are everyone’s favourite dish, but there’s a myriad of ways to make ‘em. Some popular ones you may have heard of are green curry (“gaeng keow waan”), “massaman curry”, “panaeng curry” and yellow curry (“gaeng gari.”) Now, Thai curries in general can be divided into 2 categories; coconut base or water base. The choice shouldn’t be taken lightly, as the base will highly reflected in the taste and texture of the final outcome. Some coconut base curries will include green curry, red curry, yellow curry, massama curry and panaeng curry. Water base curries include sour soup curry, jungle curry and southern style yellow curry. Obviously homemade curry paste is always preferable and generally tastes...
When “curry and rice” is talked about, the mind usually jumps to Indian cuisine, however, many cuisines worldwide have their own take on curry and rice, including Japanese culture. I feel as though I must bring all this to your attention as I myself am a strong advocate for curries (especially the soupy and spicy ones!) But did you know that Thais can eat rice with curries for breakfast, lunch and dinner? That’s how much we love this dish! Khao Gaeng or Khao Rad Gaeng shops (i.e. food stalls) on every street corner will usually have their own spinoff of this dish. “Khao” means rice and “Gaeng” means curry. BUT these street stalls sell more than just the aforementioned dishes...
There are over 200 types of mangos in Thailand with varying textures and tastes to go around, with some being nice and crunchy when unripe, along with some tasting better when ripened. The most popular types of mangos in Thailand are “Nam Dok Mai”, “Ok Rong”, “Rad” and “Khio Sawoi.” And just like there are multiple ways to skin a cat, the same can be said for your mangos! Now, personally, my favourite type of mango is “Nam Dok Mai”, with the name translating to “flower water.” This gem consists of sweet and tangy flavours when ripened and emits an even sweeter fragrance - perfect with sticky rice! But Khio Sawoi is one type of mango that I personally love, in...
Hi Gastronomy lovers! Sao here, We have a festival on November 19th called “Loy Krathong”, which involves a lot of festivities, and a lot of food! Loy Krathong is an event that is celebrated annually in the evening of the full moon, every 12th month in the Thai lunar calendar. Hence why the exact date changes every year. The process involves floating a small container (or “krathong”), made of fashioned leaves, with the intent to launch on to a river,canal, or pond. This krathong is usually made of a banana tree trunk, or bread and/or styrofoam in more modern times. A bread krathong also makes for great fish food once it disintegrates! And what I really like is the ability to...
