Thai Food
Spicy Foods
Thai food is a notoriously spicy type of food – great for anyone who loves a bit of heat with their meals. There is no dispute that Thailand as a nation consumes more chilli than any other, and they love using it in their wide range of national dishes. This great flavour is created also by the addition of a wide variety of herbs and spices, from basil to ginger, that really make this type of food distinctive. Here is a brief guide to the best ways to make a spicy dish taste great and provide an interesting meal for everyone’s tastes.
You may not realise that Thai food incorporates a number of different types of chilli. Chilli is used in all types of Thai dish, from meatballs, to pizzas, sausages and used as condiments. Different chilli is used in different dishes as well as in different areas of Thailand, and the most common is known as the standard Thai chilli, available across the world. Thai food also incorporates the south-western US type of chilli, as well as the extra spicy chilli known as prik kee nu.
The most important use of chillies in Thai cooking is in hot curry. Curry is a popular dish that uses a variety of ingredients and spices to create unique flavours, depending on the variety of the curry (green, red, penang, yellow or massaman). You may prefer certain curries based on what meats or vegetables they contain
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Ginger is also increasingly popular in Thai food, and a great way to make any dish spicy. Ginger is perhaps most popular in stir fry cooking as well as fish dishes. Its flavour is one of a kind, and it is used in all sorts of recipes including boiled in a tea. To cook with ginger all you need to do is buy the root from a store, either pre grated or grate it for yourself into the food. Using this kind of fresh ginger is usually a much better option that buying dried powdered ginger; it will really add some spice to any dish.
On top of chilli and ginger, Thai food is not complete without the addition of herbs. One of the most popular herbs is lemon basil, a delicious addition to any spicy food. Basil is extremely popular and adds a wonderful flavour to any dish, whether this is sweet basil or lemon basil. This is slightly different from normal varieties of basil, where the leaves are smaller and the flavour is distinctive of Thai cooking. Herbs such as this combined with chilli are what make the flavours of Thai cooking so unforgettable, and what give it that unique spicy kick.
These are the main ways in which Thai food utilises many different methods to create tasty and spicy food. However, these herbs and spices can be used in all kinds of foods where you want to create a spicy kick. You can either create your own recipes or try out some tasty Thai food for that spicy experience.
