Thai Cuisine

Thai food is internationally famous. Whether chili-hot or comparatively bland, harmony is the
guiding principle behind each dish. Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern
and Western influences harmoniously combined into something uniquely Thai. The characteristics
of Thai food depend on who cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what occasion, and where it is
cooked to suit all palates. Originally, Thai cooking reflected the characteristics of a waterborne
lifestyle. Aquatic animals, plants and herbs were major ingredients.

Thai cuisine is also known for its balance of five fundamental flavors in each dish or the overall
meal - hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty and bitter (optional). Although popularly considered as a
single cuisine, Thai food is really better described as four regional cuisines corresponding to the
four main regions of the country: Northern, Northeastern (or Isan), Central and Southern. Southern
curries, for example, tend to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while northeastern dishes
often include lime juice. Thai cuisine has been greatly influenced by its neighbors, especially
India, China, Malaysia, and Laos. Many dishes are in fact Chinese dishes adapted to local tastes.

Geography

Located in Southeast Asia and bordering the Gulf of Thailand between Burma and Cambodia. The
word "thai" means "free," thus "Thailand" means, literally, "land of the free." The people of
Thailand experience either a big-city life or a quiet village existence.

Influence

Culinary influences from the 17th century onwards included Portuguese, Dutch, French and
Japanese. Chilies were introduced to Thai cooking during the late 1600s by Portuguese
missionaries who had acquired a taste for them while serving in South America.

Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices as well as
fish sauce.Thai food is popular in many Western countries especially in Australia, New Zealand,
some countries in Europe such as the United Kingdom, as well as the United States, and Canada.

Eating Style

Instead of a single main course with side dishes found in Western cuisine, a Thai full meal
typically consists of either a single dish or rice (Thai: khao) with many complementary dishes
served concurrently.

Thai food is generally eaten with a fork and a spoon. Chopsticks are used rarely, primarily for the
consumption of noodle soups. The fork, held in the left hand, is used to shovel food into the spoon.
However, it is common practice for Thais and hill tribe peoples in the North and Northeast to eat
sticky rice with their right hands by making it into balls that are dipped into side dishes and eaten.
Thai-Muslims also frequently eat meals with only their right hands.
Often Thai food is served with a variety of spicy condiments to embolden dishes. This can range
from dried chili pieces, or sliced chili peppers in rice vinegar, to a spicy chili sauce such as the
nam prik mentioned above.

Cooking Methods & medium

Traditional Thai cooking methods were stewing and baking, or grilling. Chinese influences saw
the introduction of frying, stir frying and deep-frying.

Thais were very adept at 'Siamese-ising' foreign cooking methods, and substituting ingredients.
The ghee used in Indian cooking was replaced by coconut oil, and coconut milk substituted for
other daily products. Eventually, fewer and less spices were used in Thai curries, while the use of
fresh herbs increased. It is generally acknowledged that Thai curries burn intensely, but briefly,
whereas other curries, with strong spices, burn for longer periods. Instead of serving dishes in
courses, a Thai meal is served all at once, permitting dinners to enjoy complementary
combinations of different tastes.

Staple Foods

Rice is a staple component of Thai cuisine, as it is of most Asian cuisines. The highly prized,
sweet-smelling jasmine rice is indigenous to Thailand. This naturally aromatic long-grained rice
grows in abundance in the verdant patchwork of paddy fields that blanket Thailand's central plains.
Steamed rice is accompanied by highly aromatic curries, stir-frys and other dishes, incorporating
sometimes large quantities of chillies, lime juice and lemon grass. Curries, stir-frys and others may
be poured onto the rice creating a single dish called khao rad gang, a popular meal when time is
limited.

Sticky rice (Thai: khao neow) is a unique variety of rice that contains an unusual balance of the
starches present in all rice, causing it to cook up to a sticky texture. It is the daily bread of Laos
and substitutes ordinary rice in rural Northern and Northeastern Thai cuisine, where Lao cultural
influence is strong.

Noodles, known throughout parts of Southeast Asia by the Chinese are popular as well but usually
come as a single dish, like the stir-fried Pad Thai or noodle soups. Many Chinese cuisine are
adapted to suit Thai taste, such as khuaytiow rua, a sour and spicy rice noodle soup.

There is a uniquely Thai dish called nam prik which refers to a chile sauce or paste. Each region
has its own special versions. It is prepared by crushing together chillies with various ingredients
such as garlic and shrimp paste using a mortar and pestle. It is then often served with vegetables
such as cucumbers, cabbage and yard-long beans, either raw or blanched. The vegetables are
dipped into the sauce and eaten with rice. Nam prik may also be simply eaten alone with rice or, in
a bit of Thai and Western
Titbits
These can be hors d'oeuvres, accompaniments, side dishes, and/or snacks. They include spring
rolls, satay, puffed rice cakes with herbed topping. They represent the playful and creative nature
of the Thais.

Salads
A harmony of tastes and herbal flavours are essential. Major tastes are sour, sweet and salty.
Spiciness comes in different degrees according to meat textures and occasions.

Dips
Dips entail some complexity. They can be the major dish of a meal with accompaniments of
vegetables and some meats. When dips are made thinly, they can be used as salad designs. A
particular and simple dip is made from chillies, garlic, dried shrimps, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar
and shrimp paste.

Salad Dressings

Salad dressings have similar base ingredients. Add fish sauce, lime juice and sugar to enhance
saltiness, sourness and sweetness. Crushed chillies, garlic and shallots add spiciness and herbal
fragrance. Lemon grass and galanga can be added for additional flavour. Employ this mix with
any boiled, grilled or fried meat. Lettuce leaves, sliced cucumber, cut spring onions and coriander
leaves help top off a salad dressing.

Soups
A good meal for an average person may consist simply of a soup and rice. Traditional Thai soups
are unique because they embody more flavours and textures than can be found in other types of
food.

Curries
Most non-Thai curries consist of powdered or ground dried spices, whereas the major ingredients
of Thai curry are fresh herbs. A simple Thai curry paste consists of dried chillies, shallots and
shrimp paste. More complex curries include garlic, galangal, coriander roots, lemon grass, kaffir
lime

To make a quick curry, fry curry or chilli paste in heated oil or thick coconut milk. Stir and fry
until the paste is well cooked and add meats of one's choice. Season with fish sauce or sugar to
taste. Add water or thin coconut milk to make curry go a longer way. Add sliced eggplant with a
garnish of basil and kaffir lime leaves. Make your own curry paste by blending fresh (preferably
dried) chillies, garlic, shallots, galanga, lemon grass, coriander roots, ground pepper, kaffir lime
peels and shrimp paste.
Ingredients

Chilies
Many types are used in Thai cooking, both fresh and dried, whole and ground; the smallest and
hottest is birds eye; dried red chilies are popular.

Coconut milk
Grate fresh coconut meat with boiling water or use canned coconut milk that has been diluted in
half with water.

Curry paste
An intensely flavored paste of herbs and spices used to flavor coconut curries and soups; either
homemade or store bought (as an alternative); red, green or golden in color.

Galangal
First cousin of ginger; is pale and creamy encircled with thin, dark rings; has a sharp peppery-
lemony taste; is used in large, thin pieces to flavor soups, stews and curries.

Lemon grass
Long, pale green stalks have a woody texture and a lemony scent; seldom eaten because of the
fibrous texture; placed in sauces, soups and curries.

Lime leaves
Kaffir lime leaves can be grown fresh or bought dried and stored in a spice jar; added to Thai
dishes while they are cooking.

Palm sugar
Dark brown compressed sugar made from palm trees or coconut palms; added to sauces, curries
and sweets; brown sugar can be used as a substitute.

Rice
Thai people prefer the aromatic, long-grain white Jasmine rice cooked by the absorption method;
the taste is toasty and nutty; sold in 25 pound sacks at Asian markets.

Shrimp paste
Salty paste of sun-dried, salted shrimp used in curries, sauces and soups; has a very strong, fishy
flavor and smell; the consistency of thick mud; sold in small jars.

Sticky rice
Opaque, short-grain also called glutinous and sweet rice; staple of northern Thailand; cooks to a
thick starchy mass; used in desserts.

Nam pla ( Fish sauce):

The ingredient found in almost all Thai dishes and every region of the country is nam pla, a very
aromatic and strong tasting fish sauce.

Shrimp paste, a combination of ground shrimp and salt, is also extensively used.
Thai coffee
Roasted sesame seed and corn kernels are added to Thai coffee for an unusual burnt flavor; served
either ice cold and sweet with evaporated milk or hot with sweetened condensed milk.

Thai tea
Cinnamon, vanilla, star anise and food coloring give Thai black tea its flavor and terra cotta
coloring; served cold and very sweet or hot at the end of the meal.

Thai dishes in the Central and Southern regions use a wide variety of leaves rarely found in the
West, such as kaffir lime leaves .The characteristic flavour of kaffir lime leaves' appears in nearly
every Thai soup (e.g., the hot and sour Tom yam) or curry from those areas. It is frequently
combined with garlic, galangal, lemon grass, turmeric and/or fingerroot (krachai), blended together
with liberal amounts of various chillies to make curry paste.

Fresh Thai basil is also used to add fragrance in certain dishes such as Green curry. Other typical
ingredients include the small green Thai eggplants, tamarind, palm and coconut sugars, lime
juice, and coconut milk. A variety of chilies and spicy elements are found in most Thai dishes.

Other ingredients also include pahk chee (cilantro, sometimes known as coriander), rahk pahk
chee (cilantro/coriander roots), curry pastes, pong kah-ree (curry powder), si-yu dahm (dark soy
sauce), gung haeng (dried shrimp), pong pa-loh (five-spice powder), tua fahk yao (long beans or
yard-long beans), nahmahn hoi (oyster sauce), prik Thai (Thai pepper), rice and tapioca flour,
and nahm prik pao (roasted chilli paste).

Although broccoli is often used inThai restaurants, it was never actually used in any traditional
Thai food in Thailand and is still rarely seen in Thailand.

Famous Thai dishes

Many Thai dishes are familiar in the world. In many dishes below, different kinds of protein can be
chosen as the ingredient, such as beef, chicken, pork, tofu or seafood.

• Pad Thai - rice noodles pan fried with fish sauce, sugar, lime juice or tamarind pulp,
chopped peanuts, and egg combined with chicken, seafood, or tofu.
• Rad na - wide rice noodles in gravy, with beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, or seafood.
(Originally from China)
• Khao pad naem - fried rice with fermented sausage (typically from the Northeast)
• Pad kee mao - noodles stir-fried with Thai basil
• Khanom chin namya - round boiled rice noodles topped with various curry sauces and
eaten with fresh leaves and vegetables.
• Khao pad gai - fried rice with chicken
• Gai himaphan - juicy chunks of chicken with cashew nuts and chilies

• Tom yam - hot & sour soup with meat.

• Saté - grilled meat, usually pork or chicken, served with cucumber salad and peanut sauce
(actually of Indonesian origin, but now a popular street food in Thailand).
• Red curry - made with copious amounts of dried red chillies
• Green curry - green curry, made with fresh green chillies and flavoured with Thai basil,
and chicken or fish meatballs. This dish is one of the spiciest of Thai curries.
• Massaman curry - an Indian style curry, usually made by Thai-Muslims, containing
roasted dried spices, such as coriander seed, that are rarely found in other Thai curries.
• Tod man - deep fried fishcake made from knifefish or shrimp

• Som tam - grated papaya salad, pounded with a mortar and pestle.
• Larb - sour salads containing meat, onions, chillies, roasted rice powder and garnished with
mint.
• Namtok - made with beef and identical to larb, except that the beef is cut into thin strips
rather than minced.
• Yam - general name for any type of sour salad, such as those made with glass noodles
• Tom saep - Northeastern-style hot & sour soup

Desserts and Drinks

• Kao niao ma muang - Sticky rice and ripe mango

• Kao niao Durian - Sticky rice and durian in coconut milk
• Gluay buad chee - Banana in coconut milk
• Fried Banana with Ice Cream
• Cha Yen - Thai Iced Tea
• Kah-Feh Yen - Thai Iced Coffee

Coconut is a main ingredient in desserts, in particular the milk and the shredded coconut pieces.
The coconut milk is used in a lot of dishes as the soup or base and some of the desserts are rolled
in shredded coconut for taste and look. These are some of the desserts that contain coconut:

• Kanom Tan – Palm flavored mini cake with shredded coconut on top
• Ruam Mit – Chestnuts covered in flour, jackfruit, tapioca, and Lod Chong in coconut milk
• Kanom Bua Loy – taro root mixed with flour into balls in coconut milk

A Menu Example

APPETIZERS
SUMMER ROLLS
Soft fresh roll stuffed with tofu, fresh greens and Thai basil.

KATOANG THONG (POT OF GOLD)

Light crispy shells filled with chicken or vegetarian meat, onion, potato, spiced with curry serve
with cucumber chutney.

THAI SPRING ROLLS

Light golden brown, crispy spring rolls stuffed with ground pork and shrimp or vegetarian.
 VEGETARIAN SATAY
Glistening chunks of fresh vegetables, vegetarian meat charcoal broiled and served with peanut
sauce

LARB
Minced chicken or tofu, spiced with lime juice, chili, rice powder and fresh mint

MEE KROB
Crispy rice noodles blended with shrimp, chicken or vegetarian and bean cake, bean sprout and
tamarind

SATAY
Glistening chunks of beef or chicken charcoal broiled and served with peanut sauce

NAKED SHRIMP
Grilled, medium rare shrimp seasoned with lime, nampla and chili mingled with lemon grass

REGAL BAR-B-QUE SPARERIBS

Marinated pork spareribs in our special Royal Thai sauce

YUM NUAH
Grilled beef or chicken, cucumbers and lettuce mixed with a spicy lime sauce

YUM WOON SEN

Chilled glass noodles, chicken, shrimp, cashew nuts, cucumbers, green onions and mint leaves
seasoned with a spicy lime sauce

THAI STICK
Marinated shrimp wrapped with crispy noodles, quick fried to a golden brown, served with sweet
and sour peanut sauce

TOD MUN
Spicy fish cakes served with a cucumber sauce

YUM TA-LAY
Mixed chilled seafood, eggplant, onions, cucumbers and lemon grass with a spicy lime sauce

TEMPURA
Tofu and veggie tempura, Calamari tempura , Shrimp tempura

ROYAL THAI SAMPLER

A variety of our most popular appetizer: Pot of gold, Naked Shrimp, Satays, Spring Rolls

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 SOUPS
TOM YUM
Hot and sour shrimp or chicken soup with mushrooms and a touch of lemon grass

TOM KAH
Spicy coconut soup with chicken or shrimp, mushrooms and rare Laos roots

SOUP ROYALE
Mild soup abounding with chicken, shrimp, vegetables and glass noodles

VEGGIE SOUP
Tofu, glass noodles and mixed vegetables in a mild soup

PO-TAK
Combination of seafood in hot and sour soup with mushrooms and basil

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Salad
TILA SALAD
Green salad with grilled chicken or tofu and crispy noodles with our own house dressing

SIAM FORREST SALAD

Green salad with a peanut dressing salad with bean cake, cucumbers and tomatoes

ROYAL SALAD
Green salad with grilled beef or chicken with spicy lime dressing

SOM TOM
A country Thai style raw green papaya salad with crushed peanuts

YUM YAI
Juicy shrimp, chicken and silver noodles served over a bed of mixed greens, Thai herbs and spices
with yum-mee (yummy) dressing

YUM MA MUENG
Juicy shrimp, chicken and silver noodles served over a bed of mixed greens, Thai herbs and spices
with yum-mee (yummy) dressing

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 Main Course
VEGETARIAN MEAT OR TOFU OR OYSTER MUSHROOMS
CHICKEN OR PORK OR BEEF
SHRIMP OR CALAMARI OR ROAST
SCALLOPS OR MIXED SEAFOOD

KANG PED
red curry with bamboo shoots, Thai eggplant and sweet basil

KANG KHIAO WAAN

green curry with bamboo shoots, Thai eggplant and sweet basil

KANG KARI
yellow curry with potato and onion

KANG MUSSAMAN
classic curry sauce with potatoes, onions, topped with peanuts

KANG QUAH
sweet red curry with pineapple

PANANG
a special smooth light red currywith carrots and bell peper

GARLIC AND PEPPER

with steamed spinach and broccoli and carrots

YOUNG GINGER
with onion, green peppers and mushrooms

PATH KA POW
thai basil with onion, chili and garlic sauce

HOT THAI BASIL

with bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, chili and garlic sauce
 Noodles
PAHT THAI
A generous portion of chantaboon noodles surrounded by chicken, ground peanuts and bean
sprouts

LARD NAR
Fresh rice noodles topped with your choice of chicken, pork, beef or shrimp served in a regal soy
sauce gravy with broccoli

PAHT SEE-IW
Stir fried fresh noodles with choice of chicken, pork, beef or shrimp and broccoli.

SPICY CURRY NOODLES

Rice noodles with choice of chicken, pork, beef or shrimp in a curry sauce.

DRUNKEN NOODLES
A combination of chicken, pork, shrimp and squid with vegetables and chili

OODLES OF NOODLES
Egg noodles laced with our own combination of shrimp, sausage, chicken, mushrooms, bean
sprouts and many more

Pad Woonsen
A generous portion of clear glass noodles surrounded by vegetables, eggs and pork on your choice
of beef,
chicken or shrimp

Royal Thai Noodles

Crispy egg noodles topped with a superb sauce containing onions, mushrooms, and bamboo
shoots.
Your choice of pork, beef or chicken

Rice
THAI FRIED RICE
Chicken, pork, beef or shrimp cooked with rice, onions, sweet peas, carrots and eggs

SPICY FRIED RICE

Chicken, pork, beef or shrimp with broccoli, onions, sweet basil and mushrooms

BANGKOK DELIGHT
A heavenly combination of shrimp, chicken and dried pork with rice and curry sauce

Royal Thai Divine Rice

Rice topped with a rich sauce containing mushrooms, onions, bamboo shoots and your choice
of chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp
 STEAMED RICE
Jasmine white or natural brown rice

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Desserts
Fresh Coconut Ice Cream

House Ice Cream

Fresh Mango Ice Cream

Fresh Banana Flamé