Thai essentials...

Sour, salty, spicy, sweet and more! The experience your palate get when you eat Thai foods. Tom yum goong and sukhothai soup are my comfort foods added with a cup of Thai "halo-halo". I am so obsessed with Thai foods that I bought my own kaffir lime tree a couple of years ago.

Kaffir lime is the one of the most distinct flavors found in Thai foods. It is basically a kind of citrus fruit. Although it bares fruit they are rarely used. It is the leaves that is commonly added to the dishes.

My kaffir lime tree

The distinct "twin" leaves

 Since most of the members in my family are fond of spicy food, red chili pepper is a staple in our kitchen. I sometimes buy fresh chilis then let them dry under the sun to preserve them technically.

I almost forgot, there is also an ingredient usually found in Thai foods and its tamarind paste. I couldn't get tamarind paste so I opted for tamarind that goes by the bulk that is usually available in the market. It only costs P20 for a kilo.

 It is futile to take the seeds so I just put it in a pan with a little water and let it boil to extract the pulp. Then I just use sufficient amount and save the rest.

 It is also common to find cilantro leaves (coriander), which we call wansoy. A lot of people do not like the smell of it, I for one did not like it at first. It looks a lot like parsley or kinchay so be careful when you buy this.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

There is also an ingredient called shrimp paste. It must not be confused with bagoong. This shrimpaste is the dried extract of shrimps made into a cake. I found a similar item in Bicol but looks like Belacan, actually. I can't remember the name but I will update this blog as soon as I asked my friend from Bicol.

And of course the Fish sauce or patis as we fondly call it. I like the patis I usually get in Malabon but since I rarely go there, I just buy whatever available brand there is in the market. But be sure to buy the ones with the PATIS label on it because I saw some brands that say "PATIS FLAVOR", as I am sure its all artificial.

My next post will be a very simple Thai dish...Son-in-Law Eggs!