Broiled Tilapia with Ginger

This is a healthy dish that is not only flavorful but also has beautiful presentation. The ginger heightens the interest of the taste by adding a little bit of spiciness. The freshness of green onion adds crunchiness to bites. Both tilapia and red snapper are an excellent choice for the fish. Many people enjoy the medley of summer and autumn colors of this dish. The range of tones is matched by the thorough blending of flavors.
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Spicy Glass Noodle Salad

This is another easy-to-make salad dish. This refreshing salad commonly includes ground pork, prawns and/or squid. Unsurprisingly, the dressing is made up of lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and fresh chilies. The flavors chosen for this salad can vary depending on personal perference. Some may like it sour, some may not. Some would perfer spicy and salty, but less sour. The freshness of cilantro adds a touch of herbal aroma that goes perfectly with the other ingredients. For those who like mushrooms, the wood ear mushroom is often a preferred choice.

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Pineapple Fried Rice with Shrimp

In Thailand, pineapples have been creatively used for a wide variety of dishes like curry and fried rice. Pineapple fried rice is a simple dish that is quick to make and great for a family. The pineapple enhances the presentation of the dish as well as the flavor and aroma, giving a little taste of sweetness. The light crunchiness of the cashews and subtle saltiness and flavor of the dish also make this a recurring favorite.

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Stir-fried Long Beans and Chicken with Prik Khing Curry Paste

This Pad Prik Khing dish is different from Pad Ped in which pad prik khing uses Prik Khing curry paste. In contrast, pad ped uses red curry paste. Both dishes are very similar in presentation but not in aroma and taste. Pad prik khing has an aroma from fresh kaffir lime leaves and ginger which indulges the appetite even more. The crunchiness and freshness from the long beans not only help boost the color of the dish but also enhance the sense of texture. The warm steamed rice served with the hot and spicy stir-fry is a quick and easy one-dish meal. Otherwise serving this dish in a communual meal is a fine choice that can go with many other dishes.

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Spicy Prawn Salad

Unlike other famous Thai salads, this spicy prawn salad uses fresh herbs like lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and mint to enhance the flavor. The spiciness comes from both roasted chili paste and fresh chilies. There are a couple of ways to cook prawns. Some may boil them and some may grill them. With either technique, the prawns are seasoned with herbs and contain the 3 main tastes of salty, sour and spicy. The vibrant green color of mint and coriander help result in perfect presentation.
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Green Papaya Salad

Som Tum, a famous salad dish, is a northeastern Thai dish that has a balance of four flavors: spicy, sweet, sour and salty. It is often eaten with sticky rice and fresh vegetables like cabbage and long beans. In Thailand, there are many types of Som Tum like Som Tum Thai, Som Tum Poo, Som Tum Pla Ra, Som Tum Lao. Each type of Som Tum has a different degree of spiciness. For instance, Som Tum Thai is not as spicy as Som Tum Lao but it is sweeter than Som Tum Pla Ra. Dried shrimp and roasted peanuts are included in Som Tum Thai but not in Som Tum Poo. Som Tum can be bought as street food and it is a dish that is made according to your taste preference.

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Drunken Noodles with Chicken

Pad Kee Mao is another quick and easy dish to make. The two common noodle choices are fresh wide rice noodles and spaghetti. The main ingredient is hot basil. You can stir-fry the noodles with any kind of meat that you like. The word Kee Mao regarding food means very hot and spicy. In Thailand, we do not substitute chili with bell peppers and add chili powder like in America. It is important to use hot basil and not other kinds of basil. Some Thai restaurants in America use Sweet basil or omit the basil. In other words, without hot basil, this dish would not be drunken noodles prepared in the Thai way.

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Stir-fried Beef with Red Curry Paste

This stir-fried beef with long beans, bell peppers and broccoli receives its spicy liveliness from red curry paste. The spiciness of the red curry paste will heat up your meal alongside the crunchiness of the long beans and bell peppers. The orange bell pepper is selected for this dish to lend it vibrant color and contrast to the green of the long beans and brocolli. The tenderness of the thin sliced beef blends well with other ingredients. This dish will satisfy your taste for spiciness.

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Stir-fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts

This stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts is a family recipe. It is a light dish with a hint of spiciness. Like a few other Thai stir-fried dishes, chicken is lightly deep-fried then sautéed with the sauce to add a depth of flavor. Green onion and deep-fried dried chili add color to the dish along with subtle flavor. The cashew nuts tie the dish together with their crunchiness and mouth-watering flavor. It is great to eat as part of a communal meal or as an appetizer with cold beer. In Thailand, it is often served as an appetizer.

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Shredded Mango with Shrimp Salad

Similar to the famous Thai green papaya salad, this salad uses raw mango instead of raw papaya. There are many recipes for this mango salad depending on what type of meat is used. Some may use deep-fried fish, tofu, dried baby shrimp, shrimp, ground pork or ground chicken. Whatever type of meat is used, the main 3 tastes of this salad are salty, sour and spicy. The light green color of mango interlacing the green hues of herbs and vegetables give this dish a vibrant presentation with mouth-watering bursts of flavor.

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Slivers of Pork Grilled on a Stick

Moo Satay is one of the most famous street foods in Thailand. This appetizer can be found almost everywhere from street venders to restaurants. The 2 common dipping sauces are matsaman dipping sauce or nam jim arjad accompanied with toasted bread. This appetizer is not common to make at home since it can be easily bought at a low price. However, people will make this dish at home for some occasions such as for bringing to a temple. It is easy to make and can be a fun activity for a family or a group of friends, threading slivers of pork on skewers.

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Spicy Chicken Salad

Laab or Spicy Chicken Salad is a Northeastern dish. It is one of the most popular Thai salad dishes. The most common meats are ground chicken and ground pork. It is also common to add chicken livers. This salad is a common street food. Some street vendors specialize in Northeastern dishes and only offer salad dishes like Laab, Som Tum and Num Tok. However, it can also be part of the communual meal. When eating this salad, steamed sticky rice and fresh vegetables like cabbage are accompaniments.

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Goong Tod Kra Thiam

This appetizer is similar to Goong Tod Ta Krai. But instead of using lemon grass, garlic and shallots are used in this recipe to add presentation and flavor. This easy to make appetizer is great with beer. If desired, one may add chili powder to spice it up another notch. The shrimp are very tasty and the garlic and shallots add another subtle texture and taste. This appetizer is great for just watching sports on a game day or for a get together party.

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Ginger and Tofu Salad

This salad is a homemade dish bursting with flavor and bright colors. Modified to be vegetarian, it is a non-traditional dish that is ideal for a variety of light, healthy lunches. This fresh and lively dish features a spicy dressing which adds outstanding flavor to the tofu. A harmonious balance of flavors make this salad a favorite menu selection for parties and get togethers.

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Stir-fried Snow Peas with Shitake Mushrooms and Ginger

The sweetness and the crispness of the snow peas offer a vibrant contrast to the softness of shitake mushrooms and the subtle spiciness of ginger. The Kikkoman, Japanese soy sauce, gives this dish added richness and depth of flavor. This is a light stir-fried dish that can be served as part of a communal meal. Like many Thai dishes, it is filling without creating an over-full feeling. For those who closely watch their nutritional intake, this dish is significantly low in fat and provides a valuable source of protein, iron and insoluble fiber, while also delivering great flavor.

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Stir-Fried Asparagus with Deep-fried Shrimp

This stir-fried dish is one of those recipes that taps a diverse array of ingredients, such as ginger, garlic, sesame oil and oyster sauce to create a wonderful aroma and taste. It is also a versatile recipe that can easily be made a vegetarian dish. The lightly deep-fried shrimp takes on the flavor beautifully to make this dish a main course. The contrast of colors from the crisp green asparagus and bright orange carrots not only add to the presentation, but boost the nutritional value and make this dish a hearty and soothing stir-fried dish perfect for every season, including a cold winter.

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Deep-Fried Prawn Roll

A simple appetizer that literally means “prawns with a sash”, representing the sash traditionally worn by Thai women. It is light yet cripsy enough that one can even eat the tail. These deep-fried prawn rolls can be a fine snack on many occasions like birthday parties, sports events, or formal receptions. It is great to eat by itself or with plum sauce or a spring roll dipping sauce. The sweetness of a dipping sauce can make these prawn rolls very juicy.

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Vegetarian Pad Thai

Pad Thai is a stir-fried rice noodle dish that can be found throughout Thailand. This dish is considered one of the examples of street food in Thailand. Many Thai people eat this dish as a snack. Interestingly, Pad Thai is not a common homemade dish. Pad Thai is not only a famous dish in Thailand but also abroad. It is probably the most famous of all Thai noodle dishes. In September, during the Thai vegetarian festival, vegetarian Pad Thai is the most well-known of all Thai noodle dishes.

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Deep-Fried Vegetarian Spring Roll

A well-known appetizer that is well liked by all ages, including a vegetarian version during the Thai vegetarian festival in September. Many Thais often eat it as a snack. The golden brown wrapper compliments the fresh, colorful vegetables and other ingredients inside, and the texture of this thin yet crispy wrapper makes these rolls fun to eat. With a delicious combination of flavors and many textures all in a small roll, it is easy to eat a lot whether with or without the plum sauce. A tasty prelude to a wide variety of dishes!

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Vegetarian Fried Rice Baked in Pineapple

In Thailand, pineapples have been creatively used as flavorful serving dishes for fried rice. The fried rice is baked in the pineapple, enhancing the flavor, texture, and aroma of the dish, and leading to a natural and attractive presentation. This fun and easy dish, with its delicious mix of flavors, is a favorite at get togethers. This is a vegetarian version that still maintains all the flavor, aroma and presentation. The aroma while baking the pineapple makes the room smell wonderful.

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Thai Style Stir-fried Rice Noodles with Shrimp

Pad Thai is a stir-fried rice noodle dish that can be found throughout the country. This dish is considered one of the examples of street food in Thailand. Many Thai people eat this dish as a snack. Interestingly, Pad Thai is not a common homemade dish. Pad Thai is not only a famous dish in Thailand but also abroad. It is probably the most famous of all Thai noodle dishes. For vegetarian Pad Thai, omit shrimp, substitute soy sauce for fish sauce and add more tofu if desired.

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Deep-fried Sweet Potato Balls

A well-known snack in Thailand. I remember indulging in these when I was a kid. Seeing a few sweet potatoes in the kitchen, I decided to make this for an afternoon snack. This snack is mostly sold by street vendors in Thailand. These deep-fried sweet potato balls are called Khanom Kai Nok Kra Ta because the size of the ball is about the size of a quail’s egg. They are crunchy and golden brown on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside. This dessert is very easy to make and can be a fun cooking activity for a family.

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Nam Prik Ong

Nam Prik Ong is one of the oldest dishes from the Lanna period. It is a famous Northern dish. This dipping sauce is eaten with fresh or steamed vegetables, deep fried pork skin (pork rinds) and/or sticky rice. Most Thai dipping sauces do not contain meat. The most common meat in Nam Prik Ong is pork. Meat substitution is very uncommon in this dish. This dish is very healthy - high in vitamin A and beta-carotene.

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Coconut Ice Cream

Coconut ice cream has been well-liked by all ages in Thailand for quite some time. It is a favorite dessert during hot summers. However, a good and delicious coconut ice cream is hard to come by. There are many hybrid recipes for coconut ice cream such as those adding whip cream and/or eggs. This recipe is a light traditional Thai coconut ice cream requiring neither whip cream or eggs. Adding young coconut meat, jackfruit or corn not only adds more texture and color to the ice cream but also aroma.

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Phanaeng Goong

This southern Thailand style dry curry (phanaeng) is one of the broader group of Thai curry dishes. The flavor and fragrance of dry curry comes from the curry paste as well as from fresh herbs - kaffir lime leaves - and coconut milk which also adds to the aroma. Dry curry uses less coconut milk than other curry dishes. The most common meats are chicken and pork, however, shrimp is a fine substitute. This dish is easy and quick to make for beginners.

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Kaeng Ped Subparod

Kaeng Ped Subparod is also called Kaeng Subparod. This curry is different from Kaeng Kua Subparod in that Kaeng Subparod uses red curry paste whereas Kaeng Kua Suparod uses kaeng kua curry paste. Kaeng Kua Subparod is a Southern curry which has a stronger flavor and is more spicy. Most Thai restaurants in the U.S. will offer Kaeng Subparod. If you have a chance to visit Thailand, Kaeng Kua Subparod is a more common dish than Kaeng Subparod. Kaeng Subparod combines a little spiciness with both a sweet and sour taste.

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Wun Ma Phrao Oon

Young coconut jello is a dessert that is well liked by all ages, especially young kids. It is easy to make and can be a a fun family activity. The jello is lightly sweet and not excessively filling. A two-tone presentation combined with any shape desired compliment the delightful textures and flavor. This healthy dessert makes a good treat throughout the year whenever young coconut is available.

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Goong Tod Kra Thiam

This appetizer is similar to Goong Tod Ta Krai. But instead of using lemon grass, garlic and shallots are used in this recipe to add presentation and flavor. This easy to make appetizer is great with beer. If desired, one may add chili powder to spice it up another notch. The shrimp are very tasty and the garlic and shallots add another subtle texture and taste. This appetizer is great for just watching sports on a game day or for a get together party.

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Goong Tod Ta Krai

This easy to make appetizer is great with beer and would go well with peanuts or cashew nuts. The stringy lemon grass not only adds presentation to the plate, but also a light aroma. If desired, one may add chili powder to spice it up another notch. The shrimp are very tasty and the lemon grass adds another subtle texture. This appetizer is great for just watching sports on a game day or for a get together party.

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Khao Pad Phanaeng Gai

The idea for this fried rice dish comes from the famous southern style dry curry, phanaeng. It is a quick and easy to make dish. The taste and aroma are very similar to phanaeng curry. The saltiness of the cashews and eggs is balanced with the coolness of the cucumber slices. All three form the border of the dish, helping create its multi-faceted presentation.

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