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Home/Recipes/Thai

Thai Recipes

73 recipes

Instant Pot Green Curry with Chicken and Vegetables

Instant Pot Green Curry with Chicken and Vegetables

25 minThai
Weeknight Sweet Chili Chicken with Ginger and Garlic

Weeknight Sweet Chili Chicken with Ginger and Garlic

55 minThai
Thai Ginger Pork Bowls with Peanut Sauce

Thai Ginger Pork Bowls with Peanut Sauce

23 minThai
Thai Pumpkin Chex Mix with Curry Paste and Coconut

Thai Pumpkin Chex Mix with Curry Paste and Coconut

1 hr 55 minThai
Thai Stir-Fried Vegetables Over Mixed Greens

Thai Stir-Fried Vegetables Over Mixed Greens

15 minThai
Thai Basil Beef Stir-Fry with Fish Sauce

Thai Basil Beef Stir-Fry with Fish Sauce

20 minThai
Thai Green Papaya Salad with Grilled Chicken

Thai Green Papaya Salad with Grilled Chicken

2 hr 5 minThai
Thai-Pickled Mushrooms with Fried Egg and Rice

Thai-Pickled Mushrooms with Fried Egg and Rice

35 minThai
Grilled Keto Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce

Grilled Keto Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce

28 minThai
Coconut Milk Jasmine Rice with Fresh Mango and Honey

Coconut Milk Jasmine Rice with Fresh Mango and Honey

45 minThai
Thai Zucchini Larb with Toasted Rice & Quinoa

Thai Zucchini Larb with Toasted Rice & Quinoa

35 minThai
Thai Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango (Khao Neeo Mamuang)

Thai Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango (Khao Neeo Mamuang)

1 hr 30 minThai
Thai Style Coconut Flour Shrimp Patties with Red Curry Paste

Thai Style Coconut Flour Shrimp Patties with Red Curry Paste

25 minThai
Red Curry Pork Lettuce Cups with Cashew Dipping Sauce

Red Curry Pork Lettuce Cups with Cashew Dipping Sauce

30 minThai
Thai Minced Pork Herb Salad in Lettuce Cups (Laab Moo)

Thai Minced Pork Herb Salad in Lettuce Cups (Laab Moo)

30 minThai
Thai Grilled Tofu Naan Pizza with Peanut Sauce

Thai Grilled Tofu Naan Pizza with Peanut Sauce

35 minThai
Sheet Pan Sweet Thai Chili Salmon with Green Beans

Sheet Pan Sweet Thai Chili Salmon with Green Beans

40 minThai
Spicy Thai Cry Baby Rice Noodles with Chinese Sausage

Spicy Thai Cry Baby Rice Noodles with Chinese Sausage

35 minThai
Slow-Braised Coconut Red Curry Chuck Roast

Slow-Braised Coconut Red Curry Chuck Roast

2 hr 40 minThai
Thai Coconut-Roasted Ginger Fish with Vegetables

Thai Coconut-Roasted Ginger Fish with Vegetables

35 minThai
Mango Sticky Rice Chia Pudding with Coconut

Mango Sticky Rice Chia Pudding with Coconut

10 minThai
Spring Vegetable Pad Thai with Fresh Peas and Asparagus

Spring Vegetable Pad Thai with Fresh Peas and Asparagus

30 minThai
Raw Kelp Noodle Pad Thai with Tamarind Sauce

Raw Kelp Noodle Pad Thai with Tamarind Sauce

45 minThai
Thai Green Mango and Chicken Salad

Thai Green Mango and Chicken Salad

43 minthai
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Thai cooking balances four tastes in nearly every dish. Sweet, sour, salty, bitter. Fish sauce provides salt. Palm sugar or regular sugar adds sweetness. Lime juice brings acid. Chilies and herbs deliver heat and bitterness.

A proper pad thai uses 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons palm sugar, and 1 tablespoon tamarind paste for every 8 ounces of noodles. That ratio appears everywhere. Tom yum soup? Same balance, different ingredients.

You need a hot wok. Really hot. Restaurant burners hit 100,000 BTUs. Your home stove manages 15,000 BTUs on a good day. The workaround is cooking in small batches, maybe 2 servings at a time. Let that wok smoke before adding oil.

Fish sauce smells terrible. Tastes amazing. Buy a Thai or Vietnamese brand like Tiparos or Red Boat. The bottle should list only anchovies and salt. Skip anything with added sugar or preservatives.

Coconut milk comes in cans. Shake the can first. If you hear liquid sloshing, put it back. Good coconut milk separates into thick cream on top, thin milk below. You want that separation for curries. The cream fries in oil first, developing flavor before you add the watery part.

Most Thai dishes cook in under 15 minutes once you start. Prep takes longer. Pound curry paste in a mortar for 20 minutes. Slice vegetables uniformly so they cook evenly. Soak tamarind pulp in hot water, then push through a strainer.

Green papaya salad requires an actual green papaya, not an unripe regular papaya. Different fruit entirely. Find them at Asian grocery stores, hard as a potato. Shred with a julienne peeler or pound with a knife.

Thai basil wilts instantly. Add it off heat, stirring just until it softens. Regular basil won't work. Neither will dried Thai basil. Some ingredients have no substitutes.

Essential Ingredients

fish sauceMade from fermented anchovies. Use 1-3 tablespoons per dish. Thai brands like Tiparos work best. Find it in any Asian grocery store.
coconut milkBuy full-fat cans that separate when cold. Chaokoh and Aroy-D brands contain 60-70% coconut extract. Shake before buying to check consistency.
Thai chiliesTiny peppers, 50,000-100,000 Scoville units. Use 2-10 per dish depending on heat tolerance. Freeze extras in ziplock bags.
palm sugarComes in hard discs or soft paste. Tastes like caramel with less sweetness than white sugar. Grate frozen discs with a microplane.
tamarind pasteSour fruit concentrate. Mix 1 tablespoon paste with 3 tablespoons warm water for most recipes. Indian grocery stores stock it too.
galangalLooks like ginger but tastes piney and sharp. Slice thin with a sharp knife. Freezes well for 6 months. No real substitute exists.
lemongrassUse only the bottom 4 inches of the stalk. Pound it before adding to release oils. Remove before serving unless minced extremely fine.
kaffir lime leavesDouble-lobed leaves with intense citrus aroma. Tear before adding to curries. Buy fresh at Asian markets or frozen online.
Thai basilPurple stems, anise flavor. Completely different from Italian basil. Add off heat to prevent wilting. Grows easily from seed.
shrimp pasteFermented ground shrimp, smells stronger than fish sauce. Toast 1 teaspoon in dry pan before using. Keeps forever in the fridge.
rice vinegarMild acidity at 4-5%. Use when recipes call for white vinegar. Japanese brands work fine for Thai cooking.
dark soy sauceThicker and sweeter than regular soy, adds color more than salt. Use 1 teaspoon to darken pad see ew noodles.

Key Techniques

High-heat stir-fryingHeat wok until smoking, about 2 minutes on highest setting. Add oil only after wok is hot. Cook proteins first, remove, then vegetables. Everything cooks in 30-60 second bursts.
Curry paste fryingCook curry paste in 2 tablespoons oil for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add thick coconut cream next, fry another 3 minutes until oil separates. Only then add thin coconut milk and other liquids.
Mortar and pestle grindingPound ingredients in order of hardness. Salt and garlic first, then chilies, then softer herbs. Takes 15-20 minutes for proper curry paste. Food processor won't achieve same texture.
Flavor balancingTaste and adjust constantly. Add fish sauce for salt, lime juice for sour, sugar for sweet. Most dishes need 2-3 adjustments. Final seasoning happens off heat.

FAQ

What wok should I buy for Thai cooking?

Carbon steel woks work best, 14 inches diameter minimum. Season it like cast iron. Nonstick woks can't handle the 500F+ temperatures Thai stir-fries need. Round-bottom woks require a wok ring for stability on home stoves. Expect to pay $30-50 for a decent one. Your first 10 dishes might taste metallic until the wok develops patina.

Can I make Thai curry from scratch without a mortar and pestle?

You can, but the texture suffers. Granite mortars with 2-cup capacity cost about $25. Food processors chop rather than crush, releasing different flavors. If you must use a processor, add 2 tablespoons water and pulse in 5-second bursts. Hand-pounded paste takes 20 minutes but lasts 2 weeks refrigerated.

Why does my pad thai turn out mushy?

Soak rice noodles in room temperature water for 45-60 minutes until pliable but still firm. Never use boiling water. Cook over highest heat for just 2-3 minutes once drained. Most home versions fail because of low heat or overcooked noodles. Work in 1-2 portion batches maximum.

How spicy should authentic Thai food be?

Thai restaurants typically use 5-10 fresh chilies per single serving. That equals 250,000-500,000 total Scoville units. Most Americans prefer 1-3 chilies. Start conservative and increase gradually. Remember that coconut milk reduces heat by about 50%, while sugar amplifies spicy perception.