Give Your Vegetables a Thai Twist

A few special seasonings turn American vegetables into vibrant Asian fare.

When nerveless fall weather come , I set out yearn for a steaming trough of red curry , load up with vegetables and flavored with chile pepper , lemongrass , and basil , all from my garden . If the atmospheric condition ’s red-hot , I think more along the lines of a salad of vegetables and herbs , spike with chilly and brisk cilantro .

In the world of Thai cuisine , everything is low-cal and fresh , with vibrant colors and tastes that grab your attention at the first bite . What I wish about Thai culinary art is not only its sapidity and aromas , but also the almost unlimited variety of dish I can develop with Thai gustation and colors .

Although the flavor of my cooking are definitely from another world , I use vegetables plebeian to most American garden . particular Asian varieties are n’t necessary ; in fact , I prefer good erstwhile green beans to the more unquestionable yard - retentive beans .

Vegetables take center stage

Thai cuisine , like most Far easterly cooking , uses core and Pisces the Fishes . The stars of the show , however , are the veggie , herbs , and spiciness . I utilize everything I develop in my garden in Thai recipe — asparagus , potatoes , eggplant , garlic , eschalot , capsicum , zucchini , carrots . In ruby or yellow curries I often use murphy , sweet Solanum tuberosum , drawstring beans , and cultivated carrot . Swiss chard , Brassica oleracea italica , zucchini , and asparagus are good in green curry . And in splash - fries I ’ll use any vegetables that are usable .

If you get very involved in this style of cooking , you might want to grow a few Asiatic vegetable . Siamese eggplants can be as small as a pea plant or as large as a Citrus paradisi , depending on the miscellanea . I opt the long , slender Nipponese eggplants , which are good grill , in splash - fries , or in curries .

Winged bean , sometimes called asparagus pea , has an alien coming into court and a touchy flavor . It acquire from a climbing works that has four frilly - march wing . The bean can be eaten raw or cooked .

The yard - retentive bean is a popular choice in Asiatic communities for Thai curries , lather , and braised side dishes . K - tenacious beans take about twice as long to fix as even train beans . They have a nutty flavor , stronger than that of green beans . Yard - long edible bean are easy to grow , but they need more heat than I can give them in coastal Maine . ejaculate is widely usable .

The right herbs lend authentic flavors

The realm of herbs always offer something new and exciting . It ’s magic when chile peppers meet garlic and lemon grass . And with a touch of fish sauce and herbs the knockout is made as complete as a deep brown ice-cream sundae transcend with a cherry tree . If you are unfamiliar with Thai ingredients , practice with the herbs until you may use one without overpowering the other .

There is a misconception that Thai foods are very hot and spicy and contain too many complicated ingredients . Nothing could be farther from the truth . Thai food can be made mild or hot , simple or complex . The conclusion is up to you .

To give your dish that bona fide Thai manner you will want to apply a blend of herb like cilantro , basil , kaffir lime tree , and lemongrass oil , plus chiles for heat .

Lemongrassis one of the most often used herb in Thai culinary art . It has a lemony scent but no acidity . In fond regions , this herb grows year - round ; here in Maine , I set it as an yearbook . The blanched stalk is the most valuable part , but the leave can also be used , especially to instill veggie broth .

Kaffir lime ( Citrus hystrix ) leaveshave an acute citrus scent that is used in soup and in curry paste . I keep the leaves in the freezer , cleanse and devein , ready to use . A kaffir lime industrial plant can be grow in the warmth of a cheery window . The leave raise in two lobes , end to end . If a recipe call for one foliage , use one lobe .

For me , Thai basil is essential to Thai cuisine ; its look is slightly dissimilar from Italian Basil of Caesarea ’s . It is used in salad , curry , and invoke - fries . ‘ Siam Queen ’ has a pleasant , sweet , aniseed appreciation , and is my preference . Siamese lemon Basil the Great , such as ‘ Sweet Dani ’ , has a flavor like to mint ’s , with a hint of citrus . Both ‘ Siam Queen ’ and ‘ Sweet Dani ’ are late introductions . They are gentle to grow as annuals and widely available .

You’ll need to buy a few special ingredients

There are a few ingredients , which have no relief , that make a saucer in truth Thai . If you ca n’t find what you need topically , all of these ingredient can be ordered fromtempleofthai.com .

Fish sauceis the backbone seasoning in not only Thai cuisine , but also Vietnamese , Philippine , and Cambodian . It is made from salt - take , fermented Pisces . It is sick gold and has a strong , plain odor . Do n’t be scared off by its aroma . Pisces sauce mellows after cooking and will intermix well with the herbs and spices of the dish . I urge buying a premium class fish sauce , which will have a copious taste and be less salty .

Coconut milkis an of the essence ingredient in Thai cooking for add flavor and heaviness to many dishes , especially curry . you’re able to make it from smart or unsweetened , dried , grated cocoa palm , but that ’s a time - ware caper , so I recommend you buy it in a can . When you first start the can , the thickheaded “ cream ” will be float on top .

peewee paste , made from salt , fermented shrimp , is of the essence to curries and lather . It has an intense flavor , so a little depart a long way of life . Shrimp paste keep indefinitely in the refrigerator .

Tamarindpods are alien , sweet - tart fruit from small tree that mature only in tropic mood . Tamarind is sell as a dryish library paste in blocks or as a prepared liquid . It can be used rather of vinegar in stir - minor and sauce .

practise and sampling are the key to success in all type of cooking . That ’s how you ’ll become familiar with the chemical science of the constituent and how they mix . A exclusive spice or herb may not have the desired taste impression , especially in Thai cuisine , which depends on a balanced portmanteau of flavors . Once you discover the pleasure of cooking with these old and young acquaintance , you wo n’t feel intimidated , and the mysteries environ Thai cooking will dissolve into your own delicious Creation .

— Bich Nga Burrill was born in Vietnam , but she disembowel on many Asiatic cuisines for her catering clientele in Winterport , Maine .

October 2000

Photos : Kim Jaeckel .

Give Your Vegetables a Thai Twist

The author combines vegetables from her garden with a few key Asian ingredients to create dishes with true Thai flavor.

FromKitchen horticulture # 29

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Regular old green and yellow string beans planted in garden

Regular old green and yellow string beans like these are wonderful in Thai food; in fact, the author prefers them to the more traditional yard-long beans.

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