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Herbs: Thai Basil - sweet, holy or hairy

There are innumerable sorts of basil.
The most well-known is surely the Italian basil,
without this tasty tomatoes with Mozzarella cheese would not be complete.
In the Thai kitchen 3 different sorts Basil are used .
The taste of the Thai basil can not be replaced by other herbs or spices
and is only freshly used.

1. BAI HORAPA oder Sweet Basil


One recognizes Horapa by its dark-violet stacks
and its anise or liquorice smell and taste.
Use:
for the red and the green Thai Curry Horapa is indispensably.
The leafes are added as a whole or finely cutted at the end of the cockingtime .
One hands fried, crispy Horapa leafes also to roasted fish, etc....
Also in Viet Nam Horapa is a popular and a much used herb.

2. BAI GAPRAO oder Holy Basil

The taste is hot- peppery.
It has the name holy basil probably from India,
where it was used for ritual purposes,
but in the Indian kitchen it does not have a meaning.
In the Thai Cuisine however the more.
Unfortunately there is no common writing for the Thai language
and so people write like : gaprao, krapao, krapaw and so on
Use:
for the probably most popular dish for Thai people: PAD Gaprao,
meat or fish fried with Gaprao Basil (very hot!),
fried crispy leafes served with fried fish
or "Tua khi mau" roasted nuts with hot spices.

3. BAI MENGLAK oder Hairy Basil


Menglak has a lemonish taste
and is mostly eaten as a condiment to "Khanom jeen" a Thai noodle curry.

Recipe: Fried rice noodles Thai Style - Pad Siiu

The Thai name of this mouthwatering noodle dish "Pad Siiu" (speak SI-I-JU) can´t be translated properly into English. "Siiu" means soy sauces,
like Siiu dam - black (darken) soy sauce
or Siiu khao - light soy sauce.
For this delicacy 2 different soy sauces and a soy bean paste are used.
This way we want to thank the cook of the Viang Bua in Chiang Mai for his support.
The noodle dish illustrated here originates from his kitchen
and is a variation of the "classic Pad Siiu" .
A variation because he used different vegetables.
With "classic Pad Siiu" one uses only Kale.

Ingredients for 2 persons:
oil to fry
200 gr. rice fettucine
approx. 200 gr. pork or chicken chest (vegetarians leave the meat simply away)
2-3 stems Kale (as a replacement Broccoli or cauliflower) other vegetable like sugar peas, carrots...
1-2 eggs
1 teaspoon Thai, dark, thick Sojasauce (Healthy Boy Brand, Formula 5)
1 teaspoon light Sojasauce
1 teaspoon soy bean paste
1-2 teaspoon oystersauce
1/2 - 1 teaspoon fishsauce
1 teaspoon sugar
optional:1/2 teaspoon MSG - Monosodiumglutamat - food enhancer
a piece of Lime to garnish and if very hungy also a fried egg.

Preparation:

Put the dried noodles for approx. 10 - 15 minutes (see package) in cold or lukewarm water and drip off the water. Heat up some oil in a Wok. Fry noodles with 1 tablespoon of dark Sojasauce , until the noodles are soft, approx. 3 min. Caution noodles stick easily in the Wok . Push the noodles at the highest place in the wok, add a bit more oil and add the meat and fry well , then the eggs will be add. If the eggs are come to a hold put the noodles above and spice with oystersauce, soy bean paste, light soysauce, fishsauce, sugar and food enhancer . Add kale and other vegetables and fry until done. Serve with a piece of lime .
To spice up one hands in Thailand: Fischsauce, Chiliflakes, sugar and vinegar with inserted chilis. For "Pad Siiu" , one gets essential soy bean paste in well sorted Asiashops. Here a picture of it:

Rice noodles from Thailand

The scholars argue, who invented the noodles.

There was the Chinese and Marco Polo brought them to Italy or they been invented independently in Italy and in China
or was the ancient Greeks the inventors.
In Thailand it interests only whether they were prepared tasty.

Rice noodles consist of rice flour, rice starch and water.
The production by hand is very complex and requires some experience.
Thai people buy their rice noodles freshly at the market,
fresh noodles are durable just a short time (1-2 days) ,
but by the taste they are much tastier than dried rice noodles .
In Thai language one calls the rice noodles ก้วยเตี๋ยว
"Guawtiew" speak guad tiau.
For this word there are probably as many ways of writing,
like noodle soup vendors in a Thai village.

Guawtiew, Guitiew, Guatiew, Guai Thiau and so on and so on.....
Guawtiew is the comprehensive term for both noodle soup
as well as the noodles themselves.
In order to create clarity, one attaches still some words in the back.
On the picture you see:

Guawtiew sen jai - rice fettucines

"Sen jai" means "big strips".
They are cut from plates.

Use: Noodle soups and "Pad Siiu", "Rat-Nah".....

Guawtiew sen lek - Rice noodles in small strips

Use: Noodle soups and for the well known "Pad Thai"

Guawtiew sen mii - Rice hair noodles

Use: Noodle soups and for roast

Noodle soups (Guawtiew) are much liked in Thailand
and are offered at evening and nighttime in small mobile kitchens at the road.
The recipes for the soups are well guarded secrets.
In Europe rice noodles are offered, on different cuts , in dried form .
Before use one puts the noodles approx. 10-15 minutes
into cold or lukewarm water,
drip off the water and now can be roasted
or added to a soup .

Herbs: Coriander leaves, coriander roots and Laos coriander

In Asia, Africa and Latin America Coriander leaves (Cilantro)
are a very popular and peppering herb .
In Thailand one calls the Coriander "Pak Tschi" or "Pak Ji"
and it occurs in innumerable Thai recipes.
Coriander looks similar to parsley,
the leaves are more softly and have an incomparable smell.

Use:
Coriander leaves are added at the end of the cooking time
and should not be cooked,
since then the very aromatic taste and smell evaporate.
In Thailand Coriander leaves and spring onions are roughly chopped
and strewn briefly before serving over the dish.

A relative of the Coriander, although its look is completely different,
is the "Laos Koriander", "Farang Koriander" or "saw leaf herb".
Home of this spice herb is on the Caribbean islands,
where it is frequently used in Puerto Rico.
It is cultivated also in Southeast Asia
(Laos, Burma, Thailand, Kambodscha, Viet Nam, Malaysia and Indonesia)
and finds use in the national kitchens.
Laos Koriander is more intensive from the smell and taste than "normal" Coriander.

Its leaves are harder and can also be cooked.
In Viet Nam, and/or authentic vietnamese restaurants
one hands to many dishes a basket with fresh herbs, like:
Laos Coriander, Coriander, Horapa (Thai Basil) and Mint.

Particularly in Thailand also the Coriander roots are used in the kitchen.
Mostly with the preparation of soups Coriander roots are added,
which before got a hit with the tappet of a mortar.
Thai people say because of the smell, but the roots are not eaten.
In addition, with the preparation of Curry paste Coriander roots are used.