Okay, here’s my experience cooking up my Thai cuisine menu.
So, I’ve been itching to try my hand at some Thai cooking for a while now. I finally decided to take the plunge and make a full-blown Thai meal. I was feeling a bit brave, so I decided to go with not one, not two, but three dishes.
The Menu
- Green Curry with Chicken
- Pad Thai with Shrimp
- Mango Sticky Rice
First up, I went on a serious ingredient hunt. I had to hit up a couple of different Asian grocery stores to find everything I needed. I’m talking fresh kaffir lime leaves, galangal, Thai bird’s eye chilies, the works. I definitely felt like I was on a treasure hunt, but I eventually got everything, which was a victory in itself.
Once I got all the ingredients home, I started with the green curry paste. I’ve made curry from scratch before, but this was my first time making a Thai green curry paste. I pounded the chilies, lemongrass, galangal, garlic, and a bunch of other stuff in my mortar and pestle until it was a nice, fragrant paste. It was a bit of an arm workout, but it smelled amazing, so it was worth it.
Then I moved on to cooking the green curry. I fried up the paste, added the chicken, and let it cook a little. Then I poured in the coconut milk, added some veggies, and let it simmer until everything was cooked through. Smelled good and I just hoped it would taste good as well!
While the curry was simmering, I got started on the Pad Thai. I soaked the rice noodles, prepped the shrimp, and made the Pad Thai sauce. This was a bit trickier than I expected. Getting the balance of sweet, sour, and salty just right was a challenge. I think I added a bit too much tamarind paste at first, but I managed to fix it with some extra fish sauce and sugar. I stir-fried everything together, and it started to look like actual Pad Thai!
Finally, dessert time. I made the mango sticky rice. I cooked the sticky rice, mixed it with some sweetened coconut milk, and let it sit for a bit. Then I sliced up a fresh mango, and that was it.
After what felt like hours in the kitchen, I finally sat down to eat. It took so long to prepare the meal, but honestly, it was pretty darn good. The green curry was flavorful and creamy. The Pad Thai was on point. And the mango sticky rice? That was pure comfort food.
All in all, it was a successful culinary adventure. I’m definitely going to try making these dishes again, maybe with a few tweaks here and there. It’s a lot of work, but it’s totally worth it in the end. If you’re thinking about trying Thai cooking, I say go for it! Just be prepared for a bit of a challenge, and maybe clear your schedule for the day.
