Okay, so, today I decided to dive into something a little different – a crossword puzzle, but not just any crossword. This one was all about herbs used in Thai cooking. I’ve always loved Thai food, the explosion of flavors is just something else, but honestly, I never really stopped to think about all the different herbs that go into making those dishes so delicious.
I started by looking for the puzzle. Typed in “Thai cuisine herb crossword” into the search bar. Loads of results popped up. Most of them were from these crossword clue websites. I clicked on a few, just to see what kind of answers were out there. Some were talking about “Daily Celebrity” and “NY Times” crosswords. Fancy stuff, right?
Then I stumbled upon a few pages that had the actual answers. Five letters, ten letters, you name it. Some of these were tagged “HerbCrossword,” which, well, was exactly what I was looking for. One clue was something like “___ Entertain You,” which I guess is from a musical? Not really my thing, but hey, it’s part of the puzzle.
After browsing through a bunch of these, I decided to actually try and solve one of these puzzles myself. Found one on a site that looked pretty legit, it was from the “LA Times,” no less! The clue was simple: “Thai cuisine herb.”
Now, here’s where it got interesting. I started thinking about the Thai dishes I’ve had. What were those flavors I always tasted but couldn’t quite put my finger on? I remembered reading something about common Thai herbs, so I did a quick search for that, too.
Found a great little article that listed out some of the key aromatic herbs and spices. It talked about:
- Lemongrass: This one I knew. It’s got that lemony smell, but it’s not sour. They use it in soups, curries, and stir-fries.
- Galangal: Apparently, it’s like ginger’s cousin. Gives that earthy, peppery kick to curries and soups.
- Cilantro, basil, kaffir lime: These ones I recognized, too. I found that a blend of them plus chilies can give you that authentic Thai style.
- Mint: peppermint and spearmint, I use them a lot in my kitchen, but I did not expect they would be used in Thai cuisine.
Armed with this newfound knowledge, I went back to the crossword. Five letters, huh? After a bit of thinking and going back and forth between the herb list and the puzzle, I finally figured out a few of the answers. It was “BASIL”. And for ten letters, I got “LEMONGRASS”. Felt pretty good, not gonna lie.
This whole thing was actually a lot of fun. It was like a mini culinary adventure without even leaving my desk. And now, I have a whole new appreciation for the herbs that make Thai food so amazing. Next time I’m whipping up a Thai curry, you bet I’ll be paying extra attention to the lemongrass and galangal!
