Saturday, January 23, 2016

สวัสดี From Thailand!

Riding elephants, exploring the jungles, visiting temples and enjoying Thai food are among the many things to do in Thailand. Thai cuisine is known being complex; meals usually contain at least three fundamental tastes in each dish (sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and spicy). Most Thai food is based on fruits such as coconut, papaya, lime and mango; vegetables such as carrots, eggplant, cucumbers, garlic and chili peppers; protein such as shrimp, peanut, tofu, chicken and cashews. Soup, rice noodles and jasmine tea are also very popular in Thailand.

Flower and produce stand in Bangkok Thailand

Due to the fact that the plane ride would take at least 20 hours, my parents have had no desire to go to Thailand thus I have never been and probably won’t be able to go until I am an adult with an income of my own. Until then I’ll just have to rely on Thai food in town, good thing we have Basil Court which happens to be the ultimate Thai restaurant despite being in a basement.  Tom yam kai, yam mamuang, and kaeng khao wan goong are the absolute best dishes!

Tom yam kai is a lemongrass soup made with coconut milk, ginger, mushrooms and of course lemongrass.  Lemongrass is full of  iron, potassium, calcium, vitamins A and C and magnesium , all used to help your body's nervous system, respiratory system and digestive system. Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties and is proven to lower your risk of developing respiratory problems, ovarian cancer and colon cancer.

Tom yam kai

Yam mamuang is not your traditional salad; it has mangoes, cashews, peppers, onion topped with lime juice and coriander. Mangoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A and fiber that all contributes to immaculate immunity. Cashews are jam packed with good fats, protein and magnesium sure to keep you fuller longer.

Yam mamuang



Kaeng khao wan goong is a green curry made with eggplant, bamboo, chicken and red peppers served with basmati rice. Eggplants, I know, sounds gross right? They are actually one of the best veggies ever. Eggplants have a similar texture to potatoes and take on whatever flavor is around them so in this case green curry flavor. PLUS they have a third of the calories per serving than potatoes. *eggplant emoji* 

Kaeng khao wan goong on basmati rice

8 comments:

  1. Yam mamuang is the dish I would love to try. I really enjoyed this post, learning about all the food combinations in Thai food and how these food combinations are healthy for you. It is always good to know what nutrients are found in your food, and this post clearly tells us what they are. Great post! Keep up the work!

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  2. It's cool to see healthy foods around the world, thanks for the info. Also is there a reason that Thailand doesn't eat as much meat as other places, most of these meats are either seafood and white meat. Also eggplant isn't gross, it's one of my favorite vegetables to make spread out of.

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  3. Oh wow Sophia! I have never tried Thai food but now I know I HAVE to! I'm a big fan of ginger, papaya, mango, lemongrass and all the wonderful spices they use, and I'd love to try pad thai as well. If it has noodles in it, I'll eat it!

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  4. I must say that if I were to try any of these meals it would probably be the Kaeng Khao because it sounds absolutely delicious. The one thing that did surprise me is how healthy their food and meals sound. with all of these salads and rice meals full of fruit, chicken, spices and vegetables there is not much more that you could ask for in a healthy meal like this one.

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  5. Neat stuff Sophia! It is so interesting to learn about all of the delicious and healthy Thai options! The combination of fruits and vegetables in these dishes is most definitely noteworthy, between eggplant and papaya the possibilities are endless! These meals look so wonderfully appetizing and I feel I would be lucky to try any of them. It is so nice to know that there is a quality local Thai restaurant. Thank you for this post and your insight! I look forward to visiting Basil Court and trying these dishes first hand! Are there any vegan or vegetarian options? Which dishes, aside from those mentioned, could be considered the healthiest and the tastiest?

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    1. Thank you for the comment Joy!As far as vegan and vegetarian food goes, you can substitute the meat in a meal with tofu,etc.. I really love all the dishes mentioned in my post but a couple not mentioned ones would have to be pad thai and peanut chicken. Hope that answers your question!

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  6. I love how healthy Thai food is! Ive always loves to eat new things and the kaeng khao wan goong sounds amazing because i love eggplant and everything with chicken! Its gotta be halal chicken tho ;) Love your blog and keep up the good work!

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  7. Excellent blog that makes me very hungry, sigh. :) You have a nice way of describing food that makes me want to go to those restaurants ASAP. Are there any other unique culture restaurants / foods that you would recommend?
    A few small issues:
    - Spelling/ grammar (to vs too, know vs known, run-ons, etc.)

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