Spacer for free articles display Tips For Cooking Authentic Thai Food

By: Napatr Lindsley
Like Thai Food? Love to cook? Perhaps your first attempt did not turn out like in the picture or taste like at the restaurant. Well, do not give up on cooking Thai food. Some Thai dishes may seem difficult because of a long list of ingredients and instructions. Thai cooking is all about ingredients and preparation. In Thailand, frozen or canned food is not very common. Thais love fresh ingredients. Thailand is one of the lucky countries in the world that has abundant vegetables, exotic fruit, seafood, etc. There is a well-known verse in Thailand describing abundant food resources: "Nai Nam Mee Pla Nai Na Mee Khao" which means "In river, there is fish, in the field, there is rice." This article will start with some general tips and then move in to specific tips for each food category.

Ingredients

Ingredients are the most important part of authentic Thai cooking. If you live in Thailand or in Southeast Asia, finding fresh Thai ingredients is easy. But if you live somewhere else, finding fresh ingredients can be difficult or troublesome especially for those who do not live in a city. If you decide to make Thai dishes, first invest a little of your time getting to know the ingredients. Then find the nearest Asian grocery store. If you like, call to see if they carry ingredients you are looking for. For instance, if you are looking for "Winter Melon", not all Asian grocery stores carry it. If you prefer, buying online can safe you driving time. If you cannot find fresh ingredients, try frozen and canned foods. In my opinion, most frozen products are the next best thing to fresh food. For instance, stir-fried shredded ginger with pork has two main ingredients: shredded ginger and pork. Shredded ginger? Sounds like lots of work to use fresh ginger. One might try a jar or can, but the taste and aroma of the ginger are not the same as the fresh version. It is not difficult to make shredded ginger if you have the right peeler. Try your best to find fresh produce, as it will be a good start to cooking authentic Thai dishes.

Equipment

Thais use a wok and pot in most dishes with the exception of desserts. For desserts, it is not required but it is recommended to use a bronze wok (Ka Ta Thong Lueng). Other common equipment includes a mortar and pestle. In Thailand, gas stoves are the most commonly used. Electric stoves are uncommon and not very popular because heat may not be distributed evenly. Regarding the mortar and pestle, it depends on one's desire. If you are going to cook Thai dishes very often, a mortar and pestle can become handy in your kitchen. Otherwise, using typical kitchen tools like a knife and cutting board can accomplish the same goal. Food processors or blenders are another option when it comes to making pastes.

Preparation

Preparation is also one of the keys to authentic Thai cooking. As mentioned above, Thai food focuses largely on ingredients and preparation. Preparation in particular is essential to authentic Thai food. You may spend more time preparing ingredients than you actually spend cooking. For instance, it may take about 30 minutes to prepare all ingredients for Tom Kha Gai but you only spend about 15 minutes cooking. A typical Thai dinner consists of 4-5 communal dishes. It may take up to 2 hours to prepare all ingredients, but only 1 hour to make. A few reasons follow regarding why Thais spend more time on preparation. Thais like their meat in bite size pieces. Fresh vegetables require time to wash, cut and maybe pad dry. Pounding spices and fresh herbs is also common for many dishes. Some desserts like Ta Go (sweet on the bottom layer with salty coconut topping in a pandanus basket) require lots of time in preparation starting from cleaning and cutting leaves and then making baskets. Depending on the amount of Ta Go you are making, it can take up to hours just to make those tiny baskets. Don't be discouraged by this because after preparation, the wonderful dishes are right around the corner!

Cooking to Your Taste

The art of Thai cooking has placed emphasis on the harmonious blending of various ingredients, particularly as the individual ingredients can vary by freshness and so on. Without harmony the taste and the dish fall short. The five elements of taste in Thai food are: sweet, salty, sour, spicy and bitter. When cooking Thai dishes, one may follow a recipe, but use it as a guideline when it comes to taste. Taste varies for each individual, sometimes in response to variables such as ingredient quality or occasion, and thus the tastes of the recipe author may or may not reflect one's own taste. Following a recipe is a good idea, but when it comes to taste follow your own preference. Know your ingredients and start adding flavorful items in small amounts. For instance, when it comes to curry pastes and fish sauce, some brands are saltier than others. Most Thai dishes can be fixed to some extent. If it is too sweet, adding a little bit of fish sauce will fix the problem and vice versa. If it is too sour, add a little bit of water; sugar or fish sauce will help.

Coconut Milk

Thai food and coconut milk almost always go together. Many dishes require Hua Ka Ti (first pressed coconut milk or creamy coconut milk) and/or Hang Ka Ti (second or third pressed milk or water-like coconut milk). To make fresh coconut milk, finely grated coconut meat is still steeped in warm water, not hot water. It is then squeezed until dry. The white fluid from the first press is called "Hua Ka Ti". Warm water is then added again to make the second and third pressed coconut milk, which is called "Hang Ka Ti." Finely grated coconut meat is generally used about 3 times and then discarded. Freshly pressed coconut milk has a better taste and aroma than commercial coconut milk in a can.

If you use canned coconut milk, you will need to have a can at a cold temperature because cold temperatures help separate the creamy coconut part and the water-like part. The creamy coconut milk will float to the top of the can. During hot weather, you may want to leave a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Fried Rice

Good fried rice is not difficult to make. The most important part is the steamed rice. The rice should be cooked but firm, not mushy and soft. If steamed rice is soft and mushy, when it is stir-fried it will all stick together. Good rice in fried rice should be easy to break up and the grains should stay intact. So to make the steamed rice, make sure you use a little less water than normal so that the rice is dryer than normal. Keeping rice in a refrigerator for 2-3 days is another alternative, but if your rice is mushy and soft after those 2-3 days, the fried rice will also still clump together. Other keys to making good fried rice are using a wok and high heat. Heat must be evenly distributed and consistently hot all thel time. A wok is recommended for making fried rice but not required.

Curry

There are two main types of Thai curries: coconut-based and non-coconut based. Those which use coconut milk mostly have similar initial steps which include separating the coconut oil and mixing curry paste into coconut milk. These first 2 steps are keys to perfecting your curry dishes. For instance, if you are making green curry, red curry, matsaman, or kaeng kari, the very first step is bringing Hua Ka Ti (first pressed milk or creamy coconut milk) to a boil until the oil starts to separate. You do not want to boil too long because you will break Hua Ka Ti and it will look like little white balls. After adding curry paste into the coconut milk, stir until the green or red oil separates and floats to the top. Frequently stirring curry paste is required because you do not want to burn the paste. Curry paste may stick to a cooking spoon, so make sure to remove it from the spoon. During this process, if Hua Ka Ti is getting dry, add 3-4 tablespoons of Hua Ka Ti at a time to keep the curry paste from burning. After adding vegetables, do not overcook them.

Stir-fried

Most stir-fried dishes take a short time to cook, especially stir-fried vegetables. The main key to most stir-fired dishes is heat. Heat must be evenly distributed throughout the wok or pan. Most recipes will suggest to heat up vegetable oil. In this step, one must make sure that the oil is hot and spread all over the wok (up to the side) or pan. In some dishes, after adding meat and/or vegetables, the pan or wok starts to get drier, so one may add a little bit of water so that the food won't get burned. For vegetables, make sure they are not overcooked.

Desserts

Thai desserts are not too difficult to make. Some may be easier than others. Some require more patience and time than others. Many Thai desserts require one to use the same ingredients, and substitutes are not recommended. For instance, if Khanom Ta Go asks for mung bean flour, other flour substitutes usually won't work well. Khanom Bua Loy requires sticky rice flour, and one may not use multipurpose flour or tapioca flour or some other types of flour. In some desserts like potato in ginger syrup, one can use mixed types of potatoes. Khanom Kaeng Buat can consist of taro, potato and/or pumpkin. When making Thai desserts, read instructions carefully.

Ingredients and preparation are the keys to cooking authentic Thai food. Some of the first few dishes in particular may require patience. However, once you have gotten to know Thai ingredients more and more, you will find how easy it is to cook authentic Thai food. As for Thai desserts, some are very simple and easy to make and you can perfect them the first time you try. Some desserts may take practice and time to develop certain skills. Do not be discouraged by recipe directions or how beautiful a picture of a dish might be. When you decide to cook authentic Thai food, gather up some friends and enjoy your cooking. Have fun!

Napatr Lindsley

About the Author
Get Authentic Thai Recipes at http://thaicookinghouse.com

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Moroccan Food is Some of the Best You'll Ever Have

By Lance Winslow
Moroccan Cuisine is something everyone should experience and savor. Moroccans certainly know how to eat, they have large portions of extremely healthy foods. Boy, I love Moroccans, they are a people after my heart. They believe in abundance and they never cut a meal short. You'll find Moroccan foods wonderful and the number of variations truly astounding. The spices, flavor and company is so very excellent indeed.

I'd love to introduce you to Moroccan foods because I know you'll love it like I do. I know if you get hooked you will help your health and live longer. I know it will open your mind to a whole new way of life, great food and wonderful people. A culture you need to understand and experience. It is for this reason that I am going to recommend a very excellent book to you.

You can either go out to an authentic Moroccan restaurant or you might try cooking some of your own at home. I like to do a little of both, oh yes, that book I was going to recommend to you. It's the greatest Moroccan cookbook that I have ever read:

"Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco" by Paula Wolfert; Perennial Library, Harper and Row, New York, NY; 1973

The Introduction is done by Gael Greene and the first chapter is a brief history of the Morocco and the Moroccan people. It tells of the culture and the food. There are so many easy to prepare recipes in this book and each one that I have prepared has come out magnificent. Please buy this great cookbook.
"Lance Winslow" - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

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Tags: thai food menu, thai food, healthy, thai food, food with a salty taste

Thai Food

By: Kazama T.

Thailand have many famous food that being known all around the world such as Tomyumgoong, Pad Tai and etc. Thai Foods have its own characteristic. They are hot, spicy and delicious.

Thai Herb are often used in Thai food such as Chili (Prik), Mint (Saranae), Shallot (Hom Daeng), Galanga (Kha), Lemon Grass (Ta Krai), Lime (Ma Now), Garlic (KraTieam), Ginger (Khing), Basil (Kraprao and Horapa) and etc. Thai food is also the food that control six balance fundamental flavors in every dishes. The six fundamental flavors in Thai food are salty, sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, and oily

Salty – Salty in thai food mostly used fish sauce (Nam Pla in Thai). Fish sauce in one of important ingredient in Thai food. Moreover in every meal of Thai people. There is a small bowl of fish sauce included. Anyway Thai food use the other souce for salty, too such as salt or soy sauce.

Sweet – In cooking the sweet in thai food. Mostly sweet in thai food come from sugar (Namtal in thai). There are also many kind of sugar in Thai food, such as brown sugar, coconut palm sugar, jaggery and palm sugar in the form of cakes.

Sour – In Thai food, Sour are from vinegar, lime juice. There are also the ingredient that are not in any foods like tamarine vinegar, citrus hystrix juice, sour orange juice and the sour flavor from tamarine leaf, garcina, garcina leaf and acacia leaf. All these sour flavors are in thai food only.

Hot (spicy) – The spicy flavor in Thai food is very hot, Mostly come from Capsicum frutescents.

Oily – Most curry thai food used coconut cream for oily flavor. Oily in thai foods also come from other vegetable oil or fat.

Bitter – Come from animal entrails and some leaf. Thai people believe that the bitter flavor food have the effect of medicine.

About the Author

Kazama is the writer of http://www.feelthailand.com

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Tags: food, sour, thai

Thai Dishes Of 4 Regions

By: Saronkorn Seuyouyong

According to Thai medical treat-ment, Thai dishes which wholly contain every flavor have medicinal qualities. Ingredients are classified as the followings:

Hot and Spicy Flavor: Ginger, galangal, lemon grass, krachai (a kind of herb whose roots are used in cooking), pepper, horapha (sweet basil), chillies, onion, garlic, etc. have medicinal qualities to get rid of chest discomfort, help digestion, relieve stomach discomfort and stimulate appetite.

Bitter, Cool and Mild Flavor: Various kinds of vegetables such as fug (a kind of Thai squash or melon), young melon, dog-caea (a kind of flowers from a tree whose family is sesbania grandiflora Pers.), biter melon, taamlyn (a kind of plant whose family is Coccinia grandis Voigt.), eggplants, etc. are to stimulate appetite, relieve high fever, help digestion and nourish the body’chemical elements.

Sour Falvor: Lime, tamarind paste, maadun (a kind of tree whose family is Garcinia schomburgkiana Pierre.), mango, young leaves of maagok (a kind of big tree whose family is Spondias pinnata Kurz.), phaaktiew (a tree of Cratoxylum family) and taew (a tree of Cratoxylum maingayi Dyer. Family ) are laxatives, medicine to cure cough, get rid of phlegm and cure colds.

Astringent, Sweet, Creamy and Salty Flavor the flower cluster of the banana tree, coconut, shrimp paste and sugar are used to nourish tendons, the whole body and energy.

With medicinal herbs as main ingredients, Thai dishes are consideral the crown of all food, containing low calories as they are cooked with various kinds of local vegetables.

Local vegetables are medical herbs. To eat local vegetables, then, is to take Thai medicine. Nutrient and medicinal values are completely found in Thai, local vegetables.

The Thai people can have local vegetables for the whole year either in the rainy, summer, or cool seasons. Thao Yaa Naang (a kind of plant) with its young leaves, blossoms and fruits are edible. The leaves are crushed to get juice as an ingredient flavoring the pleasing taste of soups such as Bamboo soup, and Kaeng Kaea, etc.

About the Author

wholesale essential oil Home spa product anti-aging products

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Tags: family, kind, vegetables

Healthy Low Fat Chicken Breast Recipe

By Hans Dekker

Chicken can be just as healthy as a salad, especially if it is skinless and you choose to grill instead of fry. This healthy chicken breast recipe has it all. With a mouth watering plum sauce, it is sure to please. That good flavor will give your family something to talk about between each and every bite.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups fresh plums, chopped
• ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. plum jelly
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Parsley as a garnish (optional)

To Make:

Preheat the oven to 375. The glaze for this recipe may be made the day before you plan to make this dish. It just will need to be refrigerated. If you use fresh plums, they will need to have the pits removed before using.

You can use canned or frozen varieties of this fruit if you want to. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the plums, the plum jelly, cornstarch, and the soy sauce. If the mixture is too dry, add a little water.

Now gradually add the brown sugar while stirring. Next, add the lemon juice and ginger. Continue mixing. Lastly, add the garlic and onion powder, and the black pepper. Once this plum glaze has been mixed well, it is ready to use.

Place each chicken breast, one by one, into the mixing bowl and cover each it with the plum glaze. Do this for each chicken breast. Then put the chicken breasts in a baking pan. You can add one more spoonful of plum glaze to each chicken breast before putting them in the oven if you wish. Bake this dish on 375 for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven. Top each piece of chicken with parsley before serving.

Serves 4.

Hans is an enthusiast cook he writes recipes and articles about body sliming he loves to cook healthy and tasas possible. Visit us for more at http://www.steaks-guide.com

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Tags: food menu, thai food, healthy thai food, food with a salty taste

Great Places to Dine Out in Denver

By Melissa Aytche

What city wouldn't be complete without fine dining? At the center of Downtown Denver is the 16th Street Mall. This outdoor mall spans 16 blocks with a free shuttle that can take you up and down. Some of the finest restaurants in Denver are either on or within walking distance from this mall. With the elegant atmosphere of this outdoor mall and fine dining you can enjoy an experience to remember.

So what kind of dining is there in Downtown Denver? Denver offers such a large variety of foods that range in price for any budget or occasion. If you are looking for great dining in Denver then you will love some of the choices we provide.

The Denver Chop House is one of the most upscale and fine restaurants in Downtown Denver. This is the full dining experience with the big band music and 7 microbrews. This American food restaurant is a classic that you will enjoy. Price wise is a little on the higher side but the full experience is worth the splurge.

Rio Grande Mexican restaurant is one of the finest Mexican foods around. With their classic Margaritas, casual atmosphere, and easy price you will find one of the local favorites with the convenience of Downtown.

Rodizio Grill Brazilian Steakhouse is a fantastic blend of Brazilian food and classic steakhouse. This fine restaurant is Downtown right on the 16th street mall. It can be pricey but will turn heads with a new variety you will love.

For more casual dining you will also love the Paramount Café, The Painted Bench, and McCormick's Fish House. You will still get the great dining experience with fun and casual atmospheres and not heavy on your wallet.

If you like Thai food, Chinese food, or Japanese food you can find some great choices in Sushi SaSa, Parallel Seventeen, and Japon. These moderate priced restaurants give you more than just the regular take out experience.

No matter your choice in restaurant Denver has many more to choose from. All in close proximity to shopping, events, movies, and more you can enjoy a great atmosphere, fine dining, and be a short walk or shuttle ride away from your next adventure.

You will not want to miss out on Denver's finest dining. We Offer up some of the finest foods in a whirlwind of options. No matter what your heart desires you can find exactly what you are looking for in Downtown Denver. With this kind of variety and atmosphere you are sure to remember your experience for a lifetime.

Melissa Aytche You're a Beautiful Woman Empowering and Inspiring Women http://www.tripleaytche.com/index.html Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melissa_Aytche

Tags: thai food

Marshmallow Making

By Michael Russell
Marshmallows are well known throughout the world for their fluffy, pillow-like texture and light sweet taste. This confection is either eaten as it is, melted into s'mores, or topped over ice cream, cake, or shakes. Nowadays, the biggest consumers of marshmallows are the Americans. Experts say that the Americans consume more than 90 million pounds of marshmallows a year. The peak season for selling marshmallows is between October and December but it is enjoyed all year round. Unknown to most of the public is that this gooey treat has been enjoyed since the time of the pharaohs and royal families of Ancient Egypt. However, the marshmallows before looked very different from the ones we have today.

The marshmallow comes from the mallow plant scientifically known as Athaea officinalis and is a wild plant common in the marshes. The name 'marshmallow' is actually the combination of 'mallow' from mallow plant and 'marsh' from the word marshes. The mallow plant has been naturalized in America but is native to Asia and Europe. In ancient Egypt, the sap of the mallow plant was squeezed out and mixed with honey and nuts to create a sweet and light snack.

The marshmallow reached France and the rest of the western world in the early 1800s. It was then that small candy store owners started whipping up the sap of the mallow root and turned it into a fluffy candy mold. The candy was new and interesting that their supplies easily ran out. The store owners had a hard time meeting the public's demand because the whipping was done manually by hand and was a very time-consuming process. Due to this, the candy makers had to experiment with different approaches to find another way to make marshmallows. In the late 1800s, they discovered the Starch Mogul System. This system enabled the candy makers to make marshmallow molds using modified cornstarch. Also to keep the marshmallow stable and to prolong its shelf-life, the candy makers switched the mallow sap to gelatin. When the process was developed and production was high, the technology was brought to the United States in the early 1900s.

In modern times, there are many ways to make marshmallows. Marshmallows making is very easy and can even be done at home and the ingredients are almost the same. In home recipes though, salt and vanilla extract is added to give more flavor. The method used in the 19th century was done by mixing ingredients like sap from the mallow root, egg whites and sugar. This mix is then poured out into a fluffy mold that makes its signature shape. The French would add cornstarch to speed up the process. However, the process of making marshmallows has changed. The ingredients are different now because the mallow root sap was changed into gelatin and is added with starch, sugar, corn syrup and water. The result is a fluffy mixture which is piped through long tubes and then cut into equal pieces. These are then packaged and shipped to candy stores.

In the US, a man named Alex Doumak changed the way marshmallows were made. He did this by creating and patenting the Extrusion process in 1948. This process was done by pouring and mixing the ingredients together which were passed through tubes and pipes. After this, the marshmallows are poured out and cut by machine into equal pieces. Eventually, different shapes of marshmallows were made. The shape was achieved by using a special nozzle that moves back and forth to create and cut the marshmallows into the desired form. These are then packaged and sent to candy stores. The marshmallows became very popular in the US by the 1950s and started to be used in different food recipes.
Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Candy

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Tags: thai food, healthy thai food, food with a salty taste

Thai Herbs - Kraprao, Lemon, Lemon Grass, Pepper, Pumpkin and Shallots in Thai Food

y Wevangti Vangra
Krapao
Kra prao or sacred basil is used in Kaeng Pha, Kaeng Kae and some spicy fried meat dishes to reduce the smell of the fish meat. Fresh leaves are sprinkled on food before removing from heat.
Benefits:
- Reduce sugar in blood
- Release tension
- Stomachic
Kra Prao Use in Thai Food:
- Khao Phad Kra Prao
Lemon
Lemon juice is used to make a sour taste in Tom Yam, Som Tum, Phla, spicy salads and many chili pastes and also lemon juice for drinks.
Benefits:
- Expectorant
- Carminative
- Antiscorbutic
Lemon Use in Thai Food:
- Tom Yum Kung
- Tom Kha Kai
- Som Tum
Lemon Grass
Lemon grass is spicy and bitter and used for seasoning the Thai food and as the main ingredient in every recipe of Kaeng Phed, spicy salads and Tom Yam.
Benefits:
- Antibacterial, Fungal, Yeast
- Diuretic
Lemon grass Use in Thai Food:
- Tom Yum Kung
- Tom Kha Kai
- Kaeng Khiao Wan Kai
- Beef Masaman
- Kai Phad Phed
- Phanaeng Kai
- Nam Ya Pla
Pepper
Pepper is popularly found in every kind of chili paste, in soup together with coriander root and garlic and as well sprinkle in for a good smell. It is normally used in cooking of Kaeng Phed, Kaeng Pa and Phad Phed.
Benefits:
- Expectorant
- Diuretic
- Stomachic /colic
- Digestive
Pepper Use in Thai Food:
- Kaeng Khiao Wan Kai
- Beef Masaman
- Kaeng Liang
- Kai Phad Phed
- Phanaeng Kai
- Khao Phad Kra Prao
Pumpkin
Fresh leaves and young flowers are blanched or boiled to supplement with the chilli paste. Its flowers are used as ingredients in Kaeng Lieng and Kaeng Som. Besides, the ripe pumpkins are used in many dishes both soups and fried dishes. It is also good to make many recipes of desserts; pumpkin boiled in syrup and pumpkin in coconut syrup.
Benefit:
- beta carotene
Pumpkin Use in Thai Food:
- Kaeng Liang
Shallot
Shallots are used to reduce meat savory and as seasoning and also the main ingredient in chili paste for Kaeng Phed, Tom Kloong, Kaeng Lieng, Tom Yam, Lhun, Yam, Larb and Nam Prik and as well in some desserts.
Benefits:
- Stomachic
- Catarrh relief
Shallot use in Thai Food:
- Tom Yum Kung
- Kaeng Khiao Wan Kai
- Beef Masaman
- Kaeng Liang
- Kai Phad Phed
- Phanaeng Kai
- Phad Thai
- Khao Phad Kra Prao
- Nam Ya PlaThai FoodMagnetic Resonance WaterWevangti
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wevangti_Vangra

Magic Foods - Simple Changes You Can Make to Supercharge Your Energy, Lose Weight and Live Longer

By Adam Garcia
Magic Foods is a diabetic cookbook that is excellent for people who are diabetic. The information and recipes include the GL (Glycemic Load) on foods. This diabetic cookbook is not for the real scientific minded person, it is for the person that is looking for help in controlling blood sugar levels and helping to understand diabetes in simple language.

This cookbook is written and designed primarily for people who are "beginners" at diabetes. Many diabetic meals are recreated from standard American meals, so this is an excellent book if you want to eat healthier while still eating familiar food. It is appropriate for everyone, but if you're trying to control diabetes, it will be especially useful and it is specially constructed for those making a real lifestyle change to a diabetic meal plan.

This diabetic cookbook is separated into three distinctive sections. The first provides a basic introduction to nutrition and healthy eating, with lots of practical tips and advice. The second describes some of the most regularly available super foods-foods that have exceptional health value and are easy to integrate into your diet and the third section offers easy recipes that introduce these foods as starring ingredients, as well as some diabetic meal plan ideas to get you on track.

This book was an eye opener that everyone should read and was helpful about controlling ones sugar. The information was easy to understand, easy to implement, and completely within reach of sustaining. Diabetes is a very significant subject, and people don't need technical data, they need help. This diabetic cookbook is a good stepping off point on the right course. It is an excellent resource for helping to understand the diabetic problem and I would suggest that all diabetics purchase a copy. For it is truly a way WHERE YOUR DIABETES WON"T CONTROL YOU!
Adam R. Garcia
Diabetic Cookbook Critic
http://diabeticcookbook.yrnot.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Garcia

Tags: dessert food with a salty taste healthy thai food history thai food Mango Salad namprik nation food, Pappaya Salad, Som Tum, Thai Food thai, food menu, Thai Recipes, Thai sweets the food that cook with the oven, Tip Trevel in Thailand

Natural Beauty Treatment - How the Thai Diet Can Help You Glow

By Lena Morgan
You've got to envy the Thais. They seem to be always snacking on one of the world's tastiest cuisines and yet they're all maddeningly rail thin with glowing skin and shining hair. So what's the secret?

Well the food actually has a lot to do with it. Brimming with the goodness of herbs, most Thai meals are low in fat and replete with vegetables and fish. But the wonderful thing is that it doesn't taste like 'health food'.

Through a judicious blend of fresh ingredients, a dazzling harmony of flavors, and a special magic all of its own, Thai food is rightly regarded as one of the world's most flavorsome. So you don't have to give up flavor for health. Healthy food doesn't mean dull food.

In fact, in Thai traditional medicine, food is one of the three pillars along with herbs and meditation. Visit a traditional Thai practitioner and the first thing he'll ask about is your diet. And if he doesn't think it's up to scratch, your first prescription will be a change in what you eat.

So it's healthy but how can Thai food make you glow?

Beauty hinges on efficient function of the inner systems such as digestion, absorption and elimination. These in turn depend on diet and taking care of the digestive system. So before you begin working on your hair and skin, you have to tone up your inner systems. In the Thai system beauty and vitality really do come from within.

The fact is that the Thai diet is a veritable detox on a plate. It's a continual detox as the powerhouse herbs in every Thai meal work to ramp up your digestion and cleanse your entire system on a daily basis. And when you're clean inside, it tends to show outside in the form of clear skin and shining hair.

Other factors that give Thai food such powerful rejuvenating properties incudes the fact that only fresh ingredients wherever possible. Fresh herbs and vegetables are rich in enzymes which can aid digestion. Plus the Thai diet is high in fresh fruits and vegetables which are loaded with vitamins (especially the anti-oxidant rich vitamins A, C and E) and minerals. All of these are a boon for the hair and skin.
For more natural beauty secrets and to find out how Thai herbs can help you bloom, visit http://hubpages.com/hub/thainaturalbeauty

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lena_Morgan

Tags: Fantastic Thai Food, thai food, healthy thai food, food with a salty taste

Growing Cayenne Peppers

By Candis Reade
Growing cayenne peppers is one of the most popular and easiest of gardening tasks. Cayenne peppers are not the hottest of peppers, but run middle range to hot, they grow to three feet tall at maturity, and two feet wide. Because of the peppers ability to produce so many peppers on one plant, only one or two plants might be necessary to feed a household.

The type of soil necessary for pepper growing is moist but not too soggy, with good drainage, and inside a container bed. They should not be planted nearby any other species of peppers such as bells or sweet peppers due to the possibility of cross-pollination. Mulching the container bed with straw to help with drainage is a good idea.

Growing cayenne peppers in full sun is their preference. The plants can be purchased from garden centers. Plants should be chosen that don't yet have any blooms or fruit. It takes from 70 to 80 days for a plant to bear fruit once its been planted, and its important the planting take place after any danger of frost.

Cayennes give meals a good spicy kick. Since their heat runs middle of the road, they are great for dishes requiring more spice than a bell pepper might provide, but not quite as hot as a habanero. When the seeds and inside skin is removed, much of this fiery heat is lost, if that is the intention of the cook.

Growing cayenne peppers is a good way to get started in Mexican cooking, as cayennes are used frequently in these dishes. Many people use cayennes for all sorts of dishes, and they are a staple of Cajun food as well. In the south, it is common practice to pickle cayenne peppers. Stuffed in a jar, then filled with vinegar, the resulting juice is used to flavor collard greens. The juice can be replenished by adding more vinegar, as this process does not cause the peppers to lose any of their heat.

Native to south and central America, the cayenne is also known by other names:

-African Pepper

-Red Bird Pepper

-Cockspur Pepper

-Goats Pepper

-Devils Tongue

-Hot Flame

Growing cayenne peppers is also done for medicinal uses. Capsaicin is the prime ingredient in cayennes that gives them their heat. Although this substance might be hot to the tongue, it aids in the treatment of digestive tract problems and other maladies such as:

-congestion

-toothaches

-fevers

-migraines

-muscle pains and sprains

-can improve blood circulation when applied topically

Cayenne can be used as a condiment much like salt and pepper, and be purchased or eventually dried and crushed into the same texture and density as any chili powder. It is great tasting over fish, cheese dishes, sauces and soups and egg salads.

Thai food uses a lot of cayenne pepper in its dishes and some examples of those are: Peanut Dipping Sauce, Tart Fish Curry, Pad Thai, as well as Tex Mex recipes like Chili, Black Bean Soup, Guacamole, Hummus and Corn Bread.
Candis Reade is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about Growing Cayenne Peppers, please visit Growing Peppers for current articles and discussions.

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Tags: thai food, thai food menu, thai food healthy thai food, food with a salty taste

The Gluten-Free Vegan Diet - Easier Than It Sounds

By Laura ब्रुनो
Recent studies suggest that 1 in 250 people are living with celiac disease, a lifelong, dangerous intolerance to gluten-containing foods such as wheat, rye, kamut, spelt, barley and oats. An even larger percentage of the population suffers allergy, sensitivity, or food intolerance to glutens, without having full-blown celiac disease. For those following a strict vegan diet, imposing a gluten restriction considerably reduces already reduced menu options. But while a gluten-free vegan diet requires extra creativity and vigilance, it can be maintained--deliciously. After years of experimentation, I decided to share what I have learned.
If you've been diagnosed with or suspect celiac disease or a wheat allergy, the severity of your symptoms will determine how much you change your diet. For celiacs, ingestion of proteins (glutens) found in cereal grains damage the small intestines and can result in abdominal cramping, anemia, low bone density and body weight, lupus, fatigue, depression, and a host of other ills. The only known treatment for celiac disease is a lifelong avoidance of all glutens. On the other hand, people who suffer wheat or gluten sensitivity usually feel better on a gluten-free diet, but they may grow to tolerate some forms of "forbidden grains." For example, eating durum or semolina pasta gives me an excruciating migraine headache, yet I have no problem eating sprouted Ezekiel bread.
Glutens can affect our health in surprising ways. Particularly if you have unsuccessfully "tried everything" to treat a health issue, you might want to try a gluten-elimination diet. When you reintroduce glutens, observe your reactions. Acne, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, fibromyalgia, headaches, constipation, and asthma are some of the many problems occasionally relieved by avoiding gluten.
Unfortunately, wheat and its gluten-containing cousins appear in more foods than you might expect. Reading labels only helps if you can recognize the ingredients. Some hidden forms of gluten include:
modified food starch
textured vegetable protein
hydrolyzed plant protein
extenders and binders
hydrolyzed vegetable protein
malt
Most restaurant and canned soups contain flour, pasta or barley, and commercial enchilada sauces and "Spanish rice" mixes usually contain some form of wheat. At this point, all packaged veggie burgers and sausages contain wheat; however, a gluten-free veggie burger will supposedly be released by mid-2004. Always check the ingredient list, even on products like Rice Chex, which uses malt as a sweetener. Kashi cereal, which contains kashi, or buckwheat (a non-gluten grain), also contains wheat.
Due to the growing demand for gluten-free processed foods, a number of companies have begun to offer nut and rice crackers to replace more traditional snacks, and many health food stores carry at least one gluten-free cereal. Mochi, a Japanese rice treat, contains no gluten and can often be found in the refrigerated section of natural food stores. The cinnamon raisin version with a little "vegan butter" usually satisfies my craving for cinnamon buns. Arrowhead Mills also offers a wide variety of flours and gluten-free products, available in most health food stores and online. Following a whole foods, organic diet will not necessarily remove all the hidden glutens from your plate. If you prefer home baked goods, then Bette Hagmann's The Gluten-Free Gourmet belongs in your kitchen. She includes recipes for two flour mixtures that exchange cup for cup with all-purpose flour. Hagmann also offers recipes for biscuits, potpies, stews, and other tasty, normally wheat-laden treats. Unfortunately, few of her recipes are vegan, and Hagmann does not address typical vegan alternatives. Food Allergy Survival Guide, by Vesanto Melina, Jo Stepaniak and Dina Aronson offers recipes without gluten, corn, dairy, eggs, fish, peanuts and meat, along with tips for improving your food allergy situation. Because glutens can comprise so much of a vegan diet, I list suggested substitutions alongside the offending foods:
Semolina or durum (wheat) pasta: use rice, corn or quinoa pasta
Udon noodles: use rice or (sometimes) soba noodles
Soy sauce: use wheat-free tamari
Worcestershire sauce: use Bragg's Liquid Aminos
Seitan ("wheat meat"): use tempeh or baked tofu
Bulgur (in tabouleh, salads and some chilis): use Quinoa
Couscous: use Quinoa or millet
Barley: use brown rice
Oatmeal: use grits
Flour tortillas (also the base for most "wraps"): use corn tortillas
Regular cornbread: use freshly ground quinoa meal instead of flour
Flour for frying: use rice flour or corn meal
Thickening for soups: use arrowroot, potato starch, corn starch
In some cases, people seem to tolerate certain types of glutens, while experiencing symptoms from others. Those allergic to wheat might be able to eat spelt, kamut or rye, for example, (although most "rye bread" contains a lot of wheat). Sprouting grains increases the availability of enzymes that support digestion, and combining a variety of grains lessens the impact of any one allergen. For this reason, moderate allergy sufferers can sometimes enjoy tortillas and breads made from a mixture of sprouted grains. If so, you're in for a treat, because Ezekiel products-the most popular brand of sprouted breads-taste delicious. They also more closely resemble the texture and density of bread, when compared to the totally gluten-free frozen loaves.
Eating out in restaurants poses special challenges for the gluten-free vegan. As if eating out as a vegan weren't challenging enough! A little planning can make the difference between eating only a salad-no croutons!-or enjoying a meal with everybody else. Ethnic restaurants tend to provide the most options.
In particular, Thai food usually relies on rice noodles or rice, rather than the typical wheat pasta of Italian fare. (Ask for curries without fish sauce.) Indian food offers another relatively safe haven, so long as you order non-fried entrees and abstain from the enticing array of breads. (Watch out for ghee, or clarified butter.) Inquire ahead of time if the teff-based Ethiopian Injera contains wheat flour. If not, you can sop up the vegetarian platter just like all the other diners. Chinese food unfortunately contains a lot of wheat, unless you opt for plain steamed vegetables or some garlic sauces. Anything with soy sauce is probably out, unless the cook uses wheat-free tamari. At Mexican restaurants, you can order vegetarian entrees with corn tortillas and no cheese. Watch out for sides of rice, though. Unless the restaurant offers fresh brown rice, then their mix probably uses modified food starch or flour. (Also ask if they put lard in their refried beans.) If all else fails, you can probably create your own "entrée" by ordering several sides of vegetables without butter.
What happens if someone invites you over for dinner? I personally used to dread this one, especially if the host is neither a vegan nor a celiac. It's one thing to scour a menu for options and play it off casually-quite another to seem like an ungracious guest or picky eater. Close friends know and accept my peculiar diet, but acquaintances rarely understand its guidelines. I usually explain that I'm vegan and then offer to bring something substantial. If they assure me that's not necessary, then I mention some food sensitivities and extend a second offer to bring food.
If they still want to serve the entire meal, it helps to give menu suggestions rather than a list of things you cannot or will not eat. For example, "I can eat any kind of rice pasta, any vegetables, or any bean dish as long as you use wheat-free soy sauce." After a few more details, people often hit upon "the perfect menu idea! How does this sound?" If it sounds good, I recommend you go with it. If it really will not work, then it helps to be clear about potential modifications. The easier you make your diet seem, the less of an imposition it becomes to you or anyone else.
Over the years, I have personally struggled with more than a gluten allergy. To varying degrees, I also used to react to soy, corn and most tree nuts. Nonetheless, I continued to eat an incredibly wide array of vegetables and grains. Once you familiarize yourself with ingredients, it becomes easier to focus on delicious meals you can eat. When you discover just how well you feel without all those allergens, you are bound to experience new levels of dining pleasure!Laura Bruno is a Life Coach, Medical Intuitive and Reiki Master Teacher from Sedona, Arizona. In addition to private coaching and intuitive sessions, she teaches Conscious Eating 101 classes, Intuition workshops and Reiki Certification classes around the country and in beautiful Sedona.
For more information on classes, raw food coaching, intuitive readings and life coaching, please see: http://www.internationalrenaissancecoaching.com
Laura is also the author of the long-awaited eBook, If I Only Had a Brain Injury: A TBI Survivor and Life Coach's Guide to Chronic Fatigue, Concussion, Lyme Disease, Migraine or Other "Medical Mystery," now available at http://www.ifionlyhadabraininjury.com
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Thai BBQ or Barbeque Chicken Recipes

By Hans Dekker
What makes Thai BBQ chicken recipes so delicious? It is all the wonderful and unique spices and ingredients that are used to deliver a flavor that are taste buds enjoy. These recipes are wonderful and give us a new view of how we look at barbeque sauces. You will learn once you begin to try other countries bbq recipes that many spices and ingredients can make delectable sauces that everyone will love.
This first Thai BBQ chicken recipe will give you an idea of all the different items that make your own barbeque sauce liven up the dinner table.
You will need 16 ounces of cubed chicken, 2 tablespoons of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt, 1 garlic clove minced, 1 tablespoon of your favorite cooking wine, 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 small can of pineapple chunks, 1 green pepper cubed, 1 red pepper cubed, ½ cup of coconut milk, ¼ cup of soy sauce, a tad of Tabasco sauce. Mix together all ingredients except chicken, and then marinate the chicken chunks overnight in the refrigerator. After marinating, place each vegetable, pineapple chunk and chicken on a skewer and grill until done.
You can also use part of the above ingredients to create wonderful dipping sauce for your Thai barbeque chicken. Just do not use the sauce that you have marinated the chicken in overnight. Just use enough of the sauce to cover the chicken and reserve the rest for your dipping sauce. Everyone will love this tasty recipe and you will love trying coconut milk for many of your bbq sauces. Pineapple and coconut milk will give your favorite barbeque sauce a new flavor that not many people have tried, but once they do they love the flavor.Hans is author of http://www.steaks-guide.com and the Grill and Barbeque section at http://www.patio-furniture-ideas.com
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Review - The Turkey Cookbook - 138 New Ways to Cook America's Favorite Bird

By Jane Wangersky
This book promises "138 new ways to cook America's favorite bird" - but if you just want to make a simple Thanksgiving dinner, it'll help you with that, too। Chef Rick Rodgers starts at the beginning, describing different kinds of turkeys in his introduction। ("Farm-raised wild" turkey, anyone?) The chapters cover whole turkey, leftovers, white meat and dark, turkey cutlets ("the new scallopini"), ground turkey, special occasion recipes, turkey on the barbeque grill, and side dishes. All the old Thanksgiving favorites are here, along with new twists on them. If you're just looking for a good way to roast your Thanksgiving turkey, look no further than the first recipe in Chapter 1. Rodgers gives his seven-step method for what he calls "the crispiest, juiciest, tastiest turkey you have ever dreamed of". He also tells you how to make giblet gravy at the same time. From there on, the turkey recipes get more exotic: Texan, Cajun, Spanish, Moroccan, Chinese and more. Rodgers even tells you how to roast a turkey entirely in the microwave, though he prefers not to. New cooks with a little ambition will be able to handle the recipes in this book. The reading level is only moderately difficult. Although the lists of ingredients are usually long, there's no need to be overwhelmed by them. As Rodgers says in his directions for homemade turkey stock: "Don't let my long list of tips throw you off - turkey stock is easy to make. But even simple chores have their little secrets to make things go more smoothly." He starts each recipe with an enthusiastic description, and throws in lots of random facts and true stories. (My favorite is the one in Chapter 2, about the family who serves their turkey along with bread and mustard so they can go straight to the turkey sandwich stage.) His enthusiasm is catching. Read this book and you'll look forward to cooking Thanksgiving dinner. The Turkey Cookbook: 138 New Ways to Cook America's Favorite Bird, by Rick Rodgers (Harper Perennial, 1990), is available on Amazon.Jane Wangersky is an ESL teacher and the author of Thanksgiving for Beginners. To learn how to cook a great Thanksgiving dinner, even if you don't know where to start, visit her site, Thanksgiving for Beginners.



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Thai Cookery In A Nutshell

By Liz Canham
Thai food has been influenced over time by its Chinese, Malaysian and Indian neighbors and has evolved into a very distinctive style of its own.
The contrasting flavors of hot, sweet, salty and sour and the unusual combinations of fruit, chicken, meat and fish or seafood make this a truly fascinating cuisine.
A normal meal for a family of reasonable income will consist of rice, which is the country's staple food, together with a soup or similar, a stir-fried dish and a salad, all served at the same time. In the north of Thailand, pork and strong curries are popular, with the meat cooked in large pieces, whereas gentler coconut milk flavors the southern curries and the meat is chopped quite small.
In curries, traditional Indian ingredients such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves are used in very small quantities but many of the flavorings and spices differ considerably from those found in Indian and Chinese cuisine. The most commonly used of these are:Galangal - A root or rhizome which looks similar to ginger, but with a flavor all of its own. It can be bought fresh, powdered or dried in slices but fresh is best. Lemon grass - As its name suggests, this has a lemony flavor but it looks somewhat like a fresh bamboo shoot. The outer leaves are very tough and should be peeled away, but even the inner core is fairly hard and needs to be sliced very finely for cooking or even grinding.Kaffir lime leaves - These are the leaves of a Far Eastern lime, similar to a Western one but with a knobbly skin. The rind is also used in Thai cookery. Fish sauce - This is called Nam Pla in Thailand and is made from salted fish or prawns. It is a pale brown liquid used much as soy sauce is in Chinese cookery. Shrimp paste - Made from fermented shrimp, this can be bought in small pots. Use sparingly as it has a very strong flavor. Chili paste - A combination of chillies and fried shallots mixed with sugar and tamarind, it can be bought in jars and may be hot, medium or mild in flavor.
Other, more well known, flavorings commonly used in Thai cookery are fresh mint, basil and coriander, unsalted peanuts, fresh chillies, both green and red as well as chili powder, lime and lemon juice and garlic.
Noodles of differing types are often added to flavored broths with vegetables such as bean sprouts or green beans and chicken or prawns, making a flavorsome soup for lunch.
Dipping sauces are a popular condiment to accompany a Thai meal, particularly a deep-fried dish, and usually contain any combination of tamarind, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, finely chopped chili, garlic and spring onion.
A Thai meal will usually end with an array of prepared fresh fruit such as mango, pineapple and papaya. Desserts are only served on very special occasions or at banquets.Liz Canham:
As well as a love of Asian cooking as you can see in her Asian Food and Cookery website, Liz seeks to help newcomers to the world of internet marketing with tools, tips and training from her Liz-e-Biz website.
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