Cook Thai at home

Thai cuisine crept into the culinary consciousness of the Filipino more than two decades ago. It was introduced in a restaurant where they served the popular phad thai and yummy dessert that looked and tasted like our own maja blanca with corn kernels on top.

Since traveling Filipinos, including us, made frequent visits to the capital city of Bangkok, more of this regional cuisine came back home with them, encouraging restaurateurs to set up Thai restaurants. To date there are numerous establishments offering Thai cuisine, prominent of which is Spices at the Manila Peninsula hotel.

Considering our penchant for experimenting and subsequently cooking various cuisines at home, we ventured to search for rare Thai ingredients and spices in the metropolis. We found an Asian store in San Juan, Metro Manila, where we could get the fresh galangang (this belongs to the family of ginger root) and kafir leaves, mostly dried, among others. Another specialty store also carries, on a limited scale, Asian flavor mixes. We had a friendly duo of a culinary mother-and-daughter team who provided us with the recipe of the noodle dish.

Now comes the collection of packed Thai mixes, seasonings, soups, curry paste and more which, lately, has encouraged us to cook Thai at home. This made us rather anxious to discover the special flavors in each packet or cup, by doing the dishes ourself. All that is needed is the addition of the main elements – meat, chicken or seafood. The selection is wide, it is distributed in the Philippines by a company called Tridale Inc. All recipes have been developed by a couple who have become respected Thai culinary authorities over the past 30 years, Mr. Kanok and Mrs. Wan, thus the brand name of the products is Kanokwan. We were delighted to note that the ingredients used to produce them are natural and fresh without food enhancers. For that alone, this collection is good to consider.

So far we have tried the marinade for the aromatic grill chicken, with a unique flavor that combines subtle sweetness and saltiness plus a hint of chili, and which did not need any dip, only the drippings from the course of grilling. We also tried the yellow curry paste, indeed spicy (as most of the Thai dishes are), but tolerable and enjoyed by family who delight in spicy food. This is a very easy one to make – simply add coconut milk and peanuts.

Thai foodies would always want to know how to prepare the legendary phad thai and tom yam soup. They are among those offered in the local market.

Our kitchen is always ready for new techniques and new flavors. The Kanokwan roast red pork seasoning meets that need. Thai cookery is dominantly marked by the use of a lot of spices which make their food attractively challenging to one’s palette. But we know a lot of people who simply love spicy food, like our own Bicolanos.

Go through the list and you’ll find a lot more than the four mentioned above – red and green curry paste, sweet chili sauce, laksa bowl, even instant ginger tea with honey and strong formula ginger tea, plus chicken pho. We find the cost of each quite reasonable, the better to save a few pesos, as well as effort and electric or gas consumption. The prices range from P32 to P45 per; the sweet chili sauce is at P149.75 while the teas are tagged at P220 a box. They are available in all Robinsons Supermarkets, Makati Supermarket, Landmark, Puregold, Hi Top, Cash and Carry, Metro and selected SM branches.

Cook Thai and discover the flavors of Thailand.

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