by Nitsa Takhiansok
Like many others, I believe that Bangkok is the world’s street food capital. I know of nowhere else that can match the sheer variety of food available at almost any hour of the day and night. Despite this, many tourists choose not to sample the delights on offer, I call that sad :-( I used to think that the main reason for this was the fear of food poisoning. And I know that for some people this still seems to be a factor. Should this be the case? I really don’t believe so..
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
One thing I have learnt from being asked this question by friends so many times is that they all mean different things by it. For some it will be the restaurant with the most spectacular views, for others, the best food. And, for those who have picked Thailand as their honeymoon destination, the most romantic. Because of this experience, I have now learned to give them all the same answer: “Google it!” It’s not that I’m being unkind or unhelpful, simply that what works for me may not work for..
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
I love driving in Thailand. Or to be more accurate, I love being driven in Thailand provided I’m able to call out “Stop!” whenever we pass one of the many interesting food or produce stalls that abound on the highways. In fact I do this so frequently that unplanned overnight stops are a common occurrence. You see in the UK you have “Little Chefs” and the like and you could play spot the difference with those. In Thailand you’re more likely to be confronted with roadside eateries disguised as ...
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
Husband: You need a blog, Me: No dear, I need a pair of Jimmy Choo's.Husband: No, your website needs a blog, Me: Not as much as I need a pair of Jimmy Choo's.I would like to say I put up a spirited resistance for my right to teeter around dangerously in 5 inch stiletto heels but the threat to call in Judge Molly to arbitrate meant that further resistance was futile. The USA gets Judge Judy. I get Judge Molly. Now you might think that Judge Molly being my daughter would give me more confidence...
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
Making your own curry paste can be fun and wonderfully therapeutic as you bash away with a mortar and pestle. A great Thai green curry depends on the quality of the paste and, so often overlooked, the quality of the coconut milk.
Those two factors are the most important in determining the success of the final dish.
Not your cooking skills, not the quality of the meat you are using, be it fillet steak or the finest organic chicken. It’s the paste and the coconut milk. It is as simple as that.
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
There are several ways to open a young coconut, however, if the aim is to keep the coconut shell to use as a serving bowl just a little more care is needed. You will need a strong sharp knife as you see in the pictures. Most of the time I use a meat cleaver but not everyone has one so on this occasion I've used the type of knife can be found in most kitchens. You will also see that I placed a nonslip mat under my chopping board, if you don't have one of these just make sure your chopping boar...
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
Hand cooked in a kitchen, not produced in a factory.Only the ingredients that belong in authentic Thai curry pastes. No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Unlike factory made pastes, My Thai Curry pastes are made using a slow cooking technique that retains and concentrates the full range of flavours and aromas of an authentic Thai curry paste. Packaged and sealed to give up to 12 months shelf life.Same day first class dispatch by Royal Mail in letterbox friendly packaging when ord...
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
I am always surprised by the fact that other people are surprised that I cook my rice in a rice cooker! The response is always along the lines of “I thought you would cook it the traditional way”, well I am cooking it the traditional way; it is simply a modern tradition! Give me a break here; I know there is probably a better way of putting this but Google translate isn’t helping out today for the English equivalent of the Thai phrase I would like to use.I think in non-Asian households a rice...
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
I’m often asked which are the best or most “authentic” Thai restaurants in London and it’s a question that I have problems answering. On the surface, it should be an easy question for me to answer. I’m a Thai cook who has sampled her way through more or less every Thai dish in existence. I think that may be more hindrance than help; I tend to be super critical..
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
Until fairly recently I had no difficulty in giving an unequivocal answer to the question. However, times change and trends come and go and what was once true is not now always the case. In traditional Thai cuisine we tend to think of curries being served at an appropriate heat level for that particular curry. Certainly in Thailand that would be the case. However in many Thai restaurants overseas this no longer holds true, increasingly diners are being asked “How spicy would you like your cu...
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
I play a little mental guessing game whenever I am introduced to people for the first time. It goes something like this:Introduction.“This is Nitsa, she’s from Thailand”.I then have to guess whether their first sentence will include the words “Pad Thai”. It usually does. On very rare occasions, we might even be talking for a minute or so before those words enter into the conversation; I’m normally getting quite anxious by then. It’s difficult to focus on the conversation because I know you’re...
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
I'm sure that nearly every visitor to Bangkok has been to JJ or Chauchak Market, sometimes I think that they are all there at the same time as me, wow is it crowded! No question, it's one of the world’s great markets for tourists and locals alike, it often seems to me there is little you cannot buy there. However after years of living outside Thailand my tolerance for the crowds, and most of all, the heat, is decidedly less than when I was a Bangkok resident. This is why after 30 minutes or s...
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
I grew up in a small village in the north-east of Thailand. Our methods of preparing food were very traditional and I was set to work with the mortar & pestle from a very early age. We would grow most of our ingredients ourselves, raise our own chickens and catch fish in the nearby rivers or rice paddies. Supermarkets had yet to make an appearance and what shopping we did was in local markets.
Although many things have changed since then, a lot of the values remain the same. We have supe...
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
I’m often asked if you can cook these Thai curry recipes using a slow cooker or crock-pot. In particular, some of the dishes that I describe as benefiting from a long cooking time, like Beef Massaman for example, might seem ideally suited to cooking in a slow cooker. Whilst it is possible to use a slow cooker, the recipe would have to be adapted. The reason for this is that "good" (without added binders or other chemicals) coconut milk is not suited to the long cooking times typical of most ...
Continue Reading
by Nitsa Takhiansok
I often receive emails asking the above question, or notice people searching on the website for these items. Not only can there be a problem in buying either of these, there also seems to be some confusion about how they are used in Thai cooking. I hope that I will be able to answer a few of these questions here.Kaffir lime leaves.Fresh kaffir lime leaves are an essential ingredient in Thai cooking. However, obtaining them in the UK or the EU is far from easy. (Edit. Aug 2016. Getting easier,...
Continue Reading
