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Thai food ingredients

900ss

900ss

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Location
San Jose CA
Moto(s)
None, but my brother has 56 and counting.
Name
Ken
Post up your favorite go-to grocery for Thai ingredients please.
 
stangmx13 said:
You can get coconut milk, Thai chilis, lime, and lemongrass pretty much anywhere.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I do know this. I went to Battambang Oriental Market in San Jose; found all sorts of stuff you won't find at Ranch 99 etc. We have an H-Mart Korean market close by that has hard to find items at regular grocers.

Making vegetarian red curry for dinner tonight.
 
Subscribed

Been to Thailand many times. Dated two Thais via LDRs. One from Isaan. The other from northern Thailand. Cant explain how there is way more to Thai food than what bay area Thai restaurants offer - same as any other ethnic cuisine. For instance. There’s regional cuisine in Thailand. Went to a thai restaurant in Piedmont self-advertised as southern Thai. Not even close.

If you want to learn more about Thai cuisine besides the typical massamun curry or pad thai, search for thai cooking FB and youtube accounts by Thais who live in Thailand and post in Thai. So delicious!
 
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lizard said:
Subscribed

Been to Thailand many times. Dated two Thais via LDRs. One from Isaan. The other from northern Thailand. Cant explain how there is way more to Thai food than what bay area Thai restaurants offer - same as any other ethnic cuisine. For instance. There’s regional cuisine in Thailand. Went to a thai restaurant in Piedmont self-advertised as southern Thai. Not even close.

If you want to learn more about Thai cuisine besides the typical massamun curry or pad thai, search for thai cooking FB and youtube accounts by Thais who live in Thailand and post in Thai. So delicious!
Click to expand...

am super curious about your feedback. are you talking the variety of menu offerings, or the quality of the food?
 
littlebeast said:
am super curious about your feedback. are you talking the variety of menu offerings, or the quality of the food?
Click to expand...

Great Q! I didn’t think about it when I posted. Now that I think about it, both offerings and quality.

Regarding menu offerings: same as other ethnic cuisines, the menus offered by Bay Area Thai restaurants are very limited presumably because the restaurant has to make money and limited menus provide max profit. The average Karen is not going to order/enjoy some “weird” dish. Just like the Brazilian café in Danville that makes a very small handful of “pastries.” They used to make coxhinha daily when they opened - a delicious chicken filled thing. But now they rarely make it bc Danvillian snobby Karens don’t order it because its foreign.

Regarding quality: its subjective so you may like something I don’t vice versa. I’ve been a few well known Thai restaurants in the bay area but still haven’t found my “go to” spot. Same with Cantonese food. Been to HK many times. Dated 2 hongkies. Returning to the BA after an HK trip, I find most BA cantonese food all taste like soy sauce. When comedian Jimmy Yang jokes that the chef in a Chinese restaurant is someone’s uncle from HK, he’s probably right LOL!!

I guess what I’m saying is, I wish kitchensinkers could experience the Thai food I’ve had in Thailand. Its really delish and sometimes SPICEY! Regarding spiceyness, the human body is an amazing thing, my ability to take heat improves after a few visits. I still can’t eat papaya salad, that MFer brings heat from Hell.

Here’s a vid I shot of a café in small town in northern Thailand. The ex, from the small town, told me that what the girl is making is found only in her hometown. Not
sure what its called.

[YOUTUBE]Iof6ko5DGhM[/YOUTUBE]
 
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What a timely thread. I made a Thai Chili Chicken Stir Fry, for the 1st time today. I used several ingredient's that I purchased while I was in Chiang Mai several months ago.

Thank you OP and Lizard for the feedback.
 
lefty said:
What a timely thread. I made a Thai Chili Chicken Stir Fry, for the 1st time today. I used several ingredient's that I purchased while I was in Chiang Mai several months ago.

Thank you OP and Lizard for the feedback.
Click to expand...

Ah, Chiang Mai!

Here’s some pics of northern Thai food that I had the pleasure
of masticating. Can’t find this food in other Thai provinces, so the ex informed. Pics are mine.

https://imgur.com/a/BRO2o2l
 
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lizard said:
Great Q! I didn’t think about it when I posted. Now that I think about it, both offerings and quality.

Regarding menu offerings: same as other ethnic cuisines, the menus offered by Bay Area Thai restaurants are very limited presumably because the restaurant has to make money and limited menus provide max profit. The average Karen is not going to order/enjoy some “weird” dish. Just like the Brazilian café in Danville that makes a very small handful of “pastries.” They used to make coxhinha daily when they opened - a delicious chicken filled thing. But now they rarely make it bc Danvillian snobby Karens don’t order it because its foreign.

Regarding quality: its subjective so you may like something I don’t vice versa. I’ve been a few well known Thai restaurants in the bay area but still haven’t found my “go to” spot. Same with Cantonese food. Been to HK many times. Dated 2 hongkies. Returning to the BA after an HK trip, I find most BA cantonese food all taste like soy sauce. When comedian Jimmy Yang jokes that the chef in a Chinese restaurant is someone’s uncle from HK, he’s probably right LOL!!

I guess what I’m saying is, I wish kitchensinkers could experience the Thai food I’ve had in Thailand. Its really delish and sometimes SPICEY! Regarding spiceyness, the human body is an amazing thing, my ability to take heat improves after a few visits. I still can’t eat papaya salad, that MFer brings heat from Hell.

Here’s a vid I shot of a café in small town in northern Thailand. The ex, from the small town, told me that what the girl is making is found only in her hometown. Not
sure what its called.
Click to expand...

thanks. appreciated. wrt ethnic foods, regardless of the type, where i look is the kitchen (who's cooking). and wrt thai - i had to laugh. sometimes spicy? IMO it isn't anywhere near good unless it is. our local hole-in-the-wall foothills place is owned by thai immigrants, and the chef is a fucking genius in the kitchen. they ask for your desired heat level (1-5) with each order. my dude goes for 3, i go for 4 (which always gets a smile from the owner). am working my way to 5, but 4 is hotter than fuck, so 5 just might kill me lol. but yeah - just like anywhere, most places sell the popular stuff that's palatable to the US market. and i kinda appreciate that. have spent considerable time in asia, and a lot of the food just doesn't translate (e.g. if you ate chicken feet as a child, you may enjoy it, but i didn't, and i don't).
 
I love spicy food, like the spicier the better. Sadly, my esophagus no longer likes spicy food.
 
littlebeast said:
thanks. appreciated. wrt ethnic foods, regardless of the type, where i look is the kitchen (who's cooking). and wrt thai - i had to laugh. sometimes spicy? IMO it isn't anywhere near good unless it is. our local hole-in-the-wall foothills place is owned by thai immigrants, and the chef is a fucking genius in the kitchen. they ask for your desired heat level (1-5) with each order. my dude goes for 3, i go for 4 (which always gets a smile from the owner). am working my way to 5, but 4 is hotter than fuck, so 5 just might kill me lol. but yeah - just like anywhere, most places sell the popular stuff that's palatable to the US market. and i kinda appreciate that. have spent considerable time in asia, and a lot of the food just doesn't translate (e.g. if you ate chicken feet as a child, you may enjoy it, but i didn't, and i don't).
Click to expand...

5 is hot and then there’s “Thai spicey” lol

+1 on chicken feet.
 
lizard said:
Subscribed

Been to Thailand many times. Dated two Thais via LDRs. One from Isaan. The other from northern Thailand. Cant explain how there is way more to Thai food than what bay area Thai restaurants offer - same as any other ethnic cuisine. For instance. There’s regional cuisine in Thailand. Went to a thai restaurant in Piedmont self-advertised as southern Thai. Not even close.

If you want to learn more about Thai cuisine besides the typical massamun curry or pad thai, search for thai cooking FB and youtube accounts by Thais who live in Thailand and post in Thai. So delicious!
Click to expand...

Its the same thing with Burmese food. My family all makes it so theres no reason to ever head to the restaurant to have it. Anytime I've ever had it at a restaurants it tastes like Thai food to me.

Had the opportunity to visit Burma a few years ago before the civil war and it blew my mind how even the Burmese food there tastes different than what I thought Burmese food was.
 
littlebeast said:
thanks. appreciated. wrt ethnic foods, regardless of the type, where i look is the kitchen (who's cooking). and wrt thai - i had to laugh. sometimes spicy? IMO it isn't anywhere near good unless it is. our local hole-in-the-wall foothills place is owned by thai immigrants, and the chef is a fucking genius in the kitchen. they ask for your desired heat level (1-5) with each order. my dude goes for 3, i go for 4 (which always gets a smile from the owner). am working my way to 5, but 4 is hotter than fuck, so 5 just might kill me lol. but yeah - just like anywhere, most places sell the popular stuff that's palatable to the US market. and i kinda appreciate that. have spent considerable time in asia, and a lot of the food just doesn't translate (e.g. if you ate chicken feet as a child, you may enjoy it, but i didn't, and i don't).
Click to expand...

I really enjoy the fact that you can train for capsasicin tolerance. You will get there.
 
I bought some red curry paste made by Mae Ploy with high expectations after reading some positive reviews. Ew, using it produced nothing like any Thai curry I have tried. Flame on, I know, I should make my own. That's in the not too distant future.

Has anyone enjoyed a pre-made curry paste, and if so, which brand?

Thanks.
 
Agent Orange said:
Its the same thing with Burmese food. My family all makes it so theres no reason to ever head to the restaurant to have it. Anytime I've ever had it at a restaurants it tastes like Thai food to me.

Had the opportunity to visit Burma a few years ago before the civil war and it blew my mind how even the Burmese food there tastes different than what I thought Burmese food was.
Click to expand...

Right!

Burmese food became trendy a few years ago. I think there’s
2 Burmese restaurants in Walnut Creek.
 
lizard said:
Here’s a vid I shot of a café in small town in northern Thailand. The ex, from the small town, told me that what the girl is making is found only in her hometown. Not
sure what its called.

[YOUTUBE]Iof6ko5DGhM[/YOUTUBE]
Click to expand...

Maybe something like this? Found by searching online for 'uttaradit cuisine'.
https://www.tasteatlas.com/khao-phan-phak

Looks pretty neat.
Best Khao Mun Gai I've had was in Sisaket. Maybe the first too, but it's now a popular dish in the US with restaurants focusing just on that. In the US most Thai restaurants apparently follow a recipe book put out by some part of the Thai government.

The quickest test for 'more likley to be authentic' is if to look a the table setting. If it's set to eat with a spoon, that's a good sign. If there's no spoon on the table, that's a red flag.

Then again not as bad as a place I visited (not in CA) where they used oyster sauce instead of fish sauce, because reasons. Also no spoon.


Apparently some of the thai temples serve food? I haven't ever been to one.



Oh, for ingredients... dunno. Duc Loi closed last year. MoM? HMart or Kukje? Ask one of the thai farmers at the Heart of the City farmers market?
 
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