Cooking with Thai Flavours

T'was a Sunday afternoon not so long ago and it was time to start making dinner. As it sometimes goes, I opened the fridge and cupboards and let my inspiration come from the contents. In this case, it came from half a can of coconut milk in the fridge. And so, it was time for a taste of Thai!

I did some research, and then I just had fun with it! After all, that's what cooking is all about. It was just me trying to combine some things and seeing how it goes.

Thai flavours are sweet, sour, salty, creamy and spicy! So I couldn't help getting a little bit excited when I thought of all the possibilities. I was playing around with these flavours and matching them with what I had on hand, and this meal was the result of that. In the end, I made Coconut Milk Chicken with Jasmine rice and a cucumber salad.

I grow mint, sweet basil and spring onions in our little standing garden. So of course I made use of them. Another herb you could use that works with this type of recipe is fresh coriander. You can also use fresh ginger, turmeric, and garlic if you want to. Again, I just worked with what I had at that stage. I also had some dried lemongrass and tried steeping it in boiled water for five minutes, and used that to cook the jasmine rice in. It didn’t really have a notable effect on the taste of the rice. So I'll have to figure that one out. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't! 

The chicken came out juicy, and the salad was zesty with a bit of a "bite". It was a nice balance, and an enjoyable and effortless meal to make. I think Thai cuisine is very much worth exploring. This was my take on it so far and I loved doing it. The sauce even tasted like Robertsons' Exotic Thai spice. So I guess that's a step in the right direction! This simple meal turned out pretty well and it got the stamp of approval from my husband. So I'm happy! You will find the recipes for it below. The recipes serve two people, so remember to adjust the quantities according to your needs. 

Thai Coconut Milk Chicken

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs

200 ml of coconut milk

1 tbsp chopped garlic

½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground pepper

Just look at that colour!

Method
1. Prepare the sauce by mixing the coconut milk, garlic, ginger, turmeric, salt, and pepper together.

2. Put the chicken pieces and the sauce into a sealable bag. Make sure the chicken is coated properly.
3. Let the chicken marinate for about an hour in the fridge.
4. Preheat oven to 180ᵒC. Bake the chicken for an hour. 

5. When fully cooked, broil the chicken for about five minutes or until the skin gets the desired colour and crispiness.

6. Serve coconut milk chicken with jasmine rice (cooked according to the package instructions) and top the chicken and rice with the leftover sauce and fresh mint or basil.

Thai Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

about a ¼ of an English cucumber

2 tbsp fresh sweet basil, finely chopped

3 spring onion leaves, chopped

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

a pinch of crushed chillies

a good sprinkle of sesame seeds

Method:
1. Make cucumber ribbon slices by using a spiral slicer, or slice as preferred.

2. Add chopped basil, spring onion leaves and red onion.

3. Combine the ingredients.

3. Pour the lemon juice and stir it through.
4. Sprinkle crushed chillies and sesame seeds over the salad, and serve.

There you have it. Enjoy!

What are your favourite Thai flavour combinations? Which cuisine would you like to explore?
Let me know in the comments section below!