How to Order (or Cook) Thai Food for a Balanced Meal – Tips for eating Thai

 It’s no secret that Thai food has become a favourite all over the world. Thai cuisine is known for churning out well-balanced meals that everyone can enjoy. It’s all about getting the flavour, the smell, and the colour right. A Thai-style meal doesn’t have courses. Everything is eaten together, so it’s important that all the dishes blend well and the flavours complement each other. There are four components to a proper Thai meal: dry, wet, spicy, and fresh.

Image via Age Restaurant

Rice

Rice is a staple in Thailand. Every household makes rice for lunch and dinner. Without rice, there’s no meal, which may surprise those in the west. Everything from grilled pork to stir-fried vegetables to soups is enjoyed with rice. So, when preparing a Thai meal or ordering Thai food, make sure you order a plate of rice.

The wet

The wet comprises curries and soups. A Thai meal is no Thai meal without curries. These curries can be of a thick consistency or a light consistency. Usually, at Phuket restaurants, both light curry and thick curry are served. Curry can be mixed with rice, and the soup can be enjoyed in between bites. Also, remember that there won’t be individual curry bowls for each guest; the curry is served from a common bowl. However, if there’s soup, each guest should get a soup bowl.

The dry

The dry category features numerous dishes. Grilled meats, stir-fried vegetables, and fried fish are a few of the dry dishes. Dry dishes aren’t exactly dry; they can be saucy. What makes dry dishes dry is the fact that the dishes don’t feature liquid. A Thai meal usually includes at least two dry dishes; one can be a meat dish, and the other can be a vegetable dish. Unless you are at a restaurant like Age Restaurant, make sure you take the trouble of ordering two dry dishes that complement each other; don’t assume that a complete Thai meal will appear on your table if you don’t do the ordering right.

The spicy

Most Thai dishes are spicy, but there are a few dishes that aren’t very spicy. Some tourists seem to think all Thai food is spicy; this is a misconception. It is true that a Thai meal should have a spicy component, but if you are not a fan of spicy food, you don’t have to order spicy food. Having said that, for a complete Thai-style meal, there should be at least one spicy dish. Don’t worry; you can get the cook to tone down the spiciness for you. Also, remember that you are supposed to enjoy the meal, not tolerate every dish and wait until it’s over. Too much spicy food can also dull other flavours, and your tongue won’t be able to taste the different flavours. So, even if you love spicy food, you shouldn’t make all dishes spicy.

A balanced meal

For a balanced meal, you should remember to order a lot of vegetables. For instance, having three versions of Thai chicken doesn’t constitute a balanced meal. You need to have a vegetable dish, a meat dish, and a bowl of rice. All Thai food should be sufficiently spiced up; lemongrass, chilli, cumin, ginger, and cinnamon are some of the traditional Thai spices.

Learn to cook Thai food

If you want to enjoy a balanced Thai meal, you should cook your own meal. When you order a meal, you have to be content with the choices you get. But if you cook your own meal, you can have all the components of Thai cuisine.

Hope you gained a lot of insight into how you can order or cook a well-balanced Thai meal.