Browse Category

Food

Top 10 Must-not-miss Thai Food

Thai cuisine is one of the best gourmets in the world. It is well known for the diversity of ingredients, outstanding spiciness and ample medicinal properties. Most of Thai food is cooked and refined with more than two types of herbs or spices which are beneficial to health.

The (mostly unconscious) principle Thai food is the balance of five flavors which are spicy, salty, sweet, sour and bitter. The one indispensible ingredient which is generally used in seasoning a majority of Thai cuisine is fish sauce. Thai food is eaten either as a single dish or with rice. Steamed rice is the staple food although sticky rice is more popular in the north and northeast of Thailand.

Thai food is one of many things that you should not miss while you are traveling in this beautiful Land of Smiles. Since there are numberless delectable Thai dishes, I am writing this guideline for you to select the most distinctive and authentic ones out of the plethora of Thai signature dishes.
The following list is a top 10 rank of Thai food that you must not miss. The consideration and ranking is based on the popularity, uniqueness and authenticity of the delicacies. Here are the winners.

10. Kai Pad Med Mamuang Himmapan (Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts)
Even though Kai Pad Med Mamuang Himmapan does not represent the overview of Thai food but it is a very nice treat to your bland taste buds. Since it is by no means spicy or hot, this slightly sweet and salty chicken fried with crunchy cashew nuts is aptly satiating for children or beginners who are not used to spices.

9. Por Pia Tord (Fried Spring Roll)
Fried spring roll is one of the most popular appetizers among foreigners because it is not spicy and comes with sweet and sour dip. Spring rolls are crispy pastries with fried vegetable fillings. Though spring rolls are commonplace in many Southeast Asian countries, Thai Por Pia is different in flavors with a special dip prepared from Japanese apricot.

8. Panaeng (Meat in Spicy Coconut Cream)
Panaeng can be cooked using either pork, chicken or beef. Panaeng tastes like Thai red curry but the coconut milk sauce is relatively thicker and richer. Compared to Thai red curry, Panaeng is mildly spicy and sweet. Paneang is best served with warm steamed rice. There is nothing to dislike about Panaeng expect the fact that it can be too greasy or fleshy for some people.

7. Som Tam (Spicy Papaya Salad)
Som Tam is one of the most popular foods among Thai people for its fiercely spicy and sour flavors. Som Tam, which literally means Sour Pounded, is a spicy salad made from a mix of fresh vegetables including shredded unripened papaya, yardlong beans and tomato. Som Tam is unique that the spicy dressing and salad vegetables are pounded and mixed in the mortar using a pestle. Somtam is usually served with grilled chicken and sticky rice. Som Tam is good for your health that it contains no fat, low calorie and high vitamins. This is a truly authentic Thai dish that will make a great impression. The only reason why Im ranking Som Tam at No.7 (though it deserves higher rank) is its strong spiciness that might leave your tongue burned and swollen. Just say Mai phed (not spicy) to your waiter if you really want to try.

6. Moo Sa-Te (Grilled Pork Sticks with Turmeric)
This tantalizing sweet-flavored grilled pork sticks are refined with rich, juicy sauce made of turmeric and curry powder. Moo Sa-Te makes a savory hors d’oeuvres that will appease any taste buds. These juicy grilled pork sticks are usually served with two saucy dips one is a mildly spicy thick sauce with ground peanuts, coconut milk and curry powder and another one is a sweet and sour vinegar sauce with chopped shallot, pepper and cucumber to mitigate its oiliness.

5. Tom Yam Kai (Spicy Chicken Soup)
Chicken soup is very good to eat when you have a cold but Tom Yam Kai or spicy chicken soup is a yummy treat that you will fall in love with just in a first sip. Tom Yam Kai is a clear chicken soup seasoned with a blend of chili, lime and fish sauce. The broth is simmered with Thai herbs as lemon grass, shallot and galangal which give it a unique and satiating aroma. My foreign friends order this tasty soup anywhere they go so you should not miss it by any means!

4. Tom Kha Kai (Chicken in Coconut Milk Soup)
Although Tom Kha Kai is another variation of chicken soup, it deserves the No.4 because of its unparalleled taste and popularity. Similar to Tom Yam Kai, the broth is prepared with many types of Thai herbs with the special addition of coconut milk that makes this soup unique. Though the soup is seasoned with chili, lime and fish sauce just like Tom Kha Kai, thanks to the coconut milk, the broth is milder and less spicy. This is probably more liked by non-spicy eaters.

3. Kang Keaw Wan Kai (Green Chicken Curry)
Since we are having three dishes in a row made of Kai, you would have guessed that it is chicken in English. Not that chicken is particularly popular in Thai cuisine; it is usually used in most curry and soup. Kang Kiew Wan, literally translated as Sweet Green Curry, is nicely sweet and slightly spicy and tastes very delightful with a proper blend of the spiciness from green curry chili paste, blandness from coconut milk, sweetness of sugar and saltiness of fish sauce. It is usually eaten with steamed rice or served as a sauce to rice noodle known as Kanom Jeen likewise to how you eat Spaghetti.

2. Pad Thai (Fried Noodle)
This national dish prides itself for its long history traced back in previous centuries. Pad Thai flaunts the authenticity of Thai culinary arts in using only fresh and best ingredients and the well-balancing of the five fundamental flavors. The stir-fried noodle becomes popular because it tastes yummy and comes with a choice to add in a set of seasonings to suit your appetites. Through history, Pad Thai has evolved into two different styles: the classic and the variation. The classic Pad Thai is a stir-fried noodle with eggs, fish sauce, tamarind juice, red chili pepper plus bean sprouts, shrimp and tofu and garnished with crushed peanuts and coriander while another style is relatively dry and lightly-flavored. The latter is easily found in street vendors and dominant in Thai restaurants in the West but the having classic Pad Thai freshly cooked in its original country is a way to go.

1. Tom Yam Goong (Spicy Shrimp Soup)
No other dishes can defeat this renowned Tom Yam Goong as the optimal representative of Thai gourmet. Tom Yam Goong is truly one of a kind with its fierce spiciness and sourness and a blatant use of fragrant herbs including galangal, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, shallot, tamarind and chili pepper. There are two styles of Tom Yam; the clear spicy soup and thick spicy soup. The latter is cooked by adding coconut milk or milk to the broth in order to thicken the stock and give the dish a milder flavor. Tom Yam is very versatile and can be made with prawns, chicken, fish and mix of seafood, and mushroom. Tom Yam Goong is the most popular variety of Tom Yam since Spicy Shrimp Soup is the original. Though not very surprising, Tom Yam Goong is definitely a signature dish of Thailand.

Even though it is commonly known that Thai food utilizes many health herbs and spices, there have always been debates whether Thai food is really good for health since they tend to be somewhat greasy. It is important to note that it depends on each dish; some can be highly caloric but many dishes make a good use of herbs. Garlic, for example, is very good healthwise because it can prevent heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cancer.

No matter what the food is, the same old concept of moderate intake comes into play. From Mcdonalds burger to Japanese Sushi, a key to optimal fitness is to avoid overconsumption. Thus, a claim that Thai food is mainly coconut-based and fattening should never be an adequate reason for you to still order a Big Mac. Ravish your taste buds with Thai food – tasty and healthy!

Five Easy Ways To Get Rid Of Bloated Face

Nobody wants a bloated face. Picture this: you stare at the mirror and all you see is a swollen lump as big as a pumpkin. It doesn’t look or feel good, does it? Having a puffy face will definitely make you more conscious about your appearance, and that’s not good if you’re trying to impress a date or have your photo or video taken.

Is it possible to shed off unwanted fat on your face? Yes, it is! The key to making your face slimmer and sharper is to lose weight and excess water in the body. The following are effective tips to help you get that toned face you’ve been wishing for a long time.

1. Avoid eating salty foods.

Salt causes your body to retain much water, and this leads to facial bloating. When you snack with food loaded with lots of salt, you’re likely to feel thirsty and your face will swell the next day. So this means you’ll have to say goodbye to chips, burgers, pizza, and other foods with high sodium content. A good trick is to prepare your own food at home so that you can control the amount of salt you consume.

2. Be alcohol free.

Alcohol is known to make the belly bigger. But did you know that alcohol can also make your face bloat? Alcohol dehydrates the body and adds a huge amount of calories, thus leading to facial bloating.

3. Drink plenty of water.

You need to stay hydrated to lose your face fat. The belief that drinking lots of water can make your face bloat is a myth. If you don’t drink the right amount of water daily, your body will store as much water as it can to make up for the deficit of water. This leads to bloating on your face. If you drink at least eight glasses of water every day, your body will have enough water in it. As a result, your body will eliminate all the excess water, so your face becomes leaner.

Also, avoid drinking soda and other sweetened beverages because the sugars they contain make your face bloat.

4. Undergo cardio and weight training.

Workouts are a great way to slim down your face. Weight training and cardio exercises, when combined with a balanced diet, can help you burn more calories and lose face fat.

5. Eat more fruits and vegetables.

Ditch those processed foods in the fridge. Opt for something natural like fruits and veggies to reduce the bloating on your face. These natural and healthy foods contain water that keep you hydrated and prevent your face from retaining water. Try to eat not less than three servings of veggies and three servings of fruits a day. Instead of reaching for a chocolate bar, snack on a fruit salad or a bunch of grapes. Fruits and veggies contain fewer calories, more fiber, and more anti-oxidants; that’s why they are recommended to those who want to stay fit.

Learn Various Food Colouring Through Food Coloring Chart

Some foods are visually very appealing with the use of different food coloring agents. With catchy food, the desire to eat also gets enhanced leading to strong appetite and if these are natural then there are even no side effects.

Food coloring chart is the collection of primary and secondary food colors. There are three primary food color viz red, yellow and blue. By mixing any two colors in specified ratio leads to the formation of secondary colors that are purple, green and orange. Like red and yellow when mixed in equal proportion these lead to orange color. If you will increase the quantity of yellow color then the resultant color will be more towards yellow otherwise towards red.

Food coloring is mostly done for the icing that is used as a topping above the cake. At most of the stores you will find the primary color and the green color. But in some others different shades of purple, black and pink are also found. It all depends upon the mixing of food color.

Food Coloring Chart Tips
Mixing of any two primary colors in equal parts will generate the secondary color.

One drop of red + one drop of yellow = orange

One drop yellow + one drop blue = green

One drop blue + one drop red = violet

Use white color to lighten any color. Specifically for food use white icing to lighten the food color.

Mix the primary color in equal proportion (red in bit more quantity) to get the complete black color.

Caramel color is a brown color that is extensively used for icing. This brown color is obtained by mixing more of green in less of yellow. Green is the secondary color.

To make the color of your choice start with one drop of each color and change the proportion as per the requirement.

Get the pastel color by adding white to the required food color.

Deepening of color occurs with time, therefore mix the color at least one hour before its application.

Natural Food Coloring Chart for Icing

The numeric values in the chart defines the number of drops required to make the food color.

Apricot = 2 orange + 1 egg yellow

Coral = 3 rose pink + 2 lemon yellow

Ivory = 1 liquid whitener + a touch of brown + a touch of egg yellow

Jungle Green = 14 green + 6 yellow

Lime = 24 yellow+ 4 green

Navy Blue = 1 sky blue + 1 violet

Raspberry = 3 bakers rose + 1 Christmas red

Rust = 8 orange + 2 red red + 1 brown

Yellow Maroon = 4 red red + 2 burgundy

As far as possible use natural food colors to avoid any kind of adverse health effects.

How To Get A Film Star Complexion Fast…. With The Raw Food Diet

How to get a Film Star Complexion and be the envy of your friends with RFD ?

Many of the benefits Ive discovered over many years on the Raw Food diet, is that my skin tone has improved dramatically.

Althought Im male and in my sixties, Ive noticed how my skin has softened, the frown lines are less intense, as are the laughter lines around the eyes. So much so that people often remark that I look at least 10 years younger than my years!

Thats a great ego – boost, but Im more interested in the benefits of eating a mainly Raw Food diet. I run regularly around the hills where I live, and often leave much younger men behind . That’s just to say it really works.

Now, skin is nourished from the inside, and its re-hydrated from the organic water we obtain [which is incidentally the only pure water on the planet] from natures own fruits and vegetables.

Its true to say that a clean exterior comes from a clean interior, so you need to undertake first of all, a detox. That is, if you really want to have a pure and glowing film-star complexion.

But dont panic. It will not be hard I promise . In fact, you will positively enjoy it.

Now, let me outline the simple procedure which will, if you, follow it precisely , help you to get that blotchy, dull-looking skin you may be suffering with currently, transformed into a bright, clear, glowing countenance.

First ,for Breakfast ,take a large fresh orange, a good firm lime[greener the better] peel and put through a juicer extactor together with a generous sized slice of lemon. Drink and enjoy. That’s the first thing you do in the morning.
Nothing else at all.

Then, for lunch; a small salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, grated carrot and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Then for the evening meal, a large mixed salad , more or less whatever you choose. However, absolutely no dairy product , such as cheese or yoghurt or anything of that ilk.

Now please note,everything must be fresh,natural, uncooked. Drink plenty of water.

Do this programme for at least 3 days,and extend to a week if possible.

If you are like most folks who have undertaken this diet, you will report not only a marked difference in your skin tone,but also your energy levels too.

And thats not all; You will find there are numerous extra benefits you`ll enjoy apart from the initial detox.

For example, weight loss (often a pound per day) thicker healthier hair,healthier teeth and gums and better quality of sleep. Hows that for starters? Go raw,you won’t regret it!

Beat The Heat And Ensure Good Health With A Cup Of Iced Tea!

You can say the concept of drinking iced tea was serendipity by a plantation owner Richard Blechynden in the year 1904. Since then the practice of drinking tea topped with ice continues. The beverage has been brewed in many different ways and has been served differently to enhance taste. So, if you are looking for a refreshing anti-oxidant boost, you know what to order for. You can also make such rejuvenating beverage at home without any difficulty. Nevertheless, you should know that drinking a cup of tea topped with ice is not just a thirst quencher; it has loads of health benefits too like –

1. It comprises anti-oxidants, vitamins C and E, and amino acids. These substances strengthen the immune system of the body and prevent against cell damages. The beverage is also good for maintaining a sound cardio-vascular health. Anti-oxidants like flavonoids present in the tea reduce the possibilities of heart attack and cardio-vascular stroke. Anti-oxidants are also effective in combating blood circulation problems as they can reduce inflammatory processes.

2. According to a recent study, catechins present in iced tea can prevent cancer. Such substances work by inhibiting enzyme activities that lead to cancer. The effect of catechins is most pronounced in cases of liver, skin, and stomach cancers.

3. Flouride content in iced tea maintains tooth enamel perfectly. Moreover, researchers have found that there are substances in iced tea, which are known to prevent bacterial growth inside the mouth thereby preventing bad breath and plaque.

4. Experts say that bone health is enhanced by drinking such a beverage. People who drank iced tea throughout their life are found to have more bone density during their old ages than non-drinkers. Therefore, to ensure healthy teeth and bones, you should switch to drinking iced tea.

5. According to the Nutrition Research Journal, presence of compounds like L-theanine, improves the immune response of the body to infections like cough and cold and flu. Intestinal health is also enhanced by drinking iced tea regularly.

While there are loads of benefits of iced tea, you should make it a point to consume tea freshly brewed from the leaves. Avoid using powdered instant and ready-made bottled teas. Nevertheless, it is also important to ensure that you are buying the best quality leaves from a reputed dealer. As, by doing this you will be able to experience the aroma and flavor of unadulterated tea leaves and above-mentioned health benefits.