Thai Cuisine on One Plate

Thai cuisine has become one of the most popular ethnic cooking styles for American cooks to try at home. The combination of the five taste senses is present in every authentic dish from Thailand and is an important part of the country’s culinary culture. With a heavy reliance on rice as the base, many of these dishes are essentially one plate meals, with the main dish being the only course that is normally served during a typical meal. In addition, they are easy to cook, consisting of a short list of ingredients as well as a relatively easy preparation.

One of the more common rice one dish recipes that has gained appeal with the Western palette is the Thai food of curry. The curry that originates from Thailand can come in many different variations and have a wide range of spiciness. Green, yellow, and red curries are usually prepared from one meat and have a few vegetables added to the mix. For the seasoning and extra flavors, lemongrass, Thai basil, and Kaffir lime juice are often added as well. To get the curry flavor, a rich paste is added to the sauce and is cooked together with the meat and other ingredients until it reaches a smooth consistency. There are also special curries, such as Massaman curry, that are a reserved part of Thai cuisine for special events.

While most of the one plate meals of Thai cuisine are based on rice, a notable exception is Pad Thai, a noodle based meal that is considered the national dish of Thailand. Unlike the simpler curry one dish recipes, Pad Thai actually has several traditional ingredients. For an authentic version, the meat should be shrimp and the base should be noodles that are made from rice. Secondary ingredients include bean sprouts, ground peanuts, pickled turnips, coriander leaves, and red chili peppers.