Rice - Thai Long Grain
Kow ข้าว
Rice or 'kow' is the main stable in Thailand and my other Asian countries. There are so many varieties of rice that never made it to the US market. The most well known variety is Jasmine rice, a long-grain, flowery smelling rice.
When you go out to restaurants, the quality of the restaurant is normally reflected in the rice that they choose. Jasmine rice from Thailand seems to have a different texture and taste from rice I've had from California. In general, Thai Jasmine rice is softer, creamier, smells much better and not as starchy tasting.
Good rice also keeps its form and stays soft, even when it is cold or reheated. Rice is sorted and the highest quality have consistently long and unbroken grains.
Selecting good rice here in the US is difficult because you can't tell the quality of the rice until you have opened the bag and you can't open the bag until you've purchased it. For Jasmine rice, good rice is new rice and the rice that will have the fastest turnover are the 25 or 50 lb bags that you see in high-volume Asian markets.
For most other kinds of rice, it is better to have aged rice, since it improves with time. When cooking "new crop" rice (rice that was recently harvested), discount the amount of water you add by 10% because new rice still has some of its moisture from when it was growing. Detailed information on cooking rice is below:
Author: Natty Netsuwan
Recipes made with rice - Thai long grain
Jasmine Rice
kow hom mali ข้าวหอมมะลิ
There are many varieties of rice that are available in Thailand. However, in the US, jasmine rice seems to be the only variety that is exported here. Fortunately, jasmine rice tastes great and is one of the most popular varieties. When cooked, jasmine rice gives out jasmine fragrance. Having a good rice to go along with your Thai dishes is so important. Good rice can help bring out the flavors of your dishes. I highly recommend jasmine rice for Thai food. Choose new crop of rice because it retains more of the jasmine fragrance than older crops.
Author: Natty Netsuwan
Recipes made with Jasmine Rice
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Baked Shrimp in Clear Noodles
Goong Ob Woonsen
Shrimp baked in garlic, pepper, cilantro and clear noodles
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Bitter Melon Soup in Spare Rib Broth
Gang Jued Mara
Clear bitter melon soup slow cooked in sparerib broth.
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Blanched Neem with Grilled Shrimp
Goong Pow Sadow Lou-ug
Hyper-bitter neem leaves and blossoms and hot sweet tamarind sauce on grilled shrimp .
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Chicken on Rice with Hot Yellow Bean Sauce
Kow Mun Gai
Chicken on rice cooked in chicken broth served with spicy soy bean sauce
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Fried Fish with Tamarind Sauce
Pla Rad Prig
Whole fish pan fried and served with spicy tamarind sauce
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Ginger and Chicken Stir Fry
Stir fried chicken with julienned ginger and wood ear mushrooms.
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Pickled Fish Chili Sauce
Pla Rah Lohn
Pickled fish cooked in coconut milk, spiced with shallot and chili peppers.
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Spicy Budoo
Nam Budoo Song Kreung
Traditional southern Thai sauce served with rice and many veggies.
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Steamed Curried Fish
Haw Moak
Steamed, marinated fish in curry paste and coconut milk on vegetables.
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Tod Mun
Fried fish cake, spiced with Thai curry and kaffir lime leaves.
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Tom Yum Goong
Shrimp in clear spicy soup made from lemon grass, kaffir lime, hot pepper, lime juice and fish sauce
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Vegetarian Stir Fried Pumpkin Shoots
Pud Yod Fug Tong
Crunchy pumpkin shoots stir fried with garlic and salt.
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Tom Yum Gai
Hot and sour, lean chicken soup with lemongrass and galangal.
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Bitter Melon Pickled Mustard Soup
Gang Jued Mara Pak Gahd Dong
A clear broth soup with a well blended bitter, sour and salty flavors.
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Mee Grob
Crunchy sweet and sour rice noodles.
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Garlic Pepper Ribs
Gradoog Moo Tod Gratiem Prigtai
Ribs or spareribs quickly marinated in garlic pepper and salt then pan fried.
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Fresh Bamboo Shoot Soup
Gang Jued Naw Mai Sod Gub Gai
Clear broth soup flavored with fresh bamboo shoot.
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Fried Chicken Wings
Peek Gai Tod Gluea
Fried chicken wings with crispy skin, seasoned lightly with Thai herbs
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Crab Curry with Tindora
Gang Kua Pboo Loog Tum Lueng
Southern red curry with tindora or ivy gourds spiced with fresh turmeric
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Sticky Rice
Kow Neow ข้าวเหนียว
'Kow' means rice and 'neow' means sticky. Sticky rice is a staple in Northern and Northeastern Thailand where people eat it instead of long grain rice. Sticky rice is eaten with hands.
Sticky rice is traditionally soaked overnight and steamed, not boiled. When long grain rice is cooked, it turns from opaque to white; when sticky rice is cooked, it turns from white to translucent.
I often use leftover sticky rice to make sticky rice pudding. Left over sticky rice can also be heated and let soak in coconut milk and topped with fruit, such as mango, for a dessert.
Author: Natty Netsuwan
Recipes made with Sticky Rice
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Bamboo Shoot Yum
Soop Naw Mai
Shredded bamboo shoots boiled in wild Thai leaves with hot lime sauce.
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Mango on Sticky Rice
Kow Neuw Mamuang
Ripe mango served on a bed of coconut milk soaked sticky rice.
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Grilled Steak with Spicy Shallot Sauce
Nua Yang
Medium rare grilled steak, served with spicy shallot and lime sauce.
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Northern Thai Eggplant Salad
Yum Makua Praw
Spicy northern Thai raw eggplant salad with minced pork.
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Nam Tok
Spicy grilled beef salad with toasted rice.
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Fried Chicken Wings
Peek Gai Tod Gluea
Fried chicken wings with crispy skin, seasoned lightly with Thai herbs
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black sticky rice
kow neow dum
Black sticky rice is traditionally cooked as snacks and desserts, never main course. The grains are long and plump. The colors on the grain are ranging from black, purple to brown with some white. When the rice is cooked, it looks more purple than black. And the grains stick to one another unlike jasmine or other long grain rice.
Author: Natty Netsuwan
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