2. Add half of the coconut milk and bring to the boil, whilst scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching. Add the chicken pieces and cook until chicken is done before adding the rest of the coconut milk and bring back to boil. Add the sliced bamboo and cook two minutes longer.

3. Season the curry with fish sauce and sugar. Before taking off the stove, add Thai basil leaves and kaffir lime leaves. Garnish with two kinds of fresh chili peppers.

Tips

As their curries are fairly spicy, Thais usually eat their meals with rice as the main starch, accompanied by various other dishes such as plain soup, stirfried vegetables and fried meats. All these dishes are eaten all at once.

2. Add the chu chee curry paste and cook for 3 - 5 minutes over a medium heat, stirring constantly. Should the curry paste be lumpy, add a little coconut milk to loosen the lumps and make it more manageable.

3. Add coconut milk to the cooked curry paste, stir to mix well and bring the liquid back to the boil.

4. Once boiling, add pieces of salmon and cook in the curry sauce, turning once to ensure even cooking on both sides. The length of time it takes to cook the salmon depends on the thickness of the fish.

5. Reduce heat and cook slowly to allow the sauce to evaporate and thicken. Season with coconut sugar and fish sauce. Serve with curry sauce spooned over the fish and garnished with julienne of red spur chili peppers and shredded kaffir lime leaves.

Tips

The spiciness of the curry is controlled by the amount of curry paste you use. If you like your curry hot and spicy, simply increase the amount of curry paste. Coconut sugar can be found in most Asian grocery stores. It comes in round patties the size of cookies; Use a knife to cut shavings from this sugar when seasoning curries. Other fish that hold together well can be used for this dish. Cod or snapper are excellent.

2. Add prawns and toss quickly. Immediately add cucumber and tomato and pineapple. Cook everything over a very high heat.

3. Season with sugar and vinegar. Add fish sauce or soy sauce for a touch of saltiness as this dish is usually sweet and sour.

4. Spoon this dish onto a plate and serve hot with other main dishes.

Tips

This Thai sweet and sour dish differs from the Chinese variety in that the sauce has no starch thus the dish is much lighter and more delicate. It also does not have tomato ketchup in it.

Thai cooking can sometimes prove difficult due to the fact that Thai ingredients vary in taste and intensity. One bottle of fish sauce tastes different to another and may also be saltier. So, when cooking Thai food, you have to taste your food as you cook, season it bit by bit and correct the taste as you go along.

2. Cook the paste for 5 minutes over a low to medium heat. Add coconut milk and blend well. Bring the sauce back to a boil.

3. Once the curry sauce is boiling, add the prawns and quickly season the curry with fish sauce and sugar. When the prawns are almost cooked, add the pineapple and mix well. The curry should be fairly thick, almost the same consistency of white sauce. Spoon this curry into a bowl and serve with rice.

Tips

This dish does not take long to cook and the main characteristic of this curry is that it does not have very much sauce. The sauce is fairly thick and creamy. If you are unable to find kaeng khua curry paste, red curry paste is a good substitute.

Should your curry be too runny when finished, spoon out the prawns and pineapple and cook the curry sauce until thick, Cream can be used to replace coconut milk but you will not get the coconut aroma in your curry. Again this dish should be eaten with steamed rice or crusty French bread.

2. Add woodear mushrooms, ginger, two kinds of spur chili peppers and season with fish sauce and sugar.

3. Add spring onions and stir mix quickly. Spoon this stirfry onto a plate and serve.

Tips

This dish is to be eaten with rice and represents a Chinese influence in Thai cuisine. Usually a favorite of tourists who find this dish delicate and mild.

Woodear mushrooms are sold in most Asian grocery stores and have different names such as black or white fungus. They both have to be rehydrated before use.

2. In another pot heat vegetable oil and fry the curry paste until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the paste.

3. Add a little of the coconut milk that was used to cook the chicken pieces to the curry paste to form a thick sauce. Spoon the chicken pieces into the curry and add just enough coconut milk to cover the chicken. Add peanuts and bring the curry to boil.

4. Once boiled, season the curry with sugar, tamarind paste, lime juice and fish sauce. The main flavors of this curry are a sweetness followed by a sourness from tamarind and lime and a saltiness from fish sauce. Bring the curry back to boil again and simmer until the chicken pieces are tender.

5. Add potato, cooked pearl onions, bay leaf, cardamon and cinnamon stick, Simmer for 5 minutes longer, turn off heat. The curry is ready.

Tips

This Thai curry has on lndian influence. It is very mild and can be eaten like a stew with thick toast.

2. Add egg and blend in well. Season this mixture with fish sauce and sugar. Mix this into a batter, and add pieces of salmon which have been sliced. This process is very much like making a custard or batter for quiche.

3. Prepare a baking dish and line the bottom of the dish with fresh basil leaves and spoon the batter and fish pieces into the dish. Steam or bake in bain-marie until done. lt takes about 30 - 40 minutes depending on the size and depth of the container. To test that the custard is done, insert a skewer into the center of the custard. If it comes out clean, the custard is done.

Tips

Substitutions : lt may be difficult to find fresh Thai basil, so please use fresh local basil or even fresh green leaf lettuce or spinach or kale. When buying Thai curry paste which comes either in a can or vacuum packed in a plastic container, read the label carefully to check that you are getting the correct type of curry paste.

Thai main dishes are usually eaten with plain steamed rice. If you eat some of these dishes by themselves the flavors may be too strong.

2. Add cauliflower, water, mushrooms, then stirfry until cauliflower is almost done.

3. Add asparagus, carrots and season with sugar and fish sauce. Stir to mix well and serve on a plate. (You can use other kinds of vegetables if available.)

Tips

This dish is another favorite with most tourists because it is simple yet very tasty and mild. This usually accompanies main dishes that are eaten with rice.

2. Add spring onions, shallots, fish sauce and ground white pepper.

3. Beat this mixture well and add ground pork and beat the mixture again to evenly distribute the pork in the egg.

4. Set a frying pan or wok on the stove ; add vegetable oil and heat the oil up until almost smoking.

5. Pour the egg mixture into the hot pan and tilt the pan to spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium and fry the egg until golden brown, then turn to cook the other side. The fat from the pork will seep out from the omelet to give the egg a golden brown color and a wonderful smell. Cook this omelet longer than normal to allow the pork to cook through. Serve piping hot with Thai chilisauce (sri-racha).

Tips

This Thai omelet is another staple in the Thai diet. Sometimes eaten with steamed rice and chili sauce, as a quick lunch or snack or as an accompanying main dish together with curries or dips.