All About Thai Curry

When people hear the words "Thai Curry", the first thing that comes to their mind is some spicy coconut milk with curry paste. This is not totally true. Thais say "Kaeng" which means "Curry". However, Kaeng in Thailand does not only mean curry, but it means the cooking process of mixing various kinds of vegetables with liquid like water or coconut milk. It can be spicy or non-spicy or a vegetarian or non-vegetarian dish like soup, stew, curry or even dessert. I will use the word "Kaeng" throughout this article. In Thailand, there are 2 types of Kaeng: Kaeng Jued and Kaeng Ped. Ped literally means spicy and Jued means tasteless. Kaeng Jued usually refers to non-spicy soup
dishes.

Kaeng Jued

Kaeng Jued dishes are usually comprise of broth, vegetables and meat. Homemade broth is preferred over bouillon cubes. Broth is made from boiling pork ribs or chicken bones in water for a long period of time. You will often hear Thais say "nam soup" which means broth. To make broth, the bones should have a little bit of meat and fat left on them. On low heat, boil meat in water. Once the boil begins, reduce heat to its lowest point so that the broth just barely simmers. The longer the simmering, the more flavor you will get. One and a half to two hours usually is enough to extract flavors from meats. Before using broth, straining is a must. In Thai cooking, some recipes would add Chinese cellery or white radish during the simmering to add more sweetness to the broth.

The clear broth then will be used in a different kind of Kaeng Jued. A common way to make Kaeng Jued is to 1) bring broth to boil 2) add meat, 3) add vegetables and 4) add flavor. Example Kaeng Jued dishes are:

Kaeng Jued Fak: chicken/pork broth with winter melon
Kaeng Jued Mara: chicken/pork broth with bitter melon
Kaeng Jued Mara Yat Sai: chicken/pork broth with stuffed bitter melon
Kaeng Jued Pla Muek Yat Sai: chicken/pork broth with stuffed squid
Kaeng Jued Taeng Gwa: chicken/pork broth with cucumber
Kaeng Jued Taeng Gwa Yat Sai: chicken/pork broth with stuffed cucumber
Kaeng Jued Tao Hu: chicken/pork broth with bean curd
Kaeng Jued Wun Sen: chicken/pork broth with clear noodles

Kaeng Ped

Most Kaeng Ped dishes differ in degree of spiciness. Some are very spicy and some are mild. Some have coconut milk and some do not. Kaeng Ped can be categorized into 6 different types: Kaeng Ped, Kaeng Khua, Kaeng Liang, Kaeng Som, Tom Yum and Pad Ped.

1) Kaeng Ped

It can be confusing that Kaeng Ped is a subcategory of Kaeng Ped. There are 2 distinct types of Kaeng Ped: Kaeng Ped with coconut milk and Keang Ped without coconut milk. The key to a delicious Kaeng Ped is curry paste. Either homemade or commercial curry paste must be finely ground. Fish sauce and sugar are the two main ingredients to flavor Kaeng Ped dishes.

Examples of water-based curry dishes are:

Kaeng Hang Le: Northern style curry with meat, curry powder, lemongrass, ginger, shallots, shrimp paste, chilies and peanuts
Kaeng Pa: jungle curry, Northen curry. This curry is hot and full of flavor from fingerroot, kaffir lime zest, lemon grass, garlic, shallots, shrimp paste and chilies
Kaeng Leung: hot yellow curry, most common meat used is fish. Other ingredients are winter melon, chilies, garlic, turmeric, lemon grass, shallots and shrimp paste.

Examples of coconut-based curry dishes are:

Kaeng Daeng: red curry with meat, bamboo shoots, Thai sweet basil, kaffir lime leaves and coconut milk
Kaeng Kari: Indian style curry with meat, potatoes and coconut milk
Kaeng Kiaw Waan: a slightly sweet green curry with meat, Thai eggplants, pea eggplants, winter melon, Thai sweet basil (Bai Horapa), kaffir lime leaves and coconut milk
Kaeng Matsaman: curry with meat, potatoes, peanuts and coconut milk (a mild curry from the Muslim Southern part of Thailand)
Kaeng Phed: spicy curry with meat and chilies

2) Kaeng Khua

Kaeng Khua curry paste makes this curry dish distinct and different from Kaeng Ped dishes. Kaeng Khua curry paste has either deep-fried fish, grilled fish or dried small shrimp as part of its ingredients. Most Kaeng Khua will not have added spices because of its strong aroma. The typical flavors of this curry are sweet, sour and salty. The most common meat is fish, shrimp or clam. Main added ingredients typically used in this curry can be pineapple, mushrooms or winter melon. Other ingredients are galangal, kaffir lime zest, dried chilies, lemon grass and shrimp paste.

Some people might confuse Kaeng Khua and Kaeng Pa because they look similar and both are coconut-based curry. However, both use different curry paste and Kaeng Pa mostly has only a salty taste.

3) Kaeng Liang

Many say Kaeng Liang is Thai vegetarian curry. The main ingredients of this curry are vegetables, usually there is no meat. Some recipes may add chicken or shrimp. However, if we look at Kaeng Liang curry paste, this dish is not vegetarian. Part of Kaeng Liang curry paste is dried shrimp paste (ka pi), dried shrimp and deep-fried fish or grilled fish. This curry is a water-based curry that is quite thick. The most common vegetables are sponge gourd (buab liam), gourd leaves (bai tam leung), "hairy" basil (bai Maeng Luk) and baby corn.

4) Kaeng Som

Kaeng Som is a water-based curry that in flavor combines sour, saltiness and a little sweetness. The common meat used in this curry is fish or shrimp. Some recipes use clams. Common vegetables are morning glory (phak bueng), bottle gourd (phak nam tao), water mimosa (phak kra ched), Vegetable Humming Bird (dok kae), cabbage (kra lum plee) and juice-based tamarind. Other ingredients are shrimp paste, dried shrimp and shallots. The famous Kaeng Som is Kaeng Som Pla Chon Phak Kra Ched which has striped snakehead (pla chon) and water mimosa (phak kra ched) as main ingredients.

5) Tom Yum

Tom Yum is a hot and sour soup. Tom Yum soup dishes have lots of herbs and meat as the main ingredients. Few vegetables are used in Tom Yum soup, although usually included are oyster mushrooms or straw mushrooms. Common herbs used in Tom Yum soup are kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, chilies and coriander roots. The common meats used in Tom Yum soup are chicken, shrimp and fish. The ingredients used in flavoring Tom Yum are lemon juice, tamarind juice, sugar and fish sauce.

Tom Yum soup can also be categorized into 2 different types: coconut-based Tom Yum soup and water/broth-based Tom Yum soup. Examples of Tom Yum soup dishes are:

Tom Kha Gai: coconut-based hot and sour soup with chicken
Tom Kha Pla Duk: coconut-based hot and sour soup with catfish
Tom Kha Ta Le: coconut-based hot and sour soup with seafood
Tom Yum Gai: water/broth-based hot and sour soup with chicken
Tom Yum Goong: water/broth-based hot and sour soup with prawn
Tom Yum Hua Pla: water/broth-based hot and sour soup with fish head
Tom Yam Moo Pa: water/broth-based hot and sour soup with boar

6) Pad Ped

Pad Ped is similar to Kaeng Ped; however, Pad Ped dishes use less coconut milk or water than Kaeng Ped. Thus Pad Ped is more like a stir-fried dried curry paste dish with meat and vegetables. Example vegetables are Thai eggplants, yard long beans, bamboo shoots and pea eggplants. Two main ingredients used in flavoring Pad Ped dishes are fish sauce and sugar. Example dishes are:

Pad Ped Moo Tao Fak Yao: stir-fried red curry paste with pork and yard long beans
Pad Ped Pla Duk: stir-fried catfish with chili paste
Phanaeng Gai: stir-fried phanaeng curry paste with chicken and kaffir lime leaves
Phanaeng Moo: stir-fried phanaeng curry paste with pork and kaffir lime leaves
Phanaeng Nuea: stir-fried phanaeng curry paste with beef and kaffir lime leaves

The example dishes listed above are famous dishes in Thailand. Of course, there are more dishes than I can name here. "Kaeng" has more than just the one meaning of spicy curry like many believe about Thai curry. Thais even use the word "Kaeng" in desserts like Kaeng Buat. Kaeng Buat is a dessert that has pumpkin, taro and/or potatoes in coconut milk. Most Thai restaurants in the U.S offer coconut-based Kaeng Ped, Pad Ped and Tom Yum soup. If you have a chance to visit Thailand, I hope you will have a chance to enjoy all different kinds of Kaeng.

Napatr Lindsley

Get authentic Thai recipes at http://thaicookinghouse.com/

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Losing Weight Using a Vegetarian Diet

Have you noticed lately that many people are passing on the heavier meats in favor of vegetables? Many banquet attendees have been joining the ranks of the popular vegetarian dishes over prime rib. This is due to the increased awareness of health and the many celebrities now endorsing weight loss for better health. A vegetarian diet may just be the answer to your weight loss.

What exactly does a vegetarian diet entail? Todays vegetarian diet is not your typical vegetables only diet. There are those that stick to eating only beans, fruits, nuts and vegetables. However, others eat eggs and cheese and they also drink milk.

Vegetarian Dishes

One of the benefits of the vegetarian diet is the lower cholesterol and fat content. This will aid in the prevention of heart disease and has been known to help reduce the incidence of cancer. One of the main problems of the totally vegetarian diet is the vitamins and minerals you may be lacking.

One of the main elements to a vegetarian diet that is successful is the planning. The meals must be planned to include the proper vitamins and minerals. If not, the body may be deprived of the healthy nutrients it needs.

One of the beneficial aspects of a vegetarian diet is the healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables that are consumed. Protein is another matter as you may not get enough of this vital substance. One way around this is by adding soy to the vegetarian diet as it provides a large amount of protein. Iron is yet another thing you need to consider. In order to receive enough iron you will need to eat plenty of beans and spinach because the normal foods that provide iron such as roast beef and liver will not be consumed.

Vitamins may need to be used as a supplement in order to get the right amounts of calcium, B-12, zinc and Vitamin D. If not, you would be overloading yourself with broccoli, spinach, cereals and soy milk. Another thing to keep in mind is being on a vegetarian diet is not permission to eat as much junk food as you want either. The high-calorie items will have to be eliminated as much as possible as well.

With the old saying ' variety is the spice of life' comes the knowledge that it is also a benefit for those who want to stick to a vegetarian diet. The different types of vegetables and fruits need to be consumed as well. If you are one that does consume dairy, use low-fat cheese and milk or the non-fat type. Cholesterol rich eggs should only be eaten once in awhile.

According to studies there have been far less calories consumed by vegetarians than others who eat meat. The body mass index is one of the tools used to measure how obese you are and vegetarians are lower in body mass index than those who eat meat. But eating vegetables does not mean you do not have to watch your calories and amounts of what you eat. Being a vegetarian is not a cure for being overweight but it will definitely help when trying to rid yourself of those excess pounds.

There are many people that think being a vegetarian is a fast way to lose the weight they need to lose. They think if the meat they are used to eating is replaced by vegetables for a couple of weeks they will take off weight. This is not a good way to consider losing weight because the effect is yo-yo dieting which is unhealthy. The choice of a vegetarian diet is one that you should stick with. If not, you may not be as happy with your weight loss as a whole.

Being a vegetarian is not everyone's idea of a good way to lose weight. For those who are good vegetable and fruit eaters and are not overly enthused about meat there is the option of finding another diet which you may want to consider. Whatever diet you choose to use hinges on two things - personal preferences and the diet program you will follow.

Losing Weight Using a Vegetarian Diet

Dan Clay is a renowned Sydney boot camp, instructor & real world fat loss expert. For more information on his Sydney boot camps visit Sydney boot camp

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Vegetarian Soup Recipes That Are Quick and Easy

Once you discover how tasty and easy to prepare homemade soups are, you'll never eat canned soup again. Most canned soup is overcooked and generally seasoned with too much salt and not much else - relying mostly on bones and meat for flavor. When you get the taste of a delicious broth simmered with natural herbs and spices, and made amazingly enough without meat or bones, you won't be able to live without it. Yum Yum.

How to Cook Soup
Making a pot of soup is really as simple as filling a soup pot up with good water, throwing in some herbs, spices and roots such as onions, garlic and ginger (possibly sautéing them first), letting it simmer away on the stove as you go about your business. Making soup in a crock pot gives you the option to leave it cooking while you're away at work and come home to an amazing smell permeating the air, waiting for you to get out the bowls and spoons.

Healthy Quick Recipes are Easy to Make
You'll gradually add items based on how long they take to cook, which might include carrots and potatoes, or pre-soaked beans and rice for longer cooking times, or spinach, parsley and cilantro at the end for just a few minutes to wilt them, but not cook. At this time you might also add a little oil such as olive or coconut oil to broaden out the flavors of the soup and make nutrients from the spices more available for assimilation.

Easy Recipes Vegetarian Style
Final additions will be some special items that help create a more tasty broth such as soy sauce, miso or umeboshi vinegar. You may not have used these much, but they are readily available and can give that heartiness of taste that other meatless soups lack; often people find it surprising how really good what vegetarians eat is.

Before You Can Say, "Where's my bowl?"
Some soups rather than having to cook all day will just take 5-10 minutes, as long as it takes water to boil, with a few quick cooking noodles and some frozen or light veggies that need just a couple of minutes to be ready to serve up with the seasonings you've added. This is a great place to start when learning how to cook soup.

Voilå! Couldn't be easier...and like I said, you'll never want canned soup again!

Cary Ellis is author of Super Immunity Secrets (available on amazon.com). Sign up for free healthy tips at her healthy diet blog. Find recipes and videos at her site http://www.caryellis.com

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A Unique Low-Calorie Recipe For Dieters- The Delicious Vegetable Pea Rolls

Now-a-days, keeping the body in good shape and maintaining a healthy lifestyle has become a trend, as well as a necessity. In order to maintain an optimum body weight, it is very essential to take a good diet that is nutritious and low on calories. Most dieticians and nutritionists, therefore, relentlessly experiment with new, interesting recipes that are not only delicious, but also low on calories. When it comes to having healthy and slimming food, vegetarian dishes are the best choice. This is because the human body has the natural ability to easily digest fruits, vegetables, pulses, cereals, legumes, etc.

Why Should One Take Low-Calorie Foods?

Vegetarian Dishes

Vegetarian dishes that are low on calories are light and provide our bodies with lot of energy. Also, they help you to shed those annoying extra pounds and maintain a healthy body weight. They use less fat and thus, help to keep the skin glowing. Overall, being on a vegetarian, slimming diet regularly will make you feel good and confident.

Recipe for Delicious Vegetable Pea Rolls

Ingredients:

- Dry Split Peas
- Tomato Sauce - 2 tablespoons
- Chopped Tomato - 1
- Chopped Onion - 1
- Grounded Garlic Clove - 1
- Olive Oil -1
- Chili Sauce - 1 tbsp (according to taste)
- Large Cabbage Leaves - 10
- Water - ½ cup

Method:

1. Take a large cooking vessel and heat olive oil.

2. Add peas, sauce, tomato, onion, garlic, hot sauce to the vessel and steam.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 350o F.

4. Separately steam the cabbage leaves.

5. Once the mixture and cabbage is steamed, take each cabbage leaf and place some of the pea mixture in its center.

6. Roll it up and place each roll, thus prepared, in a baking dish.

7. Bake for not more than 20 minutes.

8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

A Unique Low-Calorie Recipe For Dieters- The Delicious Vegetable Pea Rolls

Find More Low-Calorie Recipes on our Recipe Guide for Dieters.

Also, browse through Over 700 Light Indian Recipes to experience the flavor of the rich Indian Cuisine.

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Culture of Kerala

Kerala is a beautiful place flanked by green emerald landscapes, with the western ghats on the either side and the Arabian sea on the other side. Popularly known as 'God's own country', the state boasts rich colorful culture, featuring folk dance and music, varieties of cuisines and celebrations of festivals on grand scale. The culture of Kerala is unique in character, originated by the influence of countless facets of several cultures. It was sprouted as a combination of Aryan and Dravidian culture.

Traditional Costumes
The traditional costume is a cultural visual of the Keralites. Dress code seems to be very simple and decent in appearance. Mundu and Neriathu are the traditional forms of costumes worn by men and women. Mundu is referred to lower garment worn around the hips and the other one is the upper garment. The hand woven Mundu is very comfortable during the summer season. Saree and blouse forms the integral attire for women.

Festivals
The colorful mosaic religious and regional festivals are celebrated with great pomp and grandeur. Every festival is associated with some kind of religious legacy. During the festive season, the folk, classical and ritual arts turns out to be more lively. Some of the major cultural events are the Onam festival, the annual Snake Boat Races and the temple festival at Thrissur. Other famous festivals includes Navaratri, Maha Shivratri, Diwali, Bakri Id, Muharram and Ramadan, Easter and Christmas.

Dance and Music
Kerala has been considered as the seat of classical dance forms such as Kathakali, Koodiyattom, Krishnanattom, Kolkkali, Mohiniyattom, thiruvathirakali, Kakkarishi, Natakom, Chavittunatakom and Oppanna. These dances are characterized by its elaborate costumes and attractive make-up. Men and women puts on colorful classical attires, adorned with heavy accessories. All the dance forms depicts the varied emotions such as love, joy, sorrow, anger, valor and courage. Some significant forms of music played in Kerala are Panchavadyam, Nadanpattu, Omanathinkal Kidavo and many other soothing music forms had evolved over past decades.

Cuisines
Explore the rich tradition of Kerala in its cuisines, which boasts immense variety of food habits. Visit Kerala to experience the exotic flavors of myriad dishes. The Kerala cuisines consists of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Keralites are fond of rice and fish, included in their everyday meal. Relish at different varieties of sea food including mussels, fish etc. Popular vegetarian dishes includes steamed rice cakes and variety of pancakes. Coconut is mostly used in various dishes and curries. The chief ingredients of the food items includes chillies, curry leaf, mustard seed, tamarind and asafoetida. The added flavor makes the food scrumptious, hot and spicy. Some popular dishes of Kerala comprises of Tangy Rasam, Appam, Puttu and Tapioca and fish curry.

For more information click on http://www.kerala-travel-tours.com/.

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Delicious Vegetarian Dinner Dishes

Are you in search for vegetarian recipes? Then your search ends here.

These days it's very difficult and unusual to find various vegetarian meals available at restaurants. Being a vegetarian does not mean you essentially have to stick to limited and bland dishes. But actually the vegetarian foods are the best foods which can be made spicy as well as flavored.

Vegetarian Dishes

There are various classic vegetarian recipes that you can prepare at home. The three recipes which are focussed in this article are ideal to turn into your go-to vegetarian dinner recipe.

The first dish which i have included is a delicious cheese soup.. Personally I feel this is the best cheese soup in the world and that is the reason I wanted to share with you. In preparing cheese soup, you will need ½ cup carrots, ½ cup onion, ¼ cup celery, 5 tbsp butter, 2/3 cup flour, 3 cup milk, 1 can vegetable broth and 1 lb American cheese.

While cooking the cheese soup, you need to cook carrots, celery and onion in butter until they are softened. Mix the flour and vegetable broth. Cook them until thick. You need to add the cheese and milk and again cook on low-medium heat for few minutes. In just 10 minutes, your cheese soup will be ready.

The second vegetarian dish which you can prepare is baked potato with baked beans. In the preparation of the recipe, you will need 4 baked potatoes, ½ cup cheese, 1 cup baked beans, ½ cup mozzarella cheese plus ½ cup scallions.

Cut the baked potatoes into two equal halves. Spread beans along with cheese on each and every potato half. Spread scallions over the spreaded beans and cheese. Bake them for 5-10 minutes until the cheese melts. Serve the dish with a side salad.

Thirdly I am taking the traditional Italian main dish, Whole wheat vegetarian lasagne, where I have done some variations to make it little healthy.

For making the lasagne, the things you will need are 18 ounce package whole wheat lasagne noodles, 19 ounce package frozen raw spinach, ½ cup parmesan cheese, 3 cups low-fat cottage cheese, 3 cups pasta sauce, and 3 cups skimmed mozzarella cheese.

Combine parmesan and cottage cheese in a bowl. Take the baking dish and put one layer of vaguely cooked lasagne noodles. Add the half spinach evenly over the noodles while pressing it softly. Again put one more layer of lasagne noodles. This time you need to top the noodles with cottage cheese mixture along with the remaining spinach. Add the last layer of lasagne noodles on top of the spinach. Spread pasta evenly over the top and add mozzarella cheese.

Cover the baking dish with tin foil and bake the dish for nearly one hour and thirty minutes.

Although the dish is full with cheese, it gives nourishment also. One serving of lasagne offers 373 calories, 35g protein and 3 g fiber along with 110 mg cholesterol and 671 mg sodium.

Delicious Vegetarian Dinner Dishes

For additional details on some fantastic dinner recipes please go to dinner recipes.
You can also take a peek at chicken breast recipe by clicking chicken breast recipes

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