Thai Food 101

A Short History

Centuries ago, Thai meals were simple dishes made up of rice, vegetables and river fish. The rice was accompanied by two or three main dishes, with the food lightly cooked and crunch so that the nutritional value remained high. But since most of the ingredients available were quite bland, the need for herbs and spices arose, lending to the unique art of Thai seasoning. Friends and families sat together and great joy was taken in sharing food between a number of people, with the blending of flavours unique to the chef and to each region of Thailand.

Many years later, we have upheld the age-0ld values of traditional Thai food, ensuring that our fresh ingredients are cooked only lightly, keeping the texture of our dishes crunchy and retaining as much flavour and nutritional value as possible. We also believe that as in Thailand, life should revolve around enjoying and sharing delicious food in great company.

Demystifying Thai Food:

If you’re not familiar with Thai food, let us fill you in…

What Makes a Traditional Thai Meal?

Unlike Western meals, which are often several courses one after the other, Thai dishes are all served at the same time and shared amongst everyone at the table. This means that each guest can enjoy a taste of every dish.

What is the Traditional Thai Way to Eat?

Besides noodle dishes, which are best eaten with chopsticks, most Thai foods are eaten using a fork and spoon. The fork is held in the left hand with the spoon in the right, and the fork used to push food onto the spoon.

What Kind of Food Can I Expect at Simply Asia?

Our menu is full of variety – from our starters, soups, vegetarian, seafood and meat dishes to our delicious Thai speciality curries and stir-fries, there’s something for everyone, including a selection of decadent desserts for the sweet-toothed.

Our menu comprises of:

Starters

Great for working up an appetite, starters are an important part of every Thai meal. Our starters, like spring rolls, chicken satay and sweet corn cakes, can also be enjoyed as side dishes or snacks.

Soups

A traditional Thai dish may consist simply of a soup and rice. Thai soups are unique because they embody more flavours and textures that can be found in other types of food.

Vegetarian

Since meat was not always a necessary part of the traditional Thai diet, many traditional vegetarian dishes have been developed using the finest herbs and spices to create flavourful meat-free dishes. Our vegetarian options consist of meat alternative like Protein Rich Soya and Tofu.

Duck

Thai duck dishes are known for their mouthwatering sauces, which enhance the tender texture of the duck – and with a variety of sauces ranging from soya to peanut butter to traditional Thai green and red curry pastes, our duck dishes are definitely all they’re ‘quacked’ up to be.

Thai Specialities

Most non-Thai curries are made with powdered or dried spices, whereas the major ingredients in our Thai curries are fresh herbs – usually dried chillies, shallots and shrimp paste. More complex flavours include garlic, galangal, coriander roots, lemongrass, Thai lime peel and peppercorns.

Noodles

Noodle dishes on our menu, such as Phad Thai and Sweet Soya Noodles can be served as complete meals in themselves, which is why they are favourites in the Western world.

Seafood

Our seafood options include deliciously spiced prawn and calamari dishes ranging from adaptations of popular Thai dishes, like Prawn Phad Thai, to flavourful saucy favourites like Tom Yum Prawn Linguine.