Adventures in Thai Cooking & Travel

Articles on Thai Food and Culture

Articles on Thai Food and Culture
* Index of Articles
* Featured Article – A Seafood Culture

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A native of Thailand, Kasma has been teaching Thai cooking since 1985 and leading trips to Thailand since 1986. This page collects a series of articles, written mainly by Kasma, that explore a wide variety of subjects relating to Thai food, Thai culture, traveling in Thailand, learning to cook Thai food as well as some articles on health. Please browse and enjoy!

Philosophy of Kasma Loha-unchit

The Art and Joy of Thai Cooking – Taken from It Rains Fishes.

The Spirit of Thai Cooking – Kasma Loha-unchit's view on what   is authentic Thai food.

Bangkok Post Interview with Kasma (May 18, 1996) – An interview soon after Kasma won her Julia Child award.

Thai Cooking Secrets

Cooking "to Taste" – Never blindly follow a recipe!

Creating Harmonies with Primary Flavors – Here is the essential secret to creating authentic-tasting Thai food.

Enjoy Congee (Rice Porridge) – Learn about this delicious and easy Thai breakfast.

Exercise in Balancing Flavors – Balancing flavors lies at the heart of good Thai cooking. Narsai David said this exercise alone made Kasma's book It Rains Fishes worth buying.

How to Make a Curry Paste – an excerpt from Kasma's book,   It Rains Fishes, tells how to make a curry paste from scratch.

Learning to Cook Thai – Kasma's husband, Michael, talks about learning to cook Thai food.

Northern Style Curried-Noodles – Hearty Noodles with Curry Sauce Combine Thai, Burmese and Chinese Flavors.

Thai Ingredients

How to Flavor Food with Fish Sauce – From its Mediterranean Roots, fish sauce now flavors all sorts of Southeast Asian foods. Recipes for three sauces included.

How Fish Sauce is Made – Made from fresh fish from the sea fish sauce does wonders for Thai food.

A Visit to a Thai Fish Sauce Factory – Going to the source!

Salted Black Olive – A Chinese ingredient also used in Thailand.

How to Tell Fish Freshness – Hints to use while buying fresh fish.

Jasmine Rice – This article includes Kasma's special technique for steaming rice, often said by students to be worth the price of her class.

Coconut: A Fruit, a Nut or a Seed? – Find out which!

Cracking a Coconut: The Easy Way – Learn how coconuts are cracked in Thailand. Make your own coconut milk.

The Truth About Coconut Oil – Coconut oil is actually a healthy, nourishing food. Find out why.

Coconuts in Thailand – How to eat a coconut a day in Thailand.

Peanuts & Thai Cooking – Are peanuts integral to Thai cuisine?

Smooth, Creamy Taro – All about Taro! Two recipes included.

Bitter Melon – A vegetable that Asians love.

You might also enjoy exploring our Thai Ingredients Page

Thai Regional Cuisine

Southern Thai Cooking – What makes the food of Southern Thailand different?

Roti – A Southern Thailand Version – Pan-fried Muslim bread, Thai style.

Tools of Thai Cooking

How to Season and Care for Your Wok – Basic information on the Wok.

Use and Care of your Wok – More basic information on the Wok.

Wok: Flat or Round Bottom? – How to choose between flat and round bottom woks.

The Stacked Steamer – Makes steaming foods easy and delicious – Includes two bonus Chinese recipes!

Articles on Thai Culture

Some Important Heart Values – Thailand is a "heart" culture. Here are some of Thalland's important values.

Buddha Images in NE Thailand – All over Thailand one encounters images of the Buddha: this article looks at a few found in Isahn (NE Thailand).

Tsunami Reflections – Kasma's husband Michael reflects on the tsunami media coverage and what he saw in the South in the month following the disaster.

One Soi's Street Food Scene – Stroll along Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lo) and enjoy the food.

Siripon, Maker of Kanom Krok – Meet one of the people who cook some of the best food in Thailand and sell it on the streets.

The Story of Dancing Shrimp – from Kasma's cookbook, Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood.

A Seafood Culture – from Kasma's latest cookbook, Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood.

The Thai Fish-Eating Tradition – The importance of seafood in Thai culture.

Thai Street Food – Learn about delicious Thai fast food.

Eating Out in Thailand – Explore some of the many options for eating in Thailand.

Durian: Notorious "King of Fruits!" – "Stirs strong passions; you either love it or hate it."

Thai Reflections – Kasma's husband ruminates on Thai food, and Thai culture.

Impressions While Traveling In Thailand – More thoughts from Kasma's husband after a 2003 trip.

The Thai Word "Kee" – Thai playfulness reflected in their language.

Thailand – Land of the Coconut – By Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, PhD. Learn about the traditional diet of Northeasterners in Thailand.

Some Fun Articles

Celebrating Twenty Years of Teaching Thai Cooking

Lahore Karahi – a great Pakistani restaurant in San Francisco, well worth a visit!

Hortus Botanicus – A Nursery– some pictures of a fabulous nursery in Northern California.

Health Issues

Reflections on Reading Weston A. Price – Dietary wisdom that everyone should know.

Vitamin D Newsletter– find out why vitamin D is so important for disease prevention and health creation.

The New Cholesterol Guidelines – by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD. A counter-opinion to current dietary thought.

Featured Article: A Seafood Culture

Options:  Kasma's Thai cookbooks   |  Thai recipes   |  Thai markets   |  Best Thai brands |  Thai Ingredients   |  Thai cooking classes   |  Contact Kasma |  Return to top  

About this site
Drawing Copyright © 1995 Margaret DeJong. All rights reserved.
All material on this website is Copyright © 1995 to 2008 Kasma Loha-unchit. All rights reserved.
For comments, feedback or questions, contact Kasma.
Last Updated 10 April 2007.