Regional Thai cooking for British kitchens
A proper kai dao is not just a fried egg with a Thai name. It is hotter, faster and far more generous with the oil, and it fits a British hob better than you might think. Here is how to get blistered edges and a molten yolk without a restaurant kitchen.
Most British cooks buy a bunch of coriander, strip the leaves and toss the rest. Thai kitchens take a different view: the root and stems are where the deep, earthy flavour lives. Here's how to source, store and cook with the whole plant — plus a simple marinade to get you started.
A jar of prik dong is the quiet overachiever of the Thai condiment shelf: cheap to make, sharp enough to cut through rich food, and happy to sit beside the Branston. Here is how to make a batch at home and where it earns its place in a British kitchen.
Kapi is the fermented shrimp paste that gives Thai curries, relishes and stir-fries their savoury backbone, yet it rarely gets a clear explanation on UK recipe pages. Here is how to buy it, store it, tame its pungency and use a teaspoon to wake up a bland sauce.
Thai salads are not a delicate pile of leaves; they are a lesson in sour, salty, hot and crunch. Here is how to apply that yam-style logic to red cabbage, carrots, beetroot, apples and citrus from a British winter larder.
Small, firm and often sold in a tangle of stems, Thai aubergines can puzzle even confident British cooks. Here is how to tell pea aubergines from apple aubergines, where to find them in the UK, and how to cook them so they stay bright rather than bitter or mushy.
Every Thai recipe has a moment where the British cupboard says no. This is a practical, flavour-first guide to the swaps that work, the ones that merely get dinner on the table, and the ones worth waiting for.
Khao Soi is the northern Thai coconut-curry noodle bowl that deserves a place in your winter cooking rotation. Here is what makes it different from the Thai curries you already know, plus practical British supermarket swaps for its crisp noodles, pickled greens and chilli-spiked toppings.
On a dark November morning, British porridge is not the only warming bowl in town. Jok, Thailand's silky rice porridge, is savoury, generous and built for the kind of cold that settles in the kitchen. Here is how to make it at home with supermarket ingredients, plus patongo dough sticks for dunking.
Jasmine, glutinous, broken or blended — the rice you choose changes the whole plate. Here is a practical British supermarket guide to Thai rice, with fuss-free hob methods and a pairing chart for curries, stir-fries, grilled meats and salads.
Kuay teow Sukhothai is the namesake bowl worth knowing: rice noodles tossed with pork, green beans, peanuts and a sweet-sour-salty sauce that keeps you coming back. Here is how to build it in a British kitchen with supermarket ingredients, without tipping it into sugary pad Thai territory.
It is dark by five, the fridge looks uninspiring, and the takeaway app is whispering. This is the moment khai jiao earns its keep: a Thai omelette with frilly, crisp edges and a soft, puffed middle, made in a single pan in under ten minutes. Here is the technique, plus three variations built for a British supermarket shop.
Nam prik is Thailand's family of punchy chilli relishes, and it deserves a place beside the gravy boat, not just the grill. Here is how to choose, make and pair a few approachable versions using UK supermarket ingredients, from roast chicken to sharp Cheddar and cold roast potatoes.
Makrut lime leaves are the floral-citrus backbone of Thai curries and soups, yet British shoppers meet a muddle of names, dried impostors and disappointing substitutes. Here's how to buy, store and deploy them so the perfume actually reaches the plate.
Your electric, induction or gas hob is not a restaurant wok burner, and pretending otherwise leads to steamed vegetables and sad protein. Here's an opinionated, practical guide to getting real Thai stir-fry flavour from a domestic kitchen.
Isaan food is Thailand's other great regional cuisine: sticky rice, charred chicken, tart salads and fiery dipping sauces. Here is how to build an Isaan-style spread with British supermarket ingredients, without losing the sharp, smoky character that makes it sing.
Jarred Thai curry paste is not the enemy, but not every tub deserves cupboard space. Here is how to read the label, run a quick taste test and decide when a jar saves a British weeknight and when the pestle and mortar earns its keep.
Mango sticky rice is only the beginning. Thai desserts balance sugar with salt, coconut and pandan in ways that surprise British palates, and many are easier to make or buy in the UK than you might think. Here are six to know, from warm rice balls to golden egg threads.
British supermarkets often sell anything green and fragrant as 'Thai basil', but holy basil and horapha do very different jobs in the wok. Here is how to tell them apart, which curries and stir-fries suit each one, and what to buy when your local shop lets you down.
Massaman and gaeng hung lay are the patient side of Thai cooking — one pot, cheap British cuts, and two hours where you do nothing. Here's how to build them for a dark November kitchen, plus a Sunday-to-Wednesday plan for the leftovers.