Regional Thai cooking for British kitchens
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.
Thai sausage is a whole world past the takeaway menu. A practical guide for British cooks to Northern sai ua, sour naem and pink moo yor — pork ratios, toasted spice paste, curing safety, where to buy in the UK, and a homemade sai ua recipe worth heating the grill for.
Many British Thai menus lean hard on sugar and coconut cream, leaving the sour, bitter and fermented side of the cuisine in the shade. This is a case for recalibrating familiar dishes at home without losing their crowd-pleasing appeal.
UK Asian grocers and supermarket shelves now hold more Thai chillies than most recipes admit. Here is a practical guide to six you can buy in Britain, with heat levels, flavour notes and sensible swaps for the harder-to-find ones.
Sukhothai cooking is older, leaner and more direct than the coconut-rich Thai food many British diners know. This is a practical menu of grilled chicken, rice-noodle broth and a fiery relish, built from supermarket and greengrocer ingredients.
We bought eight fish sauces from UK supermarkets and Asian grocers and tested them neat, in a raw dipping sauce and in a cooked curry. The cheapest bottle is rarely the best value, and the right nam pla deserves a permanent place in your cupboard.