Do you love Thai food, and want to learn how to master the cuisine? While there are a wide variety of dishes, there are some specific ingredients and methods that are used in the majority of Thai cooking. Read on to find out how to make Thai food.

Thai cuisine is flavorful, complex and spicy. It is unique from other types of Asian food, as it incorporates a delicate blend of flavors and creaminess to achieve a balanced result. Each ingredient in Thai cooking is vital to achieving the full flavor, which should awaken every sense of the palette. Below, you will learn the ingredients and techniques that characterize Thai cuisine. http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/learning/Thai_Food_Philosophy.htm

These ingredients are traditionally used in Thai cuisine:http://thaifood.about.com/od/glossary/A_Glossary_of_Thai_Cooking_Terms.htm

• Coconut milk
• Basil
• Fish sauce
• Soy sauce
• Lime
• Lemongrass
• Tamarind
• Garlic
• Chilies
• Coriander
• Turmeric
• Banana leaves
• Peanuts
• Cashew nuts
• Dried shrimp
• Tofu
• Noodles
• Rice

Thai cooking techniques are somewhat similar to Chinese. For many dishes, a wok is used for fast sauteing. To cook with a wok, heat a tablespoon or two of peanut oil over medium-high heat. Then add the ingredients that will take longest to cook first, and slowly add the rest of your ingredients. Push the more cooked pieces up the sides of the pan, where it is cooler, and push the less cooked pieces down to the hot bottom of the pan as you work.

• Sometimes dishes are wrapped into a banana leaf and then roasted in the oven or grilled over an open flame. They are then served still in the leaf, like a package.

A typical Thai meal might consist of an appetizer (such as spring rolls or fried shrimp), a salad (papaya salad is a classic) and/or a broth soup, and a main dish served with rice. Thai desserts are typically made of coconut milk, sugar and fruit. Mango sticky rice is a favorite in Thai restaurants.