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Leaves are used in many kitchens in the world, also Thai, for several purposes. There are 4 leaves that you see in Thai dishes quite often; Pandan leaves, Banana leaves and Kaffir lime leaves.
Pandan leave, or Bai Toey in Thai language, is a kind of herb often used in Thai kitchen. The main using style is to add aroma and green color to dessert, following by the purpose of decoration.
We cut the leaves in very small pieces, then wrap its with the thin cloth as the filter, add a little bit of water, and squeeze its to get the bright green liquid. You can use it as natural color and add the “quite same as Thai Jasmine rice” aroma to your special dishes in so many ways; to add color to Woon Krati (Coconut cream Jelly) and Sangkaya (Thai Custard) or enhance flavor to sticky rice dishes, even to mix in western style desserts such as cakes, ice creams and creme brulee.
To decorate savory foods, Thai people use Bai Toey as the wrapper. For example, in your favorite “Chicken in Pandan Leaves”.
Next time when you go Thai or Asian grocery shop, please take Pandan leaves or Pandan paste to your home to color your meal.
The most popular leave in Thai kitchen is Bai Tong or banana leave. The leave is used as the very good wrapper. People wrap foods with banana leaves to enhance food flavor because the leaves will make very good smell when its touch the heat.
Banana leaves can be used in many styles. They wrap sticky rice and banana with banana leave, put two pieces together and boil it until the rice is cooked and can be served as “Kao Tom Mad”, or wrap shrimp paste, chili, garlic and red shallot with the leaves, then grill it on the hot pan until the leaves are burned to enhance the aroma and the flavor before use its as the main ingredients of chili dip.
Moreover, Thai people use banana leaves to beautifully package the foods. There are both royal style as Bai-See and local style as Kratong. It is quite difficult to find it outside tropical countries but you can ask from Asian grocery to find some to try.
If your favorite soup is Tom Yum Koong (Spicy and sour prawn soup), you will see the small green leaves called Bai Ma Grood or Kaffir lime leaves that be added citrus smell to your soup. We can use full leaves in Tom Yum Soup or spice up your Bouillabaisse to explore new taste and cut or tear leaves in pieces to enhance more citrus flavor to Thai Fish Cake and Thai Beef Salad and make good smell to your seafood dishes.
It’s easy to find Kaffir lime leaves in fresh herbs shelf at the supermarket, so try one in your next cooking.
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