Thai food is something that everyone can enjoy! With the variety of flavorful seasonings and herbs, it’s difficult not to find a Thai dish that you love when visiting our Thai restaurant. Here at Twist on Thai Cafe in Hopatcong, we love including the common ingredients that make these dishes so popular.
Just about every Thai dish is going to require a tasty paste. The pastes are often a huge factor in the flavor that draws so many people into Thai dishes in the first place. In fact, many dishes will taste significantly different without a fresh paste to complement it. In today’s blog post, we’re going to go over a few of the most crucial ingredients needed for a fresh, tasty Thai paste. Let’s get started.
Shallots
A majority of Thai pastes are going to call for shallots. If you can’t find shallots at your local grocery store, green onions will do. Make sure that you are buying fresh vegetables because it will drastically change the flavor of the paste.
Garlic
Another must-have item in every Thai paste is garlic. Garlic creates an incredible flavor and it’s used heavily in so many different dishes. If you’re going to be making a paste at home, make sure that you have plenty of fresh garlic at home.
Chilies
Thai food is known for having that flavorful kick — it’s what most of us fell for in the first place. More often than not, this is the part that people associate with the Thai culture. Now, the type of chilies that you use will vary based on the dish that you’re creating, so it’s always good to see what’s suggested. Here at Twist at Thai Cafe, we use both red and green chilies in our pastes — so you really can’t go wrong!
Thai Chili Pepper
Have we mentioned that Thai dishes are known for being spicy? Even when you’re using chilies in your paste recipe, you are going to want to add some Thai chili pepper. This is going to add an extra kick but it’s a staple piece of all Thai dishes, so make sure you have some!
Lemon Grass
This particular ingredient is used in various ways when preparing Thai dishes. At times, this ingredient is chopped up and mixed into the paste while other times its kneaded into the paste for a simple scent and flavor. This is another ingredient that will vary based on the dish that you’re creating and how strong of a flavor you’d like in the dish.
Visit Twist on Thai Cafe Today!
If you’re not one for making your own Thai dishes or you simply can’t match the pastes that we have created for the dishes in our restaurant, just stop in and let us do the work! Our staff loves creating the dishes that bring you in. Our fresh ingredients and classic recipes are something that you can always count on enjoying when you stop into Twist on Thai Cafe in Hopatcong. We hope to see you soon!
