Imagine waking up in Bangkok: a city of chaos and calm…
The food markets here start opening up later in the morning, around 9 or 10 am. Thailand is the mecca of fruit and noodles: fresh fruit smoothies are all around and made to order, and fried noodles come in many forms with delicious flavorful sauces. Breakfast for many Thai people is a simple bowl of Jok (congee) or meat and rice, although these are almost never offered in Thai restaurants abroad. Often, the most simple foods eaten by locals are not explored by tourists.
In Thailand, most dishes are served or eaten at any time of day: Noodles for breakfast? Sure! Fried chicken or curry soup? Also available whenever you want it. There is no standard of a sweet breakfast and savory dinner.
Although the seed/vegetables oils and sugar used in present day Thai cooking leave much to be desired from a health perspective, the tradition of having more savory breakfasts in most of Southeast Asia is something to take note of—starting the morning with a meal filled with protein and easy-to-digest carbs (rice) provides a strong foundation for energy throughout the day. For many in the West, this concept seems confronting (basil chicken for breakfast?), but I invite you to open your mind to new ways of thinking about breakfast, taking a page out of the Thai playbook.
The secret to Thai cuisine is the balance of five flavors: sweet, salty, sour, creamy, and spicy.
While a certain dish may emphasize one flavor, all should be present, and this layering of flavors provides balance to each dish. Like Vietnam, rice is the staple grain in Thailand and can be found in a number of forms used in the cuisine, including rice flour and rice noodles. Rice is also a staple crop in Thailand, especially in the northern regions.
A few other ingredients can be identified that distinguish Thai cuisine from it’s neighbors:
(1) Coconut is a clear staple in Thai cooking. Coconut milk is used as the base for curries, and fresh coconuts are available to drink, used in smoothies, and used to create sweet Thai pancakes sold at the street food markets. Coconuts are high in caprylic acid, which is antibacterial and antifungal and good for those with candida (yeast) overgrowth. Coconut is high in fat and thus can help balance blood sugar when served with carbs (like rice). Finally, coconut is an energetically cooling food that balances the spice of the chilis typically used in Thai curries and other dishes.
(2) Thai fish sauce, made from salted and fermented fish, is used to flavor soups, noodles, and sauces. This pungent sauce has a unique flavor that can be considered as an “umami”. Furthermore, as it is traditionally fermented, fish sauce can contain positive bacteria and aid with digestion. Additionally, fish sauce can contain good amino acids, including omega 3 fatty acids, which are important for brain health, healthy cell functioning, and decreasing inflammation in the body. Fish sauce is also commonly used in neighboring Vietnam.
(3) Tamarind is a pod fruit that can also be found in Latin American cuisine. It is sweet, sour, and tangy and creates the classic flavor of Pad Thai. Dried salty/sweet tamarind fruit can be found in convenience stores and roadside stalls and is eaten as a snack or treat. It is hard to describe the complexity of this flavor, something sour like lime yet still sweet, tamarind is a unique feature in Thai cuisine. Besides Pad Thai, it is added to curries or other sauces to give them a depth of flavor.
(4) Thai curry pastes most commonly come in five varieties: green, red, yellow, massaman, and panang are typically used to make coconut-based curries. Traditionally made fresh using a mortar and pestle, these pastes blend chilis, herbs and aromatics, and spices and/or some umami ingredient, like shrimp paste. Each variety uses a slightly different combination of ingredients, and each chef may have their own special blend.
(5) Thai herbs and aromatics create the distinct flavors of Thai dishes. Thai basil, galangal (a cousin of ginger), lemongrass, kefir lime leaves, and cilantro are some commonly used aromatics in curry pastes, teas, and other sauces/dishes. These ingredients are exclusively used fresh and grow well in the Thai climate. Herbs and aromatics not only add flavor to dishes, but also have a number of positive health benefits, from reducing inflammation and increasing metabolism to aiding with the breakdown of rich foods. Consuming a large variety of herbs is a great easy way to make your meals more healthy.
Congee, Jok/Jook or Chao is a rice porridge cooked in ample liquid that is a staple food in many Asian countries.
While each country has their own traditions and may add different toppings or ingredients to flavor this simple dish, rice porridge can be found throughout all Asian cultures as a comfort food. Often eaten for breakfast, by children and the eldery, or when ill, the rice is slow cooked in broth, or a mixture of broth and water, for hours, making it very easy to digest. Congee is considered to be extremely healing and beneficial for those with digestive issues who are not absorbing nutrients well. When cooked in bone broth, congee becomes a superfood for those with gut issues, as the collagen from the bone broth helps repair the gut lining, and the broken-down rice is incredibly easy to process, allowing the body to absorb more nutrients. Although congee is typically prepared with rice, it can also be made with other grains, like sorghum, millet, or barley.
Rice porridge is also the staple food of monks, and the Buddha even spoke about this food for its humble healing properties.
Eating simple and light meals can be beneficial not only for supporting digestion, but also for obtaining greater mental and spiritual clarity.
Congee has been eaten by monks for centuries and is associated with claims of karmic or health-promoting efficacy, perhaps because it is an extremely neutral food in terms of energetics in Traditional Chinese Medicine.