Wednesday, 7 April 2010

Medicinal Benefits Of Thai Food


Have you ever wondered how the Thais keep themselves slim and healthy despite eating large servings of food daily? Below is the secret in the food they consume, that I'd like to share with you:

Medicinal Benefits Of Thai FoodPDFPrintE-mail

Krachai

The rhizome of krachai is used in some specific mixture, almost are for fish soup; Nam Ya Pla and Kaeng Som due to the spicy and bitter taste of krachai that are good to reduce the fishes? savory and as well to other fish dishes; Phad Phed Pla

Medical application
- carminative
- antihistamine
- antifungal, bacterial
- cardamonin to stop the growth of cancer

Garlic

Garlic is actually important ingredient in Thai food and found in every recipe prior to fry vegetables and meat. It is also unable to be missed in soup and chilli paste and as well spicy salad. This is including the pickled garlic, garlic plants and fried chopped garlic to sprinkle the food.

Medical application
- carminative
- reduce blood pressure
- prevent heart disease
- antibacterial, fungal, yeast, virus

Kra Prao

Kra prao or sacred basil is used in Kaeng Pha, Kaeng Kae and some spicy fried meat dishes to reduce the savory of the fish meat. Fresh leaves are sprinkled on food before removing from heat.

Medical application
- carminative
- reduce sugar in blood
- release tension
- stomachic

Galangal

Galangal is used both its flowers as vegetables and fresh and hard rhizomes. The hard rhizome is very spicy and good to season many recipes of chilli pastes, the fresh rhizome is found good in Tom Kha Kai.

Medical application
- carminative
- stop the growth of cancer
- antifungal, bacterial and yeast

Ginger

Thai people use ginger to reduce fishes smell in many dishes; Tom Som, steam fish with lemon or fry with meat and as well ingredients in Miang (tidbits), such as Miang Kum, Miang Pla Tou, Miang Som. It is also mixed with pickling, mussels, Tai Pla, Saeng Wha, etc. Chopped ginger is tasty to fry with meat and as well Yam Pla Tu, Yam Khing, Yam Pla Kra-pong and Yam Hoy Kraeng. Pickled ginger is a good supplement to boiled rice and many types of paste. Ginger juice and ginger boiled in syrup and mixed with mung bean or sweet potato are tasty desserts.

Medical application
- carminative
- antihistamine
- antibacterial, fungal, yeast, virus

Lemon grass

Lemon grass is spicy and bitter and used for seasoning the Thai food and as the main ingredient in every recipe of Kaeng Phed, spicy salads and Tom Yam.

Medical application
- carminative
- antibacterial, fungal, yeast
- diuretic

Coriander

This plant can be used by every part; plant, root, leaves and fruits. Normally, the coriander leaves are sprinkled to season the food, while the coriander fruits are mixed in the soup and curry for good smell and its root is used together with garlic in soup and some kind of snacks and desserts.

Medical application
- carminative
- diuretic

Chilli

The popular species of chilli used for cooking are hot chilli, red, green and yellow chilli, sweet pepper, etc. which are different in the levels of its spicy tastes. Chilli can be used both fresh and dried or pickling in vinegar and to every dish that requires hot and spicy tastes. Some are used for smelling and reducing savory and as well to color the decoration.

Medical application
- digestive
- to protect cancer
- carminative
- expectorant
- relief pain
- relief sickness

Pepper

Pepper is popularly found in every kind of chilli pastes, in soup together with coriander root and garlic and as well sprinkle for good smell. It is normally used in cooking of Kaeng Phed, Kaeng Pa and Phad Phed.

Medical application
- carminative
- expectorant
- diuretic
- stomachic /colic
- digestive

Pumpkin

Fresh leaves and young flowers are blanched or boiled to supplement with the chilli paste. Its flowers are used as ingredients in Kaeng Lieng and Kaeng Som. Besides, the ripe pumpkins are used in many dishes both soups and fried dishes. It is also good to make many recipes of desserts; pumpkin boiled in syrup and pumpkin in coconut syrup.

Medical application
- beta carotene

Kaffir lime

Kaffir lime skin is one of spices mixed in chilli paste for Kaeng Phed and Phad Phed, and in Nam Prik (for Thai noodles). Kaffir lime juice is sour and used to reduce savory of meat. It is actually mixed in fermented fish paste, Kaeng Som and Kaeng Tay Po. Chopped kaffir lime leaves are used to reduce meat smell and season Kaeng Phed, Phad Phed, Chu Chee Pla, Kaeng Tom Som, Tom Yam, Hua Mok, Tam Kanoon, Khao Yam and etc.

Medical application
- carminative
- expectorant

Tamarind

Thai people in every part eat the tamarinds? fresh leaves, flowers and the pods as vegetables and seasoning agents. The content in the ripe pods provides sour taste. People in the middle part of Thailand use the young pods as ingredient of the tamarind paste. The fresh leaves are used in soups; Tom Klong Pla Kroab and Pork and pumpkin in coconut soup.

Medical application
- Carminative
- cooling
- laxative
- antihistamine

Gord gourd

The blanched leaves are delicious with chilli paste. Gord gourd is good also as ingredient in many recipes; vegetable soup, Kaeng Lieng or fried vegetable or mix with omelet.

Medical application
- intestinal stimulating
- carminative
- colic
- antipyretic
- reduce sugar in blood

Lemon

Lemon juice is used to make sour taste in Tom Yam, Som Tum, Phla, spicy salads and many chilli pastes and as well lemon juice for drink.

Medical application
- expectorant
- carminative
- antiscorbutic

Sweet basil

Sweet basil is used to season the food odor; Kaeng Lieng, Kaeng Nhoa Mai, Oam Pla and also as vegetable for Nam Ya and chilli paste.

Medical application
- carminative
- laxative

Cumin

Cumin is roasted and pounded to make chilli paste in some curries, Kaeng Phed and Kaeng Khiao Wan.

Medical application
- carminative
- expectorant

Shallot

Shallot is used to reduce meat savory and as seasoning and also the main ingredient in chilli paste for Kaeng Phed, Tom Kloong, Kaeng Lieng, Tom Yam, Lhun, Yam, Larb and Nam Prik and as well in some desserts.

Medical application
- carminative
- stomachic
- catarrh relief

Onion

Used in Kaeng Masaman, spicy salads, and soup stock.

Medical application
- carminative

Source: www.thaifoodtoworld.com





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