Thai Food, Thai Coconut Milk Soup with Chicken [Tom Kha Gai]

Thai Coconut Milk soup has a creamy consistency and has a lovely lemony flavour to it. The main herbs are galangals chillies and coriander leaves which are very well known herbs in Thailand.


Thai Coconut Milk Soup with Chicken Ingredients

1. 2 cups coconut milk

2. 1 cup chicken stock

3. 2-3 medium pieces fresh galangal, peeled and sliced

4. 3 chicken breast fillets (cut into well pieces)

5. 2 teaspoons chilies, finely chopped

6. 1 tablespoon fish sauce

7. 1 teaspoon sugar

8. 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves

9. 5 coriander leaves for garnish

Thai Coconut Milk Soup with Chicken Preparations

1. Add coconut milk, chicken stock and galangal in a pan.

2. Bring to boil and simmer over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add chicken pieces and chilli to pan, simmer for another 6 minutes.Continue stirring until cooked and all ingredients mixed well. 4. Season with fish sauce and sugar. Add coriander leaves Before serving, garnis1

Thai Boxing, Conditioning

Like most competitive full contact fighting sports, Muay Thai has a heavy focus on body conditioning. Muay Thai is specifically designed to promote the level of fitness and toughness required for ring competition. Training regimens include many staples of combat sport conditioning such as running, shadowboxing, rope jumping, body weight resistance exercises, medicine ball exercises, abdominal exercises, and in some cases weight training. Muay Thai practitioners typically apply Namman Muay liberally before and after their intense training sessions.

Training that is specific to a Muay Thai fighter includes training with coaches on Thai pads, focus mitts, heavy bag, and sparring. The daily training includes many rounds (3-5 minute periods broken up by a short rest, often 1-2 minutes) of these various methods of practice. Thai pad training is a cornerstone of Muay Thai conditioning which involves practicing punches, kicks, knees, and elbow strikes with a trainer wearing thick pads which cover the forearms and hands. These special pads are used to absorb the impact of the fighter’s strikes and allow the fighter to react to the attacks of the pad holder. The trainer will often also wear a belly pad around the abdominal area so that the fighter can attack with straight kicks or knees to the body at anytime during the round.

Focus mitts are specific to training a fighter’s hand speed, rous fighting and training regimen (some Thai boxers fight almost every other week) professional Muay Thai fighters have relatively short careers in the ring. Many retire from competition to begin instructing the next generation of Thai fighters. It is a common myth that Thai boxing causes arthritis, this is not true and is in no way more damaging to the body than other sports such as karate or even running. Most professional Thai boxers come from the lower economic backgrounds and the fight money (after the other parties get their cut) is sought as means of support for the fighters and their families. Very few higher economic strata Thais ikipedia.org/wiki/Karate" title="Karate">karate or even running. Most professional Thai boxers come from the lower economic backgrounds and the fight money (after the other parties get their cut) is sought as means of support for the fighters and their families. Very few higher economic strata Thais join the professional Muay Thai ranks; they usually either don't practice the sport or practice it only as amateur Muay Thai boxers.

by: http://en.wikipedia.org

Thai Culture, Siamese fighting fish

Reproduction and nests

The Siamese fighting fish mate in a fashion that is called "nupital embrace", in which the male and female spiral around each other, around 10-41 eggs are released and fertilized at each embrace, until the female is exhausted of eggs. The male carefully keeps every egg in his bubble nest, making sure none fall to the ground, and repairing the bubble nest as needed. Incubation last 30-40 hours, and the eggs hatch in 3-4 days.

Betta males build bubble nests of various sizes and thicknesses at the surface of the water. During and after spawning, the male uses his mouth to retrieve sinking eggs and deposit them in the bubble nest. After approximately two days the eggs hatch, and after three more they become free-swimming fry; at this point the male is generally removed from the breeding tank to prevent eating the young. Betta fry are fed infusoria for the first several days, followed by newly hatched brine shrimp or similarly sized food.

B. splendens can be hybridized with B. imbellis, Betta sp. Mahachai and B. smaragdina, though with the latter the fry tend to have low survival rates.

by: http://en.wikipedia.org

Thai Spa, Pornsarin Beauty Clinic

Ponsarin redefines the definition of beauty clinic with its sleek design, warm lighting, and spa-like environment - not to mention the extensive range of clinically-approved skin and body treatments to fix every flaw and imperfection.

With its close proximity to the city's business (Bangkok) districts of Sathorn, Silom and Sukhumvit, Ponsarin can be reached conveniently by a mere 15-minute taxi ride from the Chong Nonsri Skytrain (BTS) station. The clinic features four private treatment rooms and one sharing room; each fully-equipped with world-class treatment facilities and a team of highly experienced medical specialists to match.

Factor in very affordable treatments, compared to prices abroad, and it is no wonder why it has become so popular amongst tourists to combine a visit to the Land of Smiles with non-invasive surgical procedures.

Ponsarin Beauty Clinic utilises the latest hi-tech equipment and knowledge, coupled with legendary Thai hospitality. Skin renewal and rejuvenation can make for a younger-looking, more confident, healthier, happier you! Now there's a good reason to make an appointment right away.

by: http://www.bangkok.com

Thai Food, Stir-Fried Crab Meat with Curry Power [Poo Pad Pong Ka-Ree]

This is very popular Thai dish where crab is gried with a slightly curried sauce.

Stir-Fried Crab Meat with Curry Power Ingredients

1. 250 grams crab meat

2. 2 eggs

3. 1 tablespoon garlic, minced

4. 1 teaspoon curry powder

5. 1 tablespoon soy sauce

6. 2 tablespoons fish sauce

7. 2 spring onions (scallion), sliced thinly

8. 2 tablespoon shallots, sliced thinly

9. 100 grams Chinese celery, cut 1" long

10. 3 chilie peppers, cut diagonally

11. pinch of sugar

12. 2 tablespoons fish stock (or water)

Stir-Fried Crab Meat with Curry Power Preparations

1. Heat oil in a wok, and garlic and onions, then stir fry until the color is golden.

2. Add the fish stock (or water), soy sauce, fish sauce and beaten egg. Stir fry for 20 seconds, then add crab meat.

3. Stir fry until the crab meat is nearly cooked, then add the remaining ingredients. Stir fry for another 30 seconds and turn off the heat.

4. Transfer to a serving dish. Before serving, garnish with coriander leaves and other fresh vegetables (lettuce, sliced cucumber, etc.)

Thai Boxing, Punches and kicks

Defensively, the concept of "wall of defence" is used, in which shoulders, arms and legs are used to hinder the attacker from successfully executing techniques. Blocking is a critical element in Muay Thai and compounds the level of conditioning a successful practitioner must possess. Low and mid body roundhouse kicks are normally blocked with the upper portion of a raised shin. High body strikes are blocked with the forearm/glove, elbow/shin. Mid section roundhouse kicks can also be caught/trapped, allowing for a sweep or counter attack to the remaining leg of the opponent. Punches are blocked with an ordinary boxing guard and techniques similar, if not identical, to basic boxing technique. A common means of blocking a punch is using the hand on the same side as the oncoming punch. For example, if an orthodox fighter throws a jab (being the left hand), the defender will make a slight tap to redirect the punch's angle with the right hand. The deflection is always as small and precise as possible to avoid unnecessary energy expenditure and return the hand to the guard as quickly as possible. Hooks are most often blocked with a motion most often described as "combing your hair," raising the elbow forward and effectively shielding the head with the forearm, flexed biceps, and shoulder. More advanced Muay Thai blocks are usually counters, used to damage the opponent to prevent another attack being made.

by: http://en.wikipedia.org