Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is a country full of culture and traditions. The culture and traditions created the Thai cuisine; very much influenced by the Indian, Burmese, Chinese, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the rest of South East Asia. Therefore, the taste of Thai cuisine is the combination of five tastes: sweet, spicy, sour, bitter and salty.

In Thai food, there are plenty of ingredients used such as garlic, chilies, lime juice, lemon grass, tamarind, palm sugar, ginger, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, shallots, coriander, basil, green onions and not forgetting the fish sauce. The staple food in Thailand is rice, particularly jasmine rice, which is included in almost every meal.

Just 2 months ago, my husband Wolfgang and I visited Phuket once again after many years. It has always been a popular tourist destination but the charm is still there. The friendliness of the people, the smell of the endless herbs and spices, the beautiful nature and islands make you want to come back once more.

In Phuket, our lives were easy and relaxed, like a holiday should be. We spoilt ourselves every night to an hour of body massage before we savor the tasty cuisine of Thai. We tried many different dishes and enjoyed each and every dish. Besides trying all the different flavors of Curries and Grilled Seafood, we love starters such as Tom Yam Kung (Spicy Prawn Soup) and a plate of Phla Kung (Spicy Prawn Salad with Lemongrass), just so tasty and refreshing. 

When we were at our weakest, we did let ourselves go and end our meal with some Khao Neow Ma-maung (Sticky Rice with Mango) as dessert. Then we slowly crawled ourselves back to one of the popular massage parlours again for an hour of foot message….ooh, what a life!

Spicy Prawn Salad with Lemongrass