About the Recipe
Blend No.20
This spice blend is often used to season a dish such as noodles or rice but here we have created a vegetarian curry. You can of course use beef or chicken to make a Thai inspired dish for meat lovers.
METHOD
1. STEP
Prepare your ingredients.
2. STEP
Boil your rice in a pan as to the packet instructions. Set aside until needed.
3. STEP
In a medium pan, heat the veg oil, add the onions and cook until it starts to brown, add the peppers, chilli, and spice mix. Stir frequently and cook out for two minutes.
4. STEP
Add the coconut milk, bring to the boil, then add the Quorn and reduce the heat to a simmer.
5. STEP
Cook on a low heat for ten minutes and serve with rice.
6. STEP
Add your spring onion, allow to cook for a further minute and serve with the rice.
INGREDIENTS
400g Quorn pieces
1 tin coconut milk
1 teaspoon spicemasters Thai 7 spice
1 medium onion
1 red chilli - sliced (Increase the amount if you want more heat in your curry)
2 spring onions - sliced
1 green pepper diced
1 tablespoon veg oil
200g white rice
Typical Nutritional Content
What Are Thai 7 Spices? The Secret Behind Thai Cooking.
Thai cooking is fascinating. The use of fresh ingredients to make light but flavourful dishes makes it more than a guaranteed good meal, but a healthy one as well. Cooking Thai is all about using the right ingredients and spices to create balanced dishes.
Thai food can be sweet and spicy, nutty and refreshing, all simultaneously. Spices are never overused in Thailand, but the ones used play significant roles. The famous 7 Spices in Thai cooking contribute with fragrance, zest and flavour to even the most uncomplicated dishes, making them taste distinctively Thai.
Cooking Thai food at home is easy, especially with the right spices. And recipes never call for more than a few ingredients — Thai food is beauty in simplicity, but the experience is always overwhelming! Here’s all you need to know about Spice Master’s Thai 7 Spice Blend.
The History of the 7 Thai Spices
Thailand uses many spices, not just seven. Still, the combination known as the Thai seven spices has gained notoriety, as it gives fish, poultry and meat a recognisable Southeast Asian fell. Spice Master’s Thai 7 Spice Blend contains fourteen elements that allow you to cook Thai food at home with that authentic touch we all love.
Historically, Thai cooking has always been influenced by neighbouring India, Malaysia and Indonesia. Buddhism also has shaped the country’s flavours, and Chinese spices have also found their way into the Thai spice cabinet. Thailand might not be a large country, but its cuisine is highly regional. What you see in Bangkok varies significantly with the food from Northern and Southern Thailand. Few things are common nationwide, and the spices used are one.
Thai 7 spices give Thailand’s curries their distinctive flavour, which historically evolved away from Indian curries, based more on brown spices and peppers, to become something else entirely. Indian and Thai curries might share a name, but not much more.
A final thought about the history of Thai 7 spices takes us to the country’s Royal cuisine, developed between 1351–1767 CE and known for its refinement and beautiful presentation. Only the finest ingredients find their way into Thailand’s royal cuisine, and that’s where the 7 spices come in.
How to Use Thai 7 Spices?
Thai 7 Spices add flavour, aromatics and freshness to many traditional preparations. Adding the spices to an acidic marinade for meat is a fantastic way of emulating Thai grilled skewers. And using the spices generously in stir-fries can make them taste Thai and not Chinese.
Thai 7 spices add flavour to noodles and basically any dish, whether curries, red meat, poultry or seafood. What all Thai dishes have in common is that they always have an aromatic profile, and that’s the spice doing the talking.
From lemon peels and ginger to spicy peppers, Thai 7 spices are synonyms for the famous balanced flavours found in all Thai dishes. Spicy, citrusy, earthy, warm and pungent, all on the same plate. Few spice blends are so varied and contribute so much to the food’s flavour. Let’s understand what every element in Spice Master’s 7 Spice Blend contributes to your cooking.
What Goes into Thai 7 Spices?
Thai 7 spices combine fourteen aromatics, all vastly different from each other. Together, they contribute to Thai cooking like a few other spice blends.
Ginger
Ginger is the quintessential aromatic in dozens of Thai dishes; the root’s fragrant aromatics are a perfect match for fresh ingredients in salads and lighter preparations, but also in stews, curries and broths.
Garlic
Garlic is a universal flavour enhancer, and although overwhelming on its own, its pungency pairs well with other flavours, elevating sauces and heartier concoctions in a supporting role.
Chilli
Thai food might not be the spiciest on the planet, but many Thai dishes have a characteristic heat, sometimes contrasted with palm sugar or tamarind sweetness. Chilli peppers in Thai food are never too intense, but they are noticeable in a very pleasing way.
Coriander
Coriander seeds and their leaves are widespread in Thailand, especially in the south. There are slight citrus notes in coriander seeds and an attractive musky flavour.
Lemon Peel
Lemon peel is undoubtedly the most distinctive ingredient in our spice blend; few other spice combinations make better use of the aromatic oils in lemon peels. These aromas withstand the heat very well, so they’re still present, even after simmering curries.
Onion
Along with ginger and garlic, onion is a foundational ingredient used in all cuisines globally. When raw, onions can be savoury, but they mellow when cooked, even becoming pleasingly sweet. Thai food relies on sweet flavours from several sources to contrast the sometimes-spicy sauces and condiments.
Cumin
Bright, earthy and attractively spicy, cumin seeds share aromas with lemon peels, but they are earthier and more subtle. In Thai cooking, it’s all about balance, where no ingredient overwhelms the others, and cumin is perfect for that.
Black Pepper
Spicy, fragrant and intense, black pepper is a must in every spice blend, and the Thai 7 Spices are not different. Black pepper enhances flavours while giving focus to the preparations.
Mustard
A unique spice not commonly seen in other Asian spice blends, mustard seeds have a mellow-tasting property, and although intense, they can be sweet and spicy. The subtle heat in mustard seeds differs greatly from hot peppers; it’s sharper.
Celery Salt
A good flavour enhancer to bring all the elements in the spice blend together. Salt is the first condiment ever used, and it’s universal. On the other hand, celery seeds add their essential oil to the mix, which is beautifully fragrant.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is known as ob-chuey in Thailand, and is used in curries, especially in the Massaman curry, of Arab inspiration.
Oregano
The perennial Mediterranean herb is not common in Southeast Asia, but it flavours dishes like green curry. On its own, oregano is often intense, but if balanced with other spices, it adds an incredible freshness to the food.
Paprika
Spicy, sweet and all-natural colouring, paprika gives life and vibrancy to Thai food, while its warm flavours make any dish more enjoyable. Like many other red pepper varieties, Paprika is widely used in Thai cooking.
Star Anise
The most exciting ingredient in Thai 7 spices, star anise, is incredibly aromatic, and it’s used mainly in the north of Thailand, often in slow-cooked broths and stews. The seed pod from the star anise fruit causes an impact, even in small quantities.
Thai 7 Spices Unlock Thailand’s Secrets
Thai cooking might look complicated, but it really isn’t. Once you understand the philosophy behind the country’s flavours, you can cook Thai food with an authentic feel. Curries are always a great way to start, and we’re sure Spice Master’s Thai 7 Spices will help you craft beautiful dishes that taste uniquely Thai.