We all know that Thai people love their rice. As a matter of fact it is one of the country of Thailand’s staples.  However if anything should be in quiet competition it is noodles!  How can we forget about the many delicious varieties of noodles that can be eaten haeng (which means dry) or with a broth, turning it into one of the delicious Thai noodle soups.  In the Thai culture there is said to be a noodle for everybody.  With many options to choose from such as bamii which is a wheat & egg noodle, boat noodles, tom yam which means preseasoned or nam tok which means with a spoonful of blood added for thickening, there is sure to be a style to fit your taste buds.   So what are the favorites of the Thai noodle collection?  There are so many I love and enjoy that I could be here writing for awhile.  Instead I will try and pick three that are among my top picks.

First we start with Khao Poep, also known as a folded noodle it is actually a type of stuffed noodle soup.  We take a good sized spoonful of a rice based batter, place it on a taut cloth over boiling water and leave it there until it begins to firm.  Once it is to our liking we place sliced vegetables on top of the formed noodle and then wrap the remaining part of the noodle around the vegetables.  It is then placed in a clear pork broth.  A thin sliced piece of roast pork is placed in the bowl along with an egg, with cilantro and coriander finishing the dish as a garnish.

Next up is Khao Soi, which is most possibly my favorite of all the Thai Noodle soups.  The dish is started by simmering your choice of beef or chicken in a curry paste with coconut milk and dried spices.  While that is working we make a broth of curry filled with the wheat & egg noodles (bamii) .  Once the meat has finished simmering and locking in the fragrant flavors we add it to the noodles and broth topping it with crispy deep fried noodles and chopped cilantro.  I however don’t stop there and will add chopped shallots and a fresh squeeze of lime.  It is finished completely with dried chili flakes simmered in oil.  This soup is absolutely delish!

The last noodle dish to introduce or perhaps just give some street credit to is, Kuayeow Nuea, the beef lover’s soup!  It is made with a beef bone based broth and the original Thai rice noodle. For those that want a heartier soup you can add or nam tok (beefs blood) to thicken it.  Along with the rice noodles there are four different types of beef.  Lightly boiled beef, braised tripe, spicy beef balls, and chunks of braised beef. To garnish it fried garlic, garlic oil, white pepper and chopped Chinese celery are added.  Often for a spicy, tart kick, spicy chiles charred with fruit vinegar is served on the side to dip the selection of beef pieces in.

There are so many different Thai noodle soups to try, these are just three of my favorite. Explore the abundance of Thai recipes to find what you enjoy the best.

Favorite Thai Desserts

 

Most of us know what are favorite Thai dishes are as far as meals are concerned, however how many of you have explored the desserts that Thai culture has to offer?  Thai desserts are not light fare as most dessert in other cultures tend to be.  Instead Thai desserts are very sweet and filling using mostly coconut cream, tropical fruit, sweet syrups and yes…sticky white rice!  When it comes to the sweet after dinner treat or perhaps just satisfying that sweet tooth there are a few Thai desserts that I believe are a must try.  Especially so that you are able to fully experience what dessert in the country of Thailand is really like.  I’ve put together my top 5 favorite Thai desserts and what they are comprised of.  Explore the sweet side of Thai and get ready for incredible flavor combinations as well as some new ingredients you may just discover.

 

 

• Khao Neow Toorien-  This is a delicious coconut cream soup filled with sticky rice and a chunk of Durian.  What exactly is Durian?  It is a tree fruit that has a smell you hate to love.  Not a meet in the middle flavor, it is often said that you either dislike durian or you absolutely love it.  Needless to say mix it in this sweet filling dessert and you have yourself perhaps one of the best Thai desserts that can be found.

• Khanom Gluay-  This dessert many refer to as the green goodness because of its traditional green color.  Sound a little funky?  The taste though will have you changing your mind.  We start with sticky rice, add bananas, sugar, and shredded coconut.  Next by soaking Pandanus leaves in cool water and adding it to the rest of the ingredients we have our green hued treat.  The Pandanus leaves are solely for color and make this dessert distinctive.

• Khanom Jark-  This delicious creation is minus the sticky rice.  Comprised of a few basic ingredients such as flour, sugar, salt and coconut meat we then wrap this in a palm leaf and grill it!  A little more simple and less filling than most of our desserts, it still is one of my favorite to enjoy.

 

• Khao Lam- I enjoy this Thai treat because of it’s unique preparation style.  First we take a bamboo pole and stuff it with sticky rice and black beans that have been sweetened with a thick coconut syrup.  Next we roast the bamboo stuffed poles over a low fire.  Once they have been roasted long enough we use a strong knife to cut open the bamboo where the sticky sweet creation is ready to be served and eaten.

• Khao Tom Mud- Again this is possibly one of my very favorites because of the banana leaf and sweet candied filling.  First we start with more of that sticky rice we are so fond of.  Next we add black beans and then candy it with coconut milk and sugar to make a heavenly filling.  We then wrap it in the banana leaf and it is ready to be served.

 

 

These are just 5 of my favorite Thai desserts but there are definitely many more to be tried.  Although traditional Thai ingredients used in desserts are a bit different then a lot of western style desserts, they are still a force to be reckoned with.  Next time you have a sweet tooth or maybe just a little inkling for something sweet and tasty, stop in to Siam Cabin Cuisine and try one of our house made delicious Thai desserts.  We promise you won’t walk away unsatisfied.  

 

We are excited to announce we have wonderful changes coming to our restaurant patio to enhance your dining experience.  Although the renovations will stray away from a more traditional Thai decor, we are looking forward to the contemporary open aired atmosphere it will bring to Siam Cabin Cuisine. By updating our current patio space we will allow for plush, lounge worthy furniture.  Not only will our guests be able to enjoy exquisite table top dining, but you may now also come to relax and have one of our refreshing cocktails or other beverages, while sitting next to a fire pit and enjoying some traditional Thai starters.

How are we creating this vision?  We have aligned our good friend that owns a spectacular garage door company, garagedoorrepairaz.org. We will will be adding a garage door as a connector to our dining room! ! Dan our go to guy at Ahwatukee Garage Doors, has provided us with a beautiful new door and will be installing it and its opening system in the next coming days.  Being the Thai food fanatic he is and with a genuine friendly demeanor,  he has already told us he will work for food!  Our passion is healthy and incredible Thai food, so we think it’s a pretty sweet deal! In all realness Dan is just an awesome small business owner that would like to see another small business succeed.  He’s a reputable, trustworthy guy, with affordable prices and awesome work, so if any of you other Thai food enthusiasts have something to trade (preferably great food…shh we didn’t tell you that) give Dan a call!

What exactly will the garage door serve as?? This new garage door will  not only open up the dining space, we feel it will also define our patio and give it a more modern look.  Who doesn’t love enjoying delicious fare and craft cocktails with those close to us on a great patio!? We know we do!!  The versatility of this renovation will be great for the changing seasons as well.  We can open the garage door automatically to allow fresh air into the restaurant on those nice breezy summer and spring nights, as well as keep it closed in the colder months allowing an outdoors feel for those who sit out side, nestled in our new patio furniture enjoying those fire pits.

Although the end results will be stunning, we ask that you bear with us during the construction.  We will still be open regular business hours and will offer our indoor dining, however the patio will be closed for the next coming weeks.  We have amazing new dishes we will be implementing with our menu over the next  few weeks to come and would love your feedback on any new items tried.  We are currently in the works of adding to our existing menu items to coincide with our new look.  With our new patio, and enhanced atmosphere we would like to add a few more options for all spectrums of palates to enjoy.  Once our new patio is finished we hope to roll out with the added menu items as well.  

We hope that you are as excited as we are for these new upgrades,  we will be posting updates as the renovation continues here on our website.  Please check back as well to see the delicious specials that will be available or just come visit us and satisfy your appetites!