Gai Kua is not quite as familiar to many Americans as Pad Thai, and of course we serve a great Pad Thai at Rachada Thai Cuisine. But a little variety is the spice of life, and we’d like to suggest you give Gai Kua noodles a taste if you’d like to try something delicious and different next time you’re out for a Thai noodle fix.

Gai Kua noodles are made with flat, wide rice noodles perfectly stir fried with with egg, green onion, and bean sprouts, and usually includes chicken for the meat. If you’d like to substitute pork or tofu, just ask.

The different twist is the egg, subtly mixed in the stir fry for a unique flavor. By the way, Kai means “egg” in Thai.

In Thailand, we call these broad, flat rice noodles kui teow ( the dried version), and sen yai (fresh noodles, packaged before the drying process). These popular flat, wide rice noodles are also sometimes called “river noodles”.

Many names but one great taste. A Thai noodle dish like Gai Kua is “feel good” comfort food. Typically, we don’t make this noodle dish too spicy. Just brimming with flavor.

Come by soon for some Gai Kua noodles at Rachada Thai Cuisine in Moorpark.

The warm grilled shrimp and eggplant make the perfect combination with the cold, crisp salad which includes fresh lettuce, carrots and purple cabbage.

Served with a lime juice based salad dressing, the combination of Thai spices and herbs gives this dish a tasty and tangy kick that just bursts with flavor.

The contrast of hot and cold, along with the different textures of the grilled shrimp and eggplant, is part of the Thai cooking secret.

This favorite Grilled Eggplant Salad combines the flavors and textures in the classic Thai tradition that brings out the balance of the five fundamental tastes – bitter, sweet, sour, salty and spicy.

If you’d like to try something truly special and unique, come by soon and ask for our Grilled Eggplant Salad. You won’t be dissapointed at Rachada Thai Cuisine.

Central Region of Thailand - Chao Phraya River

The central region of Thailand, considered the traditional heartland of the country, is the source of some of Thailand’s best known dishes.

The Chao Phraya river runs through the middle of the central plain as it winds it’s way down through Bangkok and out into the Gulf of Thailand. The earliest style of cooking in this area, dating back to the ancient capital of Sukhothai, was a simpler form based on the rice that grows so abundantly all through the region as well as the fresh fish and native spices including garlic, salt and black pepper.

During the four centuries that the Ayutthaya ruled as the capital of Thailand, more complex food elements were brought to the cuisine of the central region including the chili pepper, introduced from South America. The chili pepper is an essential ingredient in modern day Thai cuisine. Other Thai cooking staples including coriander, lime and tomato were introduced during this period.

The large cosmopolitan kingdom of Ayutthaya attracted traders from distant places such as the Middle East, Europe, China, India, Japan, Persia and Portugal. This brought a wide variety of culinary diversity to Thailand’s central region. Over time, these outside influences were subtly transformed to better suit the Thai tastes and preferences and to take advantage of the local ingredients.

These cooking developments continued in Bangkok, which became the capital of Thailand in 1782. The Chinese cooking influence continued to expand during this time. These Sino-Thai dishes, especially in the form of many different types of noodle dishes, remain popular today. Many familiar stir-fried noodle dishes such as Phat Phak Bung Fai Daeng (stir-fried water spinach) have their origins in this region.

Fruits also played an increasingly important role  in the central region’s cuisine as Thai fruit growers began to produce new and more succulent varieties of popular fruits including mango, durian and pomelo.

photo credit: Swami Stream

You may be surprised to know there is actually a philosophy behind Thai cooking, one of the world’s truly magnificent cuisines. Perhaps you are saying to yourself “I enjoy eating great Thai food, but I don’t think about what makes Thai food so wonderful”. Well, just in case you might be wondering, let’s take a moment and talk about some of the principals and traditions behind great Thai cooking. Then let’s go out and enjoy a great Thai meal.

The underlying foundation of Thai cuisine derives from the early Chinese cooking influence that date backs as early as the 10th century. This cooking tradition establishes a relationship between five fundamental tastes: bitter, sweet, sour, salty and spicy. Achieving a satisfying and exciting taste experience is accomplished by combining flavors from these five basic taste categories.

For example, the basic ingredients used to make Thai red curry, shown in the photo to the left, include red chili paste (spicy), coconut milk (sweet), fish sauce (salty) and lemongrass or lime leaves (sour), covering four of the five basic taste sensations.

More important, striking the optimum balance between these five basic taste categories is the true art and technique behind the preparation of great Thai food. Balance is the key!

photo credit: inyucho

And of course there’s a some magic to achieving the right balance between the flavors. The accomplished Thai cook relies much more on taste and experience than on measure to arrive at the right levels and quantities of each ingredient. You won’t find many chefs relying on measuring cups in Thailand. Also keep in mind, the flavor intensity of fresh ingredients will vary from one preparation to the next, so the cook has to rely on taste to get it right.

OK, that’s enough “thinking” about Thai food. If you love Thai food like we do, I’m sure you’d rather be “eating” a Thai meal than “talking” about one.

There are four primary regions in Thailand, and each of these regions has a unique style of Thai cuisine. Some of the regional style reveals some of the foreign influence assimilated over the centuries, but always retaining the distinctive flavor of Thai cuisine.

Thailand’s Central Region is regarded as the traditional heartland of the country. The fertile plain along the winding Chao Phraya River, has beent he setting for the evolution of many of the best-known dishes.

Sharing borders with Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), and Myanmar, Northern Thailand was for many centuries an independent kingdom called Lanna Thai, “Land of a Million Rice Fields”. This area of Thailand is sealed off from the rest of the country by a range of high mountains until it came under the rule of Bangkok in the 19th century. Through the centuries, a culture markedly different from other areas of Thailand has flourished not only in languages and customs but also in cuisine.

The rolling plateau of the Northeast Region of Thailand stretches to the Mekong River and shares borders with Laos and Cambodia.  The Northeast is perhaps the least-known area of the country to the average visitor.  Yet I-San, as it is popularly called in Thailand, covers over a third of the country’s total area.  This area contains many sights of historical interest, and has a highly distinctive culture and cuisine of its own.

Southern Thailand is a long peninsula, stretching down to Malaysia and bordered by the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.  The Southern region, famous for scenic beaches and resorts, is also known for the wonderful cuisine that embraces the abundant fresh seafood from the surrounding waters.  Experience many varieties of seafood dishes that include the marine fish, lobsters, crabs, squid, scallops, clams and mussels.