February 25, 2009

Herbs and Spices for Thai Foods

Thailand Travel : The Land of Smiles
http://smiling-holiday.blogspot.com

Herbs and Spices for Thai Foods



English name : Chillies
Thai name : Phrik (พริก)
Scientific name : Capsicum Annuum L.
Family name : Apiaceae

Chillies is more important for Thai Foods. Its' hottes we called
"Phrik Khinu Suan"



English name : Kaffir Lime Leave
Thai name : Bai Ma Krut (ใบมะกรูด)
Scientific name : Citrus Hystrix L.
Family name : Rutaceae


Kaffir Lime Leave
Good for Tom Yum and Thai style Salad. The point is smell when you torn and or shredded and put into Tom Yum and Thai style Salad.


English name : Galangal
Thai name : Kha (ข่า)
Scientific name : Alpinia Galangal
Family name : Zingiberraceae

Galangal
It's white meat. Fragrant and Aroma than ginger. Normally added to fish soup, tom yum, curry pastes and spicy foods for nice taste.


English name : Lime
Thai name : Manao (มะนาว)
Scientific name : Citrus Aurantifolia L.
Family name : Rutaceae

Lime
Lemon flavoring in sour taste and nice aroma. Pour some with your flavorite soup for nice taste.


English name : Parsley, Sawtooth Coriander
Thai name : Pak Chee Farang (ผักชีฝรั่ง)
Scientific name : Eryngium Foetidum L.
Family name : Umbelliferae

ParsleyParsely is tasteless frangrance.
Used in Thai cooking.




English name : Coriander, Cilantro
Thai name : Phak Chi (ผักชี)
Scientific name : Coriandrum Sativum L.
Family name : Apiaceae

Coriander
Eat combination with Thai Foods and make it more good taste.




English name : Lemon Grass
Thai name : Ta Khrai (ตะไคร้)
Scientific name : Cymbopgon Citratus
Family name : Gramineae

Lemon Grass
Lemon Grass is spicy and bitter. The lower part of the stalk is used for
flavoring mainly. Good for Tom Yum and Thai style salad.

February 17, 2009

Farm Chokchai (Khao Yai), Nakhon Ratchasima Privince, Thailand

Farm Chokchai location just 159 kg. from Bangkok, where
you can get a feel of farm life in the standard large dairy cattle farming. In place of real farm life and having hands on experience with the help of tour guiders.  

Farm Chokchai is the largest and most efficient dairy farm in Southeast Asia.  



 




address :  Farm Chokchai K.M. 159-160 Moo 2 Friendship Highway, Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

February 9, 2009

Rose Postage Stamp for Valentine's Day


Rose Postage Stamp now available in Valentine Festival. The characteristic rose postage stamp is embossed and nice smell and keep longer.
Date of Issue : February 6, 2009
Denomination : 5.00 Baht
Quantity : 1,600,000 pieces
31 x 31 m.m. (Measured from perforation to perforation)
Designer : Mayuree Narknison
Printing Process : Lithography
Colour : Multi-colour
Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet
Purity, Friendship and Tranquility
Roses originated in Persia and they spread to India. There is no evidence as to when roses were brought into Thailand. However, a record of the French Ambassador to the Court of King Narai the Great states that roses had been seen in Ayuthaya.
There are many versions of the legends about the birth of roses but all of them say the same thing - originally there were only white roses, then something happened and red roses appeared.
- Vol. 2009 issue 1, Thai Stamp Bulletin
Thailand Post

February 4, 2009

National Children's Day 2009 Commemorative Stamps

Date of Issue : January 10,2009
Denomination : 3 Baht (8 Designs)
Designer : Thaneth Ponchaiwong

Major Literary Work of the Ratanakosin EraPhra Abhai Manee is a major work composed by Phra Sunthorn Vaoharn or Sunthorn Phu, a renowned poet of the early Ratanakosin Period. It is a narrative poem, written in the Klon verse form of 24,500 lines. the main plot involves the life of the protagonist, Phra Abhai Manee, from the age of 15. Like the major male characters of other Thai literary works, Phra Abhai Manee has to leave home for an education. However, he chooses to study how to play the flute and this enrages his father so much that he is banished from the city. That is where Phra Abhai Manee's adventures begins.
The hero, accompanied by his brother, Sri Suvan, has to go from one place to another until they meet the three Brahmins. Later, Phra Abhai Manee is abducted and confined in a cave by a Giantess. They have one son, named Sin Smut. The father and son are helped to escape from the Giantess by a mermaid who takes them to the Koh Kaew Pitsadarn Island. Phra Abhai Manee and the mermaid have a son named Sud Sakhon. Later, Phra Abhai Manee is helped by the King of the Crystal City and falls in love with his daughter, Nang Suvanna Malee, who is engaged to a foreigner from the Isle of Langka. This starts a conflict which develops into a war between The City of Crystal and Langka that lasts for many years. The war can only end when Nang Laveng, the daughter of the King of Langka, falls in love with Phra Abhai Manee.

After the war, Phra Abhai Manee becomes tired of the uncertainty of human life so he decides to become ordained, having two human wives Nang Suvanna Malee and Nang Laveng, follow him in his ascetic life. The later part of Phra Abhai Manee is involved with the adventures of the later generations, having Susd Sakhon and Nang Saowakhon as its major characters.

The episodes related to the character, sud Sakhon, are the most popular and are considered as the most valuable examples of children's literature. These episodes contain Phra Chao Ta (the Old Hermit) and Chee Pleuay (the Naked Maniac) to add more colour to the story.

Vol. 2009 Issue 1, Thai Stamp Bulletin
Thailand Post

February 2, 2009

Visit Surat Thani , Ko Samui, Ko Pha-ngan

Surat Thani is Southern Thailand's largest province, covers some 12,800 square kilometres, and has an extensive coastline lapped by Thai gulf waters. The provincial capital is 685 kilometres south of Bangkok.

Surat Thani boasts some of Thailand's loveliest islands namely the Penang-sized Ko Samui, Thailand's third largest island, palmfringed jewel of a sparkling archipelago that includes the stunning 250-square-kilometre Ang Thong Marine National Park.


Thai Term Glossary
Amphoe : District
Ao : Bay
Ban : Village
Chedi : Stupa or Pagoda
Doi : Mountain
Hat : Beach
Khao : Mountain
Khlong : Canal
Ko : Island
Laem : Cape
Namtok : Waterfall
Tambon : Sub-district
Tham : Cave
Wat : Temple



Ko Samui
The 247 square kilometre Samui island is Surat Thani's major tourist attraction. Located 258 nautical miles south of Bangkok, and some 84 kilometres east of the provincial capital, Ko Samui measures some 21 kilometres at its widest point, and 25 kilometres at its longest. A 51 kilometre ring and largely coastal road encircles the island, which has numerous lovely beaches and bays, and is almost literally an island of coconuts and forested hills.

Samui's best beaches line the northern and eastern coasts, the most popular being Chaweng and Lamai, where generally attractive accommodation can be found. Besides beaches, other island attractions include coral beds at Laem Set and Thong Takhian: the hin Lat and Na Mueang waterfalls; the phallic rock formations at the southern end of Lamai Bay; the nearby butterfly garden and honey farm; a massive seated Buddha image on Fan isle in Plai Laem Bay; a herbal garden at Ban Bang Makham, a monkey training centre at Ban Khao Phra; and Na Thon, the island's major seafront settlement where shops, restaurants and tour agencies are concentrated.
Ko Pha-ngan
This popular 191 square kilometre island is situated 20 kilometres north of Ko Samui or 100 kilometres from Surat Thani. Attractions include beautiful beaches around the island, a hilltop temple called Wat Khao Tham which is ideal for meditation, the Than Sadet Waterfall, and the Namtok Phaeng National Park.

- Tourism Authority of Thailand