Los Angeles Thai Restaurants

Shahe fen or he fen is a type of wide Chinese noodle made from rice.

Shahe fen is believed to have originated in the town of Shahe (Cantonese: Sa1ho4 pinyin: Shāhé), now part of the Tianhe District in the city of Guangzhou, in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, from whence their name derives. Shahe fen is typical of southern Chinese cuisine, although similar noodles are also prepared and enjoyed in nearby Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, all of which have sizeable Chinese populations.

Shahe fen noodles are white in color, broad, and somewhat slippery. Their texture is elastic and a bit chewy. They do not freeze or dry well and are thus generally (where available) purchased fresh, in strips or sheets that may be cut to the desired width. Where fresh noodles are not available, they may also be purchased packaged in dried form, in various widths.

Shahe fen noodles are very similar to Vietnamese bánh phở noodles, which are likely derived from their Chinese counterpart. Although the phở noodles used in soups may vary in width, wide phở noodles are also common in stir fried dishes. The popular Thai dishes pad see ew and pad Thai are also made with similar noodles.

Shahe fen is often stir fried with meat and vegetables in a dish called chao fen (pinyin: chǎo fěn). While chao fen is a transliteration based on Standard Mandarin, chow fun – a transliteration based on the Cantonese language – is the name to which this dish is most often referred in Chinese restaurants in North America. Some people who do not realize the fact that chao fen and chow fun are merely transliterations sometimes mistakenly interpret the terms with the meaning of the English words “chow” and “fun.”

This is classic rich coconut ice-cream, served in a Thai style. Thai ice-cream isn’t really iced cream, it’s often made from non dairy products. This recipe contains taro, a root vegetable whose starchiness gives the ice-cream a soft smooth texture. You can also use sweet potato if you cannot obtain taro.

This recipe is much easier if you have a hand blender, during the preparation you will need to blend the ice-cream repeatedly as it freezes, this is done to break up the ice crystals that form. It is much easier to do that with a hand held blender or egg beater. Finally, the decoration is made from a gummy colored mixture of cooked sticky rice flour, this is also very typical Thai, but you can use whatever toppings you like, although not strictly Thai, rum soaked raisins are popular in many Thai houses among the adults.

Shrimp paste or shrimp sauce, is a common ingredient used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisine. It is known as terasi (also spelled trassi, terasie) in Indonesian, Ngapi in Burmese kapi (กะปิ) in Thai, Khmer and Lao language, belacan (also spelled belachan, blachang) in Malay, mam ruoc, mam tep and mam tom in Vietnamese (the name depends on the shrimp used), bagoong alamang (also known as bagoong aramang) in Filipino and hom ha/hae ko (POJ: he-ko) in Min Nan Chinese.

It is made from fermented ground shrimp, sun dried and then cut into fist-sized rectangular blocks. It is not designed, nor customarily used for immediate consumption and has to be fully cooked prior to consumption since it is raw. To many Westerners unfamiliar with this condiment, the strong smell can be considered unappetizing;[citation needed] however, it is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Shrimp paste can be found in most meals in Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is often an ingredient in dipping sauce for fish or vegetables.

Possibly, fishermen first created the salted aged shrimp product as a means of preserving their catch. Another theory is that it was created so that tiny otherwise unmarketable shrimp could be sold. Whatever the reason, shrimp paste is an integral part of Southeast Asian cuisine. The shrimp paste industry has been important to the development of many coastal Asian communities.

Larb (Also spelled laap, larp, laab) is a type of Lao meat salad. It is most often made with chicken, beef, duck, turkey, pork or even fish, flavored with fish sauce and lime. The meat can be either raw or cooked; it is minced and mixed with chilli, mint and, optionally, assorted vegetables. Roughly ground toasted rice (kao kua) is also a very important component of the dish. The dish is served at room temperature and usually with a serving of sticky rice. A common variation is neu-ah nam tok (”waterfall beef” but it could mean the dripping of meat juice during the grilling as well), in which beef is cut into thin strips instead of using ground beef.

Larb is the unofficial national dish of Laos and it is also popular in Northeastern Thailand, where the cuisine is heavily influenced by Laos. It is quite common to see this popular Lao meat salad served at Thai restaurants.

There is also a variant from Northern Thailand which does not use lime or fish sauce, but rather other local condiments for flavor and seasoning. “Larb pla” is one kind of larb which made of minced fish mixed with spices. There is a kind of larb called lu, which made of minced raw beef mixed with blood, bile and spices. Lu is usually eaten with vegetables and often served with beer or the local moonshine called lao khao.

Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of Chinese origin most commonly associated with Malaysian cuisine or Singaporean cuisine, although it is also commonly sold in neighbouring Thailand, and found in Hainan, China itself. So-called due to its roots in Hainan cuisine and its adoption by the Hainanese overseas Chinese population in the Nanyang area, the version found in Malaysia/Singapore combines elements of Hainanese and Cantonese cuisines along with culinary preferences in the Southeast Asian region..

Hainanese chicken rice is a common dish in Thailand where it is called khao mun gai (ข้าวมันไก่). It is served with a garnish of cucumbers and sometimes chicken blood tofu and fresh coriander, along with a bowl of clear chicken broth. The sauce accompanying this dish is made with tauchu (also known as Yellow soybean paste), thick soy sauce, chilli, ginger, garlic and vinegar. In many of the more traditional khao mun gai eateries, this dish will only be available until lunchtime.

Massaman curry (kaeng matsaman or gaeng masaman. IPA:  is a Thai dish that is Muslim in origin. It is most commonly made with beef, but can also be made with duck or chicken.

The flavoring for Massaman curry is called Massaman curry paste (nam prik kaeng masaman). The dish usually contains coconut milk, roasted peanuts, potatoes, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon, palm sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind sauce. Muslim, and later Portuguese, traders brought spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, cloves and nutmeg from the Middle East and India to the south coast of Thailand. The dish is served with rice and sometimes with pickled ginger or “Ajaad” sauce made with cucumber and peppers macerated in vinegar.

Khao soi or Khao soy (Thai: ข้าวซอย) is a Burmese-influenced dish served in northern Laos and northern Thailand, especially Luang Prabang and Chiang Mai, respectively. It is a soup-like dish made with deep-fried crispy egg noodles, pickled cabbage, shallots, lime, nam prik pao, and meat in a curry-like sauce containing coconut milk. The curry is similar to that of yellow or Massaman curries but is thinner. Some recipes use Massaman curry in the dish. Though northern Lao people have a special way of preparing this dish, different versions of it can be found at Lao restaurants. It is popular as a street dish eaten by Thai people, though not frequently served in Western Thai restaurants.

Traditionally, the dish was served with beef or chicken rather than pork, as it is Chinese Muslim in origin.

Tom yum (tom yam in the Royal Thai General System of Transcription) is a soup originating from Thailand. It is perhaps one of the most famous dishes in Thai cuisine. It is widely served in neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, and has been popularized around the world.

Tom yum is characterized by its distinct hot and sour flavors, with fragrant herbs generously used. The basic broth is made of stock and fresh ingredients such as lemon grass; kaffir lime leaves galangal, shallots, and lime juice, fish sauce, and tamarind, slices of ginger and crushed chili peppers.

In Thailand, tom yum is usually made with prawns (tom yum goong), chicken (tom yum gai), fish (tom yum pla), or mixed seafood (tom yum talay or tom yum po taek) and mushrooms – usually straw or oyster mushrooms. The soup is often topped with generous sprinkling of fresh chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.

Although popularly considered as a single cuisine, Thai food would be more accurately described as four regional cuisines corresponding to the four main regions of the country: Northern, Northeastern (or Isan), Central, and Southern, each cuisine sharing similar foods or derived from those of neighboring countries. Southern curries, for example, tend to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while northeastern dishes often include lime juice. The cuisine of Northeastern (or Isan) Thailand is heavily influenced by Laos. Many popular dishes eaten in Thailand were originally Chinese dishes which were introduced to Thailand mainly by Teochew people who make up the majority of the Thai Chinese. Such dishes include Jok, Kway teow Rad Na, Khao Kha Moo (also known as Moo Pa-loh) and Khao Mun Gai.