Fish Chilli Basil Recipe Card

Thai food is an original and rich amalgam of aromas, subtle blends of herbs and spices and contrasting textures and tastes. It contains flavours and techniques that are familiar from Chinese, Indian and Japanese cooking, but they have been so skilfully combined and refined that the resulting dishes have a new and exciting character.
Whether searing hot or subtly mild, the guiding principle in Thai cooking is harmony. Fundamentally an aromatic marriage of centuries – old Eastern and Western influences, the chief characteristics being who cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what occasion and where it is cooked. In short Thai dishes can be extremely personal to the cook, how they are refined for particular tastes, how they befit a special function or festival and where they originate. The cuisine has its roots in a waterborne lifestyle, with aquatic animals, plants and herbs as major ingredients.
Thai cuisine is inextricably interwoven with culture, a mystical mix of fragrant flavours and intriguing history:  given the country’s historical Indian roots - Hindu Buddhism was bought here centuries ago, so many Thai curries are redolent with chillies, garlic, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and onions.