All Thai-ed up!

In case you haven't deducted it from my name, I am a major fan of Thai food. I have not been exposed to as much as I would like, but I am slowly getting a feel for the cuisine. Living in the South, perhaps it is fitting. From June to September it's hot and humid here, quite miserably for a lad like myself. Although the latitude compared to Thailand is quite further North, and the zone, temperate instead of tropic, I feel like the South is in ways as to the U.S. as Thailand is to the East. It's hot here, and many southern meals include spicy food, that sounds quasi-Thai, yeah? Maybe it sounds like that because I want it to, and I am alright with that!

For the last week I have been madly craving some Basil-X stir fry. (The X being interchangeable, shrimp, chicken, etc.) I imagine that the past week of spot searching the internet for Thai ingredients for my garden is what put the taste in my mouth, so be it. Well lucky for me my wife likes stir fry, and was of like mind in that neither of us wanted to cook anything. Another boon to my bellyaching is that we live a mere two blocks away, give or take, to the Siam Cafe, a small Thai joint known for excellent food. We've been there before and loved it. I had gotten their Pad Thai previously and was happy as a clam with the selection. So we went, ate our fill, took the rest home. It was a good night.

Then I got to thinking. Well before I go any further, let me preface this by saying that I would recommend the Siam Cafe to anyone who likes Thai food and lives in Nashville. Seriously it is nice, the service is wonderful, the food is great, atmosphere, price, all winners. Also, I got what I wanted, Basil-X. When I looked back on the ingredients used, while flavorful, and to my virgin-Thai mind, authentic in taste, the dish seemed pretty ordinary. There was nothing there I couldn't get at the local, non-super market. Accept the Basil, which is accessible in any super market.

Ingredients List:
Steamed White Rice
Onion
Green Bell Pepper
Button(White) Mushrooms
Chicken
Red Pepper Flakes
Soy Sauce maybe a Fish Sauce
Oil, likely peanut or veg.

I know, not every dish is some exotic masterpeice. I don't expect that at all, but maybe we could pull a little closer to the mark than that. How about oyster or straw mushrooms? Or some lemon grass, or something a little bit more unique/authentic. Don't get me wrong, again, I must stress that I am a loyal customer that will go back time and time again to our little Thai treat in south Nashville, I just won't order that again. Now, the Pad Thai, it will be hard not to get that one.

I suppose I should prove to myself that this dish can be made at home, with funky ingredients, for more people, at a lower cost per plate. A few miles down the road is a large international market. If I cannot find them at the mega mart I will gather them there.

Our land lords moved up from New Orleans and spoke of backyard gardens of Southeast Asian families that sold produce. I don't know any in these parts but that would be killer. Please let me know if you find one!

Well, I need to order some Holy Basil seeds and some Thai eggplant.

Oh, if you like to make your own Thai food, but need some help: Thai Table