THAI ORIGINAL is the brand of Modern Thai Food Developed by Thai cookery author Oi Cheepchaiissara, Thai Original curry sauces have the true, authentic taste of Thai food. Oi says: "I want you to get the best results from using my curry sauces, so I have put together these notes for you. The sauces are very easy to use, but I hope these tips will be helpful."

Serving sizes Each jar of Thai Original classic Red, Green or Yellow curry sauce will serve two hungry people, or two and a child. Ingredients Each of the sauces has a blend of Thai herbs and traditional ingredients, such as lemon grass, galangal, garlic, shallots, Thai basil, coriander leaves and roots, chillies, shrimp paste, coconut milk, brown sugar, fish sauce and (in the Yellow sauce only) a small amount of spice. Taste Delicious! I have aimed to create a strong, well-balanced flavour -- and the description on every jar is: "Not too hot." In terms of hotness, my curries are definitely "Medium." If you want hotter, please add a little chilli powder. It's easy to add (but impossible to remove!) Time It takes just a few minutes to prepare a complete meal with my sauces. That's why they're ideal for a quick lunch, as well as for dinner. You will need 350 g finely sliced meat, or seafood, or vegetables, together with 3-4 tablespoons of milk. The sauces already contain all the coconut milk you need, which is an essential ingredient in Thai curries. Cooking with meat Shake and pour the curry sauce into a saucepan. Add finely sliced meat of your choice such as chicken, turkey, beef, or lamb, or pre-cooked meat. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until meat is done. (The meat must be finely sliced for this style of quick cooking.) Add milk and continue for a few more seconds. Cooking with fish or seafood Cut fish such as cod or haddock into 1 inch pieces, or use peeled prawns or mixed seafood. Gently stir and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, moving the pan constantly to let the sauce permeate the fish. Try not to break up the fish while doing this. Add milk and continue for a few more seconds. Back to: welcome page

Cooking with bean curd If using firm bean curd (tofu) cut into 1 inch pieces. Pour the curry sauce and milk into the saucepan. Gently add the bean curd. Move the saucepan occaionally until heated through, 3-4 minutes. Try not to break the bean curd. Cooking with vegetables If using baby sweetcorns cut in half lengthways; use the tips of asparagus; cougettes diced; fine beans cut in half; mangetout trimmed; Thai aubergines quartered, or baby aubergine left whole; mushrooms cooked in the sauce for 3-4 minutes or until cooked. If adding cherry tomatoes add them now, with the milk, and continue for a few more seconds. (Always cook hard vegetables longer than soft vegetables) Cooking with meat and vegetables together Instead of all meat, you can use half meat/half vegetables -- the total amount being around 350 g. Follow the instructions for meat (above) and add vegetables of your choice. In season, diced pumpkin is really delicious with my curries: don't use too much because it soaks up the flavours, but it's a real treat. We often add sliced bamboo shoots to our curries in Thailand. These can be cooked with the meat from the beginning. Frozen peas are a colourful addition to the dish, all year round (nutritious, too). Enjoy! There are many ways to use the sauces. If you finely slice the meat it will cook directly in the sauce to give an excellent result. But you can also pre-cook the meat first, if you prefer, and then add it to the sauce after draining off any oil, and heat gently. Please feel free to experiment -- but please remember these are cooking sauces not paste. In other words: don't use them for stir-frying! Cook gently over medium heat and you will get the full flavour of my Thai Original curry sauces. Oi Cheepchaiissara

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