INTRODUCTION

Thai fried rice dishes offer a whole galaxy of tastes, ranging from the moderately seasoned to those enlivened with chillies, curry powders, or other spice mixtures. Fried rice is generally a one dish meal, and so may be considered one type of Thai fast food. It can, however, be combined with other dishes, as for example, soups.

The introduction describes ingredients used in the recipes.

SEAFOOD

Prawn

The whith prawn, kung chae-buai, กุ้งแชบ๊วย,also called the banana prawn,has a white minute dots of rustcolored pigment. Fully grown, these prawns attain a length of 20 cm. and more; however, harvesting may begin before they have reached half this. These smaller ones, sorted and priced by size, are sold as kung chihae, กุ้งชีแฮ้, which in the recipes are designated simply as prawns.


Squid

The squid, Loligo formosana, called pla meuk kluai, ปลาหมึกกล้วย, has a tubular body with fins at one end and tentacles at the other. The body is covered with a thin skin flecked with red. After washing, this is removed and the tentacles and head are separated from the body. The clear bone and associated membrane, which are attached to the head, are discarded. Then, the eyes and ink sac are cut away. the hard beak is removed,and the squid is washed again.

Cuttlefish

The cuttlefish Sepia pharonis, call pla meuk kradong,ปลาหมึกกระดอง, has a flattened, broad, white body. After washing, the head and tentacles are slipped away from the body, the cuttlebone and the prepartion continues like that of the squid. It is customary to score it in a criss-cross pattern.

Crab


The two most popular marine crabs in Thailand are the serrated crab Scylla serrata, called pu thale, ปูทะเล, in Thai , which has a dask grey shell and reddish claws, and the somewhat smaller blue swinning crab. Portunus, called pu ma,ปูม้า, which is greenish grey marked with white blotches and has bluish claws.Both these crabs are good swimmers, for their hindmost pair of legs, here called crab sculls (knachiang pu,กรรเชียงปู, in Thai), are flattened blades with which they row through the water.


Cockles, Mussels, and Clams


The clam which is most readily available in the market is the underlated surf clam, Paphia undulata, called hoi lai,หอยลาย, The shell is covered with apleasing pattern of branching lines and grows 5-6 cm. long.


Mussels, hoi malaeng phu, หอยแมลงภู่, have a dark brown and iridescent green she and a bright orange Shelled musseks may be bought at the market.