Balance, detail, and variety are of paramount significance to the culture of Thai food. Of course joining those three features, one could argue that there is a fourth; spice. Thai food, believe it or not is many traditional lightly prepared dishes with a strong emphasis on the plentiful different aromatic components joined by a slight to strong spicy kick.
The beautiful colors within each Thai dish is what draws me to it, and the blast of flavors in each and every bite or spoon is what keeps me hooked. Utilizing a wide variety of vegetables, herbs, spices, pastes, and sauces the Thai cuisine paints a colorful picture to its eaters that many other cuisines cannot. The Kaffir lime leaves can be found in many of the Thai dishes that gives off a strong but subtle sour flavors that you could imagine could only be found by a lemon squeeze. Joining the aromatic atmosphere of Thai cuisine is the Thai basil, purple stemmed and one of many key ingredients to the infamous curry dishes. Coriander, spearmint, holy basis, Thai lemon basil, curry powder, peppercorns just to name a few can be found evident in numerous well known Thai dishes and today, I present to you no less from downtown Pittsburgh, PA very own :
Nicky's Thai Kitchen
As we entered this small but busy establishment that is known as Nicky's Thai Kitchen, I was immediately engulfed in the wondrous feeling that I have stepped into Thailand itself. Decorative gold statues and wall decorations filled the restaurant, sitting over its red walls that gave the room such an immense traditional oriental feel that words wouldn't be able to describe. We were instantly greeted by the hostess at the front desk and escorted surprisingly quickly to our tables where we were immediately joined by our waiter for the night.
As we were starving, my friends and I all stated, without hesitation to our waiter that we were ready for him take our orders. We knew exactly what we wanted today and plus.....our mouths were already salivating when struck with the wonderful smell of Thai curries as we stepped through Nicky's Thai's doors. I started off tonight's order with a Thai rendition of the famous Japanese dish, one that has as of late been a part of the gentrifying culture currently taking place around the states, the infamous pork steamed buns.
Pork Steamed Buns.
The steamed buns here at Nicky's Thai wasn't the typical slow roasted pork that you may find at many other places. It's Thai rendition was utilizing Thai-style dumpling pork cooked to perfection that literally melted in my mouth as I took every bite of it, cooked with a wondrous sweet and sour black soy-sauce; complimenting the delicate pork with not the normal sweet and sour taste you may think of, but more of a tonal, deep, aromatic slightly sweet and salty taste that gives proves to be the perfect dance partner for its pork counterpart within this dish. To hold the delicate dish together, Nicky complimented the buns with a small piece of cucumber conjoined with Thai cuisine's famous orange peanut dressing that brought forth a fresh springtime taste was irresistibly delicious and creative.
Up next is my go to dish when I crave for a spicy, decadence, and fulfilling Thai dinner:
Beef & Shrimp Pad See Ew (Pad-C-U) 5 out of 5 stars in spice
(Spice levels are asked when you dine in at a Thai establishment spanning from 1 to 5)
What can I say, I absolutely love peppers and the amazing warm feeling they give in every bite, especially on a 2° Fahrenheit Pittsburgh night. I opted to go for two meats tonight as I was craving for a tad bit of seafood, beef is always my choice of protein and joining it is a serving of shrimp, perfectly cooked sweet and complimented by the spiciness of the dish amazingly.
The last two dishes tonight belonged to my girlfriend and buddy, both were curry based and I wouldn't be able to pick one from the other had I been asked for the better of the two; both tasted amazing and instantly puts a smile on your face with every spoon full.
Panang Curry, Chicken - 3 Stars Spice
- Chicken was the protein of choice in this popular curry dish and its presentation served on a miniature golden hot pot was well thought of. This and any curry served at any Thai restaurant gives its consumer a choice any protein spanning from chicken, beef, pork and even shrimp (and some places fish). I feel that chicken is the staple for any curry dish as it pairs well with spicy soups while holding the spice level to a minimum. Prepared with Bell peppers, Kaffir lime leaves, broccoli, Panang Curry paste, and of course the base of most Thai curries, coconut milk. I do recommend eating this dish with a side of white rice as it pairs well with most if not all asian dishes.
Kao Soy (Curry Noodles) - 4 Stars Spice
- Without a doubt one of my very favorite Thai dishes ever. Many might not know what Kat Soy is but dare I say, once you've tried this dish, you'll never doubt noodles in curry again! This dish is a variation on the great yellow curry, a favorite traditional dish in Northern Thailand. Egg noodles drenched and stowed deep within the curry goodness, topped with pickled cabbage, scallions, bean sprouts, your choice of protein (ours was beef tonight), and a pile of crispy noodles. The sweet and spiciness of this dish was wonderfully paired and the egg noodles were the perfect pick to be the curry's dancing partner. Flavors were well balanced and textures that the veggies, protein, and most of all crispy noodles gives creates this adventure in your imagination as you take every single bite. I 100% recommend this to any curry lover!