Are you considering Thai catering for your next event? If so, you’re in for a crowd-pleasing treat.
But, what about spice?
While you might think of Thai food as synonymous with flaming hot dishes that leave diners sweating, it doesn’t have to be that way! Nearly every meal can be customized to perfectly suit your preferences, whether you’re hoping to serve something hot – or not.
Read on to learn about what makes Thai food spicy, so you can easily order dishes your guests will love. You’ll be able to identify specific ingredients to include and avoid, and make balanced selections to help keep the flames at bay.
Fresh and Dried Chilis
Most Thai dishes use both fresh and dried chilis as some of their main ingredients. This gives the dishes two different dimensions of heat.
Dry chilis are ground into a paste to start many dishes, while fresh chilis are used as toppings or finishing touches. Other chilis might be offered alongsideCuisine’s too, including preserved spicy sauces, chili powders, and vinegar soaked peppers.
When placing your catering order, be sure to indicate how much of each type of heat you want your dishes to include.
Exotic Curries
If you’re catering an eveyou’reh the best Thai food in Seattle, you’ll absolutely want to include a delicious curry or two. While the curry paste at each of these dishes’ core does contain dried chili along with ginger, turmeric, galangal, and other traditional spices, it isn’t super spicy all on its own.
Generally speaking, red and green curry are the hottest and yellow curry is the mildest, in part thanks to the addition of potatoes. Other ways to moderate the heat in these dishes includes adding ingredients like coconut milk that balance the spice, and serving them over white rice.
Understanding Thai Cuisine’s Four Flavors
Nearly every Thai dish includes four base flavors – sweet, hot, sour, and salty. This contrast is mandatory to keep any one element from becoming too overpowering.
Some Thai ingredients like fish paste and soy sauce might not be compatible with your diners’ diets. Trying to substitute those recipe essentials often results in an unbalanced flavor, so it’s best to order traditionally gluten-free, soy-free, or vegan dishes.
Order Balanced and Delicious Thai Catering
If you want your Thai catered meal to be a success, you’ll need to do more than just pick a handful of random items off the menu. This is especially important if you are concerned with how spicy it is.
Keep the four primary flavors in mind while ordering, and try to choose a few dishes that represent each of them.
This balanced composition should include fresh salads, steaming soups, rich curries, and sizzling stir fries. You’ll also want a few rice or noodle dishes, to help neutralize the hot and spicy entrees that you’ll serve them with.
The Best Thai Food in Downtown Seattle
With this blog post as your guide, you’re ready to order the best Thai food in Seattle for your next event.
Do you need a little more help planning your menu? Contact Thai Ginger or call us directly at any of our four locations.
We want to make your catered meal a huge success, and are happy to give you a hand selecting the fresh and flavorful dishes that will best suit your guests.