Thai Jasmine Rice

Jasmine rice (Thai: ข้าวหอมมะลิ; IPA: [kʰâo hɔ̌ːm malíʔ]), sometimes known as Thai fragrant rice, is a long-grain variety of rice that has a nutty aroma and a subtle and pandan-like (Pandanus amaryllifolius-leaves) flavor caused by 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline[1]. Jasmine rice is originally from Thailand. It was discovered as the Kao Horm Mali 105 variety (KDML105) by Sunthorn Seehanern, an official of the ministry of agriculture in the Chachoengsao Province of Thailand in 1954.[citation needed] The grains will cling when cooked, though it is less sticky than other rices as it has less amylopectin.

Fish sauce

Fish sauce is a condiment that is derived from fish that have been allowed to ferment. It is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in Vietnamese, Thai, Lao, Cambodian, and Filipino cuisine and is used in other Southeast Asian countries. In addition to being added to dishes during the cooking process, fish sauce can also be used in mixed form as a dipping condiment, and it is done in many different ways by each country mentioned for fish, shrimp, pork, and chicken. In parts of southern China, it is used as an ingredient for soups and casseroles.
Types
Some fish sauces (extracts) are made from raw fish, others from dried fish; some from only a single species, others from whatever is dredged up in the net, including some shellfish; some from whole fish, others from only the blood or viscera. Some fish sauces contain only fish and salt, others add a variety of herbs and spices. Fish sauce that has been only briefly fermented has a pronounced fishy taste, while extended fermentation reduces this and gives the product a nuttier, cheesier flavor.

Beer Chang

ThaiBev brews Beer Chang (Thai: เบียร์ช้าง), a pale lager. Chang (Thai: ช้าง) is the Thai word for elephant, an animal that has cultural and historical significance to Thailand. The logo for Chang Beer features two elephants facing one other. Chang is brewed for the domestic market at 6.4% abv; and for the export market at 5% abv. However, the two "versions" are in fact different beers, the export beer being a 100% malt beer like its domestic draught product, while the Beer Chang sold in-country in Thailand contains some rice. In 2004, the company introduced Archa beer, at 5.4% alcohol by volume (abv). The beer won a gold medal at the 2007 Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA). In 2006, the company launched Chang Light, 4.2% abv, and Chang Draught in bottles, at 5% abv.

Mekhong whiskey

Mekhong is Thailand's first domestically produced branded golden spirit. Launched in 1941, it quickly became the most popular brand in Thailand. This was helped by a dispute with the French concerning the border with Laos along the Mekong River which gives the brand its name. The name alone inspired patriotic sentiment and the Mekhong brand quickly became synonymous with Thai pride.

Despite being known as a whisky, Mekhong is in fact much closer to a rum. The distilled spirit is made from 95% sugar cane/molasses and 5% rice. This distilled spirit is then blended with a secret recipe of indigenous herbs and spices to produce its distinctive aroma and taste.

Mekhong is distilled, blended and bottled at the Bangyikhan Distillery on the outskirts of Bangkok. Its slightly lower strength of 35% abv means that it mixes well including as an ingredient in cocktails, the most famous of which being the 'Sabai Sabai', known as the Thai Welcome Drink.

Mekhong is widely available across South East Asia and is also now available in the UK and Europe.

Mekhong Whiskey is mentioned several times on the album Hell's Ditch by The Pogues, along with other common Thai drinks.

The band The Refreshments (now known as Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers) have a song named Mekong on the album Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy, which is about a night in a Thai bar with a new friend. The song, with its chorus "Here's to Life!", remains a staple of RCPM live shows.

Red bull (Krating Daeng)

Krating Daeng (Thai: กระทิงแดง) is a very sweet, non-carbonated energy drink. The drink is mostly sold in Asia but can be found in Australia where it is sometimes renamed "Thai Red Bull". [1]

The recipe is based on Lipovitan, an earlier energy drink that had been introduced to Thailand from Japan. Krating Daeng sales soared across Asia in the 1970s and 1980s, especially among truck drivers, construction workers and farmers. Truck drivers used to drink it to stay awake during the long late night drive. The working class image was boosted by sponsorship of Thai boxing matches, where the logo of two red bulls charging each other was often on display. While often translated as "Red Bull", the Thai name krating actually refers to the bull-like bovine gaur.

The Thai product was transformed into a global brand by Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian entrepreneur [2]. Mateschitz was international marketing director for Blendax, a German toothpaste company, when he visited Thailand in 1982 and discovered that Krating Daeng helped to cure his jet lag.[3]. He cooperated with T.C Pharmaceuticals, adapted the formula and composition to western tastes and launched Red Bull in 1987.