Thai Dinner Night
When preparing for a dinner party at your home, it’s important to pay attention to the details. The very best food is well thought out and not rushed. Attention must be payed to selecting the right dishes, finding quality ingredients, preparing the food correctly and presenting it with style.
But the food is not the only thing you need to pay attention to. Just as the best restaurants do, a great dinner experience also includes great service and ambience. A good host or hostess is always aware of these other critical elements. This entry is meant to provide you everything you need to have a fantastic Thai night at your home with friends.
1. The Food - (Please note: you can substitute your own Thai recipes, but either way, a trip to a specialty food store to gather all the authentic ingredients is worth the effort)
Recipes are from Thaitable.com and each includes step-by-step instructions with photos!
First course: Soup: Tom Yum Goong recipe
Appetizer: Fried Wontons recipe
Main Course: Pad Thai recipe
Dessert: Tapioca Pudding with Young Coconut recipe
2. Drinks
Water
Coconut Juice recipe
Wine: It can be difficult to select the right wine to go with Thai food, but I would suggest the very best pairing would be a Gewurztraminer. This wine’s strong heady scent, slight bitterness and oily texture lends well to fish and chicken dishes that utilize hot pepper and oriental spices, as does Thai food. Second choices would be a Sauvignon Blanc or a Riesling.
3. Ambience
Table Settings: When setting the table for a Thai experience, you can set out chopsticks, but most Thais use a fork and a large spoon. Thais also serve each dish in a separate vessel, but, apart from dessert, they are served at the same time. Dishes may lose appeal if combined with each other, so be sure to keep them solo. A pot of steamed and covered rice on the side can also be included with the menu from above.
Of course, the very best choices for the table setting includes oriental porcelian, wood and bamboo. Think Asian, but also think tropical.
Centerpiece: If you need help with a great Thai centerpiece, you can find step-by-step directions here.
Music: Finally, this playlist of traditional Thai music sets the tone for your perfect Thailand dinner party experience. I have taken care to remove songs that were a bit to harsh or noisy. The result is a flowing ambience perfect for your Thai evening, so put in on repeat at a low volume before your guests arrive.
