Thai

Nahm Takrai This lightly sweetened drink, served with both lunch and dinner in Thailand, is very cooling with spicy foods.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This lovely and satisfying main course uses light coconut milk, Thai red curry paste and jalapeño chili for lots of flavor and spice.

You can make the salad with roast chicken if you prefer. Offer purchased sesame noodles as an accompaniment. For dessert, serve sugared sliced plums, topped with vanilla ice cream and chopped crystallized ginger. Look for the Thai fish sauce in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

This dish bursts with flavor yet is so simple to prepare. Adjust the heat by adding the curry paste to taste.

This light, spicy soup is delicious hot or chilled. The sautéed aromatics turn the broth a rich red-orange, more reminiscent of tomato than watermelon. See if your guests can guess the main ingredient. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 hr (3 hr if serving chilled)

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

Pla Phad Phrik Khing The pummelo salad makes a nice first course with this dish.

Long pepper (sometimes called diplii diplii) is a small, cylindrical pinecone-shaped spice that tastes like a cross between pepper and cassia. When toasted and crushed, it's delicious in any kind of Asian-inspired salad. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 20 min

In Thailand, mangoes often appear on the table for dessert — served both on their own and incorporated into a sweetened sticky rice. If you can't get your hands on really good mangoes, you'll find that canned mango purée delivers the best flavor for this ice cream. However, many canned brands taste like peaches, so we recommend Ratna brand, which uses Alphonso mangoes, an Indian cultivar renowned for its bright orange flesh and very intense flavor. Ka-Me brand is a runner-up — the recipe will work fine, but the color and flavor will not be as intense. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 17 3/4 hr (includes chilling and freezing)

Nam Prik Ong Relishes are a cornerstone of Thai cooking, playing a crucial role in the balance of hot, salty, sour, and sweet that Southeast Asian cuisine strives for. The vegetables are traditionally dipped into the relish and then eaten, but you might find it easier to use a plate. Because this dish is quite spicy even with just a few chiles, we suggest using the least amount the first time you make the recipe. Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

If you're short on time, you can substitute bottled red curry paste (we recommend Mae Ploy brand) for homemade, but the flavor will not be as nuanced. There will be some curry paste left over after making the jungle curry and steamed catfish. Simply stir the remainder together with unsweetened coconut milk to give chicken, shrimp, or mussels a Thai spin. Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Yam Taeng Kwa Dried shrimp are an acquired taste; they have a very strong fish flavor. But this salad is wonderfully refreshing even without the shrimp. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

Matt McMillan, Big Bowl's executive chef, threw together these items for his lunch one day. We ran it as a special the next week. It's simple and delicious.

Serve this tasty, low-fat baked chicken with steamed rice and fresh pineapple slices for a complete meal.

"Thai is my favorite Asian cuisine, and the Thai noodles at Q, A Thai Bistro, here in Forest Hills just may be my favorite dish," writes Loren Kliegerman of Forest Hills, New York. "Any idea how it is prepared?"

Wemonrat Pok, an immigrant from Thailand, opened Siam House 11 years ago near the campus of Indiana University in the lively college town of Bloomington. It's a family business — Wemonrat is the chef, and her aunt and cousin help out with the cooking. The elegant restaurant with several small dining rooms occupies a lovely old home. Thai sculptures and creaky hardwood floors add to the charm; great food and an accommodating staff keep locals coming back. The batter and bananas can be prepared ahead of time, leaving only the frying to do at the last minute.