rik Nam Pla Thai's yellow chicken curry. A serving of tender chicken, yellow curry which uses Turmeric as its main ingredient, with potatoes, yellow onions and bamboo shoots. Daily Record photos by Lance Winter & Nick Castillo

Foodie Friday: Prik Nam Pla Thai

Thu, 10/07/2021 - 5:42pm

Lance Winter

Publisher

@LanceWinter

lwinter@sanmarcosrecord.com

Thursday, October 7, 2021

It’s said Thai cuisine is all about balance. It’s finding that perfect rapport between sweet, sour, spicy and salty.

I discovered that balance earlier this week when I visited Prik Nam Pla Thai in San Marcos. I’m a huge fan of the flavor profiles Thai food offers, and this quaint eatery didn’t disappoint. My selection was yellow chicken curry. This is a perfect time to tell readers the myth that all curries are spicy simply isn’t true. Most curry powders and garam masala mixes are not very spicy. Their ingredients include mild, fragrant spices like cinnamon, coriander, cumin, turmeric and ginger.

My dish came with tender chicken, yellow curry which uses Turmeric as its main ingredient, with potatoes, yellow onions and bamboo shoots. The taste was mildly sweet and just slightly spicy. It was delicious. It came with an artfully designed pyramid made of rice which you’ll want to add to the bowl to help soak up the flavorful goodness. At just a little more than $10 bucks I walked away satisfied and will plan to go again.

My dining companion, not very adventurous on this day, opted for a traditional fried rice dish with chicken. The stir-fried rice came with an egg, tomatoes, yellow and green onions. He added the protein, which was chicken, and was $8.99.

A fried rice dish with chicken. The stir-fried rice came with an egg, tomatoes, yellow and green onions.

Prik Nam Pla Thai offers a variety of other stir-fried dishes like Pad Prik Pao, Thai Sweet and Sour or Cashew Stir Fry which has cabbage carrots, zucchini bell pepper, bamboo, onion, baby corn and mushrooms.

Or as the weather begins to grow slightly cooler turn to a warmer curry dish or soup.

One thing to keep in mind is that traditional Thai cuisine can be healthy based on vegetables, lean proteins, and fresh herbs and spices. However, some Thai dishes are high in refined carbs and may contain deep-fried foods, added sugar, or high amounts of salt. Chicken Pad Thai is one of the most unhealthiest dishes you can order at a Thai restaurant because it commonly uses coconut oil, palm oil, peanut oil, or soybean oil. While coconut oil can have some benefits, it is high in saturated fat, which can be bad for your heart if used in excess.

As for me, Prik Nam Pla Thai is a hit.