Why are chickpeas absent from Thai cuisine?

[Briggsy]

They are cheap and nutritious. They could grow here. They are grown and consumed to a large extent in India and you can find them in Burmese and Filipino food.

 

But they never got a break here. The majority of Thais have no idea what they are when presented with them in a dish.

 

Is the reason connected to the climate and the soil?

[manarak]

somehow you don't mention great taste as a positive... personally I don't like them.

[Briggsy]

1 minute ago, manarak said:

somehow you don't mention great taste as a positive... personally I don't like them.

If Thais never eat them, they never discover if they like the taste or not.

[manarak]

Just now, Briggsy said:

If Thais never eat them, they never discover if they like the taste or not.

they usually dislike anything they eat for the first time

[colinneil]

3 minutes ago, manarak said:

they usually dislike anything they eat for the first time

We had some here for ages, wife tried them once... Mai aroi. Finally i fed them to the hens.

Saying about Thais not liking something first time, tried the wife on cheese, again mai aroi, but now she loves mac and cheese , cheese on toast.

[Briggsy]

1 hour ago, manarak said:

they usually dislike anything they eat for the first time

Indeed, gastronomically reactionary!

[Farang99]

They are not absent from Thai cuisine - known as tua hua chang (elephant head bean)

[Oxx]

1 hour ago, Farang99 said:

They are not absent from Thai cuisine - known as tua hua chang (elephant head bean)

 

Perhaps you can give the name of a single traditional Thai dish that uses them?

[Estrada]

Expensive here. so not a part of the cuisine of the poor classes, which are what you describe as traditional Thai dishes. However, some are grown here. You can buy them in Tops, Tesco, Villa etc at B45/can (Italian). They are popular here for vegetarian dishes, Thai Indian Cuisine and Vegan. My Thai family like them in curries and chilli con carne dishes. Also you will find many Thai recipes online using chick peas that are available in the more expensive Thai dishes served in higher class restaurants.

[Briggsy]

I would wager when presented with a dish with chickpeas in, over 90% of Thais would have no idea what they were. And that would be making it easy by not blending them. Try them with hummus and 99% would not have a clue. They might think it was some weird form of joke.

 

The thread appears to have strayed off topic with Estrada trying to prove a) he's right and b) he married into a better class of Thai than others. "Thai Indian Cuisine" ?

 

What my point was was why the chickpea (and the lentil for that matter) never made it. They embraced the papaya and the chilli.

[Oxx]

1 hour ago, Estrada said:

Also you will find many Thai recipes online using chick peas that are available in the more expensive Thai dishes served in higher class restaurants.

 

Perhaps you can give the name of a single more expensive Thai dish served in higher class restaurants that uses them?

[Oxx]

6 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

What my point was was why the chickpea (and the lentil for that matter) never made it.

 

I think it's safe to say that pulses play absolutely no part in Thai cuisine, with the sole exception of red kidney beans which are a component of some Thai desserts.

[cat handler]

Wow, first world problems.

 

[Briggsy]

1 minute ago, cat handler said:

Wow, first world problems.

 

Who said it was a problem, it is a matter of academic curiosity.

[thsmitsw]

2 hours ago, Oxx said:

 

I think it's safe to say that pulses play absolutely no part in Thai cuisine, with the sole exception of red kidney beans which are a component of some Thai desserts.

In isaan they do eat many legumes from the trees like leucena. The small beana go into the som tom and are eaten raw.

[Enoon]

1 hour ago, cat handler said:

Wow, first world problems.

 

 

Looks like everyones problem:

 

Britain suffers hummus price hike as India's chickpea harvest fails ..

"The price hike has been caused by a combination of rising UK demand for the spread and shortages resulting from yet another drought year in the world’s main chickpea producing country, India, with the result that India has had to supplement supplies by buying the legume from elsewhere."

 

 

[Oxx]

51 minutes ago, thsmitsw said:

3 hours ago, Oxx said:

 

I think it's safe to say that pulses play absolutely no part in Thai cuisine, with the sole exception of red kidney beans which are a component of some Thai desserts.

In isaan they do eat many legumes from the trees like leucena. The small beana go into the som tom and are eaten raw.

 

Interesting point.  However, I was very specific when I mentioned pulses.  Pulse refers only to the dried seeds.  Legumes includes the undried fruit.  I still maintain that pulses play absolutely no part in Thai cuisine (apart from the previously mentioned exception of red kidney beans).

[Mario666]

Well I wish to contribute....I love chick peas be it in "3 Bean Salad", Humus or better still Chana Daal.

 

I tried to introduce my girlfriend to each recipe on separate occasions, but she rejected all after reluctantly "trying a taste"....just like when you

 

try to get a kid to eat broccoli.

 

No joy.....Grimace (even before tasting) and spit out!....As regards Chana Daal which is (for the uninitiated) a type of chickpea curry with Indian

 

spices..... she wretched. Funny really after some of the things I have seen her swallow?

 

I have seen this many times with various Thai girlies when I have tried to introduce them to Indian cuisine.....

 

It seems they don't like Cumin which is obviously constituent in many Indian dishes?

 

They say they don't like the smell......Of course if I was not a gentleman I might retort  "Well actually most Farangs don't like Bar Girls' Dog Breath

 

after eating Som Tam for "Breakfast" everyday

 

Anyone have similar experiences?

[SunsetT]

On 6/1/2018 at 10:29 AM, Oxx said:

 

I think it's safe to say that pulses play absolutely no part in Thai cuisine, with the sole exception of red kidney beans which are a component of some Thai desserts.

There is also a small white bean which looks like pearl barley which annoyingly they add, and sometimes red kidney beans, to packs of prepared western style mixed salad now popular and being sold in NE Esaan night markets. I say annoyingly because cooked beans in this heat start to ferment really quickly and ruin the rest of a perfectly good fresh salad. I stopped buying it because u cant tell if its off when u buy it and it stinks when u open the bag. Even if its good it goes off really quickly if u dont eat it all immediately.

 

As for chick peas, maybe the fact that they take twice as long to cook (2 hours) as most other beans has something to do with it.