Hey there!

     We all love curry food because it's tasty and filling, but did you know that there are health benefits to eating Thai food as well? Check out this list of food found in Thai cuisine and the benefits they provide.

Tumeric

- Valuable digestive aid
- Helps those with arthritis
- Improve cardiovasular (heart) conditions
- Protect the body from bacterial infections (such as wounds)
- Fight skin and breast cancers in animal studies

 Galangal

 - Alleviate abdominal discomfort and pain
- Assist in digestion
- Remedy vomiting, seasickness and motion sickness
- Improve blood circulation in hands and feet
- Treat diarrhea
- Fight inflammation, thereby treating arthritis
- Treat ulcers and inflammation of the stomach
- Cure the hiccups (whaaaaa)

 Lemongrass

 - Treats flus and colds, which may be why Tom Yum Soup is so good at relieving cold & flu symptoms
- Relieves headaches and fevers
- Treats abdominal pain and other stomach conditions
- Slows arthritis
- Removes fungal conditions

 Coriander

 - Aids against gastrointestinal trouble (including gas and bloating)
- Relieves digestive problems
- Protects against bacterial and fungal infections
- Banishes loss of appetite
 Chilies

- Helps you sleep better
- Balances insulin levels
- Known to increase fat burning

 Coconut Milk

 - Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL), while promoting good cholesterol boosts immunity
- Modulates metabolic functions
- Provides valuable fatty acids which most people in the West are lacking fights aging

So in summary, Thai food is good for your digestive system and helps prevent and deal with sickness. Let's hope you never have to fight fungus infections, but if you do thai food helps with that too! Special thanks to http://thaifood.about.com/od/introtothaicooking/a/healthbenefits.htm for providing so much helpful info!

Hey there Curry Lovers, I'm not sure if you were able to come out to the opening night last night, but if you weren't able to come out, here's some photos to get your mouths watering.

Warming up with the appetizer featuring dumplings, lemon grass shrimp, and a delicious lettuce wrap.

Dive into the entree with braised pork ribs, asparagus and shitake mushrooms, shrimp and noodles, and brown rice.

And drowning in the mango sticky rice. Ekamai Sugarhouse is fully open! Get on out there and get yourself something new in the Sugarhood!
Thanks,
Woot

Survey Says!

For the past four months, we here at Ekamai have been trying new ways to keep in contact with our fans. Through Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and -- of course -- this blog, I have been looking for new ways to listen to you guys and keep you all up to date with what's going on for Ekamai. It's been a really great year so far, with the opening of our first concessions kiosk at Real Salt Lake games. Hopefully, the year will continue strong as we prepare to open a new Ekamai location in Sugarhouse. I truly want to provide you with the best service I can, and I'd like to ask a small favor of you now... Will you take this short survey and tell us how we're doing? The feedback really helps me to improve the store and give you guys a better experience. I'll reward you with an awesome photo... (complete the survey and scroll down, but NO PEEKING you cheaters!!)

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Did you finish it? Promise?

THANK YOU!!! You are AWESOME!!

This blog has really been a fun experience for me. Thanks to all of you for giving it a chance and commenting back, it really means a lot.

Now, drumroll please... *brrrrrrrrrr*

HAHAHAHAHA! Do you like it? Someone made this for me, and it's too funny not to share!

Well, until next time... ;)

Massaman Monday! (Massamonday?)

I know what you're thinking -- "Not another Monday." It's hard to get going at the beginning of the week, after a restful weekend full of fun and family. How do you find the energy to tackle your work-week, school-day, or whatever unique challenges your Monday brings?

Well, not to toot my own horn or anything, but one of my favorite ways to get back in the swing of things is to sneak a big, generous bowl of Massaman curry from our expo line. There's a reason we feature Massaman curry on our menu every day -- it is a longtime fan favorite, myself included. Our Massaman curry beef is made with a curry paste of coconut milk, potato, carrot, onion, and peanut served with rice and eggroll. We also offer a delectable vegetarian version. Its spicy aroma is perfect for re-energizing your senses.

(source)

I know what you're thinking now -- "Woot, what is the culinary history behind Massaman curry?" Ha ha ha, just kidding. But you might be interested to know that this traditional southern Thai dish is actually influenced heavily by other cultures, specifically Indian and Muslim. In fact, "Massaman" is an old way to say "Muslim" in Thailand. One of the most fascinating aspects of Thai food is the way our ancestors adopted culinary features from various influences and fused them into a distinct, original tradition. Massaman curry developed as early Muslim traders brought dry spices with them to Thailand. Over time, Massaman curry became the dry spiced, heavily aromatic dish known to us today.

And, hey, it doesn't look like Massaman has fallen out of favor with contemporary foodies: CNNGo ranked Massaman curry as the World's #1 Most Delicious Food in 2011 :)  Just one more reason to visit me at Ekamai and try it for yourself! Don't worry, I'll try to leave some for you guys and not eat it all before you get here ;)  See you soon!

Winning at Real Salt Lake

Hello curry-lovers!

Whoo, Saturday night was a busy night at the Rio Tinto Stadium as we dished out a ton of Thai for Real's hungry fans! It was an exciting game against Colorado, and I'm happy to say Real emerged victorious with a 2-0 score. (Not that we were watching... ;) )

We're starting to get used to being at the games. It's always so exciting! We love the fun, energetic atmosphere because it really gets our blood pumping. And I am always very thankful when people come to visit our concessions. Lots of you have stopped by to say hello and wish us good luck. You are all really nice!

We are the only Asian cuisine available at the games, and I'm proud to bring that variety and share it with you all. If you haven't had a chance to try us, it's a great opportunity. A few kind folks on Saturday told us that our Thai is delicious, to which we say -- Thank you! :)

Our next appearance at Rio Tinto Stadium will be on April 28th, when Real squares off with Toronto FC. Should be a great game! That gives us all a couple of weeks to get our game-faces on and prepare ourselves for the rush... Hope to see you there!

A snapshot of the stand during the last game

For tickets and info on Real Salt Lake, visit their official schedule here!

P.S. A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Alecia, who wrote this amazing review of Ekamai, featuring yours truly ;)  Thanks, Alecia!

Spring Cleaning

Today's weather was wet and rainy. I like when it rains -- everything is washed by the rainfall, and afterwards the world seems shiny and new. What is the phrase I always hear, "April Showers Bring May Flowers"? I sure hope so. Spring is a beautiful time of year.

Back home in Thailand, this time of year means one thing... The New Year is approaching. Traditional calendars point to April 13th as the start of a new year, and the country still celebrates the traditional new year as a national holiday. (Even though we use the "Gregorian" calendar used by most of the world these days, we still like to observe this tradition of our ancestors). In fact, April 13th through the 15th is when Thailand observes the Songkran festival. Songkran literally means "astrological passage," based on the astrological calendar.

This festival comes at the end of our dry season, the hottest time of year. Looking out my rainy window today in Salt Lake City, it's hard to imagine the sunny heat of Thailand... but I know it's there.

The funnest part about Songkran, especially when you're a kid, is that the festival celebrates water. Historically, water was blessed and poured on the shoulders of our elders as a way to pass on good fortune. Also, this was the time of year that images of the Buddha would be cleaned, as well as the whole house (not unlike what we call "spring cleaning" here in America). But as time went on, the celebration of water has expanded to the point that people pour it into our streets and onto each other. Kids play with garden hoses and water guns and soak each other -- and unfortunate passers-by. Anywhere you go on Songkran, you can expect to be totally soaked by the time you get there. This water represents cleaning and washing away the bad to get ready for the new. Sometimes, the elders get mad that kids take this symbolism too lightly and use the festival as an excuse to ambush the dry... but it's all in good fun.

So when I look out the window today and see that April's showers are moving in, I think to myself that the earth is preparing for Songkran. Spring is a new beginning for grass and trees and flowers. It makes sense that spring is traditionally the first season of the new year, because everything seems new again. I can't wait to see what the coming days will bring for all of us.

Fun Facts

Welcome back Curry Lovers!

Because Thailand is so special to us here at Ekamai, we thought we would share ten fun facts about Thailand!


1. Capital: Bangkok


2. Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power.


3. A unified Thai Kingdom has existed since the mid-14th century, and Thailand was known as Siam until 1939 when it officially became the Kingdom of Thailand.


4. Thailand is the 50th largest country in the world, closest in size to Spain.


5. More than 92% of the population speaks Thai or one of its regional dialects.


6. 94.6% of Thai's are Buddhist.


7. Population: 67,091,089 (July 2012 est.)


8. Agriculture products: rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans.


9. Currency: Thai Baht.

10. Major Thai Holidays:

January:                                Chinese New Year
1 January:                             New Year’s Day
February-March:                    Makha Bucha Day: Buddhist holiday on full moon of
                                            fourth lunar month.
6 April:                                  Chakri Memorial Day: Honoring the dynasty of the reigning royal .    .  .                                     family.
13-15 April:                           Songran, Thai New Years celebration.
May:                                     Visakha Bucha: Buddhist holiday on full moon of the 6^th lunar.
1 May:                                  Labor Day
5 May:                                  Coronation Day: Commemorating the coronation of present King of .                                            Thailand.
July:                                Asanha Bucha Day: Buddhist Holiday on full moon of 8^th lunar month.
                            Vassa: Beginning of Buddhist lent on first waning moon of 8^th lunar month.
12 August:                          Queen’s Birthday-Mother’s Day
23 October:                        Chulalongkorn Day: Honoring a former king of Thailand.
November:                          Loy Kratong
5 December:                       King’s Birthday-Father’s Day
10 December:                     Constitution Day: Celebrating the kingdom’s first constitution.
31 December:                     New Year’s Eve

Disclaimer: Many of these facts are direct quotes from our trusted sources at: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/th.html

http://www.tourismthailand.org/about-thailand/fast-facts/

Comment and share your favorite facts or stories about Thailand with us below!