GAINESVILLE — In Thai cuisine, there is a little more to it than coconut, curry powder and spicy chilies.
But local restaurant Eat at Thai is taking these ingredients and showing locals the wide array of Thai dishes — from the first course, which could be a spring roll, to the sweet sticky rice with mangoes for dessert.
"It’s a different flavor," said Kik Pornsopone, waitress at Eat at Thai and daughter of owner JB Pornsopone. "We have sweet and spicy ... it’s not just spicy like most people think. We can make it mild if you don’t like spicy and we have some dishes that aren’t spicy at all — some are just sweet."
Some of the more popular dishes include Mango Shrimp and Red Snapper where the whole fish is fried and topped with sweet and sour sauce, according to Kik.
Owner JB suggested the Tom Yum with shrimp, which is a soup flavored with lemon grass, to try at home for an easy Thai recipe.
To start the soup, bring water or chicken broth to a boil and add sliced lemon grass and chili paste. All of the ingredients, including lemon grass, can be purchased at local grocery stores or at an Asian market.
Next, add lime juice, fish sauce, chili peppers and sugar. At Eat at Thai they use traditional Thai chili peppers, but any hot peppers will do, according to Eat at Thai chef Na Pornsopone, wife of JB.
Next add sliced mushrooms, quartered tomatoes and shrimp. The shrimp should cook for one to two minutes in the boiling broth.
At the restaurant, the soup can be purchased in an individual portion or in a hot pot. The hot pot is a portion for three to four people to share and is served at the table with a flame in the center to keep the soup hot.
"This recipe is very easy," Na said. "You can add more chilies for spice."
Some of the recipes at the eatery are a little more involved. The Spicy Basil, for example, uses Thai basil, which has a stronger aroma and flavor than traditional basil.
"(My favorite is) the duck curry," Kik said. "It has a curry base and coconut milk and also has the tamarind sauce with pineapples — that is really good. The spring rolls are good; we make them fresh daily."
Menu items also include salads, noodles, Thai fried rice and desserts.
"Most of the salads in Thai are called Yum ... which means mixed," Kik said.
The family moved in mid-April to Gainesville from Buckhead, where they had a restaurant called Thai Basil. Since then they said they have been happy with the response to the restaurant and like the slower pace.
JB, Na, Kik and brother Kong Pornsopone have lived in the United States for about 17 years and are originally from Bangkok, Thailand.
"The people are really nice here," JB said. "We have less traffic and a nice area."