Articles on Pot in Thai Cooking

Just a couple of interesting articles about the return of cannabis to traditional Thai cooking. Sadly, no recipes are included, but you can just run "Thai recipes cannabis" for a bunch of recipes. It seems dried (or toasted) cannabis leaf brings out the umami flavor, maybe even better than MSG.

I'd go with decarbing the leaves, crumble them, remove the "sticks" and then gently "toast" the herb in a dry (no oil) stainless steel frying pan, stirring frequently. You want to just barely brown the herb. Many cooks do this same sort of "toasting" to the herbs that will be used in curries and other full-flavored dishes.

(Cannabis leaf tempura, anyone?)


Amid narcotics reform, Thai cooks season with cannabis (news – 2021)
Amid narcotics reform, Thai cooks season with cannabis

In the "Just Say No" era, Thai cops and American DEA agents would team up to hunt marijuana smugglers with guns drawn.

"U.S. drug addicts" once cherished Thai weed so much that they'd pay triple the price of Mexico pot, so say U.S. government reports from the mid-1980s. The marijuana pipeline from Southeast Asia to the U.S. later withered away — but the American lock-'em-up mindset has lingered. Thailand remains one of the U.S.-led global drug war's top allies.

But attitudes are changing fast. The Thai government, following the lead of U.S. states, is rethinking its hard-line laws against cannabis. This shift isn't just affecting prisons and courtrooms. It's also influencing cuisine — and the effects have reached a restaurant called Baan Lao Ruang (The Storytelling House). (snipped)



And a second article-



In Thailand, Traditional Cannabis Cuisine Is Back on the Menu (news – 2021)
In Thailand, Traditional Cannabis Cuisine Is Back on the Menu

For a restaurant serving what was until recently a Class 5 narcotic substance, the clientele appeared older than one might expect: a couple of extended families, including grandma and grandpa; a woman having a quiet lunch with a man who appeared to be her father; a low-key middle-aged couple. Even the decor—cheesy knick knacks, thick curtains, antimacassars, antique crockery—was far from edgy.

The setting was Ban Lao Reung, a restaurant in Prachinburi, Thailand, that recently became the country’s first to serve dishes made with cannabis. On the day I visited, customers were digging into omelets garnished with marijuana leaves and sipping soups seasoned with dried cannabis-leaf powder. But only a few months ago, possession of these menu items would have led to a lengthy jail sentence, or a hefty bribe. (snipped)

Granny