Ep 5. Thai Restaurants

The F Word UK season 5 episode 5 explores Thai cuisine as Gordon Ramsay and his team visit Thai restaurants in Britain. The episode starts with Gordon visiting the Royal Thai Embassy in London to learn about Thai cooking and culture from Ambassador Pisanu Suvanajata. The ambassador shows Gordon how to make a traditional Thai green curry and explains the importance of balancing sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors in Thai cooking.

After the cooking lesson, Gordon and his team visit three Thai restaurants across Britain. The first restaurant is in London's Chinatown, where they sample a variety of Thai dishes including pad Thai, tom yum soup, and Thai-style fried rice. They also meet the restaurant's head chef, who explains the challenges of cooking authentic Thai food in Britain and the importance of using fresh ingredients.

Next, they visit a Thai restaurant in Bristol, where Gordon helps the chef prepare a spicy papaya salad and a seafood curry. The chef explains that his restaurant focuses on using ingredients that are locally sourced and ethically produced, and he shows Gordon his herb garden where he grows Thai basil and kaffir lime leaves.

The final stop is in Manchester, where Gordon visits a Thai restaurant run by a mother and daughter team. They show Gordon how to prepare a traditional Thai dessert called mango sticky rice, using fresh mangoes and coconut milk. They also explain the importance of hospitality in Thai culture and how they try to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere in their restaurant.

Throughout the episode, Gordon also shares his own tips and tricks for cooking Thai food, including how to make a perfectly cooked jasmine rice and how to season dishes with fish sauce and tamarind paste. He also discusses the growing popularity of Thai cuisine in Britain and the impact of immigration on the country's food culture.

In addition to the restaurant visits, the episode also features a segment where Gordon and his daughter Tilly cook a Thai-style prawn fried rice at home. The dish is inspired by their visit to the Thai restaurant in London's Chinatown, and Tilly helps her dad cook the dish and adds her own twist by using corn instead of peas.

Overall, episode 5 of The F Word UK season 5 is a celebration of Thai cuisine and culture. From learning how to make traditional dishes to exploring the challenges and opportunities facing Thai restaurants in Britain, Gordon Ramsay and his team provide an informative and entertaining insight into one of the world's most beloved cuisines.