Demersal fish are bottom feeders. They can be contrasted with pelagic fish which live and feed away from the bottom in the open water column. Demersal fish contain little oil (one to four percent), whereas pelagic fish fillets can contain up to 30 percent.

Demersal fish can be divided into two main types: benthic fish which rest on the sea floor, and benthopelagic fish which float in the water column just above the sea floor.

Most demersal fish of commercial or recreational interest are coastal, confined to the upper 200 metres. Commercially important demersal food fish species include flatfish, such as flounder, sole, turbot, plaice, and halibut. Also important are cod, hake, redfish, haddock, bass, congers, sharks, rays and chimaeras.

You can find authentic Thai Demersal Fish on many Thai Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Barramundi is a loanword from an Australian Aboriginal language of the Rockhampton area in Queensland meaning “large-scaled river fish”.  Barramundi are demersal inhabiting soiastal water, estuaries, lagoons and rives; they are found in clear to turbid water, usually within a temperature range of 26-30oC.

Barramundi have white, flaky flesh, though the larger freshwater ones commonly carry a lot of body fat. Saltwater barramundi, however, have a general reputation as good eating. This fish is known as Pla Krapong in Thailand and it is one of the most popular fishes in Thai cuisine. It is often eaten steamed with lime and garlic, as well as deep-fried or stir-fried with lemongrass, among a variety of many other ways.

You can find authentic Thai Barramundi on many Thai Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Mantis shrimp called “sea locusts” by ancient Assyrians, “prawn killers” in Australia and now sometimes referred to as “thumb splitters” by modern divers.

In Japanese cuisine, the mantis shrimp is eaten raw as sashimi and as a sushi topping, and is called shako. In Cantonese cuisine, the mantis shrimp is a popular dish known as “pissing shrimp” ( Mandarin pinyin: lài niào xiā, modern Cantonese: laaih niuh hā) because of their tendency to shoot a jet of water when picked up. After cooking, their flesh is closer to that of lobsters than that of shrimp, and like lobsters, their shells are quite hard and require some pressure to crack.

In the Mediterranean countries the mantis shrimp Squilla mantis is a common seafood, especially on the Adriatic coasts.

You can find authentic Thai Mantis Shrimp Food on many Thai Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Shrimp and prawns are versatile ingredients, and are often used as an accompaniment to fried rice. Common methods of preparation include baking, boiling, and frying. Recipes using shrimp form part of the cuisine of many cultures. Wet shrimp is commonly used as a flavouring and as a soup base in Asian cuisines (such as Thai tom yum goong) while fried shrimp is popular in North America.

As with other seafood, shrimp is high in calcium, iodine and protein but low in food energy. A shrimp-based meal is also a significant source of cholesterol, from 122 mg to 251 mg per 100 g of shrimp, depending on the method of preparation Shrimp consumption, however, is considered healthy for the circulatory system because the lack of significant levels of saturated fat in shrimp means that the high cholesterol content in shrimp actually improves the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol and lowers triglycerides.

You can find authentic Thai Shrimp Food on many Thai Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Eggs are considered a good source of protein and choline. Because of this, the egg falls in the Meats category under the Food Guide Pyramid.

Bird eggs are a common food and one of the most versatile ingredients used in cooking. They are important in many branches of the modern food industry. The most commonly used bird eggs are those from the chicken. Duck and goose eggs, and smaller eggs such as quail eggs are occasionally used as a gourmet ingredient, as are the largest bird eggs, from ostriches. Gull eggs are considered a delicacy in England, as well as in some Scandinavian countries, particularly in Norway. In some African countries, guineafowl eggs are commonly seen in marketplaces, especially in the spring of each year.

Chicken eggs are widely used in many types of dishes, both sweet and savory. Eggs can be pickled, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, scrambled, fried and refrigerated. They can also be eaten raw, though this is not recommended for people who may be especially susceptible to salmonella, such as the elderly, the infirm, or pregnant women. In addition, the protein in raw eggs is only 51% bio-available, whereas that of a cooked egg is nearer 91% bio-available, meaning the protein of cooked eggs is nearly twice as absorbable as the protein from raw eggs.

Eggs add protein to one’s diet, as well as various other nutrients. Chicken eggs are the most commonly-eaten eggs. They supply all essential amino acids for humans, and provide several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, choline, iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. They are also an inexpensive single-food source of protein.

You can find authentic Thai Egg Food on many Thai Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Conventional wisdom has held that the chicken was domesticated in India, but recent evidence suggests that domestication of the chicken was already under way in Vietnam over 10,000 years ago. “Chicken” was originally the word only for chicks, and the species as a whole was then called domestic fowl, or just fowl.

More than 50 billion chickens are reared annually as a source of food, for both their meat and their eggs. Chickens farmed for meat are called broiler chickens, whilst those farmed for eggs are called egg-laying hens.

The meat of the chicken, also called “chicken”, is a type of poultry meat. Because of its relatively low cost, chicken is one of the most used meats in the world. Nearly all parts of the bird can be used for food, and the meat can be cooked in many different ways. Popular chicken dishes include roasted chicken, fried chicken, chicken soup, Buffalo wings, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and chicken rice. Chicken is also a staple of fast food restaurants.

You can find authentic Thai Chicken Food on many Thai Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Larb is the national dish of Laos and its popularity has spread to Northeastern Thailand, where the cuisine is heavily influenced by Laos. It is quite common to see this popular Lao meat salad served at Lao and Thai restaurants.

There is also a variant from Northern Thailand which does not use lime or fish sauce, but rather other local condiments for flavor and seasoning. “Larb pla” (Thai: ลาบปลา) is one kind of larb which made of minced fish mixed with spices. There is a kind of larb called lu (Thai: หลู้), which made of minced raw beef mixed with blood, bile and spices. Lu is usually eaten with vegetables and often served with beer or the local moonshine called lao khao.

You can find authentic Thai Larb on many Thai Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Unlike other versions of fish sauce in Southeast Asia, padaek is made from freshwater fish, owing to the landlocked nature of the former kingdom of Lan Xang. Padaek is used in many dishes, most notably TamMakHoong (Thai som tam), a spicy papaya salad.

Padaek is an important ingredient used in many traditional Lao foods such as tum maak hoong (papaya salad) and laap (meat or fish salad) to bring out the authentic Lao flavour.

If Lao foods are eaten with padaek then it tastes very good. Padaek is the national pride of Laos.

You can find authentic Thai Padaek on many Thai Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Zongzi is traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Mandarin: Duanwu; Cantonese: Tuen Ng) which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar (approximately early to mid-June), commemorating the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu who lived during the Warring States period.

The shape of zongzi range from being relatively tetrahedral in southern Chinese cultures to more cylindrical in northern Chinese cultures. Wrapping a zongzi neatly is a skill which is passed down through families, as are the recipes. Like tamale-making in Mexico and Pamonha-making in Brazil, making zongzi was traditionally a family event with everyone helping out.

While traditional Chinese zongzi are wrapped in bamboo leaves, the leaves of lotus, maize, banana, canna, shell ginger or pandan leaves are sometimes used as substitutes in other countries. Each kind of leaf imparts its own unique smell and flavor to the rice.

The fillings used for zongzi vary from region to region, but the rice used is always glutinous rice (also called sticky or sweet rice). Depending on the region, the rice may be lightly precooked by stir-frying or soaked in water before using.

You can find authentic Thai Zongzi on many Thai Restaurants in Los Angeles.

The Lao name for the dish is ([pîŋ ɡɑj]) and means ‘roast chicken’. In western Lao restaurants, it is known as “Lao barbecued chicken” or “Ping Gai”. The Thai and Isan term is usually spelt ไก่ย่าง (Isan: [ɡɑj ɲaːŋ),[missing tone] although ปิงไก่, a Thai letter rendering of the Thai name, would be understood in Isan as well. In the West, where it is a common feature of menus on Thai restaurants, it is either known by its Thai name or as ‘Thai barbecued chicken’.

A whole chicken is often halved and pounded flat. It is marinated and then grilled over a low heat on a charcoal flame for a long time, but is not cooked to be burnt or dry. The marinade typically includes fish sauce, garlic, turmeric, coriander root (cilantro), and white pepper. Many variations exist, and it is also quite common to find black soy sauce, hoy sin, shallots, leaves and seeds of coriander, lemongrass, chiles, ginger, vinegar, palm sugar, and MSG. Compared to many Lao/Isan dishes, it is mild and somewhat sweet.

You can find authentic Thai Ping Gai on many Thai Restaurants in Los Angeles.