A quiz in a recent men’s magazine asked what type of restaurant readers would most likely take a woman to on a first date. The answers were then cross-referenced to reveal certain personality types: Italian food meant you were conservative, Chinese indicated you were thrifty, while Thai food suggested you were open to new things, smart, and even sexy. The recent popularity of this flavorful, spicy-sweet-and-sour cuisine is also evident in the number and variety of Thai restaurants springing up in nearly every urban center across North America.

While tackling this cuisine might seem a tad intimidating for the amateur chef, creating impressive Thai dishes at home can be surprisingly easy. And once you’ve tasted the results, you’ll be hooked—especially if you like a little spice in your life.

On a recent trip to Thailand, I was told by a local chef, “The best Thai food looks like a mess, but tastes like heaven”. As I soon discovered, this description is highly accurate of authentic Thai cooking. With its truly green curries, its thick peanut-chili sauces and tangled masses of noodles, Thai food makes no claims when it comes to elegance, which is perhaps just one of the reasons why it surprises and delights the palate to the extent it does.

Like other Asian cuisines, there are numerous health benefits of eating Thai food, and its satisfying blend of flavors may even help you shed a few pounds. Most Thai food is healthy and naturally low in fat and calories. Even the desserts are healthy. But generally speaking, I have been disappointed with the small number of Thai restaurants here in North America that actually serve authentic Thai desserts.

So if you have a sweet tooth, I recommend making your own at home (check out: Easy Thai Dessert Recipes) and find out why everyone is talking about Thai food! More links:

Learn to cook Thai food the easy way with my Step-by-step Thai Recipes.

Are you vegetarian? If so, you can enjoy Vegetarian Thai Food Recipes that are based on classic Thai dishes. Since many Thai dishes are vegetarian already (or are close to being vegetarian), you'll find the taste equally authentic and just as delicious.