"Many Thai cooking ingredients may seem exotic to Western cooks, but with experimentation you will soon become familiar with these new flavours". Some of the more commonly called for ingredients in Thai recipes are listed here. Please contact us if you need more information or have a recipe that calls for an unfamiliar ingredient.
basil
Basil: European basil or Fresh Mint can be used as a substitute for all varieties if you can't find the Thai varieties. But Thai varieties are unique if you can locate them.
There are several types of basil used in Thai cuisine:
Holy basil ("bai grapow") There are two types: a pale green or white type, and a red type, with purple reddish tinged leaves. Holy basil has a clove-like taste. Store wrapped in newspaper in the refrigerator. Use it soon after buying. Available more readily in summer months.
Lemon basil ("bai maeng Luck") has a lemony flavour with tiny leaves and is usually sprinkled over salads or used in soups. Used much less frequently than sweet basil in Thai cooking.
Thai Sweet basil ("bai horapa") tastes rather like anise,is used in red and green curries.
chili
Thai chili peppers ("prik ki nu")
(dried and fresh): Southern Thai curry is typically made with whole small dried red chilies, stems removed, and seeds intact. If unavailable, try dried whole Mexican chilies, the hottest available, and soak in hot water to soften. Even easier to use and just as delicious, though different in flavour, is powdered/ground dried Thai red chilies. Two level tablespoons are equivalent to 10-15 dried chilies. Do not use chili powder.
Fresh "prik ki nu" can be used to make "nahm chuke", a spicy condiment and "tom yum gung ", a popular lemon-flavoured hot and sour shrimp soup. If you like super hot Thai curry, add whole fresh chilies "prik ki nu suan " at the end of cooking.
"Prik chee fah" is a larger sized chile pepper and not as spicy.
corri
Coriander ("pak chee thai"): The roots, stems, leaves, and seeds of this common popular herb are all used in Thai cooking.
The roots ("rahgk pak chee") are indeed the tiny end of the plant, which is often removed before it arrives in the Western market. Pounded in a mortar and pestle, the roots enhance curry pastes and soups. A paste for grilled meats can be made with the pulverized root, white pepper, and garlic. Sometimes difficult to find, try visiting a farmers market or substitute the stems.
Coriander leaves are used extensively in Thai cooking for most salads and to garnish soups. The stems and leaves are eaten raw, along with other raw vegetables like baby eggplant, and other herbs and served with "nam prik".
Coriander seeds ("met pak chee") from Thailand are smaller than the seeds available in Western supermarkets and more strongly perfumed. Used extensively in various curry pastes , sauces, and marinades. Dry roast to bring out their perfume and flavours at the time of cooking.
coconut
Coconut milk ("nahm gah-tee") (fresh and canned): The milk is made from fresh coconut by adding just enough water to cover the grated meat, squeezing, and straining. The coconut meat is discarded after all the juice is extracted. Fresh coconut milk is superb without a doubt! The water inside of the coconut may be drank as a beverage or thrown away.
Coconut milk is also available canned. In the West it is difficult to find very fresh coconuts in the supermarket, therefore it is more practical to use canned.
When using canned, follow the recipe directions whether to stir the contents or not. The heavier cream is on the top of the watery part. Unused portions freeze nicely in a zip lock bag. To use, break off a frozen chunk and pop into your curry or soup.
The use of coconut milk in cooking Thai cooking is a feature that the Thai's have in common with other Southeast Asian and Pacific countries. Coconut milk has the quality of blending together and mellowing the flavours of the dishes in which it is used. Used as a liquid medium in meat and fish curries, it offsets the pungency of many of the stronger ingredients.
curry
Curry paste ("kreung-gaeng") (fresh and canned): Made in a mortar and pestle by pounding together chilies, peeled garlic, lemon grass, fresh turmeric, sea salt, and shrimp paste (Gapee)This is the basis of every Thai curry.
Today in Thailand, most Thais prepare curry paste in a small electric blender. The mortar and pestle, many will argue, produces a far superior paste.
Prepared curry paste is also conveniently available canned. Use approximately 3 tablespoons per cup of liquid to prepare curry.
fish
Fish sauce ("nam pla"): The most essential cooking ingredient for Thai food, this is Thailand's equivalent to soy sauce or table salt. Uncooked it has an unpleasant smell, but it adds a subtle flavour, for which there is no substitute. Small anchovy fish are fermented and the resulting liquid is strained and bottled.
Add a bit more fish sauce at the end of cooking to adjust to taste and cook a minute longer. This is perhaps the most important ingredient in Thai cooking, so give it a chance by all means.
galangal
Galangal root ("hua kah"): This root is similar to ginger root, but more delicate in flavour and texture. Preferably fresh , but also available dried in slices or ground. The most popular Thai dish using fresh galangal is "Tom Ka Gai", chicken cooked in coconut milk. Dried pieces can be substituted. Galangal is known as "laos" in Indonesia and "lengkaus" in Malaysia.
garlic
Garlic ("gra-tium"): Key ingredient for curry, using 10-30 cloves. Also use in stir fry, first smashing the clove with the side of a heavy knife, before adding to hot oil. Stir once and then add the remaining ingredients called for in your stir-fry recipe. Sliced very thin you can also add fresh garlic to Thai beef salad.
Note that Thai garlic is less than half the size of American commercial type. That means you need to re-adjust the recipe if it was written in Thailand (see our cookbook department). Also the outside skin is much thinner, so peeling is not always necessary.
krachai
Krachai (lesser ginger), rhizome or "kra-chai": This root is of the same family as ginger and galangal, but is not as pungent and is much smaller and thinner. Sold fresh occasionally or dried ground it is sometimes labelled "krachai". Store fresh refrigerated in a zip lock bag.
lime
Kaffir lime ("ma-groot"): This distinctly Thai ingredient is essential to many dishes.
The Kaffir Lime leaf (bai-ma-groot) is a wonderful aromatic addition to soups like "Tom yam". Also added to stir fry, curry and salads the results are fragrant and exotic.
It is generally difficult to find the fresh Kaffir lime fruit. Sometimes, you may be able to buy the dried peel of the kaffir fruit.
Dry and frozen leaves are also available. Dried kaffir lime leaves are very good in liquid dishes, like curry and soup.
lemon
Lemon grass ("ta-krai"): This aromatic citrus-flavoured tropical grass is a must for homemade Thai curry paste.
To grow your own lemon grass: Plant 6 clipped rooted plants in a circle in a large pot, leaving the middle section empty. The plants will multiply and fill in the center as they flourish. In cooler climates, grow outdoors in warm months and indoors during colder months. Allow one year to mature, but you can steal a few pieces by occasionally cutting off just what is above ground.
If using dried stalks, use 2-3 pieces more than the recipe calls for. Soak in hot water for an hour. Powdered lemon grass is also available. Two tablespoons powdered is approximately equivalent to one fresh stalk. Be careful though because the dry contains salt. Adjust seasoning accordingly. For soups, try substituting fresh lemon peel.
palm
Palm oil ("nahm man peut"): Inexpensive cooking oil used daily for frying and flavoring in soups. Many farmers grow palm trees(different from the coconut palm) for oil production in Thailand and Malaysia. Substitute a light oil like canola, sunflower or peanut if unavailable.
pepper
Peppercorns ("prik thai"): White, black, and green peppercorns all come from the same tropical vine. Young green peppercorns are used in curries, stir fry, and 'nam prik'. Unfortunately they are difficult to find fresh in the West. Look in the frozen section of the local Asian grocer.
Mature black peppercorns or black pepper are not used much in Thai cooking, except certain regional dishes.
White pepper is used the most in Thai cooking. It is obtained by allowing the berries to fully mature on the vine to bright red. The seeds are then allowed to ferment in a warm place for a few days. The red outside is rubbed off to reveal smooth, round white peppercorns. The resulting ground pepper is speckled black.
rice
Roasted rice powder: Make your own by by roasting raw sticky rice in a hot skillet (cast iron is good) or wok over low to medium heat until golden brown-about 12 minutes. Stir constantly so that it does not burn. Grind in a mortar with a pestle or clean electric coffee-grinder until pulverized. Some small pieces of rice may still be visible. Use to make Laab - a delicious type of salad from the North East of Thailand.
seasalt
Sea salt ("gluah"): Used for all cooking (not just Thai-ask a French chef!), sea salt is far superior in taste to mined salt. It aides in the grinding of dry ingredients in the mortar and pestle when making curries. Look for it in better supermarkets, health food stores.
tamarind
Tamarind ("ma-kham peak"): This fruit grows as a pod on the tamarind tree. It is usually found dried, packaged as a paste with or without the seeds, for cooking.
To prepare, pour warm water to cover 2-3 Tbsp. tamarind paste and squeeze to extract the flavour. Discard the seeds and add only the liquid to the sour curry. If you are pressed for time, the seeds may be left in the dish, but warn your diners. Simply add directly to the sour curry, breaking into small pieces.
Sometimes fresh sweet tamarind is available, which makes for a very tasty snack.
shallot
Shallot ("hua hom-daeng"): The foundation of sour curry paste. Also sliced thin to garnish salads like beef salad. Like Thai garlic, shallots are smaller in Thailand, so if using a recipe written in Thailand, use half as much.
cumin
Tumeric or Kamin ("Ka-min"): A root used for brilliant colour and subtle flavour in Thai curry. Substitute one teaspoon dried turmeric powder for a half-inch fresh piece. It may be possible to grow at home, but generally it is difficult to find fresh.
Vocabulary for Thai food
Meat and Seafood |
| Nua | Beef/meat |
| Gai | Chicken |
| Mu | Pork |
| Gaeh | Lamb/Mutton |
| Pla | Fish |
| Pu | Crab |
| Gung | Prawn/Shrimp |
| Hoy | Shellfish |
| Pla Muak | Squid |
| |
Vegetables |
| Jey | Vegetarian |
| Pak | Vegetable |
| Tua | Bean |
| |
Dishes |
| Gaeng | Curry |
| Pad | Stir-Fry |
| Tom | Boil |
| Tort | Fried |
| Yang | BBQ/Grilled |
| Op | Roast |
| Nung | Steamed |
| Yam | Salad |
| | |
| Tastes |
| Phet | Hot |
| Phet Maak | Very Hot |
| Mai Phet | Not Hot |
| Waan | Sweet |
| Khem | Salty |
| Preaw | Sour |
| Khom | Bitter |
| Yen | Cool |
| Rawn | Hot (Heat) |
| Aroy-Aloy | Delicious |
| Mai Aroy | Not Nice |
