A quick description of some of the ingredients commonly used in Thai-style recipes.
I love cooking with an assortment of herbs and spices. Many of my culinary creations use a variety of ingredients commonly found in Thai-style cuisine.
Here are some of the herbs and spices commonly used in Thai cuisine. My future articles will feature many of these ingredients. If you have questions about any of these items, feel free to ask and I’ll answer you as soon as possible.
Spices
- Black pepper
- Cardamom
- Chili peppers
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Fennel
- Galangal
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
- White pepper
- Tamarind
- Turmeric
Herbs
- Betel leaves
- Cilantro
- Holy basil
- Kaffir lime leaves
- Lemon grass
- Mint
- Pandanus leaves
- Thai basil
Note: Coriander and cilantro come from the same plant. Cilantro refers to the fresh leaves while coriander refers to the dried seeds which are usually ground into a fine powder.
The Food of Thailand
If you are looking for authentic Thai recipes I highly recommend the book The Food of Thailand; A Journey for Food Lovers by Lulu Grimes and Oi Cheepchaiissara. This book, which is 296 pages long was published by Whitecap Books in 2005.
The book is full of tons of color photographs showing the various ingredients used in the recipes along with photos of most of the finished foods. Recipes are divided into 11 sections including soups, salads, curries, stir-fries, vegetables and dessert.
Excerpt from the book: “The most significant addition to Thai cuisine came not from Asia but from South America, via Europe. In the sixteenth century the Portuguese introduced what was to become one of the hallmarks of the cuisine, the chili.”
Articles of Interest
See the article Ethnic Spice Blends for some of the seasonings and spices that are used in Indian, Chinese and African cooking.
