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Hor Mok, a steamed red curry cake with shrimp,
South Asian Cuisine Herbs & Spices Thai food is composed of herbs as the maisn compositions which refer to plants and vegetables including seasonings and spices. These represent the identity of the Thai food. Spices are used to season the odors, tastesm, and colors of the foods and as well to prevent the savory of the meat. Moreover, these spices contain various medical characteristics, thus Thai food is appropriate to good health.
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| Cha-ohm is also vegetable supplement whether boiled or steamed and also mixed with egg and fried. It is used in some curries in the north and northeast recipes; Kaeng Kae and Kaeng Lao. |
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| In the middle part recipe, the fresh leaves are used to wrap the tidbits of Miang khum. In the south, they are used in some curries with shrimp, fish and mussels and as well as vegetables with chili paste. |
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| The popular species of chilli used for cooking are hot chilli, red, green and yellow chilli, sweet pepper, etc. which are different in the levels of its spicy tastes. Chilli can be used both fresh and dried or pickling in vinegar and to every dish that requires hot and spicy tastes. |
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| This plant can be used by every part; plant, root, leaves and fuits. Normally, the coriander leaves are sprinkled to season the food, while the coriander fruits are mixed in the soup and curry for good smell and its root is used together with garlic in soup and some kind of snacks and dessert. |
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| Cumin is roasted and pounded to make chilli paste in some curries, Kaeng Phed and Kaeng Khiao Wan. |
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| Galangal is used both its flowers as vegetables and fresh and hard rhizomes. The hard rhizome is very spicy and good top season many recipes of chilli pastes, the fresh rhizome is found good in Tom Kha Kai. |
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| Garlic is actually important ingredient in Thai food and found in every recipe prior to fry vegetables and meat. It is also unable to be missed in soup and chilli paste and as well spicy salad. This is including the pickled garlic, garlic plants and fried choped garlic to sprinkle the food. |
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| Thai people use ginger to reduce fishes smelll in many dishes; Tom Som, steam fish with lime or fry with meat and as well ingredients in Miang (tidbits), such as Miang Kum, Miang Pla Tou, Miang Som. It is also mixed with pickling, mussels, Tai Pla, Saeng Wha, etc. Chopped ginger is tasty to fry with meat and as well Yam Pla Tu, Yam Khing, Yam Pla Kra-pomg and Yam Hoy Hraeng. Pickled ginger is a good supplement to boiled rice and many types of paste. Ginger juice and ginger boiled in syrup and mixed with mung bean or sweet potato are tasty desserts. |
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| The blanched leaves are delicious with chilli paste, Gord gourd is good also as ingredient in many recipes; vegetable, soup, Kaeng Lieng or fried vegetable or mix with omelet. |
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| Kaffir lime skin is one of spices mixed in chilli paste for Kaeng Phed and Phad Phed , and in Nam Prik (for Thai noodles). Kaffir lime juice is sour and used to reduce savory of meat. It is actually mixed in fermented fish paste, Kaeng Som and Kaeng Tay Po. Chopped kaffir limes leaves are used to reduce meat smell and season Kaeng Phed, Phad Phed, Chu Chee Pla, Kaeng Tom Som, Tom Yam, Hua Mok, Tam Kanoon, Khao Yam and etc. |
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The rhizome of krachai is used in some specific mixture, almost are for fish soup; Nam Ya Pla and Kaeng Som due to the spicy and bitter taste of krachai that are good to reduce the fishes' savory and as well to other fish dishes; Phad Phed Pla Dook (spicy fried catfish) and Kaeng Khiao Wan Pla Graay. |
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Kra Pao or sacred basil is used in Kaeng Pha, Kaeng Kae and some spicy fried meat dishes to reduce the savory of the fish meat. Fresh leaves are sprinkled on food before removing from heat. |
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| Lemon grass is spicy and bitter and used for seasoning the Thai food and as the main ingredient in every recipe of Kaeng Phed, spicy salads and Tom Yam. |
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| Lime juice is used to make sour taste in Tom Yam, Som Tum, Phla, spicy salads and many chilli pastes and as well lime juice for drink. |
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| Onion is used im Kaeng Masaman, spicy salads, and soup stock. |
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| Pepper is popularly found in every kind of chilli pastes, in soup together with coriander root and garlic and as well sprinkle for good smell. It is normally used in cooking of Kaeng Phed, Kaeng Pa and Phad Phed. |
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| Fresh leaves and young flowers are blanched or boiled to supplement with the chilli paste. Its flowers are used as ingredients in Kaeng Lieng and Kaeng Som. Besides, the ripe pumpkins are used in many dishes both soups and fried dishes. It is also good to make many recipes of desserts; pumpkin boiled in syrup and pumpkin in coconut syrup. |
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| Shallot is used to reduce meat savory and as a seasoning and also the main ingredient in chilli paste for Kaeng Phed, Tom Kloong, Kaeng Lieng, Tom Yam, Lhun, Yam, Larb, and Nam Prik and as well in some desserts. |
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| Sweet basil is used to season the food odor; Kaeng Lieng, Kaeng Nhoa Mai, Oam Pla and also as vegetable for Nam Ya and chilli paste. |
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| Sweet basil (horapha) is used as vegetable supplement and also odor seasoning in spicy recipes; Kaeng Phed and Phad Phed. |
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| Thai people in every part eat the tamarinds' fresh leaves, flowers and the pods as vegetables and seasoning agents. The content in the ripe pods provides sour taste. People in the middle part of Thailand use the young pods as ingredient of the tamarind paste. the fresh leaves are used in soups; Tom Klong Pla Kroab and Pork and pumpkin in coconut soup. |
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| Turmeric is used in curry dishes, normally in Kaeng Phed, Kaeng Tai Pla and Kaeng Luang and as well other dishes of southern food. It is also good as a coloring agent. |
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Tamarind