How to make thai food: Thai ingredients

bai horapa ใบโหระพา Sweet Thai Basil
Tastes rather like anise, looks like European sweet basil, and is used in red and green curries.








bai graprow ใบกระเพรา Thai Holy Basil Leaf
Ocimum Sanctum. Green with purple reddish tinged leaves, holy basil has a clove-like taste.






bai magroot ใบมะกรูด Kaffir Lime Leaf
See pew magroot






buap liam บวบเหลื่ยม Sponge gourd, angle gourd, angled luffa
Also known as angle gourd, angled luffa, or Chinese okra. Fruits have raised ridges running from end to end, resembling okra. The ridged fruit is 1-2 ft. long and 2 inches across and is lighter than the Smooth Skin Luffa. This variety is very popular for cooking use in China and Vietnam. Flesh is very tender and delicious.






fak thong ฟักทอง Pumpkin
Cucurbita moschata, also known as Cushaw, Butternut Squash, or Winter Squash.







kuichai กุยช่าย Chinese Chive
Allium tuberosum, also known as garlic chives, the flavor is more like garlic than chives, though much milder. Both leaves and the stalks of the flowers are used as a flavoring similarly to chives, green onions or garlic and are used as a stir fry ingredient. In China, they are often used to make dumplings with a combination of egg, shrimp and pork. The flowers may also be used as a spice.


het fang เห็ดฟาง Straw Mushroom
Volvariella volvacea






het hom เห็ดหอม Shiitake Mushroom
Lentinus edodes, also known as Chinese Mushrooms or Japanese Black Mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms have a pale brown to dark reddish brown cap that is generally two to four inches wide. The young mushrooms have an edge rolled inward, which nearly flattens out with age. The stems are tough and fibrous and are generally detached and discarded. The cap has creamy white gills on its underside and its flesh is firm and white. The mushroom grows in clusters on hardwood, such as oak, chestnut and beech. The flesh is meaty textured with a rich, smoky flavor and goes well with all foods. These mushrooms are supposed to be good for baby’s cartilage.

hoi kraeng หอยแครง Cockle
Anadara granosa and Anadara nodifera. Also known as arc shell and blood cockle.






hoi lai หอยลาย Clam
Paphia undulata, Undulated Surf Clam.






hom daeng หอมแดง Red Shallots










kha ข่า Galangal
Alphinia galangal, is a larger and lighter-colored relative of ginger and has its own distinctive taste.






kha min ขมิ้น Tumeric
Curcuma longa, is a small ginger with brown rhizones. Inside the flesh is bright orange








khing ขิง Ginger
Zingiber officinale, grows from underground stems, or rhisome. Mature ginger stems are buff-colored; young or fresh ginger, king awn ขิงอ่อน, is white and is eaten fresh and pickled, as well as cooked.






ma khuea thet มะเขือเทศ Tomato










ma prao มะพร้าว Coconut










no mai หน่อไม้ Bamboo Shoots








Phak bung thai ผักบุ้งไทย Thai Water Morning Glory, Thai Water Convolvulus Ipomoea Aquatica. Thai water convovulus is an annual aquatic plant that spreads its stems on the water surface. The stem is succulent, crisp, green in color and segmented. The leaves are heart-shaped and commonly used in kaeng teop, sour spicy soups, fried with pork, used in yen ta fo and eaten as a fresh vegetable with nam prik.



phak guang tungผักกวางตุ้ง Cantonese Vegetable
Literally, “Guangdong vegetable”, Guangdong is located in Canton, Chinese. Also know as yao choy, yu choi, edible rape, green choy sum or sarsun (in India). It has long stalks, skinny leaves, and yellow flowers. It is a little more bitter than bok choy

ton hom ต้นหอม Green Onions, Spring Onions









tua phak yao ถั่วฝักยาว Long Beans, Yard








tua ngok ถั่วงอก Bean Sprouts








ta khrai ตะไคร้ Lemongrass
Cymbopgon citratus, is an aromatic grey-green grass










phrik ki nu พริกขี้หนู Thai chiles
Capsicum minimum, small red or green fiery “bird” or mouse dropping chile.






phak kat chin ผักกาดจีน Chinese White Cabbage
Brassica pekinensis also called ผักกาดขาว, pak gaat kao. The leaves of Chinese cabage are light green and crinkly. Chinese cabbage is commonly used for soups, fried, or eaten as a raw vegetable with laab or nam prik.


phak kat ผักกาด Lettuce
I’ve also seen lettuce






phak khana ผักคะน้า Chinese broccoli, Chinese Kale
Brassica alboglabra, also known as as gai lohn, kai lan, and Chinese kale. The plant resembles regular broccoli, although the leaves appear to be a bit broader and the stems somewhat longer than broccoli. The flowers form first into diminutive heads and then elongate rapidly into flower stalks bearing yellow flowers.




tua pu ถั่วพู Wing Beans











ma khuea pro มะเขีอเปราะ Thai Eggplant Solanum melongena, also known as Brinjal, Thai eggplants are small and round and a a creamy white color with green stripes. They are eaten as a fresh vegetable with nam prik, or used in curry and in Gaeng Paa (Jungle Curry) แกงป่า



ma khuea fuang มะเขือพวง Pea Eggplant
Solanum torvum, small pea-sized green eggplants with smooth skin. The young fruit is eaten as a fresh vegetable, put in nam prik, or used in curry, green curry, and kaeng kai.





phak chi lao ผักชีลาว Dill
Literally “Laotian Cilantro“. Commonly seen with street food vendors to add a taste to soups.









hai maelang phu หอยแมลงภู่ Mussel
Perna viridis, green mussel, also called hoi maeng phu หอยแมงภู่, in Thai.







phak chi farang ผักชีฝรั่ง Stink Weed, Long Leaf Cilantro
Eryngium Foetidum. Stink Weed is an annual plant with a short clumpy stem. The leaves are long-shaped, about 3 to 4 inches and 1/2 inch wide with dark green, with jagged edges. They are smooth and have a pleasant fragrance and a characteristic slightly sour taste. The leaves are eaten as a fresh vegetable and used to give fragrance to foods.


phak chi ผักชี Cilantro
Coriandrum sativum, is of the parsley family. The leaves and stems are eaten fresh and used frequently as a garnish. The root and the seeds are ingredients in many dishes.