thai herbs

What herbs are used in Thai food?

Common Thai Herbs You Need to Know More About

Basil (horapha, ka prao) The basil family is one of the most common herbs in Thai cooking, as it's put in almost every dish. ...
Cinnamon (ob choei) ...
Thai Chilli (prik khi nu) ...
Chilli (Prik chi fa) ...
Cloves (kanphlu) ...
Coriander root (rak phak chee) ...
Cumin (yira) ...
Galangal (kha)

What are the main herbs and spices in Thai cuisine?

A Complete Guide for Thai Herbs and Spices

Cinnamon (Ob-choey) Everybody knows cinnamon, as it's one of the most popular spices in the world. ...
Coriander Root (Rak-pak-chee) ...
Coriander Seeds (Look-pak-chee) ...
Cumin (Yee-rah) ...
Ginger (Khing) ...
Garlic (Kra-tiam) ...
Green Peppercorns (Prik-thai-orn) ...
Holy Basil (Bai ka-prow)

What is Thai herb?

Thai herbs are the partner of Thai spices and another prime piece of the jigsaw of cooking excellent Thai food. ... Herbs do not generally add spiciness to a dish though there is some overlap as certain spices, vegetables, and fruits are sometimes referred to as herbs.

What spices go in Thai food?

Apart from cilantro, the most commonly used spice and herbs are turmeric, peppercorns, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, lemon grass, sweet basil and a ginger-like root called kha (galangal). Chiles are also a mainstay and play a major role in an endless assortment of spicy, hot and very hot curries, dips and salads.

Is turmeric used in Thai cooking?

Turmeric is frequently used in Thai curries and other savory dishes. Yellow curries get their color from turmeric. Thai yellow curry paste is made with turmeric and used in recipes for meat, seafood, vegetables, noodles, and soups.

What are common ingredients in Thai food?

5 Essential Ingredients of Thai Cooking

Allium Vegetables. Allium vegetables like shallots, onions, scallions, and garlic frequently appear in Thai dishes and are often the star of the show. ...
Coconut Milk. Coconut milk is a required component in many Thai dishes, and there is no appropriate substitute for it. ...
Chiles. ...
Fish Sauce. ...
Fresh Herbs.

Is there cilantro in Thai food?

Cilantro Leaves (coriander) are seen often as a garnish with many Thai dishes. It is indispensable for Tom yam soup. As heat diminishes their flavor, coriander leaves are often used raw or added to the dish immediately before serving. ... (see Rak phak chi) They are commonly used in Thai soups and curry pastes.

Is garlic used in Thai cooking?

Garlic is the key ingredient of Thai food. ... Deep fried dishes are marinated with garlics. Curry and chili paste, of course, have lots of garlics in it. We also eat them raw mostly with Kao Man Gai (Chicken Rice) and Kao Ka Moo (Stewed Pork Rice).

What makes Thai food unique?

What makes Thai food so different from other cuisines is its use of contrasting flavors. Thai food often pairs hot spices with sweet, light citrus flavors like lime and mango. The signature peanut sauce is somewhere between sweet and savory and adds depth to any dish.

Is Thai food spicy?

Authentic Thai food is known to be spicy because it uses some of the hottest chilies and spices you can find. ... If you can't handle food with too much heat, you can still enjoy Thai cuisine by choosing non-spicy dishes. Most Thai restaurants allow you to choose the level of spicy you want in your meal.

What spice makes Thai food spicy?

Many of Thailand's most popular dishes contain one, if not several ingredients that make them spicy. This stinging, tingling sensation is most often caused by a combination of chili peppers, ginger, garlic, and peppercorn. Chili peppers are popular around the world.

Are tomatoes used in Thai cooking?

Many Thais refer to them as 'makhua som' , which roughly means sour tomato. The sour flavor complements the Thai foods they're used in. You can easily substitute regular cherry tomatoes for the Thai ones in our Thai food recipes that call for them. The taste will be a little different, but still delicious.

What oil is used in Thai cooking?

Oil is required for nearly all Thai dishes. Thai cooks commonly use coconut oil, palm oil, peanut oil, or soybean oil; traditionally, lard was also used in Thai cooking. These types of oil are low-smoke, as is desirable for frying or grilling, and they do not break down quickly.

Is soy sauce used in Thai cooking?

Light Soy Sauce (or Thin Soy Sauce) – This is the most common soy sauce used in Thai cooking. This is not the same as low-sodium, but it has a light color and more delicate flavor than other brands of soy sauce (like the Kikkoman soy sauce that is common at most grocery stores / Japanese restaurants).

How do you heat up Thai food?

If you're trying to spice something up while you're cooking it, add dried whole hot peppers, minced fresh hot peppers, or powdered dried hot peppers of any variety you like. (Thai cooking usually uses a particular "birds-eye" pepper, but you can substitute others without there being a big difference.)

Does Thai curry have turmeric?

As in traditional Indian curry, Thai yellow curry includes turmeric as one of the vital ingredients, giving the curry its typical golden-yellow hue. ... In addition to the turmeric, curry powder is pounded combined with coriander seeds, cumin, lemongrass, galangal or ginger, garlic, and yellow or red chili.

What is turmeric good for seasoning?

A natural in curries, turmeric brings warm flavors to any curry or stew. When you sauté the vegetables in oil, add in 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric. Add a color pop to rice dishes by adding ½ teaspoon turmeric to the water when cooking the rice.

Is tumeric in Curry?

Curry powder is a mixture of spices with a bright golden hue and a complex flavor. It can be made with a variety of spices, usually including turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, and chili pepper. Other common additions are ginger, black pepper, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and fennel seeds.

Is there soy in Thai food?

Asian cuisines, from Japanese and Chinese to Thai and Korean, vary in flavor but share several of the big eight allergens as ingredients, in particular, peanuts, fish and shellfish, soy and eggs. ... The legumes are used for flavoring, thickening, and garnishing many dishes, such as pad thai rice noodles.

Is there soy in Thai curry?

Thai green curry is traditionally seasoned with fish sauce, but since this recipe is vegetarian, it calls for soy sauce instead. This dish is gluten free as long as you use a gluten-free soy sauce, like tamari.

Is Thai food healthy?

Traditional Thai cuisine is quite healthy and largely based on vegetables, lean proteins, and fresh herbs and spices. Certain Thai dishes are high in refined carbs and may contain deep-fried foods, added sugar, or high amounts of salt.