THAI FOOD INGREDIENTS 

Bean sauce sold in cans or jars, this spicy, thick sauce is made from crushed yellow or black soya beans, flour vinegar, salt and a selection of spices. It is used to intensify the flavor of many cooked dishes, and salt usually isn’t  needed after this is added. You might fine it labelled as salted black beans’. The sauce will keep almost indefinitely in its container at room temperature, unless you live in a hot, humid area, where it should be refrigerated  

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Bean-spouts Tiny, crunchy mung bean sprouts are added  to salads and stir-fries. Fresh sprouts, available from supermarkets, are best eaten on the day of purchase, although they can be kept in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for several days. Canned bean sprouts are sold but they have less texture and taste. 

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Chilli Paste made from ground roasted chilies and oil, this is sold in small jars, and may be simply labelled ‘ground chillies in oil’. The favor is concentrated and usually very hot, so only use a small amount at a time. It will keep indefinitely in a sealed container.

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Chilli sauce Thai cooks occasionally add this flavoring to other ingredients while they are cooking, but usually it is served  as a side dish for dipping crispy fried or grilled (broiled) foods into. Whenever. You prepare a Thai meal, be sure to put small bowls of chilli sauce on the table. Chilli sauce with varying degrees of heat are used throughout Asia, but in Thailand they tend to be slightly sweetened and have a clear, bright red appearance with small pieces of dried chillies. Numerous commercial brands are sold, and some oriental grocers make up their won recipe. You will often find bottles of Thai chilli sauce labelled as just chicken or fish sauce.

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Chillies, dried A good substitute for fresh chillies, these are generally added whole to other ingredients but sometimes a recipe will specify to halve them first. In either case, they are usually removed from a dish before it is served. Dried chillies should keep for up to a year in a cool, dark place. 

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Chillies, Fresh More than half a dozen of the world’s hottest chillies grow in Thailand, and it is tiny but searingly hot bird’s-eye chilli that produces much of the heat in Thai recipes. 
Chilli peppers com in a variety of colors and shapes with varying degrees of heat, but as a general rule, the smaller a chilli is, the hotter it will be. Many of the chillies regular used in Thai cooking are familiar to western  cooks and easily available – Anaheim, cayenne, jalapeno, new Mexican, Serrano and bird’s-eye chillies. if you are new to Thai cooking, use one of the milder chillies, such as the Anaheim, and then gradually replace wit with one of the hotter ones. Chopped fresh hot chillies can be replaced with chilli paste or chilli powder in recipes, but the result will be slightly different. Take care not to rub you eyes or mouth after you have prepared fresh chillies without first washing your hands.

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Coconut  In one form or another , coconut appears in most Thai meals, with the fresh meat used in both sweet and savory cookery for its characteristic flavor, when you buy a coconut, make sure it feels heavy for its size and has enough liquid inside that you can hear it sloshing around when you shake the coconut. An uncracked coconut will keep for about one month at room temperature. After you crack it open, keep the flesh, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to five days.

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Coconut milk Thai liquid is not the liquid found inside coconuts – that is called coconut water. Coconut milk, used to flavor meat and fish dishes, as well as desserts and drinks, is made from the white coconut flesh soaked in water or milk and then squeezed to extract all the flavor.
You can make your own coconut milk using a fresh coconut, or buy it in cans it is also possible to buy solid  bars of creamed coconut milk, which produce coconut milk when mixed with boiling water. Do not confuse coconut milk with coconut cream, or cream of coconut, a thick, sweet liquid used for cocktails.

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Coriander (cilantro) Both the roots and leaves of this fragrant herb are used in Thai dishes. The roots are usually added during the cooking process, while the leaves are more often used fresh for adding flavor to cooked dishes: the stems are also ground and used to make curry pastes. Although this is a member of the parsley family and looks similar to flat-leaf parsley, the flavor is very different, and the two herbs are not interchangeable. Coriander (cilantro) will keep in water for about fine days, or in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. 

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Curry leaves These look like bay leaves but are not as thick. They are highly aromatic when chopped, and are often included in slow-simmering dishes, such as curries, reflecting an Indian influence on Thai cuisine. Olive green in color, curry leaves are sold fresh or dried.

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Fish paste Made from fermented fish or shrimp and salt, this thick paste is used in small amounts because it is so strong. Anchovy paste makes a good substitute. 

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Fish sauce An essential staple throughout Thailand, this thin brown sauce with a pungent flavour is used as a seasoning during cooking and at the table, much like soy sauce is used in China and Japan. Consequently, very little salt is used in Thai cooking. Fish sauce is made by leaving fish and salt in large barrels and then leaving the mixture to ferment for about four months, when the liquid is poured off. You will usually finds bottles of this labeled with is Thai name – nam pla.

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Galangal Resembling fresh ginger root in appearance, this rhizome has pale yellow fresh and pink shoots. It is also known as Thai gingerm or loas. The root is not used alone, but usually ground and then combined with other ingredients to make the base of red or green curry pastes, or it is added to soups and steamed vegetables. Fresh and dried galangal are sold at Asian food stores. Store the fresh root in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

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Garlic A common ingredient in the Thai kitchen, garlic as also served pickled as a side dish or thinly sliced and deep-fried as a crispy garnish. Thai garlic bulbs tend to be smaller than be peeled before use, but peeling is necessary for western garlic, unless it is very young and tender. Store fresh garlic in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. 

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Kaffir lime leaves These are dark green, glossy leaves with a lemon-lime flavor that are used as bay leaves are used in western cooking. If you can’t find any substitute the finely pared rind of 1 lime.

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Lemon grass This aromatic plant, with its distinctive slight citrus fragrance and lemon flavor, looks like a fibrous spring onion (scallion) and is frequently included in Thai soups and stews. Only the stalk is used, and it should be bashed or split along its length to release all the flavor during cooking. It is then usually discarded before the dish is served. Some Asian shops also sell dried lemon grass.

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Limes Used for flavoring and garnishing, limes are an important ingredient in many Thai dishes.
 
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Oyster sauce Despite being made from dried oyster, this thick, rich brown sauce doesn't  have any hint of the flavor of oysters. Instead. It tastes  salty-sweet and is usually used to flavor stir-fries.It is sold in bottles, and once opened, it should be stored in the refrigerator.

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Pal sugar A thick, coarse brown sugar with a slightly caramel taste. It is sold in round cakes or in small round flat container. Soft dark brown or demerara sugar are good alternatives. 

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Rice vinegar This slightly sweet vinegar is less acidic than most western vinegars. Cider vinegar can be used as a substitute.

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Shrimp paste Similar to fish paste, but made exclusively with shrimp, this is is very pungent and should be used sparingly. Cooking transforms the off-putting odour, so shrimp paste is fried or roasted before it is combined with other ingredients. It is sold as a bar of fresh paste or as a ground powder. If you have the paste, store it in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container or its strong odour will permeate other foods.

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Tamarind One of the ingredients that gives Thai cuisine its special sweet and sour taste. The pulp of the tamarind tree is compressed into a dark-brown salb which needs to be soaked in boiling water before use to remove the fibers and seeds. Asian grocery stores sell tamarind paste and tamarind juice, both ready to use. Vinegar diluted with water or water can be used as substitute but neither the flavor nor color are exactly  the same.

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Tofu Also called bean curd, this creamy colored. mild-tasting ingredient is made from compressed soy beans. Available  plain or smoked, tofu is a good source of protein and ideal for vegetarian diets. It is useful for cooks as it absorbs the flavors of other ingredients it is cooked with. Pressed tofu can be cubed for stir-frying or cooking with other ingredients, while the softer, creamier silken tofu is used in dressings or dessert. Store tofu in the refrigerator in a bowl of water for about five days. Changing the water daily
 
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Water chestnuts sometimes sold fresh at Asian food stores, these are more commonly available canned. They add a crunchy texture and slightly sweet taste to dishes. Store like bamboo shoots.

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Wonton skins These are thin sheets of pale-colored dough used for wrapping around sweet and savory mixtures before they are fried or steamed. Filo or strudel pastries makes good alternatives.

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