thai food herbs & spices

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Common herbs and spices used in Thai food

1. Lemon grass - asian herb with distinctive citrus bouquet that contributes to the bright lemon flavour to dishes

2. Kaffir lime leaf - when torn or finely shreded, added the perfumed aroma and flavour no lime or citrus fruit can match (One of the main ingredient in Tom Yam soup)

3. Thai basil - Intensely aromatic dark green leaves with purplish flower head plant that is commonly used to stir-fried with chicken/beef or added into the curry

4. Coriander - the leaves are used as garnish; the root is crush together with garlic and black pepper for use in seasoning; the seed is used as one of the spices in thai curry

5. Chilli - more than 2 dozen varieties found in Southeast Asia and for thai food it is normally roasted gently until crisp then ground to coarse powder to be used as condiment

3 things you should know about asia herb and spice 

1. Herbs and spices used in Thai cooking are normally pungent in flavour and intensely aromatic

2. Chilli, lemongrass and coriander are the inseparable part of Thai cuisine

3. Authentic thai food is not for the fainthearted

P.S. If you learn just one thing from this page... 

Quick introduction of Herbs and Spices commonly used in Thai cooking.

What are the spices used in Curry? 

What are the spices used in Curry?
The name curry is originated from the Tamil (language spoken in Southern India) word 'Karhi'. It means Indian food cooked with sauce.Curry spice mixtures varies by different regions of Asia (e.g. India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand) depending on styles of cooking adopted.Blend

Lemon grass 

Lemon grass is a perennial tufted plant with long, sharp-edged leaves. It grows in dence clumps in sunny climates with some rainfall.

Aroma & Flavour - Distinctive citrus bouquet that contributes to the bright lemon flavour to dishes

Culinary Use - Featured in many dishes including soups, stir-fries, curries and pickles

How does the Lemon Grass plant looks like 

If you have never seen a lemon grass plant, it is as shown in the picture. This plant can be grown easily in tropical climate and it do not need much cares to prosper.

Besides, its wide usage in thai foods, it can also be used as the natural mosquito repellent due to its strong aroma. You just simply need to cut away the tips of the leaves for the aroma to be released

Kaffir lime leaf and zest 

The kaffir lime is a dark green, warty skin lime found in Southeast asia. It is valued for its zest and marvellous perfumed leaf that no other lime or citrus fruit can match.

The kaffir lime leaves are torn and finely shreded to add distinctive flavour to soups and curries in Thai cuisine like Tom Yam soup; and Malaysia/Singapore Nyonya style curries and cooking.

A taste of Kaffir lime leaf and Lemongrass

Tom Yam Soup is the signature Thai dish that feature the distinct flavour of Kaffir lime leaf and Lemon grass

Recipe of Tom Yam Soup 

Hot and Sour soup with seafood

Ingredients
- 625g mixed seafood such as raw prawns, squid, white fish fillet, scallops and mussels
- 900 ml Seafood Stock
- 3 lemon grass stalks (bruised)
- 5 coriander roots (bruised)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 125g straw or mixed mushroom
- 1 onion (quartered)
- 4-5 red and green chillies (slightly crushed)
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 5 kaffir lime leaves (torn or shreded)
- 3 tablespoons lime/lemon juice

Steps
1. Prepare the mixed seafood
2. Put the stock, lemon grass, coriander and fish sauce in a saucepan and heat to boiling point
3. Reduce the heat, add seafood and cook for 2 minutes
4. Add the mushrooms, onion, chillies, tomatoes, kaffir lime leaves and lime/lemon juice
5. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, taking care not to let the tomatoes lose their shape
6. Turn into a serving bowl, garnish with a few kaffir lime leaves and serve

"Tom Yam Soup is one of my favourite Thai dish"

Chilli 

There are more than 2 dozen varieties of chillies found in Southeast Asia. They comes in different sizes

In Asian food, green (unripe), red (ripe) and dried chillies are used

Where does the "hotness" of chillies come from?
You might have taught it is the seeds, but in fact, it is from the placenta (the pithy white part of the fruit to which the seeds are attached)

Hence, removing both seeds and placenta will reduce the hotness of chillies

Is Bigger chilli Hotter?

In fact, it is the other way round. The smaller the chilli, the hotter it is!

Basil 

Basil is found commonly in Thai cooking. It is normally used to stir-fried with chicken/beef or added into the curry.

In Thailand, these intensely aromatic dark green with purplish flower head plants are often eaten raw as a herb or nibbled with raw vagetables and spicy dip.

There are a few varieties of basil found in Souteast Asia like Sweet Basil, Lemon Basil, "Holy" Basil which are used varying in different Thai dishes

Coriander 

Raw coriander leaves are widely used as granish and flavouring in Thai and Chinese foods.

The coriander root is crushed together with garlic and black pepper to be used as basic seasoning for some of the Thai food.

Besides the leaves, coriander seed is claimed to be the most commonly used spice in Asian food. They are present in almost all blends of curries.

Photos of Thai Dishes 

Brian by Jonathan Clay

Brian

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20091203IMG_0008

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by VickyEllis

I am an "Ang Moh" (Asian term for Caucasian) who has been living in Singapore for many years. I love the fascinating Asian culture, food and interesti... (more)

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