Thai Cooking Guide: 20 Traditional Thai Ingredients

To cultivate a better understanding of Thai cuisine, start with these pantry staples, all of which you can find online or in Asian grocery stores:

1. 1. Chilies: Chilies (phrik) are integral to Thai cuisine, providing a lightning strike of clarity through the muggy, tropical South Asian heat. Chilies are used as condiments, seasoning, and as a component to even the most basic of curry pastes. Fiery bird’s eye chilies (phrik khi nu) come in both green and red varieties. Dried red chilies come in long, skinny forms (phrik chi fa) and as tiny, heat-packing sizes that fit in your palm (phrik haeng). You can substitute most in a pinch—green serrano peppers will work if you can’t find bird’s eye chilies, for example—but tracking down the real thing will prove how much multifaceted value each variety brings to the table.
2. 2. Fish paste: An appreciation for the elusive “fifth taste,” umami, is alive and well in Thai cuisine. The best way to build it is with fermented products. For delivering that unbeatable undercurrent of umami, nothing beats a few dashes of fish sauce (nam pla). Made from salted and fermented fish—strong-flavored fish like anchovies or mackerel that has been aged for up to two years—the high-quality fish sauce is simultaneously salty, sweet, and savory. Use it in marinades, dipping sauces, or dressings, or serve it as a condiment with chopped chilies alongside noodles or rice dishes.
   
3. 3. Shrimp paste: Pungent, salted shrimp paste (kapi) is a powerhouse of flavor and acts as a building block for curry pastes or seasoning in dishes like fried rice.
4. 4. Dried shrimp: Tiny, dime-sized dried shrimp (kung haeng) are mixed into curry paste or ground in a mortar and pestle for green papaya salad. Equal parts crunchy and chewy, dried shrimp are also an integral seasoning in Chinese, Korean, Burmese, and Vietnamese cooking.
5. 5. Oyster sauce: Oyster sauce (nam man hoi), a thick, sweet, and salty sauce made from caramelized oyster liquor, is most commonly found in the cuisine of central Thailand, where Chinese influences are most prevalent. Use it to lend a boost of brine when glazing stir-fried meats and vegetables like broccoli or eggplant.
   
6. 6. Coconut: Coconut is among the first ingredients that come to mind when people think of Thai food. The mellow fruit provides a lush texture to curries and soups, and its fatty, dairy-esque cooling properties restore balance to even the spiciest of dishes. The use of coconut is less common in Northerneastern Thailand’s cuisine. For example, in Isan, the fresh, lighter cooking style is best exemplified by its green papaya salads (yam) and barbecue.
7. 7. Spices and spice blends: While chilies deliver heat, spices round out how we experience that heat. Whole coriander seeds, white peppercorns, ground turmeric, black cardamom, cumin, fennel seed, and curry powder all play a role in building the seamless tour de force of any Thai dish. Spices lose their pungency the longer they sit, so stock the freshest jars you can, and avoid buying in bulk unless you have plans to use all of the spices.
8. 8. Soy sauce: Thai cooking utilizes three different soy sauces—light, sweet, and dark. Light soy sauce, also known as thin soy sauce, is the most commonly used soy sauce in Thai cooking. Thai soy sauce is used as a dipping sauce for dishes like khao man gai, poached chicken with rice. Sweet soy sauce is a major component in stir-fries and noodle dishes, while dark soy sauce imparts color and a light sweetness into dishes like pad see ew.
9. 9. Tamarind: Tamarind juice (or its thick, sticky paste) is a secret weapon when it comes to seasoning: The flavor of this pod fruit—sweet, sour, and with a little bit of tangy funk—does the same work of lime and sugar, with more complexity. Use tamarind as a finishing touch on curries or soups, or incorporate it into a marinade for meat: The acidity will tenderize the meat in a similar way to citrus juice. To make your tamarind liquid, soak and strain makham piak, fresh tamarind pulp, which is sold in tightly-wrapped blocks.
10. 10. Curry paste: Thai curries are among the best vehicles for flavor because of their strong foundation: A blend of herbs, spices, and roots like galangal, which combine to become curry paste. While many Thai cooks make their own curry pastes, jarred varieties are a good way to become familiar with their distinct flavor profiles. Green curry paste is typically a blend of green chilies and garlic for heat, shallots, and galangal for a touch of allium and gingery sweetness and bright aromatics and striking color, lemongrass, Makrut lime leaves, and Thai sweet basil. Red curry swaps the green chilies for prik haeng, dried hot red chilies, and incorporates shrimp paste and spices like coriander seeds and black peppercorn. Yellow curry gets its sunny color from turmeric and curry powder, which also lends the base blend of galangal, garlic, and chilies a subtle sweetness, tempering the heat.
11. 11. Lemongrass: Aromatics like lemongrass are half the appeal of any dish, whether by imbuing it with flavors too subtle to fully pinpoint or rising through the air in enticing curls of steam. Lemongrass, a woody, fragrant, citrusy stalk used to flavor soups, is a perennial grass that grows in tropical climates. The tender, white core of the stalk is desired for its distinct citrus flavor and is a common ingredient in Thai, Indian, Indonesian, and Vietnamese cooking. Its lemony flavor stands up to prolonged cooking, making it perfect for slow-cooked stews and curries.
12. 12. Galangal: Also known as “lesser ginger,” galangal (kha) is the milder cousin of the spicy rhizome. Galangal, which also has a papery skin that must be peeled away before using, brings a peppery, citrus-like zing to soups like tom kha and stir-fries.
13. 13. Turmeric root: Just like knobs of fresh ginger root, it features a thin inedible skin that’s easily peeled away to reveal an electric orange flesh with the consistency of fine, wet bark. Cooking with fresh turmeric extracts more of its lively, peppery essence.
14. 14. Makrut lime leaves: Makrut lime leaves are a step down from lemongrass, intensely fragrant in a restrained way, perfect for adding a hint of lime flavor to soups.
15. 15. Palm sugar: Thai food often relies on the relationships between sugar, acid, and heat. Palm sugar, made from the sap of coconut palms, is typical of southern Thai dishes, while northern regions rely more on brown sugar made from sugarcane. (Neither results in an overpowering sweetness like white sugar, but instead lends a smoky, butterscotch character to desserts and sauces.)
16. 16. Sticky rice: Like most Asian cuisines, rice (khao) is a staple component of any meal. Sticky rice, also known as glutinous rice or sweet rice, is the preferred side-dish rice in Northern and Northeastern Thailand and Laos, where cooked rice is used as a vehicle for all kinds of savory dishes and desserts like khao niaow ma muang, mango sticky rice served with coconut custard and fresh mango. Sticky rice varieties from Laos and Northern Thailand tend to have a longer grain and more floral scent than Japanese varieties.
17. 17. Jasmine rice: Jasmine rice is softer, thicker, and more clingy than other kinds of aromatic rice like basmati. Jasmine rice is the perfect side dish for all types of Thai foods, including grilled or ground meats and spicy curries. The stickiness and sweetness of jasmine rice make it a great addition to stir-fried vegetables and stands up well to a stew. (Due to its soft texture, it may not be the best choice for fried rice.)
18. 18. Noodles: Dried rice noodles are a crucial ingredient in any Thai pantry: Keep wide, flat rice noodle varieties for substantial stir-fries, and thinner rice noodles for dishes like pad thai, soups, or chilled salads with peanut sauce. Thai cuisine also features egg noodles, cellophane noodles, and bean thread noodles.
19. 19. Cilantro: Herbs are not just for garnishes in Thai cuisine—they provide a fresh note to the complex symphony taking place in every dish. Cilantro, whether finely minced into a curry paste, or served atop curries, noodles, or stir-fries, lends a cooling, grassy brightness. If you can find it, cilantro root can also be used to add the herb’s signature floral essence to soups and stews.
20. 20. Thai basil: This type of basil, which comes with both green and purple leaves, is more pungent than the Genovese basil used to top pizzas, with a sweetness tinged with earthy, savory bite. A variety called “holy basil” is also frequently used, which has more noticeable licorice or anise flavor. Learn more about Thai basil.

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