Thai Herbs and Spices
Garlic, kra-thiam, Thai garlic has small cloves covered with a peel that is not tough. Its fragrance is stronger than that of large-cloved garlic. In making fried garlic, the peel is usually not removed entirely so that only the flesh remains. Some of the peel is left on the clove, for it is in the peel that the fragrance resides.
Coriander, phak chi, 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.
Phak chi farang, is a plant with long, narrow leaves, measuring about 3-4 inches long and about 1/2 inch across. The margins of the leaf are toothed. Phak chi farang is used in savory meat salads (lap) and is also a fragrance all these dishes. It has eaten fresh with its own.
Ginger, khing, Zingiber officinale, grows from an underground stem, or rhisome. Mature ginger stems are buff colored; young or fresh ginger, khing on, is white and is eaten fresh and pickled as well as cooked.
Galangal, kha, Alpinia galangal,is a larger and lighter-colored relative of ginger and has its own distinctive taste.
Mint leaves, sa-ra-nae, Thai mint leaves are round, not thick, hairless, and slightly wavy. The stem tends to be dark red. It is easy to grow, and Thais commonly plant it in pots kept near the kitchen, where it can always be easily gathered.
Lemon grass, ta-khrai, Cymbopgon citratus, is an aromatic grey - green grass. The bases of the stems are used in cookery.