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Herbs:
Some of the herbs used are cilantro or coriander, and basil which though locally available in a few varieties, we may use the one locally available. Mostly used liberally and in the fresh form rather than dried or crushed.Palm sugar:
Know in thai as namtam peep, this is a dark brown sugar made from the coconut palm flowers. It comes in hard solid blocks, and one can cut off amount required, then pound or grate it.Cane sugar and refined sugar are also extensively used.
Kaffir limes and leaves:
Kaffir lime leaves are extensively used, giving that woody citrusy flavour to dishes. If not available one may substitute with regular lime leaves and fruit. Kaffir limes however, are used for their rind, since they are very dry inside. The zest is very highly aromatic. Regular fruit and rind may be used if inavailable.Kaffir lime leaves may be frozen or dried for future use, or even kept green by standing leafy twigs in water in a sunny windowsill.Rice:
Rice forms a fundamental, staple ingredient of thai cuisine. It is also the staple food. Thais normally use the fragrant jasmine rice, which has a peculiar flowery aroma. One may substitute with long grain rice like basmati.Another rice used is the sticky rice which needs to be first soaked and then cooked. Rice is also used in flour form to make rice noodles and batters.
Tamarind fruit and leaves:
Tamarind is used in much the same fashion as elsewhere, in the form of ripe fruit, deseeded and compressed, in a gooey paste or pulp or soaked and liquid extracted. It is commercially available in all the forms. The leaves are used in thai and other asian cooking, but if inavailable elsewhere, may be omitted.Durian:
This is a colossal fruit, a giant in itself, having a leathery brown skin, which is rough and has spikes. A good sized durian could weigh anything between 10-12 lbs. It has a strong permeating odour, which could get quite suffocating if over-ripe. But it is best when just a little underripe. Can be quartered the creamy flesh can scooped and eaten. The seeds are often roasted and eaten or used in some recipes. However, it is not a fruit one may be able to finish alone!!!Christophenes:
This is a pear shape vegetable, looks also much like one. It is however bigger and has a more tough skin, with some soft thorns around the base at times. It grows on creepers, is mostly of east asian origin, and Is used in a variety of dishes. It is also called cho- cho, or chowchow, and cats' paw, since the shape resembles a felin paw, especially at the wide base which folds in to look like a paw.It may be substituted with a variety of marrows or bottle gourd if inavailable.
Thai Ingredients's Index
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