Thai Food Pictures - Popular thai food with pictures and recipes

HERBS & SPICES PICTURE & INFORMATION

--Inside Stuff - Herbs and spices that make up Thai Cuisines.--

Chilli: "Phrik" in Thai - picture and information
Chilli is an erect, branched, shrub-like herb with fruits used as garnishing and flavouring in Thai dishes. There are many different species. All contain capsaicin, a biologically active ingredient beneficial to the respiratory system, blood pressure and heart. Other therapeutic uses include being a stomachic, carminative and antiflatulence agent, and digestant.

Dried Chilli: "Phrik Haeng" in Thai - picture and information
Phrik Haeng is fully ripened, red spur chillies dried either in the sun or by smoking. They may be large or small, depending on the variety of spur chilli used. They are prepared by removing the seeds, soaking in water, and then pounding in a mortar. Bright red dried chillies should be selected for the color they lend chilli pastes. Smoked chillies are darker in color.

Ground Dried Chilli: "Phrik Pon" in Thai - picture and information
There are two types of Phrik Pon : ground spur chilli and ground hot chilli, the former being less hot than the latter. Both are dried and pan roasted before being ground, and are put up for sale in plastic bag. It is best to buy small quantities because, if kept long, the aroma is lost. Dried chilli is used in spicy chopped meat salads, spicy salads, sour and spicy soups, and in sauces. It is also a table condiment, used by Thai in the way Westerners use pepper.

Coriander - Coriandrum sativum: "PHAK CHI" in Thai - picture and information
Phak Chi is of the parsley family. The leaves and stems are eaten fresh and used frequently as a garnish. The root (rak phak chi) and the seeds (met phak chi) are ingredients in many dishes. The root is taken from the fresh plant. The seeds which are roughly spherical, 2-4 cm in diameter, a little smaller than pepper, and range color from off-white to brown, have a pleasant taste and fragrance. They can be bought in the market. It is better to roast and grind seeds immediately before use than to buy ground seed.

Cumin: "Yi-ra" in Thai - picture and information
Cumin is a small shrubbery herb, the fruit of which contains a 2-4% volatile oil with a pungent odour, and which is used as a
flavouring and condiment. Cumin's therapeutic properties manifest as a stomachic, bitter tonic, carminative, stimulant and astringent.

Pepper: "Phrik-Thai" in Thai - picture and information
Pepper is a branching, perennial climbing plant from whose fruiting spikes both white and black pepper are obtained. Used as a spice and condiment, pepper contains a 2-4% volatile oil. Therapeutic uses are as carminative, antipyretic, diaphoretic and diuretic agents.

Fresh pepper is also used in many of Thai dishes. Fresh pepper is green and has a little stronger smell but a little less hot.
Used as a spice and condiment, Prik Thai contains 2 to 4% volatile oil. Therapeutic uses are as carminative, antipyretic, diaphoretic and diuretic agents.

Galanga: "Kha" in Thai - picture and information
Greater Galanga is an erect annual plant with aromatic, ginger-like rhizomes, and commonly used in Thai cooking as a flavouring. The approximately 0.04 volatile oil content has therapeutic uses as carminative, stomachic, antirheumatic and antimicrobial agents.

Garlic: "Kra-thiam" in Thai - picture and information
Garlic is an annual herbaceous plant with underground bulbs comprising several cloves. Dried mature bulbs are used as a flavouring and condiment in Thai cuisine. The bulbs contain a 0.1-0.36% garlic oil and organic sulfur compounds. Therapeutic uses are as an antimicrobial, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, antiflatulence and cholesterol lowering agents.

Ginger: "Khing" in Thai - picture and information
Ginger is an erect plant with thickened, fleshy and aromatic rhizomes. Used in different forms as a food, flavouring and spice. Ginger's rhizomes contain a 1-2% volatile oil. Ginger's therapeutic uses are as a carminative, antinauseant and antiflatulence agent.

Turmeric: "Kha-min" in Thai - picture and information
Turmeric is a member of the ginger family, and provides yellow colouring for Thai food. The rhizomes contain a 3-4% volatile oil with unique aromatic characteristics. Turmeric's therapeutic properties manifest as a carminative, antiflatulence and stomachic.

Hoary Basil: "Maeng-lak" in Thai - picture and information
Hoary Basil is an annual herbaceous plant with slightly hairy and pale green leaves, eaten either raw or used as a flavouring, and containing approximately 0.7% volatile oil. Therapeutic benefits include the alleviation of cough symptoms, and as diaphoretic and carminative agents.

Sweet Basil: "Ho-ra-pha" in Thai - picture and information
Sweet Basil is an annual herbaceous plant, the fresh leaves of which are either eaten raw or used as a flavouring in Thai cooking. Volatile oil content varies according to different varieties. Therapeutic properties are as carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant, digestant and stomachic agents.

Holy Basil: "Ka-phrao" in Thai - picture and information
Sacred Basil is an annual herbaceous plant that resembles Sweet Basil but has narrower and often times reddish-purple leaves. The fresh leaves, which are used as a flavouring, contain approximately 0.5% volatile oil, which exhibits antimicrobial activity, specifically as a carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant and stomachic.

Kafffir: "Ma-krut" in Thai - picture and information
The leaves, peel and juice of the Kaffir Lime are used as a flavouring in Thai cuisine. The leaves and peel contain a volatile oil. The major therapeutic benefit of the juice is as an appetiser.

(No Common English Name): Krachai inThai - picture and information
This erect annual plant with aromatic rhizomes and yellow-brown roots, is used as a flavouring. The rhizomes contain approximately 0.8% volatile oil. The plant has stomachache relieving and antimicrobial properties, and therapeutic benefits as an antitussive and antiflatulence agent.

Lemon Grass: "Ta-khrai" in Thai - picture and information
This erect annual plant resembles a coarse grey-green grass. Fresh leaves and grass are used as flavouring. Lemongrass contains a 0.2-0.4 volatile oil. Therapeutic properties are as a diurectic, emmanagogue, antiflatulence, antiflu and antimicrobial agent.

Lime: "Ma-nao" in Thai - picture and information
Lime is used principally as a garnish for fish and meat dishes. The fruit contains Hesperidin and Naringin , scientifically proven antiinflammatory flavonoids. Lime juice is used as an appetiser, and has antitussive, antiflu, stomachic and antiscorbutic properties.

Marsh Mint: "Sa-ra-nae" in Thai - picture and information
The fresh leaves of this herbaceous plant are used as a flavouring and eaten raw in Thai cuisine. Volatile oil contents give the plant several therapeutic uses, including carminative, mild antiseptic, local anaesthetic, diaphoretic and digestant properties.

Shallot: "Hom,Hom-lek,Hom-daeng" in Thai - picture and information
Shallots, or small red onions, are annual herbaceous plants. Underground bulbs comprise garlic-like cloves. Shallot bulbs
contain a volatile oil, and are used as flavouring or seasoning agents. Therapeutic properties include the alleviation of stomach discomfort, and as an antihelmintic, antidiarrhoeal, expectorant, antitussive, diuretic and antiflu agents.

Granite Mortar Pestle: "Khrok" in Thai - picture and information
Used for grining and mixing up various Thai food ingredients. Also used to make "Som Tam" fun to watch the hawkers go about their business. Needs a little practice or you could get your fingers hurt.

Recommended Dishes

Starter

Satay (Barbecue pork or chicken Thai style)

Som Tam Malakor (Papaya Salad)

Yam Thale Rod Ded (Prawns, mussels, crab and squid in spicy salad)

Poppya Thod (Thai Spring Rolls)

Thod Man Pla (Curried Fish Cakes)

Curries

Kaeng Ka-Ree Kung (Prawn Yellow Curry)

Kaeng Matsaman Kai (Chicken Matsaman Curry)

Kaeng Khiao Wan Nuea

Soups