Guide to Herbs and Spices in Thai Cooking

There are around a dozen types of chillies used in Thai cooking. Each of them varies in size, colour and spice levels. They are used as both ingredients and as a garnish when plating food. Chop up a few to add some heat to your dish, or bash them into a nam prik or a curry paste. Remove the seeds and white inner flesh if you can't handle the heat.

Check out these Chilli Lime Prawn Skewers for a spicy Thai recipe.

These little red onions are used in practically every Thai dish. They add a slight sweetness along with pungency to any dish. In fact, Thais are so fond of shallots that shallots are even served as a light salad snack thinly sliced and paired with cucumber, chillies, sugar and vinegar. They are also readily available deep fried to be used as a garnish and to add flavour to dishes.

Shallots form the base of any good Thai curry paste. Get this Thai recipe for Green Curry Paste.

A cousin to ginger, galangal lends a zingy, spicy, fragrant, herbal element to Thai dishes, such as curries and tom kha gai. Galangal is available fresh, but you can find it dried and powdered too. Preparing fresh galangal is the same deal with ginger; peel off the skin and slice or mince the galangal to add to your dish.

Try out our Thai recipe for Tom Yum Soup with Prawns!

Both sweet basil and Thai basil are used in Thai cooking. Sweet basil is used largely for flavouring as a garnish, while Thai basil adds flavour and aroma when used in cooking. Sweet basil is most commonly used in hot and spicy dishes with meat.

Get our vegan-friendly, plant-based Thai recipe for Vegan Thai Green Curry.

Lemongrass is a core ingredient in Thai cuisine. The lower part of the stalk is used for its citrusy aromatic flavour, and is often ground to a fine paste to be used in curries and soups.

What's better than our Thai recipe for Fried Chicken with Lemongrass?

Similar to lemon zest, kaffir lime leaves, when added at the end of cooking a dish, add zing and zest. It is critical not to cook the leaves though, because the flavour dissipates quickly when added to oil. If you have any left over, simply pop them in the freezer to use another time.

Get our authentic Thai recipe for Thai Panang Chicken Curry!

Zest and zing are a big part of Thai food and therefore the last must-have ingredient in your Thai kitchen is mint. The leaves are used as a vegetable in Thai cooking, while it can be used to flavour a salad or as a garnish for a dish. Mint leaves can also be served as a side dish with other salad vegetables.

You'll love our recipe for Larb Gai!