Rice

Of course any rice will do, but to enjoy the most authentic Thai flavor, I suggest Jasmine rice. It is much more fragrant than regular rice. If you are going to go to the trouble to make Thai food, Jasmine rice is the perfect choice. White Jasmine or brown Jasmine are both delicious.

Portions: As a general rule measure out 1/2 cup of uncooked rice per person. For our family, however, I use 3⁄4 cup per person, because we eat rice like Asians do. When eating Thai food with rice, make a nice thick bed of rice on your plate and put your curry, stir-fry or salad on top.

Sticky Rice

Sticky rice is a different type of rice, often called glutinous rice, or sweet rice. Figure about one cup of uncooked rice per person, as sticky rice does not swell as much as regular rice. It is eaten with the fingers by pinching off a bite sized amount, squeezing it in the hand to make a ball, then dipping it in peanut sauce or other Thai dipping sauce. It is also used in Thai desserts, adding coconut milk and sugar, such as the famous Sweet Sticky Rice and Mangoes. Cooking instructions are found on page 26 of Tastefully Thai cookbook.

Rice Noodles

​Rice noodles, used in Pad Thai, come in packages similar to the ones on the left. There are many different brands, some from Korea and other Asian countries, but any brand will do. Rice noodles come in many different widths. For Pad Thai look for 1/4-inch wide or less. Use wider noodles for Fried Noodles with Broccoli and Drunken Noodles. These noodles need to be soaked in cold water for several hours or even overnight, or in warm water for at least one hour until they are rubbery. They will finish cooking in the wok.

Vermicelli or glass noodles

​Vermicelli noodles, also called glass noodles, cellophane noodles or bean thread noodles, are made from the starch of mung beans. The noodles are white when uncooked and clear after they have been cooked. They cook quickly and are gluten free. To cook them simply place them in a bowl, cover them with boiling water and let them sit 5–10 minutes. For shorter, easier to eat noodles use scissors to snip them in several places while they are still in the water.

Crunchy Chinese Noodles

​These crunchy noodles are used as a garnish for Chiangmai Noodle Curry. They are the wrong shape for a truly authentic dish, but they have the right crunch and flavor, so it’s the best substitute I could come up with. Just do not open the bag while you are cooking, because they are extremely addicting. Alternatively, you can buy fresh wonton noodles and fry them in oil to make the crunchy noodles for the top of the soup. That is how it is done in Thailand. See page 28 of Tastefully Thai cookbook for instructions on how to make these.

Oils

​Any kind of oil can be used in Thai food. Vegetable oil, which is mostly soybean oil, and canola oil, which comes from rapeseed, are fine in Thai food. Some people prefer olive oil for its health benefits. Extra virgin olive oil is not as tolerant of high heat as soybean or canola. It also may change the flavor of the dish. I prefer to choose a lighter olive oil than extra virgin, but my favorite oil to use in Thai cooking is coconut oil. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature so it is harder to work with than liquid oil but worth the flavor and is better for you than soybean and canola oils. Look for an unrefined coconut oil of good quality.

Rice Wrappers for Spring Rolls

​Rice wrappers are very unusual. They feel like plastic when they come out of the package but quickly soften in warm water. They are opaque when rehydrated. They really do not have any flavor of their own but make the perfect “container” for other delicious components. There are many fillings you could put in these wrappers as a take-along lunch. Be careful how you pack them though, because they will stick to each other and then tear when pulling them apart. I found it best to use wax paper to separate them. Using a wooden cutting board to roll them can also be frustrating, as they stick to it. Rolling them on a plate or counter top is much better.

Spring Roll Wrappers

​These wrappers are used for fried spring rolls. They are made with flour. I find them in the freezer section of the Asian grocery store, but they may also be found in the refrigerated section. If they are frozen allow them to thaw to room temperature before using.

Fish Sauce

​Fish sauce is one of those staple ingredients that you will need to have in your pantry for 95% of the Thai food that you make. Thai food is just not authentic without fish sauce. Some people substitute soy sauce because they can’t stand the smell of fish sauce. I do not recommend smelling it or drinking it for that matter! Pictured here are a couple of brands that I use regularly, but there are many others. Look for a clear brown color. Make sure you check the expiration date. Fish sauce should not be refrigerated. If it is kept cold salt crystals can form on the bottom. Fish sauce is made of anchovies, water, salt and sugar. This is what gives your food the salt it needs.

Oyster Sauce

​Oyster sauce is another essential ingredient in many Thai dishes; mostly stir-fried dishes. It has a sweet flavor and a thick consistency. It is a must for Stir-fried vegetables and Chicken and Cashews as well as a host of other dishes. It is never used alone, but is combined with soy sauce or fish sauce or both.

Soy Sauce

​Soy sauce is another one of those ingredients that you will need to have on hand for making Thai food. Although any soy sauce will do, I will tell you that I do have a favorite and that is Healthy Boy brand. I like the mushroom soy sauce the best. It has a different flavor than any other soy sauce I have tried, and I recommend looking for it when you shop at Asian grocery stores. I have never refrigerated this sauce, although the bottle does say to refrigerate after opening. It will keep for a couple of years, but if you are afraid of keeping it too long look for the smaller size bottle. Remember to look for an expiration date on the cap before you buy. Whenever soy sauce is listed as an ingredient in my recipes, I use this type of soy sauce.

Sweet Soy Sauce

​Sweet soy sauce is a rather unusual sauce, but it enhances the flavor of the food so much. It is sweet, as the name indicates, but is also very thick and has the flavor of molasses. You could substitute molasses but only use about half the amount called for since molasses has a stronger flavor than sweet soy sauce. This sauce is also used to give dishes a dark caramel color that makes them look so appetizing.

Coconut Milk

​Traditionally, coconut milk is purchased fresh from the market where they finely grate the coconut flesh then pour water through the pulp and squeeze it to extract the rich cream. Water poured through the pulp a second time produces the thinner milk. Fresh coconut milk from the market needs to be used the same day or it spoils. Today, coconut milk and coconut cream can be purchased in cans and shelf stable boxes. Cans of coconut milk actually have both cream and the thinner liquid together. See notes on working with coconut milk on page 25 of my Tastefully Thai cookbook. I prefer brands that have just two ingredients: coconut and water. Some brands have preservatives and stabilizers. Two brands I like are Aroy-D and Savoy.

Green Curry Paste

​Curry is a blend of herbs and spices, and each Thai curry paste includes a different blend of these spices to create different flavors. Green curry paste is an essential ingredient for making Green Curry. The amount can be increased or decreased according to the amount of spice you like. Green curry paste contains garlic, lesser galangal, shallots, lemongrass, salt, sugar, kaffir lime, sweet basil, coriander, pepper, cumin, cardamom, turmeric and galangal. Curry pastes can be made from scratch with a whole lot of time and effort, and the results are exceptional, but, for time’s sake, I buy mine in a can or tub, as pictured on the left. Unused paste can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of months. The paste can also be frozen in tablespoon sized portions for longer storage.

Massaman Curry Paste

​Massaman curry paste is the key flavor ingredient in the dish Massaman Curry. You can use more or less to control the amount of spice you like. Massaman is a warm curry with an Indian flare. It includes spices like garlic, sugar, dried chilies, tamarind juice, shallots, salt, lemongrass, coriander seeds, cumin, cardamon, cinnamon, bay leaves, lesser galangal and cloves. Instructions to make this curry paste from scratch are on page 45 of Tastefully Thai cookbook. If you have the time the results are well worth the effort. Otherwise you can use it from a can or tub. Unused paste can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of months. The paste can also be frozen in tablespoon sized portions for longer storage.

Panang Curry Paste

​Panang curry paste is an essential ingredient for making Panang Curry. The amount can be increased or decreased according to the amount of spice you like. Curry is a blend of herbs and spices including hot peppers which give it a kick. It also contains garlic, shallots, lemongrass, sugar, kaffir lime, galangal, cumin and cardamom. Curry pastes can be made from scratch with a whole lot of time and effort, and the results are exceptional, but for time’s sake, I buy mine in a can or tub, as pictured at the left. Unused paste can be stored in the refrigerator for many months.

Prik King Curry Paste

​Prik King curry paste is a blend of spices including dried chili peppers, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, sugar, salt, kaffir lime, galangal, coriander, cumin, cardamom, and bay leaves. It is used in a stir-fry dish and unlike other curry dishes, it does not include coconut milk. Use less of it to make the dish more mild, or add extra if you like it really hot.

Red Curry Paste

​Red curry paste is used for several Thai curry dishes including Chiangmai Noodle Curry (Khaw Soy). This is what gives the dish the spice as well as the unique curry flavor. It can be purchased in a can or a small tub. The unused portion should be kept in the refrigerator. If you buy the can, once opened you can slide the can into a resealable bag and refrigerate it that way, but you could transfer it to a small plastic container to store it. It will keep for many months without spoiling.

Yellow Curry Powder

​Yellow curry powder is used in Chiangmai Noodle Curry (Khaw Soy) as well as Chicken Satay, and Yellow Curry. It is a more popular ingredient in Northern Thailand where there is more Indian influence. The word curry actually means “a blend” or combination of many spices. This powder includes ingredients like coriander, turmeric, cumin, mustard, fennel, cloves and ginger. The brand shown at the left is my favorite as it seems to give Khaw Soy the most authentic flavor.

Tofu

​Tofu is made from soy beans and can be found in many different forms. It has very little flavor of its own but will absorb the flavors around it, so you want it well coated with sauces and spices. In Thai restaurants sometimes they use a tofu that has red or yellow color on the edges. This is a more authentic tofu found in abundance in the Thai market place, but it’s not common to find in the modern grocery stores.
Tofu is used in authentic Pad Thai, and can be used instead of meat, or along with it. I usually make it with both. For Pad Thai you want to get the firmest tofu you can find, extra firm or super firm as pictured on the left. This one is already cubed for me, and I like that convenience.

Chili Paste With Soybean Oil

​Chili paste with soybean oil is a sweet, smoky, yet spicy ingredient used in Lemongrass Soup as well as a few other dishes. A tablespoon of this can be added to Chicken and Cashews for an delicious flavor twist. It is made with roasted red peppers, garlic, shallots, tamarind, fish sauce and soybean oil. It keeps for a long time, but just be sure to store it in the refrigerator after opening.

Chili Sauce

​This type of chili sauce is used in Pad Thai and as a garnish for Thai omelets and Garlic Pork. If you like your Pad Thai spicy, this is the sauce to use. If you do not like the spice or prefer to add spice to each individual plate, then you can substitute ketchup for this sauce. Depending on the brand you purchase it may be extremely spicy, so beware, and try it first before you add too much. If you cannot find this brand, you should look for an orange colored sauce made with peppers. This picture is a Thai brand.

Thai Peppers And Fish Sauce

​Thai peppers and fish sauce is a condiment found on every Thai table. It is simply Thai peppers cut up small and covered in fish sauce. This spicy sauce is added to individual plates at the table according to taste. Not all Thai food is spicy so hot food lovers can add spice to their liking. Since it includes fish sauce, it is also quite salty, so beware of over salting your dish.

Sweet Chili Sauce

​Sweet chili sauce, also referred to as chicken dipping sauce, is sweet, slightly sour, and has only a hint of spice. It is generally mild enough for children and is great for dipping chicken and bite sized balls of sticky rice. I have also used it on wings for a football party or even as a marinade for chicken before baking, roasting or grilling.

Ground Chili In Soy Bean Oil

​Ground chili in soy bean oil is a condiment that could be used to add spice to all kinds of Thai dishes. Most commonly it is used as a condiment for the dish called Khaw Soy, or Chiangmai Noodle Curry. It has a roasted taste with a hint of sweetness; great for extra depth of flavor with a kick. It should be kept in the refrigerator after opening.

Garlic Chili Sauce

​​This sauce adds a spicy, garlic kick to any Thai dish. It is most commonly used as a garnish for Thai Noodle Soup, Fried Noodles with Broccoli and Pad Thai. A little goes a long way, so start small. Refrigerate after opening.

Vinegar And Pepper Sauce

​To make this sauce, thinly slice a couple of jalapeno or serrano peppers and add them to a small jar or pinch bowl and cover with white vinegar. This condiment is used in Thai Noodle Soup, Pad Thai and Fried Noodles with Broccoli to add some tang and heat to the soup broth. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for future use.
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Pickled Mustard Greens

​Pickled mustard greens is another optional condiment for Chiangmai Noodle Curry. It may be hard to locate, but it adds another flavorful element to this already great dish. This one is packaged in a vacuum sealed bag and found in the refrigerated section of Asian grocery stores. You can also find it in a small can. Open the package and chop small for garnish. Unused greens can be put in a plastic container and kept in the refrigerator for another time. If you will be storing it this way it is a good idea to pour the liquid into a container and store the leftover greens in the liquid.

Palm Sugar or Coconut Sugar

​Palm sugar is a sweetener harvested from the Palmyra palm, and coconut sugar comes from the coconut palm. They are used interchangeably and are produced from the watery sap that drips from cut flower buds. This type of sugar is found in different forms. I usually use a paste in a container, but it can also be found as a harder clump sometimes shaped as a cylinder or disk as pictured at the right. Store the paste in the cupboard, not in the refrigerator, as it will get very hard when it is cold. If it gets too hard you can add a little water and microwave it for a few seconds to soften it. Some brands have a wax seal on the top of the sugar which must be scraped off before use. The clump type of palm sugar can be stored in a plastic bag in the pantry and pieces of it broken off to be melted into food as it cooks. Palm sugar is used in curries, salads and some soups. Brown sugar can be substituted but you will need to use less as brown sugar is sweeter.

Tamarind

​Tamarind is an odd looking fruit pictured at the left. It grows on trees, and there are two types. One is very sour and is used for cooking. The other is sweet and is eaten fresh. The brown pod is brittle and is cracked open to expose the fleshy pulp. Inside this pulp are 6 to 10 brown shiny seeds that slip out of the flesh quite easily when bitten. Tamarind can be found in concentrated juice as pictured at the left. This is the form I usually buy to use in my Pad Thai recipe. After opening it should be kept in the refrigerator.
Tamarind can also be found in a bag. It looks like a brick of dried fruit and includes the pulp and stringy parts of the fruit. See it pictured between the two jars. If you find it in this less processed form you will need to extract the juice by soaking it in hot water. When the water has cooled knead the pulp to loosen it, then strain it to extract the juice. The juice can be kept in an air tight container in the refrigerator, or frozen in small portions for use later.

​a note about Gluten Free IngredIents

​It is not too hard to make Thai food gluten free. Gluten is found in some of the sauces, so the easiest way to go GF is to look for sauces that meet your needs. GF soy sauce and oyster sauce is not hard to find these days. Fish sauce has no gluten in it, and you can substitute molasses for the sweet soy sauce. There are some dipping sauces that have gluten in them so be sure to read labels. Rice noodles, rice wrappers and vermicelli noodles are all gluten free.