Real Thai Recipes » Glossary

Wing Bean

cee — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:07:28 +0000

Wing Beans are a squarish shaped bean. When you cut them they resemble an “X”. They have a mild flavor, and are used in thai salads (yum) and eaten with chili pastes (naam prik). They are commonly eaten with coconut milk, roasted chili paste, peanuts and toasted coconut in wing bean salad.

Storage: Store long beans in a bag in the refrigerator. They won’t last long and will turn black fairly quickly, so use up soon.

Cardamom

cee — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:27:26 +0000

Cardamom seeds are used in Chinese, South East Asian and Indian cooking. They’re also used in some Western Desserts and Indian spiced tea (masala chai). A few roasted pods make a great addition to Massaman Curry. There are generally two types of cardamom, a green and very fragrant variety from India, and this brown fatter variety from China. Thais usually use the brown one.

Storage: The seeds will last months in the cupboard if kept airtight and dry.

Cassia Leaves

cee — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:59:26 +0000

Cassia Leaves are very similar in appearance to Bay Leaves. These are dried leaves from the cassia tree, a type of cinnamon. They are primarily used in Massaman Curry. Commonly in Asian markets they are labeled “Indian Bay Leaves”.

Storage: The leaves will last months in the cupboard if kept airtight and dry.

Fermented White Soybeans

cee — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 04:44:55 +0000

Fermented White Soybeans are mild and creamy and slightly fermented. They are used to make broth and in a few dips.

Storage: White soybeans are usually sold in a bottle. Keep that bottle sealed in the refrigerator.

Taro

cee — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:31:59 +0000

Taro is a purple root vegetable which is grown in the tropics. It is often made into desserts such as bua loi.

Storage: Store bagged in the refrigerator. It’ll last a pretty long time if kept dry.

Hairy Eggplant

cee — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 07:16:42 +0000

This eggplant is furry and sourish. Make sure to remove the hair before eating.

Storage: Store bagged in the refrigerator. It’ll last about a week if kept dry.

Acacia Pennata (Cha-om)

cee — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 06:47:33 +0000

This vegetable doesn’t appear to have a common English name, so I’ll just refer to it by it’s Thai name: cha-om. It’s a bitter, thorny green vegetable. The leaves (not the stems) are used, primarily made into an omelette. This vegetable can be found in the West, primarily in the freezer of South East Asian groceries. Be careful not to prick yourself with the thorn when preparing this vegetable.

Storage: Store bagged in the refrigerator. Cha-om should last about a week or longer if kept dry.

Pea Eggplants

cee — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 06:16:33 +0000

Pea Eggplants are small, about 1/2″ in size, and grow many to a branch. They are bitter tasting, and are eaten with Green Curry and naam prik, among other things.

Storage: Store these eggplants in a plastic bag on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. They should last about a week or longer.

Long Thai Chilies

cee — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 05:59:58 +0000

Long chilies aren’t very spicy, but have a nice flavor. They are most commonly used dried to make red curry paste. The name of this chili translates into English as “Chili which points to the sky”, or “sky pointing chili”. These chilies are about 4-8″ in length, about 3-4x as long as the medium-sized chili above.

Storage: You can store chilies sealed in the refrigerator, or frozen in the freezer. I tend to buy a bunch and freeze them, as I don’t notice much difference in flavor, and they last forever.

Light Green Chilies

cee — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 05:49:02 +0000

Light green chilies are spicy, but not as spicy as prik kee nuu. These chilies are often stir fried with pork.

Storage: You can store chilies sealed in the refrigerator, or frozen in the freezer. I tend to buy a bunch and freeze them, as I don’t notice much difference in flavor, and they last forever.