Real Thai Recipes » Vegetables

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.

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.

Baby Corn

cee — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 12:08:16 +0000

Baby corn is really good fresh. Really. Buy it if you can find it fresh (they have cute little husks too). If not, the canned will do!

Storage: If you can find fresh, store it in a bag in the fridge. Otherwise, canned will last for a long time.

Straw Mushrooms

cee — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 07:39:14 +0000

These mushrooms are commonly eaten in Thailand. When bought fresh here they have yet to poke out of the ball-stage, so they don’t look much like mushrooms, more like little balls. When you slice them open you can see the mushroom-shape inside. They are sold young, before they’ve opened.

Storage: Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. They will last about a week or so if fresh.

Oyster Mushrooms

cee — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 07:14:43 +0000

Oyster Mushrooms have a mild flavor and are very soft. They are usually eaten in soups and sometimes stir fried.

Storage: Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Oyster Mushrooms go bad fast, so eat them quickly after you bring them home. If they’re slimy, they’re too old. They should be firm(ish) and dry.

Sweet Vegetable (Pak Waan)

cee — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 07:06:41 +0000

This vegetable doesn’t seem to have a common English name. The name in Thai literally means ’sweet vegetable’, so that’s what I’ll call it here. It’s scientific name is ‘Melientha Suavis Pierre’. This vegetable has a slightly sweet taste, and is usually eaten in soups.

Storage: Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.