Guide to vegetables, herbs and roots used in Thai cooking.2

Water Chestnuts (Haew) are very crunchy and delicious. They're used in many different dishes.


Taro Root (Pueak) is primarily used in making Thai desserts. Taro also comes in a purple variety. Boniato (Mun Tet) is primarily used in making Thai desserts. Boniato, as well as taro, is available at many Asian markets. Yucca Root (Mun Sum Pa Lunk) is primarily used in making Thai desserts. Yucca is also called tapioca or cassava.


Boniato (Mun Tet) is primarily used in making Thai desserts. Boniato, as well as taro, is available at many Asian markets.


Yucca Root (Mun Sum Pa Lunk) is primarily used in making Thai desserts. Yucca is also called tapioca or cassava.


Yanang leaves are used in Gang Naw Mai and other dishes from Northeast Thailand featuring bamboo shoots.


Edamame are edible young soybean seeds and are steamed and eaten as a snack. They're available frozen and can sometimes be purchased fresh at farmers markets.


Lotus Root (Hua Bua) is the root of the water lotus plant and is most often used to make desserts or drinks.


Mayom Leaves (bai mayom) are leaves of the Otaheite Gooseberry. They're eaten with Laab or Nam Prik.


Pak Van is eaten with Laab or Nam Prik and grows like a ground cover in Thailand near rice paddies.


Chayote (Mala Waan) tastes like fuzzy gourd and is used in Red Curry with Chicken, Clear Hot Soup with Fish and other stir-fried dishes.


Sugar Cane stick (Oye) Thai people eat sugar cane as a candy and it's added to soup broth for sweet flavoring. Sugar cane is also used as a skewer for grilling.


Bitter melon Leaves (Yod Mala) have a bitter taste and are very good in the Issan dish Beef Om. They're also steamed and eaten with dipping sauce. Bitter melon leaves are often available at farmers markets.


Dok Kare is an edible flower of the Kare tree. They're white and light green in color. Dok Kare is often steamed and eaten with fish dipping sauce. It's also good for Hot and Sour Soup with Mud fish (Gang Som Dok Kare Pla Chon)


Edible Fern (Pak kood) In the Northern region of Thailand this fern is well known as pak kood and is used in Bamboo Soup (Gang Naw Mai), Om and is cooked in a salad called Soob Pak Kood. It's also steamed and eaten with fish dipping sauce.


Kee Lek leaves have a strong bitter taste and have to be boiled in hot water and drained several times before they're used to make Curry with Beef Tendon (Gang Kee Lek Sai En Voaw). It is a most unique curry!


Pak Kadon is a wild vegetable that grows in rice fields. It has a unique taste that's similar to hairy bean (tua hair). Kadon is usually eaten raw with meat salad (Laab) and the leaves are similar to bai ma muang himapaan (cashew nut leaves)


Pak Waan has very plain taste and is good for steaming and serving with dipping sauce. Pak Waan is also used to make soup with smoked fish or ant's eggs.


Pak Thew is a wild vegetable like Kadon and Kee Lek. It has a sour taste like Young Tamarind leaves and is good for Hot and Sour Fish Soup. Pak Thew is also eaten raw with meat salad (Laab) and Kao Tod Nam Klook (Rice Curry Salad).


Pak Kaat is well known in Northeast Thailand and is used for fish curry and beef. Both the leaves and the flowers are added to the curry and it has a smell like raw beef.


Pak Kaat is well known in Northeast Thailand and is used for fish curry and beef. Both the leaves and the flowers are added to the curry and it has a smell like raw beef.


Satoh bean is similar in appearance to a lima bean and is used in stir-fries and curries and is also eaten raw with dipping sauce. Satoh is well known in the south of Thailand and tastes like Katin and Chaom.


Tamarind Leaves (Yod Makaam On) are sour and are eaten with salt as a snack and used to replace lime or lemon in chicken and fish soups.


Hairy Bean (Tua Hair in Isaan) is eaten raw with meat salad (Laab) and tastes like Kadon leaves. It's mostly found in Northeast Thailand


Sesame Leaves (bai nga) are used to wrap up beef for grilling (they can substitute for Beefsteak Plant (Shiso leaves) and taste similar to chapoo leaves.


Drumstick Tree Fruit is often called Malunggay in Asian markets as that is what it's called in the Philippines. The pods are about 6 inches to 1 foot long.


Tindora (Luuk Tum Loong in Thai) is boiled and eaten with dipping sauce or stir-fried. They resemble cucumbers, but are only 1-2 inches long. They can be found in Indian markets.


Thai Edible Flower (dok grah-geow) tastes similar to ginger and can be purchased frozen imported from Thailand.

Guide to vegetables, herbs and roots used in Thai cooking.1

Green Papaya (Malagaw) is shredded to make the famous spicy Thai salad called Som Tum! Green unripe papaya is available in most Asian markets.

Culantro (Pak Chee Farang) is usually eaten raw and can also be cut up and added to Laab (Isaan Meat Salad).


Krachet is grown in water and the foam-like material covering the stem must be removed before eating.


Kowtong is eaten raw or can also be used in salads. It has a fish-like flavor.

Kayang is an herb that is eaten raw (in Northeast Thailand) or used to make Om. Kayang has a very unusual flavor.


Katin is eaten raw with Nam Prik and tastes somewhat like Cha-om. It comes in bunches of strings about 4-6 inches in length.


Chive Flowers (Dok Gui Chai) are the flowering tips of chives and are used in stir-fries.

Lin Fah (Dragon Tongue) is usually steamed and eaten with Nam Prik. It's available frozen at some Asian markets

Okra (Makuea Sawanh) is steamed and eaten as a vegetable or used in stir-fries.

Sadao flowers and leaves are very bitter and are eaten with Nam Prik or Laab (Isaan Meat Salad).

Samek leaves are very sour and are eaten with Laab or Nam Prik.

Opo Squash (Nam Tao) is also called bottle gourd or calabash. Opo is used in soups and stir-fries and is also steamed and eaten with Nam Prik.

Banana Flower (Hua Plee) is eaten with Kanom Jeen Namya and Pad Thai. Only the tender inside part is eaten.

Bamboo Shoots (Naw Mai) are used in some Thai curries and a special Isaan curry called Gang Naw Mai.

Chili (พริก)

Chilil, or Prik, plays an indispensable role in thai cuisine.
Depending on respective regions in Thailand, it is variably known by different names, depleee, prik khee noke, prik tay or muck hed. A small bushy plant, it has its origins in South America and is generally found in tropical and semi-tropical climes.



Hot chili plants have long, wavy-edged leaves that taper into sharply pointed ends; each fruit is a round, elongated shape also with a sharply pointed end. Young chilies are green in color but turn red or yellow when they ripen. Propagated by seeds, chili plants blossom with white or purple flowers into single or dual blooms.



Apart from being a cooking ingredient, the chili also possesses medicinal properties thanks to its substance which give the fruit its hot and spicy characteristics, long used for treating aches, bruises and joint or back pains. However, the substance of chili can cause skin irritations that induce the enlargement of blood vessels and help ease blood circulation. Chili also disrupts and checks nerve ends that receive messages of pain as a result preventing inflammation or erythema by stopping the dilatation of blood vessels.



Chili boasts another outstanding property: relief from pain caused by insect bites. Fresh chili is crushed and diluted either with a little alcohol or water and the mixture applied lightly to the affected area for pain relief.

Used as a cooking ingredient, chili enhances the appetite as it induces saliva flow that, in turn, improves food digestion in the mouth in addition to improving the taste, although only the appropriate amount of food intake is recommended.

Like Thais, foreigners too use chili to treat different kinds of illnesses. For example, it is used to relive pain caused by inflammation of the neck; pain and inflammation of the tonsils; gas discharge in cases of indigestion, foot cracks, wounds and ulcers.



Nevertheless, the reputation of Thai cuisine, which is popular with people the world over, confirms the role of the chili as an indispensable ingredient in the preparation of Thai dishes.

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Turkey Berries and Its Duality

มะเขือพวง : มะเขือแห่งทวิลักษณ์

If you like green curry or chilipaste,you would see that turkey berries are the main ingredients. Botanically know as Solanum Torvum Sw. in the Solanaceae family, turkey berries are mostly grown in a tropical zone. Unlike others, turkey berries are a perennial plant.

While the plant is taller than any other kind, turkey berries bear the tiniest and smallest blossoms and fruits. The flowers are so small.

The petals are white or purple. The irony is at work here: the big root and the tiniest fruits. As for its herbal benefits, the raw turkey berries can be eaten to cure cough, help your bladder while the roots can be used to cure cracked heels and corns on the toes.

Spring Bitter Cucumber :Indigenous Antioxidant Vegetable

Fug Kao

I have tried a new drink with an extract of gac fruit. In some countries, gac fruit has been revered as a fruit from heaven. The fruit is similar to spring bitter cucumber which is indigenous vegetable commonly found in Thailand.

Buds, sprouts and seedlings are usually eaten with chili paste. It tastes bitter sweet and contains high concentration of beta-carotene which helps nourishing eyesight. Seedlings have high nutritional content such as carbohydrate, fiber, protein, calcium phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, B1, B2, C and niacin.

Spring bitter cucumber offers a lot of health benefit and treats illness such as fever, abscess, back pain, ect. Grinded seeds can treat diverticular disease of the colon, pulmonary disease, coughing, restricted gallbladder and TB. Roots can be eaten boiled to reduce phlegm, fever and joint paint. Its extract can also be used as anti-lice shampoo that prevents hair fall.

Royal Lilies(บัวหลวง)

Royal Lilies(บัวหลวง)

In Thailand , there are two variation of royal lily , namely white and pink. They both have the botanical features shared by other water plants , marked with giant round leaves of dark green. Long stalks that rise above the surface of the water support the leaves , while the flower comprises different layers of petals.

The cone-shaped buds contain seeds that grow into fruits or lily cones. In the meantime , the roots grow deep into the soft soil. In general , royal lilies propagate using seeds ; only a few species propagate using stalks.

Almost all parts of the royal lily are useful. Lily buds are used as religious offerings ;leaves hold food ; petals are used to roll tobacco and as raw material for other handicrafts ;shoots and stalks are edible whether boiled , stir-fried or curried ; seeds are used both in savories and desserts and the roots boiled whit sugar are refreshing.

Royal lilies also boast medicinal properties. Stamens from lily buds reinvigorate the body help urinary discharge and heal wounds. The roots are sweet and scented and can be used to treat diarrhea. Bulbs and seeds are effective for quenching thirst and cooling the body , aiding mucus discharge and healing fresh wounds. And the bitter kernel of lily seeds helps enlarge arteries and nourish heart muscles.
A water plant such as the royal lily is thus beauty whit value.

Krachai(กระชาย)

The lesser galangal
A deciduous plant of the ginger family, “Krachai”(Kaempferia ,or lesser galangal) is known in every thai kitchen ,as its rhizome is commonly used as an ingredient in fish curries.

Locally it is known under different names. In the north ,it is called “ka-anne” , “ra-anne” or “hua la anne” in the northeast,particularly in Maha Sarakham province, it is known as “khing daeng” or “khing sai”, while Bangkokians simply call it “wan-phra-athit”.

There are three types of krachai:yellow krachai, black krachai , and red krachai. However ,yellow krachai , which looks like a bunch of long , thin yellowish-brown fingers , proves to be more popular in thai cooking. It is an indispensable ingredient in making “namya” , the fish curry eaten with fresh rice noodles in the popular thai dish called “kanom jeen-namya”.

In addition to improving the flavor of food ,krachai is also known for its medicinal properties.
Some countries in Asia believe that krachai helps enhance appetite and improve digestion. The rhizome is crushed and wrapped in a piece of white cloth, which is soaked in honey. A teacup of the liquid is then drunk before dinner or before bedtime.

Another way is to extract the juice by pounding a handful of krachai , then squeezing the pulp to obtain the juice ,which is then mixed with an equal amount of honey. A teacup of the extract taken every day before dinner makes a refreshing and healthful drink.

Another way of preparing a drink is to peel and slice a mature rhizome , then dry it in the sun before it is crushed into powder. A teaspoon of the krachai powder dissolved in boiling water , like coffee , helps relieve joint pains if drunk regularly in the morning and evening.
It is believed that black krachai is more effective than the other types as it helps ease aching and constipation , and improves health.

Krachai can also rid of ringworms and help relieve muscular pains , chest pains , diarrhea and abdominal pains , gastric trouble , ulcers in the mouth and pustules.

Thai spices for cooking

Krachai(กระชาย)

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.

Kha(ข่า)Galangal

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.

bai dtawng (ใบตอง )Banana leaf wrappers

bai graprow, bai ka phrao, bai kaprao (ใบกะเพรา )
Thai Holy Basil Leaf

Sacred Basil is an annual herbaceous plant that resembles Sweet Basil but has narrower and oftentimes 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.

bai maeng lak(ใบแมงลัก)Lemon Basil or Hoary Basil Leaf

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.

bai horapah (ใบโหระพา )
Sweet Thai BasilTastes rather like anise, looks like European sweet basil, and is used in red and green curries. 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.

bai magroot (ใบมะกรูด)Kaffir Lime Leaf

bai toey (ใบเดย)
Pandanus Leaf EssencePandanus leaf essence, also called "dteuy hohm", "bay toey" or screwpine leaf flavoring, is Thailand's equivalent to vanilla flavoring. It has an earthy fragrance and taste and is usually added to coconut milk based sweets.

buap liam(บวบเหลี่ยม)
Sponge gourd, angle gourd, angled luffaAlso known as angle gourd, angled luffa, or Chinese okra. Fruits have raised ridges running from end to end, resembling okra. The ridged fruit is 1-2 ft. long and 2 inches across and is lighter than the Smooth Skin Luffa. This variety is very popular for cooking use in China and Vietnam. Flesh is very tender and delicious.

cha om (ชะอม)
Acacia LeafAcacia pennata. The feathery shoots are used in soups, curries, omlettes, and stir fries.

chaplu, chaploo, shaploo(ชะพลู)
Wild Pepper, Cha-PluPiper sarmentosum. Sometimes wrongly identified as Piper betle, which doesn't have glossy and tender leaves. The leaves are heart-shaped, light green when young and shiny dark green when mature. The upper side of the leaf is smooth while the underside is somewhat rough. The leaf has a pleasant fragrance and a refreshing taste. I once had it served with laab muu as a wrapper for the minced pork.

dton hawm, ton hom(ต้นหอม) Green Onions, Spring Onions

galum-dawk (กะหล่ำดอก) Cauliflower

gratium (กระเทียม)Garlic

guy chaay (กุยช้าย )
Chinese ChiveAllium tuberosum, also known as garlic chives, the flavor is more like garlic than chives, though much milder. Both leaves and the stalks of the flowers are used as a flavoring similarly to chives, green onions or garlic and are used as a stir fry ingredient. In China, they are often used to make dumplings with a combination of egg, shrimp and pork. The flowers may also be used as a spice.

hawm daeng (หอมแดง )Red Shallots

hed fang (เห็ดฟาง)Straw Mushroom

kah min (ขมิ้น )
TumericCurcuma longa, is a small ginger with brown rhizones. Inside the flesh is bright orange.

kao pohd (ข้าวโพด)
CornUsually baby corn (ข้าวโพดอ่อน, literally young corn) is used in Thai cuisine

king (ขิง)
GingerZingiber officinale, grows from underground stems, or rhisome. Mature ginger stems are buff-colored; young or fresh ginger, king awn ขิงอ่อน, is white and is eaten fresh and pickled, as well as cooked.

ma-groot (มะกรูด)Kaffir Lime

makheua fuang(มะเขือพวง)
Pea EggplantSolanum torvum, small pea-sized green eggplants with smooth skin. The young fruit is eaten as a fresh vegetable, put in nam prik, or used in curry, green curry, and gaeng gai.

ma kua poh, makheua pro (มะเขือเปราะ )
Thai EggplantSolanum melongena, also known as Brinjal, Thai eggplants are small and round and a a creamy white color with green stripes. They are eaten as a fresh vegetable with nam prik, or used in curry and in

maprao, ma praao (มะพร้าว )Coconut

ma-kahm(มะขาม)Tamarind

ma-naao (มะนาว)
LimeAlso used for lemon which is not commonly available in Thailand.

pak boong thai, phak bung thai (ผักบุ้งไทย )
Thai Water Morning Glory, Thai Water ConvolvulusIpomoea Aquatica. Thai water convovulus is an annual aquatic plant that spreads its stems on the water surface. The stem is succulent, crisp, green in color and segmented. The leaves are heart-shaped and commonly used in kaeng teop, sour spicy soups, fried with pork, used in yen ta fo and eaten as a fresh vegetable with nam prik.

pak chee, pak chi (ผักชี)
CilantroCoriandrum sativum, is of the parsley family. The leaves and stems are eaten fresh and used frequently as a garnish. The root and the seeds are ingredients in many dishes.

pak chi lao (ผักชีลาว)
DillLiterally "Laotian Cilantro". Commonly seen with street food vendors to add a taste to soups.

pak guangdong (ผักกวางตุ้ง)
Cantonese VegetableLiterally, "Guangdong vegetable", Guangdong is located in Canton, Chinese. Also know as yao choy, yu choi, edible rape, green choy sum or sarsun (in India). It has long stalks, skinny leaves, and yellow flowers. It is a little more bitter than bok choy.

pak kanaa (ผักคะน้า)
Chinese broccoli, Chinese KaleBrassica alboglabra, also known as as gai lohn, kai lan, and Chinese kale. The plant resembles regular broccoli, although the leaves appear to be a bit broader and the stems somewhat longer than broccoli. The flowers form first into diminutive heads and then elongate rapidly into flower stalks bearing yellow flowers.

pak wan (ผักหวาน)
Sweet VegetableForest tree, or Melientha suavis Pierre - the leaves and flowers are used, and are slightly sweet. It is usually eaten in soups.

prik (พริก)Chile pepper

sa ra nae (สะระแหน่)
Mint leavesThai mint leaves are round, not thick, hairless, and slightly wavy. The stem tends to be dark red. It is easy to grow, and Thais commonly plant it in pots kept near the kitchen, where it can always be easily gathered.

ta-khrai, takrai (ตะไคร้)
LemongrassCymbopgon citratus, is an aromatic grey-green grass. This erect annual plant resembles a coarse grey-green grass. Fresh leaves and grass are used as a flavouring. Lemongrass contains 0.2-0.4 % volatile oil. Therapeutic properties are as a diuretic, emmanagogue, antiflatulence, antiflu and antimicrobial agent.

tua-lin-dtaw (ถั่วลันเตา)Sugar Pea

tua-ngok, tua-nork (ถั่วงอก)Bean Sprouts

tua-phak-yao (ถั่วฝักยาว) Long Beans, Yard Long Beans

tua-poo (ถั่วพู) Wing Beans