Thai Sauces and Condiments

Hoisin Sauce is part of the bean sauce family. It is a rich, thick dark, brownish-red sauce that is made from soybean paste, garlic, vinegar, sugar spices, and other flavorings. It is at once sweet and spicy. The texture range from creamy thick to thin. It is used as a condiment and as a glaze for roasted meats. Sometimes, it is used as a sauce (mixed with sesame oil) for Peking Duck instead of the traditional bean sauce.



Fish Sauce is a pale amber liquid derived from a brew of fish or shrimp mixed with salt. This is the most important ingredient in Thai cooking. Fish sauce is thin, flavorful and vitamin-rich, its aroma may seem strong though. It gives various flavors to the dishes and is placed on the table as a condiment at nearly every meal, either as is or mixed with sliced chilies and perhaps lime juice.



Oyster Sauce is a thick, brown, richly flavored concoction. Fresh oysters are boiled in large vats, the whole being seasoned with soy sauce, salt, spices, and seasonings and made into viscous substance. The salty taste of oyster sauce largely dissipates during the cooking process; it doesn’t even taste "fishy" after it has been cooked. But it retains its rich and distinctive savory flavor, one that goes nicely with the preferred subtleties of Thai-Chinese cuisine. It is also used as a condiment, diluted with a little of water or oil, for vegetables, poultry, and meat. Oyster can also used directly from the bottle over blanched vegetables.


Sweet soy sauce. See Eiw Wan is a blend of dark soy sauce and molasses. It provides both sweetness and a wood-toned color. This sauce is the essential ingredient in Pad See Eiw Noodle.







Whole fermented yellow or black soya beans may be labeled "Dow See" in oriental stores. They are sold in bottles and the English label probably says "Yellow Bean Sauce". Fermented soya beans are nutritious, strongly flavored and salty. They replace salt completely in some Thai dishes.




Thin soy sauce. See Eiw Khao is light in color, neither thick nor sweet. Substitute any good light soy sauce, but not so-called lite or low-sodium soy sauce.







Shrimp paste. A very salty, shrimpy paste of sun-dried, salted shrimp, used in curry pastes, sauces, soups or stir-fry. Thai shrimp paste comes in small plastic jars and is the consistency and color of thick mud or soft clay. Thai shrimp paste has a very strong, fishy flavor and smell, so keep that lid on tight!





Sri Racha Sauce. A terrific chili sauce made in the seaside town of Sri Racha. This sauce is one of the most popular dipping sauces in Thailand. Thais love it as an accompaniment to deep-fried dishes, seafood and all stir-fried dishes. It is similar to the Tabasco except with much less of the vinegar tang. Because of the added ingredient, garlic, the sauce is sometime known as "Chili Garlic" sauce.

Thai Spices and Herbs

Coriander. This member of the carrot family has delicate leaves and deep roots. Wen the plant reach maturity, it produces abundant white flowers. The leaves and seeds are used in many cuisine throughout the world, but Thai cooking makes use of the roots as well.

A member of the ginger family, turmeric is an underground stem or rhizome. It grows in clusters of small stubby fingers with a dull, brown skin hiding its gorgeous fluorescent orange meat. It has a faint, earthy taste, but color is the point here. Since color is what matters in cooking with this herb, ground dried turmeric works fine.

Also called galangal or 'Kha' in Thai. This is the type of ginger Thai cook’s use most. The flavor is both more lemony and more peppery than that of common ginger, and it has a richer aroma. The skin is pale yellow, with pink-tinged knobs; the interior is cream-color. Kha is never eaten alone; it is used as a flavoring component. We float large slices into soups or chop and pound pieces into curry pastes.

Medicinally, galangal is classed as a digestive stimulant and Thais mix the grated root with limejuice to treat stomachache. Thais also believe that galangal can help respiratory ailments.

Kaffir lime leaves. In Thai called 'Bai magroot'. Use them whole in soups such as Tom Yum, Tom Kha; and curries, as an aromatic ingredient not meant to be eaten. Or slice them into very fine, edible sliver. Either way, they add a wonderful flower-like fragrance and taste.

Also called 'Takrai' in Thai. It is one of the most-used herbs in Thai cuisine. Lemon grass adds a lemony flavor and aroma without acidity or sharpness. The usable inner core is about the thickness of a finger. When finely sliced, it can be eaten; larger pieces are used just for flavor and aroma. Lemon grass is also pounded into curry pastes and used, in dried form, for beverages. In tradition Thai medicine, lemon grass has long been used to treat colds and stomachaches. Also, it can be used to treat gallstones by drinking the water in this herb has been boiled.

Also called 'Phrik khee nu' in Thai. This little chili is among the world's hottest varieties. They're about 1 inch long, usually green, and sometimes red. Thai Hot Chilies are thin-sliced or pounded,and use them freely in curries, soups, salad and even in fish sauce as a table condiment.

Hindus believe that basil is sacred and they like to plant it in religious sanctuaries. With a slightly hot flavor, though not so hot as pepper, holy basil leaves are used in many Thai dishes, including stir-fried meat dishes and curries. Basil is also used for medical purposes, to treat indigestion and to stimulate the appetite

Thai Vegetables

Chinese White Cabbage also known as Chinese chard and Chinese white cabbage, has fleshy white stems and leaf ribs and green flat leaves. It has a slightly mustardy taste. Separate the leaves, wash well and drain. The white stems can be sliced thinly and eaten raw. A smaller type is called baby bok choy or Shanghai bok choy.

Napa Cabbage also known as celery cabbage and Chinese cabbage, has a long shape and closely packed broad, pale green leaves with wide white stems. It has a delicate mustard-like flavor. This vegetable always used in Thai stir-fried vegetable, and Kim Chi.

Chinese flowering cabbage is slimmer than bok choy and has a smooth green leaves and pale green stems with clusters of tiny yellow flowers on the tips of the inner shoots. The leaves and flowers cook quickly and have light, sweet mustard flower; the stems are crunchy and juicy.

Chinese Broccoli has smooth round stems sprouting large dark green leaves and small, white flowers. The juicy stems trimmed of most of their leaves, is the piece of plant which is most commonly eaten. GAI LARN has the similar flavor to western broccoli, but without the characteristic large flower heads.

Crunchy in texture and with a subtle, refreshing taste, these are the edible young shoots of certain type of bamboo. Fresh bamboo shoots are hard to get and, if not already prepared, must be peeled then parboiled to remove toxic hydrocyanic acid boil whole or in chunks for 5 minutes or until they no longer taste bitter, Canned and bottled are the one most often used.

This tree fungus has a little flavor of its own, but is valued for is crunchy texture. It is most commonly available in its dried form, which looks like wrinkled black paper. Before use, soak in warm water for 15-30 minutes, until the fungus swells to about five times its size. They should then be rinsed several times to remove any sand.

The sprouts of the soya or mung bean are crunchy and tender. They can be grown at home, they are easy to find in most supermarket though. Beansprouts can be replaced by other fresh vegetables, finely sliced, if necessary.

Much used in Japanese and Chinese cooking. It has a similar taste and texture to ordinary radish and is grated and added to stewed dishes or mixed with finely chopped chilies as a relish.

Garlic flavor is strongest when the cloves are squeezed and their juice extracted, slightly less strong when the cloves are grated or finely chopped, even less strong when the clove are merely sliced, and mildest when whole unbroken cloves are used. In addition, the longer garlic is cooked, the milder it becomes.

Garlic contains significant amount of vitamin C, calcium and protein. It is also rich in potassium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. Medicinally, it is believed that garlic can reduce blood pressure and cleanse the blood of excess glucose. It is also said to alleviate flu, sore throats and bronchial congestion.

It grows in clusters and, when yet unripe, look like large peas.

It bears a pod which in cross section looks like a rectangle that has a fringe-like extension at each corner, the "wings" of the bean.

They are also called Chinese dried black mushrooms. Their distinctive woody, smoky tastes are intensified by the drying process and they are rarely eaten fresh.

Hed Fang are named for their growing environment –straw- and are cultivated throughout Asia. They have globe-shaped caps, are stemless and have a musty flavor. They are available in cans but need to be drained and rinse before use.

Eating & Ordering Thai Food (as Thais do)

Thai food is eaten with  a fork and spoon. Even single dish meals such as fried rice with pork, or  steamed rice topped with roasted duck, are served in bite-sized slices or chunks obviating the need for a knife.  The spoon is used to convey food to the mouth.
Ideally, eating Thai food is a communal affair involving two or more  people, principally because the greater the number of diners the greater the number of dishes ordered. Generally speaking, two diners order three dishes in addition to their  own individual plates of steamed rice, three diners four dishes, and so on. Diners choose whatever they require from shared dishes and generally add it to their own rice. Soups are enjoyed concurrently with rice. Soups are enjoyed concurrently with other  dishes, not independently. Spicy dishes, not independently. Spicy dishes are "balanced" by bland dishes to avoid discomfort.

The ideal Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet and sour, and is meant to be equally satisfying to eye, nose and palate. A typical meal might include a clear soup (perhaps bitter melons stuffed with minced pork), a steamed dish (mussels in curry sauce), a fried dish (fish with ginger), a hot salad (beef slices on a bed of lettuce, onions, chillies, mint and lemon juice) and a variety of sauces into which food is  dipped. This would be followed by sweet desserts and/or fresh fruits such as mangoes, durian, jackfruit, papaya, grapes or melon.

The History of Thai Food



Thai food is internationally famous. Whether chilli-hot or comparatively bland, harmony is the guiding principle behind each dish. Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously combined into something uniquely Thai. Characteristics of Thai food depend on who cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what occasion, and where it is cooked. Dishes can be refined and adjusted to suit all palates.

Originally, Thai cooking reflected the characteristics of a waterborne lifestyle. Aquatic animals, plant and herbs were major ingredients. Large chunks of meat were eschewed. Subsequent influences introduced the use of sizeable chunks to Thai cooking. With their Buddhist background, Thais shunned the use of large animals in big chunks. Big cuts of meat were shredded and laced with herbs and spices. Traditional Thai cooking methods were stewing and baking, or grilling. Chinese influences saw the introduction of frying, stir-frying and deep-frying. Culinary influences from the 17th century onwards included Portuguese, Dutch, French and Japanese. Chillies were introduced to Thai cooking during the late 1600s by Portuguese missionaries who had acquired a taste for them while serving in South America. Thais were very adapt at "Siameseising" foreign cooking methods, and substituting ingredients. The ghee used in Indian cooking was replaced by coconut oil, and coconut milk substituted for other dairy products.
Overpowering pure spices were toned down and enhanced by fresh herbs such as lemon grass and galanga. Eventually, fewer and less spices were used in Thai curries, while the use of fresh herbs increased. It is generally acknowledged that Thai curries burn intensely, but briefly, whereas other curries, with strong spices, burn for longer periods. Instead of serving dishes in courses, a Thai meal is served all at once, permitting diners to enjoy complementory combinations of different tasters.
A proper Thai meal should consist of a soup, a curry dish with condiments, a dip with accompanying fish and vegetables. A spiced salad may replace the curry dish. The soup can also be spicy, but the curry should be replaced by a non-spiced item. There must be harmony of tastes and textures within individual dishes and the entire meal.