As I mentioned before I went to a Asian supermarket the other day. Usually I stand there completely confused by the ingredients on sale. So this time, in a swotty mood, I wrote down the names (when there were names):
But it hasn’t helped much. I’m googling these names and nothing is coming up. Then I came across this site Thai market herbs and spices that usefully gives both the English and Thai names. Also this site: Epicentre seems quite informative.
Praew- kaffir lime leaves
Chapli leaves- still don’t know
Green peppercorns- fresh; are good in Thai soups.
Pickled; are great on cheese on toast and any cheesy dishes(one of my store cupboard faves)
Coconut tip- googling it, all I get is tips on how to use coconut, not coconut tip.
Mimosa-no culinary information
Chinese chive flower– yes! slightly garlicky tasting chives.
Pak kayang- I guess it’s this
Kra cha- haven’t managed to find this one.
Pandan leaves– nutty taste, can be marinated in coconut milk, good with rice and desserts.
Don kae- no idea.
Holy basil-not to be confused with Thai basil, or Thai lemon basil, or basil. Good stir-fried with noodles. A rather medicinal taste.
Galangal– is like a milder form of ginger with lime
Lemon grass- this is well known. But I am still not sure that I’m using it properly. I try to buy fresh looking stalks, peel the outer leaves off, then chop, grind up the softer inner part. However it’s still quite stringy. You can freeze it for 6 months.
I also bought some typically Morroccan spice ras-el-hanout from Tesco. It’s divine. I could just eat it raw.
Raz el hanout is my favourite spice!!! it literally means "everything good in the shop" 😉
It's a mixture of several different spices & some versions are better than others, I found one I adore…I buy it at the market in Calvisson.
I use it in everything practically.
Hi Juanita
So lovely to hear from you! Welcome to my blog (s).
Lots of love
xxx
They sell Krachai in New Loon Moon on Gerrard Street in Chinatown, along with a lot of other Thai ingredients. I don’t rate it much, it tastes (to me) like muddy ginger.