previous
  • Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
    Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
  • Baconize It!
    Baconize It!
  • Spring Vegetable Ragout with Fresh Pasta
    Spring Vegetable Ragout with Fresh Pasta
  • 10 Ways to Eat Less Meat
    10 Ways to Eat Less Meat
  • Summertime Sangria
    Summertime Sangria
  • Garden Party Cocktail
    Garden Party Cocktail
  • Top Brownie Recipes
    Top Brownie Recipes
  • Gluten-Free Baked Treats
    Gluten-Free Baked Treats
  • Classic Lattice-Top Blueberry Pie
    Classic Lattice-Top Blueberry Pie
  • Homemade Applewood-Smoked Bacon
    Homemade Applewood-Smoked Bacon
  • Best Burgers On the Block
    Best Burgers On the Block
  • Roast Chicken Redux
    Roast Chicken Redux
  • Sweet Strawberry Desserts
    Sweet Strawberry Desserts
  • Macaroni and Cheese Recipe: Create Your Own
    Macaroni and Cheese Recipe: Create Your Own
  • Grow & Cook Your Own Fresh Peas
    Grow & Cook Your Own Fresh Peas
  • Potato Salad Recipe: Create Your Own
    Potato Salad Recipe: Create Your Own
  • Giveaway! Win Bruce Aidells’s Must-Have Grill Tools
    Giveaway! Win Bruce Aidells’s Must-Have Grill Tools
  • Cheesecake Recipe: Create Your Own
    Cheesecake Recipe: Create Your Own
  • Fresh & Healthy Recipes
    Fresh & Healthy Recipes
  • The Perfect Menu for Picnic Season
    The Perfect Menu for Picnic Season
next

The Essential Thai Ingredient Guide

Skip this ad

thai pantry staples

Thai cuisine gets its distinctive sweet-sour-salty-spicy flavor from a number of ingredients, including lemongrass, coconut milk, fish sauce, and fresh chiles. Luckily, most of these items can be found at a well-stocked supermarket these days (or if not, ordered online). Read on for our guide to the essential ingredients for Thai cooking. 

begin slideshow
play next
  • Curry Paste
    Curry Paste

    A moist, concentrated blends of chiles, spices, and aromatics, curry paste is stirred into coconut milk or broth to make all sorts of curry dishes. There are several types of Thai curry paste, including (clockwise from top) yellow, Panang, green, and red.

    Learn more about Thai curry paste

    Lemongrass

    next
    Lemongrass next

  • Lemongrass
    Lemongrass

    A widely used herb in Asian cuisine, lemongrass has a floral lemony scent and imparts a delicate citrusy flavor.

    Learn more about lemongrass

    Asian Fish Sauce

    next
    Asian Fish Sauce next

  • Asian Fish Sauce
    Asian Fish Sauce

    A mainstay in Thai cooking, fish sauce imparts a distinctive salty flavor and although its aroma is strongly fishy, cooking mellows it considerably.

    Learn more about Asian fish sauce

    Coconut Milk

    next
    Coconut Milk next

  • Coconut Milk
    Coconut Milk

    An essential ingredient in Thai cuisine, coconut milk is made from blending coconut meat with hot water and squeezing out the liquid. Coconut milk is added to curries to tone and balance the spicy heat with its creamy sweetness.

    Learn more about coconut milk

    Wild Lime Leaves

    next
    Wild Lime Leaves next

  • Wild Lime Leaves
    Wild Lime Leaves

    Native to Southeast Asia, wild limes are small, bright green citrus fruits with bumpy, wrinkled skin. Their leaves give dishes a refreshing, lingering lift that is intensely floral and citrusy.

    Learn more about wild lime leaves

    Bird Chiles

    next
    Bird Chiles next

  • Bird Chiles
    Bird Chiles

    Thai and other Asian chiles are slender and thin-walled with a very hot, nutty flavor. Fresh chiles are sometimes sold green but are more often lipstick-red.

    Learn more about bird chiles

    Galangal

    next
    Galangal next

  • Galangal
    Galangal

    This cousin of ginger is prized in Thai cusine for its extraordinary citrus-like flavor in soups and its burst of herbal heat in curry pastes.

    Learn more about galangal

    Thai basil

    next
    Thai basil next

  • Thai basil
    Thai basil

    Unlike the big-leafed green Genovese basil more common in Mediterranean cuisine, Thai basil has small, pointy leaves and purple stems and flowers. Its heady, sweet aroma has notes of anise and licorice, perfect for curries.

    Learn more about Thai basil

    Sriracha Sauce

    next
    Sriracha Sauce next

  • Sriracha Sauce
    Sriracha Sauce

    A chile sauce with a ketchup-like consistency, Sriracha is made from sun-ripened chiles, garlic, sugar, salt, and vinegar, giving it a hot-sweet-sour-salty flavor profile.

    Learn more about sriracha sauce

    Chicken Soup Goes Global

    next slideshow
    Chicken Soup Goes Global next

  • Curry Paste
  • Lemongrass
  • Asian Fish Sauce
  • Coconut Milk
  • Wild Lime Leaves
  • Bird Chiles
  • Galangal
  • Thai basil
  • Sriracha Sauce
previous
Sign Up
more slideshows:
Steaks on the Grill Steaks on the Grill
Top Brownie Recipes Top Brownie Recipes
Baconize It! Baconize It!
Chicken on the Grill Chicken on the Grill

Sweet Strawberry Desserts Sweet Strawberry Desserts
Best Burgers On the Block Best Burgers On the Block
Quick & Easy Asparagus Quick & Easy Asparagus
Salads on the Grill Salads on the Grill

Nothing Beats Homemade Nothing Beats Homemade
Great American Cookouts Great American Cookouts
Sweet-Tart Rhubarb Recipes Sweet-Tart Rhubarb Recipes
Go Meatless on the Grill Go Meatless on the Grill

Real Barbecue, Real Good Real Barbecue, Real Good
Quickest Chicken Dinners Quickest Chicken Dinners
Pizza on the Grill Pizza on the Grill
Gluten-Free Baked Treats Gluten-Free Baked Treats

13 Things You Didn´t Know You Could Grill 13 Things You Didn´t Know You Could Grill
Guide to Wheat Beers Guide to Wheat Beers
Recipes for the Ultimate Taco Party Recipes for the Ultimate Taco Party
Luscious Lemon Desserts Luscious Lemon Desserts

Dinner Party Recipes for Any Style Dinner Party Recipes for Any Style
Creative Crêpes Creative Crêpes
Fish Dinners, Reimagined Fish Dinners, Reimagined
Taste of New Orleans Taste of New Orleans

Spring Dinner Salads Spring Dinner Salads
Best of the Blogs: Strawberry Shortcake Best of the Blogs: Strawberry Shortcake
Great Kitchens: An Interactive Tour Great Kitchens: An Interactive Tour
The Flavors Behind Beef Rendang The Flavors Behind Beef Rendang

Sunday Dinner Ideas Sunday Dinner Ideas
Seven Sustainable Fish Seven Sustainable Fish
Ultimate Macaroni & Cheese Recipes Ultimate Macaroni & Cheese Recipes
Classic Comfort Food Classic Comfort Food

Ultimate BBQ Ribs Ultimate BBQ Ribs
Quick Chocolate Desserts Quick Chocolate Desserts
Italian Sunday Dinner Ideas Italian Sunday Dinner Ideas
Roast Chicken Redux Roast Chicken Redux

Best Bets for Quick, Healthy Breakfasts Best Bets for Quick, Healthy Breakfasts
Fresh Winter Salad Recipes Fresh Winter Salad Recipes
Better-Than-Takeout Recipes Better-Than-Takeout Recipes
Make Your Own Bread Make Your Own Bread

Great Ideas for Whole Grains Great Ideas for Whole Grains
Healthy Chicken Dinners Healthy Chicken Dinners
Best Beef Tenderloin Recipes Best Beef Tenderloin Recipes
Recipes for Your Repertoire Recipes for Your Repertoire

Desserts with a Secret Desserts with a Secret
Thai On the Fly Thai On the Fly
Quick Dessert Recipes Quick Dessert Recipes
Ultimate Classic Soups Ultimate Classic Soups

Breakfast for Dinner Breakfast for Dinner
The Essential Thai Ingredient Guide The Essential Thai Ingredient Guide
Cobblers, Crisps, Crumbles & More Cobblers, Crisps, Crumbles & More
Chicken Soup Goes Global Chicken Soup Goes Global

Breakfast, a Fresh Start Breakfast, a Fresh Start
Grill It on a Stick Grill It on a Stick
Hard-Boiled, Super-Easy Hard-Boiled, Super-Easy
Recipes That Save the Planet Recipes That Save the Planet

Celebrating Spring Vegetables Celebrating Spring Vegetables