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Mick Vann’s List of Thai Herbs, Vegetables, and Fruits:

A note regarding transliteration of Thai names: there is an official transliteration system for Thai-English that is approved by the Thai government, however very few Thai’s use it, and it can often seem to make it more difficult to figure out what is being discussed. Few Thai cookbook authors even agree on the English transliteration of the most basic Thai words for ingredients. Here I have used a phonetic transliteration approved by friends that are native Thai speakers.

The best local (Austin) source for living Thai herbs is a plant nursery called It’s About Thyme, owned by Chris and Diane Winslow, and located about 2 miles south of Slaughter Lane, on Manchaca Road. They have been written-up in the New York Times, among other publications, as a source for Thai herbs and vegetables. My Thai friends and I purchase a large variety of different Thai seeds for them when we are in Thailand, and Chris and Diane grow them out for public sale. Their supply of plants at any given moment varies, depending on the season, and the supply of seeds. Call and see if they have what you are after.

It’s About Thyme Nursery
11726 Manchaca Rd.
Austin, TX 78748
512-280-1192
itsaboutthymegc@ev1.net

Thai Herbs: bai = “leaves”

Sweet Basil: ho-ra-phaa
Lemon Basil: man-glug
Thai Basil: maeng-lak (also mint basil) smaller, smoother, and more delicate than sweet basil
Holy Basil:ka-prao (purplish, hairy)…there is also a variety of Holy basil that is light green, without the purplish pigment. Holy basil is always added during the cooking process, and is never eaten raw

Cilantro: phak chii (roots=raak phak chii; seeds=met phak chii)
Rau Ram ? aka Vietnamese Cilantro
Sawtooth coriander: phak chii farang

Spearmint: sa-ra-nay the true Thai mint is called “water mint”
Asian pennywort: bai bua bok
Vietnamese Mint: phak phai (Polygonum sp.)

Chilies: Prik
“mouse dropping":prik khii nuu 60-80K scovilles
“farm” mouse dropping: prik khii nuu suan shorter, fatter, smaller seeds
“dragon’s eye": m.d. prik khii nuu sun yaew 4cm
“sky pointing”: prik chi faa 6-10cm; red, grn, yellow; 35-45K scovilles
banana stalk chile: prik yuak 10-15cm; ylw-grn>red
orange chile: prik haeng 3cm, thin-fleshed, very hot, slightly sour
Sweet bell pepper: prik waan

There are ten main types that are commonly used…originally brought to Thailand in 1629 by the Portuguese (it took only 30 years for chiles to cover all parts of the country (which included parts of Cambodia and Laos at the time, and was much larger than Thailand’s current size) and be completely adapted into the cuisine)…previously the heat came from peppercorns (called “Prik Thai”): green (prik thai onn), black, and white (slightly different and spicier than our white peppercorns)

Garlic: kra-tiem
Shallots: hawm-lek,
Red shallots: hawm-daeng
Green Onions: ton-hawm
Onion: hua-hawm

Lemongrass: ta-krai

Bay Leaf: gra-wan

Galangal: khaa
Ginger: khing
Cardamom: luuk gra-waan
Turmeric: kha-min
White Turmeric: khamin khao
Red turmeric: khamin leuang
Sugarcane turmeric khamin ooy, khamin chan
“Chinese keys” kra-chai aka: “finger root”, “rhizome”, “wild ginger”
Torch ginger: ka-laa

Pepper Leaf: chaplu aka “wild tea leaf”, “betel leaf”
Cumin Leaf: yee-rah

Thai Lime Leaf: mak-root, ma-groot
Note: the common English name, Kaffir leaf, has been changed because the word “kaffir”, which is from South Africa and means “colored” (referring to that portion of the population from India) is derogatory.

Taro/elephant ear: puak

Easily-Grown Annual Vegetables Used in Thai Cooking:

Vagetables: Pakk-Sod

Eggplants: Makheua
small grape-sized: makheua phuang
green & white striped, small, round: makheua phraw
green, small, round: mauek
Ichiban type, purple: makheua yao
long green: makheua yao

Tomato: makheua-theht

Potato: man farang

Long beans, yard-long beans: tua fak-yao dips, curries, stir fries
Winged bean: tua pooh salads, dips
Snow pea: tua lan-tao
Hyacinth bean: tua paeb pods used in dips and curries
Peanut: tua lisong
Soybean: tua leuang
Stink bean: sadtor, sadao aka Petai bean

Cucumbers:
Regular: tang gwah
Long Asian-style ?
Short pickling ?

Ash melon: fak gwio
Bitter melon: mara
Winter melon: fak nguu, mara
Gourd: buap
Squash: fak
Luffa: buap liam
Snake gourd: buap nguu
Wax gourd: fak khiaw
Bottle gourd: naam tao
Cantaloupe: taeng thai
Watermelon: taeng-mo red or yellow-meated, small
Jicama: man kaew

Napa cabbage: phak kat khao plii
Mustard cabbage: phak khat khiaw
Watercress: phak khat naam
Siamese watercress: phak boong
Lettuce: phak khat hawm
Chinese kale, Chinese broccoli: phak kha-naa
Morning glory greens: phak ka-chet

Carrots: kea-rod
Daikon: hua chai thao, hua chai poh
Giant radish: hua phak khat

Chinese celery: kheun chai

Corn: khao phoht

Okra: krajiap mawn

Cauliflower: pak ka-lum dak
Broccoli: bok-ka-li
Chinese broccoli: gai lin

Bamboo shoots: naw mai, nor mai

Lotus leaves: bai bua
Lotus stems: sai bua
Lotus roots: raag bua
Water chestnut: hoy khew

Fruits: Phon la mai (fruit of the tree)

Langsat: langsat
Longan: lamyai
Lychee: lynchii best = Hong huai & Chakrapat

Mangosteen: mang-khut
Rambutan: ngaw
Santol: gra-torn

Thai green orange: som-cheng
Mandarin/Kalachoes: som-khiaw-wan
Thai lime: mak-root
Lime: manao
Citron: som-saa
Pomelo: som-oh best: s.o. thong dee (Brilliant gold) & s.o. khao hom (Fragrant white)

Gandaria (plum mango): ma-prang
Hog plum: makrok
Rambeh: ma-fai

Gooseberry: ma-yom

? mak-jeong
? gradum maew
? lamai
? ma kham thao
? look-jar

Strawberry: strah-buree

Grapes: angoon

Starfruit/Carambola: ma-feung

Sapodilla: la-moot

Rose apple: chompu green & red
Jujube: poodza

Mango: ma-muang
green mango: ma-muang dip

Papaya: malakaw
green papaya: malakaw dip

Guava: fa-rang

Passionfruit: saowarot

Custard apple/sweetsop: nawy-naa/noi nah aka Sugar apple

Durian thurian mildest = mawn thawng (“golden pillow”);
best = kahn yeow (Longstem D.), chanee (Gibbon D.)

Jackfruit: ka-noon (jackfruit permanently stains clothes)

Cantaloupe: taeng thai
Watermelon: tang-mo red or yellow-meated…small and round

Pineapple: sapparot many different varieties used

Coconut: ma-prao
fire-sweetened: ma-prao pao
roasted coconut meat: maprao khrua
young (for “water”): maprao onn
young (for unripe flesh): maprao teun teuk
coconut palm fruit: luk chid, luk tarn, luk jark
coconut cream: hua gati
coconut milk: hang gati
coconut sugar (from sap): nahm dtam maprao

Banana : kluay: there are some 28 different varieties of banana used in Thai cuisine….
fragrant: kluay hawm
medium, thick: nam wah (source of leaves for cooking = bai twang); sticky& sweet
medium, thick: kluay naam
egg: kluay khai
princess finger: kluay mep meu naang
cooking: kluay hak mook
banana flower: bud hua plii
banana tree heart: ton kluay (curries in the North=gaeng yuak )
banana leaves: bai dtong, bai twang

Tamarind: ma-khaam sour & very sweet
Tamarind leaves: bai ma-khaam
Ambarella: ma-kawk aka: Otaheite apple, or Thai olive
ma-kawk farang larger
ma-kawk num smaller…grows near water
Roselle: kra-jiap
Cashew apple (fruit): ma-moung-him-ma-pan
Zalaccas la kharn
Pomegranate: tap thim
Snakefruit ? aka “strawberry plum
Sour snakeskin pear: rakam
Sugarcane: ooy

snacks aahaan waang literally “empty food”…how poetic to call a snack worthless food

Bibliography of Recommended Thai Cookbooks:

Cummings, Joe, Lonely Planet World Food: Thailand, Lonely Planet, 1996
Lew, Judy, with Poladitmontri & Warren, Thailand: the Beautiful Cookbook, Harper, 1999
Loha-Unchit, Kasma, It Rains Fishes, Pomegranate Communications, 1995
--------------, Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood, Simon & Schuster, 2000
Sodsook, Victor, with Laursen & Laursen, True Thai: The Modern Art of Thai Cooking, Morrow, 1995
Thompson, David, Thai Food, Ten Speed Press, 2002
Yu, Su-Mei, Cracking the Coconut: Classic Thai Home Cooking, Harper, 2000

Mick Vann:
Co-author, with Art Meyer: The Appetizer Atlas: A World of Small Bites, Wiley, 2003
…winner of World’s Best Foreign Cookery Book, 2004 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards
Owner: Atlas Culinary Adventures, specializing in culinary travel, foreign and domestic
atlasculinaryadventures.com
Horticulturist, School of Biological Sciences, UT @ Austin
mvann@mail.utexas.edu
Co-owner: Native Design Group, award-winning xeric landscape design and installation
Cell: 512/470-7598