While my go-to store-bought paste has been Mae Ploy for years, and I have used many other brands in the past, I've never really compared them side by side or paid close attention to the subtle differences. So, to really find out what is the best brand (at least according to me), a blind taste test is called for.

More of a video person? Watch the Curry Paste Tasting Video here, complete with my live reaction!

How I Chose the Brands for Review

I chose red curry paste for our test because it's the most basic, it's the most commonly available, and it's used in the majority of Thai dishes that use curry paste on my site. More importantly, every brand has a version of red curry paste.

There are a large variety of brands out there, and it’s impossible for me to taste test them all, so I had to narrow it down to a manageable number and here’s how I made the choice.

• I chose only brands that are commonly available outside of Thailand; so nothing obscure, local, or specific to Thailand, the US or Canada.
• I chose only brands that have been around for a long time and have a good reputation; so they’re all coming in with a certain amount of cred. New brands are popping up all the time, but I wanted ones that have at least passed the test of time.
• I chose ones that have all the expected ingredients for a red curry paste. I also checked that they don't have any chemical additives, because a good curry paste should just be a mix of real food ingredients.

Our 5 Contenders

With the above guidelines, I arrived at these 5:

• Maeploy - my current go-to brand. It does contain shrimp paste, which is traditional, but if you’re vegan this one is out by default.
• Aroy-D - another brand that I use quite often cuz it’s widely available; and if Mae Ploy isn't available this is the one I get. They also make my go-to coconut milk.
• Maesri - the only brand that comes in a can, and also the only one with sugar in the ingredient list.
• Namjai - another one in our lineup that contains shrimp paste.
• Thai Kitchen - not a brand I often see at Asian grocery stores, but by far the most common one available in the “international aisle” at non-Asian grocery stores worldwide. So on this list, it's probably the one that the largest number of people have access to. (Sidenote: It is a McKormick brand, but it is made in Thailand.)

Where to buy these curry pastes in your city? Your local Asian grocer will surely have at least one of these, check out our map of Asian grocery stores to locate one near you!

A little background on Thai curry paste

At the basic level, Thai curry paste is simply a mixture of ground herbs and spices - and there are tons of varieties: red, green, yellow, massaman, panang, etc. They're also used in many dishes beyond Thai curries, such as this cauliflower stir fry and Thai fish cakes.

For each type of paste, there’s a basic expectation of what it should taste like; but like any recipe, everyone has their own specific formula, hence all these brands.

If you want to learn more about curry pastes, I highly suggest watching my curry paste 101 video where I go more in depth into what it is, and how to use, store, etc. Also, to explore other ways to use curry paste, here are 5 ways to use curry paste beside making a curry.

But what is a Thai curry paste anyway?

Thai curry pastes are basically a mix of ground fresh herbs and spices. The most common curry paste ingredients are: chiles, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, cilantro root (coriander root), kaffir lime zest, white peppercorns. Shrimp paste is always added to curry paste in Thailand, though many exported brands omit this to make it vegan and allergy friendly.

The above are included in most curry pastes, and then other ingredients are added depending on the type of curry. For example: yellow curry paste contains curry powder and turmeric, panang curry paste has cumin seeds and coriander seeds, massaman curry paste has a whole truckload of dry spices, and green curry paste uses fresh green chiles.

Curry Paste Tasting Video - Live Reaction

The results are written out below, but for the full experience watch the video for my live reaction and detailed review!

And the best Thai red curry paste is...

Our first test involves making a basic Thai curry sauce following the exact same recipe. The process is shown in the video above, but ingredients added include coconut milk, water, and just a little sugar. I’m not seasoning them with fish sauce for this because most curry pastes already come with quite a bit of salt, and without any meat or veggies any fish sauce added would make at least some of these unpalatably salty.

The Ranking

1. Mae Ploy: Came out on top. It has a strong flavour, good level of spice, and has the most umami.
2. Namjai: A near-tie to Mae Ploy. It has a redder colour (if that matters to you) and a slightly milder shrimp paste flavor.
3. Aroy-D: By far the best of all 3 vegan options. Also a very close runner up to my top 2. *The Aroy-D curry paste I get contains no shrimp paste, however, a viewer has commented that he has seen a version that lists "shrimp powder" on the ingredient list. I don't know if that's an old formula, but it's worth double checking before buying if you don't eat shrimp.
4. Maesri: Significantly weaker flavour than the top 3, but has good flavour. It is also less salty which may be a positive for those watching your salt intake. If using this brand, I would use more of it than the 3 above.
5. Thai Kitchen: The weakest flavour in the group by a long shot. It is not spicy at all (so kid friendly). In this standardized test the curry sauce was too diluted to even determine how good the flavour was.

Test #2: Is the worst at least workable?

So the bad news is that the most widely available paste is also our worst performing one. But in real life, we don't use a standardized recipe and we can do more with our dishes. So if I do everything I can to make it reach its full potential - use more paste, add more seasonings - can the worst come close to our best curry paste?

So I took our top and bottom picks, Mae Ploy and Thai Kitchen, and made a full curry. It's a basic red curry recipe with bamboo shoots, chicken breast, and Thai basil. I doubled up the paste for Thai Kitchen, and had to add significantly more fish sauce than Mae Ploy to bring it up to the optimal seasoning level.

PS. This happens to be a great "quick curry" recipe, and you can even add makrut (kaffir) lime leaves and bell peppers for a little more pizazz. Here it is: Quick red curry chicken recipe.

I then tasted the two curries with jasmine rice, because Thai curry is always served with rice. And here are the results:

Mae Ploy is still better. It delivers good flavour and a good level of spiciness that I would call a "crowd pleaser level" - not too hot, but not disappointing for Thai food. Thai Kitchen, with double the amount of paste, has a thicker curry sauce, but still delivers weaker flavours. There is essentially NO spiciness to speak of, and indeed this would be great for kids or your meat-and-potatoes-only friends.

Does Thai Kitchen make a curry I would enjoy? As a Thai person, I find it a little unsatisfying, but I wouldn't call it a bad meal. For kids, people sensitive to spice, or someone completely uninitiated to spicy cuisines, this might be a great first step. And you know what, that's probably the audience they're making this paste for.

The Takeaways

The main takeaway is that there is a huge range between brands of store-bought curry paste. When following recipes, unless you copy the brand that was used by the recipe writer, you cannot assume that you will get a result that is even close to what they got. So you have to use your judgment and be prepared to adjust as needed, (which is something you should do whenever you cook anything anyway.)

For my recipes, I'm either using Mae Ploy or Aroy-D in my tests, both of which are very similar. If you're using Namjai it will also be similar enough that no adjustments should be necessary.

My Final Recommendations

For most people, I recommend going with one of the top 3: Mae Ploy, Namjai or Aroy-D. They came close enough that you can't go wrong with any of them. But if you're vegan or allergic to shrimp, then Aroy-D would be your only good option.

Maesri is a paste with a good flavour base, but it is significantly weaker than the top 3, and would require a larger amount of paste. If you're sensitive to salt and can handle just a little spice, this is what I would use so that you have room to add more paste without fearing that it would become too salty or spicy.

Thai Kitchen I would use only if this were my only choice. I would also add more chilies, more shrimp paste, and would use a LOT of it, like...the whole jar for a 4-serving curry (which makes it also the most expensive one in this lineup). If I'm cooking for kids or people who cannot handle any spiciness at all, then Thai Kitchen would be a safe choice.

What About Other Kinds of Curry Paste?

Though we did not test other kinds of curry pastes (yellow, green, etc.), I have used them in the past and I am quite certain that the results would not be all that different. The top 3 might switch positions a bit (and it's worth noting that Mae Ploy yellow curry paste doesn't contain shrimp paste), but I highly doubt that the bottom 2 would be different.

This is because the main difference is not in the subtle flavours, but rather the potency of the paste, which I'm assuming should be consistent within each brand.

Ready to Cook? Here are some Thai curry recipes to get you started

The post The Best Thai Red Curry Paste - A Review appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

There is nothing more important to Thai cooking than a solid understanding of Thai ingredients. After all, ingredients are the foundational building blocks of Thai cuisine! I always say that Thai cooking is not hard, it only feels hard because the ingredients are unfamiliar. And that's an easy problem to fix!

This article and the accompanying video will give you an overview of the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine. For many of these ingredients there are also dedicated posts that dive further into the minute details; but this post should provide plenty of information for you to start cooking Thai food with more confidence.

I've divided the ingredients into functional categories: salty, sour, sweet, herbs and spices, and dry goods.

The Salty

Thai cuisine employs a number of different salty sauces in our cooking. Here they are listed roughly in order of how often they are used for the average Thai person.

FISH SAUCE | NAM PLA | น้ำปลา

Fish sauce is a must-have in any Thai home. Made from fermented anchovies and salt, this pungent amber liquid adds a sharp saltiness and a punch of umami that is an iconic characteristic of many Thai dishes, such as salads, curries, stir fries, and if you want to cook pad thai, fish sauce is necessary! 

I have a detailed post about how to choose a good fish sauce and recommended brands in my Ultimate Fish Sauce Guide, but briefly, look for brands only contains anchovies, salt, and sugar (though sugar is not a required). Squid and Megachef are classic, good-quality Thai fish sauce brands that are inexpensive, easy to find, and perfect for everyday cooking.

STORAGE: Fish sauce will not spoil at room temp even after opening because it's so salty. However, the flavour deteriorates over time, so unless you're a daily user like Thai people, keeping it in the fridge will preserve the flavour for longer.

SUBSTITUTIONS: If you’re vegetarian, the easiest thing (and what I do for vegan friends) is substitute soy sauce in equal amounts, or sometimes I do a combination of soy sauce and Golden Mountain Sauce (see below). Larger Asian markets do sell vegan fish sauce, but some of them can be rather awful.

Having said that, I have sampled a decent version labeled “premium pineapple-made vegetarian fish sauce” from Vietnam. Also check online sources from time to time, as there are a few new products on the market that have had some good reviews.

OYSTER SAUCE | NAM MUN HOI | น้ำมันหอย

Oyster sauce is the queen of stir-fry sauces. Imagine a combination of the briny flavors of oysters, the umami of soy sauce, and a subtle sweetness—that’s the flavor of oyster sauce. A common Thai brand is Maekrua, but the widely available Lee Kum Kee is also great for Thai cooking. If you're on a budget, Panda Brand, which is also a Lee Kum Kee brand, is cheaper and is what most takeout restaurants use.

Oyster sauce quality varies significantly though, with the better ones containing more “oyster extract” (which is the oyster poaching liquid). Better ones also tend to be more expensive. For a deep dive, see my post What is Oyster Sauce and Which is The Best One? where I tasted the four oyster sauces in the pic above.

STORAGE: Keep open oyster sauce in the fridge as it can get moldy at room temp over time.

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can find vegetarian oyster sauce at Asian markets, but it won't say "vegetarian oyster sauce" on the label. Look for vegetarian stir fry sauce by Lee Kum Kee.

SOY SAUCE | SEE EW KAO | ซีอิ๊วขาว

You probably have Japanese or Chinese soy sauce in your kitchen already, and they can be used for Thai cooking, but Thai soy sauce does taste different. Compared to Chinese or Japanese soy sauces, ours is a little lighter in both color and body and has a distinctly different aroma and flavor.

Healthy Boy is a classic brand available at many Asian markets; look for a bottle labeled “thin soy sauce” (yellow label) or “mushroom soy sauce” (brown label); these are two varieties of Thai soy sauce. The mushroom version is the one I prefer, though either will work in your recipes just fine. For a deep dive, see Types of Soy Sauces Explained.

STORAGE: Soy sauce will not spoil at room temp, but keeping it in the fridge once opened, will preserve the flavour for longer.

SUBSTITUTIONS: If you cannot find Thai soy sauce, you can use your favourite Japanese soy sauce. A 1:1 substitution will still result in a tasty dish.

GOLDEN MOUNTAIN SAUCE (Thai Seasoning Sauce) | SAUCE PROONG ROHT  | ซอสปรุงรส

Yes, these are all seasoning sauces technically, but there is a specific type of sauce that we literally call “seasoning sauce.” I commonly refer to this as Golden Mountain Sauce because it is the most common brand available outside of Thailand.

It is actually a type of soy sauce, but with a different character; it is a bit richer and darker than Thai soy sauce and has a very similar flavour to Maggi Seasoning. We usually use Golden Mountain in combination with soy sauce in order to create a more complex flavour than soy sauce alone. We also love to drizzle it on eggs!

STORAGE: Because this is a type of soy sauce, you can store it in the same way. It will not spoil at room temp, but keeping it in the fridge once opened, will preserve the flavour for longer.

SUBSTITUTIONS: This is not an essential ingredient to stock, and wherever it is called for you can use an equal amount of soy sauce instead. However, if you have Maggi Seasoning or Bragg Liquid Aminos, they do taste quite similar, and these will be your best option.

BLACK SOY SAUCE | SEE EW DUM | ซีอิ๊วดำ

Black soy sauce is a nice-to-have ingredient but not essential because it’s not usually integral to the dish. Think soy sauce mixed with molasses - it’s thick, mildly salty, a little sweet, and very dark. It’s used mainly to add a dark brown color and a touch of richer flavor. Whenever you see a Thai dish with a very dark color, such as some dark soup broths or stir-fries, it’s probably see ew dum in action. 

Black soy sauce brands vary significantly in terms of how dark they are, so in my recipes I always give a range and you should always start with the smaller amount. Healthy Boy brand and Dragonfly brand (my preference) are two popular Thai black soy sauces, but Healthy Boy is much darker and less is required for the same colour.

For a deeper dive, see Types of Soy Sauces Explained.

STORAGE: Though I haven't personally seen black soy sauce gone bad at room temp, because it is not as salty as fish sauce or soy sauce, I like to keep it in the fridge just in case it gets mold.

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can substitute Chinese dark soy sauce, which will give you the dark color, but it tends to be saltier; so if using more than ½ teaspoon or so in the recipe, you want to cut back on other salty ingredients you’re adding. 

FERMENTED SOYBEAN PASTE | TAO JIEW | เต้าเจี้ยว

Tao jiew is the Thai version of miso, but with a pourable consistency and some whole soybeans are still visible. It’s very salty, with an edge of acidity, and its aroma is slightly different from that of Japanese miso. It’s not used often, but when it is, it is important to the character of that dish. Healthy Boy soybean paste is the most popular brand of tao jiew outside Thailand.

STORAGE: Once open, keep in the fridge.

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can substitute Japanese miso or Korean doenjang in roughly equal amounts, then thin it out with a bit of water to achieve a similar consistency. Be prepared to taste and adjust for saltiness.

FERMENTED SHRIMP PASTE | GAPI | กะปิ

​This salty, purplish-gray paste made from fermented small shrimp (or sometimes krill) is the epitome of "funky" and is used all over Southeast Asia. It’s one of those things that tastes better than it smells. It has lovers and haters. I am a proud lover of shrimp paste.

You may have eaten shrimp paste without knowing it, because most Thai curry pastes contain it in small amounts. You can buy Thai shrimp paste in a plastic tub, or the Malaysian type in a plastic-wrapped brick called belacan. 

STORAGE: Refrigerate after opening, but keep it tightly sealed and maybe even in a bag to prevent the smell from "perfuming" your fridge!

SUBSTITUTIONS: Where shrimp paste is used in small amounts, such as in curry pastes, you can omit it and add extra fish sauce instead. If omitting because you are vegan, substitute an equal amount of miso paste.

Note: Do not confuse this with a product called "shrimp paste in soybean oil" which is an orange paste in a glass jar. That is made from shrimp tomalley cooked with herbs and seasonings. It’s delicious added to fried rice and stir-fries, but it is not fermented and cannot be used as a substitute for gapi. 

TAMARIND PASTE | NAM MAKAAM PIAK | น้ำมะขามเปียก

Compared to lime, tamarind has a richer, sweeter flavour, is less sour and is usually used in hot cooked dishes. I have a detailed post all about tamarind that you can read if you're interested about what the fruit is and how we use it in Thailand.

The tamarind that we use in Thai cooking, what I call "tamarind paste," is the pulp mixed with water until it has a pourable consistency. I do prefer making tamarind paste myself from pulp, and here's a tutorial for how to make your own tamarind paste and it is pretty easy. But you can buy prepared Thai tamarind paste in plastic tubs or glass jars, often labeled “tamarind concentrate”. 

Note: ALWAYS use tamarind from Thailand when you are making Thai recipes. Do not get Indian tamarind products for my recipes as it is a very different, and much more potent product. It is extremely thick, sticky, and much more sour than what we use in Thailand. 

STORAGE: Liquid tamarind paste will last in the fridge for a few months after opening, but you can also freeze it in ice cubes if you don't use often. Tamarind pulp lasts indefinitely in the fridge.

SUBSTITUTIONS: It really depends on what you're using it in. If it's added in small quantities just as an acid to brighten up the flavour of a dish, you can substitute lime or lemon juice. But if it is the main flavour of the dish, such as in pad thai or tamarind shrimp, there really is no good substitute for it that won't change the flavour significantly. 

The Sweet 

Sweetness is an important part of Thai cuisine because it is used to balance the salty, acidic, and spicy elements of our dishes. Many Thai restaurants overseas overly sweeten their foods in the attempt to please the Western palate, so don't use that as a guide. Your Thai food should never be cloyingly sweet!

PALM SUGAR | NAM TAAN PEEP | น้ำตาลปี๊ป

Palm sugar is the traditional Thai sweetener, used before granulated sugar became available. To be clear, nowadays we use good old white granulated sugar A LOT in Thai cuisine. So don't feel like you always need to use palm sugar, especially in recipes where it is used in small amounts. But there are times when the flavour of palm sugar is important to the dish.

Palm sugar is made by reducing and caramelizing the nectar from the flowers of either the coconut palm or the toddy palm. It has a gorgeous butterscotch flavor that is tasty enough to be candy. "Coconut sugar" is a type of palm sugar, but granulated coconut sugar that's sold in non-Asian stores undergo different processing and does not taste the same as Thai palm sugar.

Palm sugar from different countries also don't taste the same as Thai palm sugar due to different processing, so use palm sugar from Thailand to ensure the right flavour. For a palm sugar deep dive, see my ultimate guide to palm sugar.

If your palm sugar comes in a solid puck, shave it with a large chef's knife, then finely chop the shavings.  If your palm sugar comes in a tub and is a soft paste, you can simply spoon it out. If your soft palm sugar has hardened, heat it up in the microwave briefly to soften, and then spoon it out while still warm.

Measuring palm sugar for my recipes: My recipes are tested using solid pucks of palm sugar that have been finely chopped and then tightly packed into measuring spoons. One tablespoon of finely chopped, packed palm sugar weighs about 12-13 g, so if using soft paste type palm sugar, use the weight measurement as it t packs a measuring spoon more fully than chopped palm sugar.

Note: All palm sugar sold outside Thailand is mixed with granulated sugar, so the key is to find one that has the least amount of granulated sugar added because it'll have the most flavour. The only way to know is to taste, unfortunately, the labels will usually claim it is 100% palm sugar (100% not true) or it won't indicate the ratio. 

GALANGAL | KHA | ข่า

The key ingredient of the iconic soup tom kha gai, galangal is a firm rhizome whose aroma is very much like that of a lush pine forest. It’s cooling, calming, and refreshing. Although it looks like ginger, and many people will say that you can use ginger as a substitute, I insist that you don’t do this. Not if you expect it to have a similar flavor, anyway! 

LEMONGRASS | TAKRAI | ตะไคร้ 

Lemongrass has a citrusy aroma but without the sour taste. It’s as core to Thai cuisine as garlic is to Italian cuisine. Lemongrass can be bruised and infused into soups, like a cinnamon stick might be, or finely chopped and added to salads, dips, or stir-fries. It’s also a key ingredient in many curry pastes. 

MAKRUT LIME LEAVES | BAI MAGROOD | ใบมะกรูด

​Previously called kaffir lime leaves, these thick, sturdy leaves smell like the grassier sister of lime zest. It’s all aroma, though, as makrut lime leaves don’t impart any of the sour taste you might expect from something with such a citrusy fragrance. 

THAI BASIL | HORAPA | โหระพา

Fragrant and floral, Thai basil adds so much complexity to stir-fries and curries. It is quite widely available these days in Asian markets; and if not, it is also quite easy to grow in N. America in the summertime.

STORAGE: I keep my basil stems in a glass of water, loosely covered with a plastic bag on the counter. Remove the bag to air out excess moisture and change out the water every day, ideally, or as often as you remember. If you find that your basil stems have rooted in the water, you can plant them once the roots are at least an inch long.

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use Italian basil instead.

HOLY BASIL | GAPRAO | กะเพรา 

Holy basil is technically pronounced ga-prao, but it is very commonly mispronounced by Thai people, so you often see it written in various ways with the R in the first syllable: gra pao, kra pao, or krapow.

A little more peppery than the sweet scent of Thai basil, holy basil goes well with dishes that are intensely spicy and is the star of the popular pad kra pao. It is very difficult to find outside of Thailand, even for me, and I no longer have convenient access to it. So don't be surprised if it's not available to you.

It is also notoriously difficult to grow in N. America because it requires hot temperatures to thrive, and few places have such a climate both day AND night, for a long enough time.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Most Thai restaurants use Thai basil instead, but I find that Italian basil better approximates the flavour of holy basil and is my substitute of choice.  

PANDAN LEAF | BAI TOEY | ใบเตย

This aromatic, long, blade-shaped leaf is the star of Thai desserts because its floral aroma pairs fantastically with coconut. Most commonly, we simmer the leaf in liquid to infuse its fragrance, though it can be blended with water and strained when its natural green color is also desired. In stores, they can sometimes be labelled as screwpine leaves or lá dứa in Vietnamese.

STORAGE: I cut my pandan leaves into 5-6 inch pieces and freeze in a freezer bag.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Fresh pandan leaves are harder to find, though frozen ones are perfectly fine to use. In fact, if I buy them fresh, I end up freezing them anyway. Pandan extract, though not ideal, can be used instead - but be sure to add a little at a time as it can be intense and easy to overdo. 

Dry Goods

COCONUT MILK | GATI | กะทิ 

Coconut milk is our only source of creaminess because we do not traditionally use dairy in Thai cooking. And when it comes to Thai dessert, coconut milk is as essential to us as butter is to Western pastries. 

A caveat: Some modern cooks have started using evaporated milk in a few dishes such as creamy tom yum and curry crab, but it is not a traditional ingredient.

CURRY PASTES | PRIK GAENG | พริกแกง

 If you want to make your own curry pastes and keep them in the freezer, great! I have recipes for just about everything: green curry paste, red curry paste, yellow curry paste, you name it. But I want to assure you that there is no shame in buying prepared pastes, as most Thai people do not make their own because it is time consuming.

I kind of draw the analogy that it's like making your own bread. Most people who make bread do so because they enjoy the process, not because it's the only way to get good bread.

BUT, curry paste quality varies A LOT and it's important to know how to identify a good one. So before buy your next one, please see my curry paste review of all the options that are commonly available, including the pros and cons of each. The review in this case is for red curry paste, but in my experience the results apply to other types of curry pastes as well.

In short though, you want to choose one that is made in Thailand and doesn't have a lot of additives; it should only contain herbs, spices, and basic seasonings like salt and shrimp paste. 

My go-to brand is Maeploy, but it may or may not be the right choice for you depending on your heat tolerance and other things; so again, my review above will be very helpful for choosing the best one for you.

THAI CHILI PASTE | NAM PRIK PAO | น้ำพริกเผา

Thai chili paste, also called Thai chili jam, is not used that often, but when it is, it is a key flavour that makes all the difference and can't really be replaced with anything else.

It's a sweet, umami, and mildly spicy paste made primarily from dried chilies, dried shrimp, shallots, and garlic. You will recognize its flavours in famous dishes such as tom yum goong and cashew chicken.

At Asian grocery stores it is labeled either as "chili paste with soya bean oil" or "Thai chili paste" or "roasted red chili paste," depending on the brand. If you can't find it, you can make it yourself and it's not that hard! Here's my Thai chili paste recipe.

SUBSTITUTION: As I mentioned, you can't really substitute it with anything because it has such a unique flavour. So your only option here is to make it yourself, or here are a couple of listings on Amazon: Mae Pranom Brand and Thai Kitchen Brand.

GLASS NOODLES | WOONSEN | วุ้นเส้น

These clear, thin noodles are also called bean threads or bean vermicelli because they are made from mung bean starch. My grandma always has glass noodles in the pantry, as everyone loves them, they’re quick to cook, and they’re extremely versatile.

They’re delicious in salads, soups, stir-fries, are very important in spring rolls, and they’re a staple for hot pots. They are also often used to bulk up meat-based fillings and stuffing such as in these glass noodle meatballs! I've even made fresh glass noodles using mung bean starch at home!

Look for glass noodles that are made from 100% mung bean starch, such as Pine Brand, with no other starches mixed in because they have the best texture.

SUBSTITUTIONS: There are no other noodles that have quite the same texture, but if you are subbing another type of noodles in a glass noodle recipe, you HAVE to change the cooking method to suit the noodles you are using. The methods for cooking glass noodles will not apply. Some people use Korean glass noodles (made from sweet potato starch) instead, which works fine in stir fry recipes, but they are much chewier than the Thai glass noodles.

RICE NOODLES | SEN GUAY TIEW | เส้นก๋วยเตี๋ยว

If you're not experienced with rice noodles, or if you find yourself often having trouble cooking them well, I highly recommend watching my video on How to Cook Rice Noodles Properly.

Dry rice noodles are a great thing to keep in your pantry because they are versatile and last seemingly forever. Choose brands from Thailand if possible, as Vietnamese ones can sometimes have tapioca starch mixed in and will have a slightly different texture.

They come in many sizes and shapes, but the thin ones are the most convenient for weeknight cooking because they don’t take long to soak and cook. 

The post Ultimate Guide to Essential Thai Ingredients appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

If you've been buying ready-made tamarind paste (a.k.a "tamarind concentrate") for cooking, let me tell you why I stopped using them and what I do now. Growing up in Thailand we always made our own tamarind paste for cooking, but when I arrived in Canada I was delighted by the convenient jars from the store!

But after years of using it, I don't know if the products became worse or my standards became higher, but I eventually I became more and more dissatisfied with the quality of premade pastes.

They started to taste bland and diluted to me. And while this isn't the case with all brands, all the time, it was inconsistent enough, even within the same brand, to warrant another solution. Time to go back to my roots and make my own.

What is tamarind?

Simply put, tamarind is a fruit. Its sticky brown flesh ranges from being very sweet to very sour, depending on the variety. The sweet ones are for eating fresh, and the sour ones are for turning into a paste for cooking.

Note: The tamarind liquid that is used for Thai cooking is sometimes referred to as "tamarind water," and some brands of premade ones are labeled "tamarind concentrate." I used to call it "tamarind juice," but I have switched to "tamarind paste" to avoid confusion with tamarind beverages. This is all very confusing, I know!

For everything you need to know about tamarind, check out my Ultimate Guide to Tamarind video. I also show you what tamarind looks like in its original pod!

Important Tamarind Buying Tip

If you find whole tamarind fruit pods at the store, those are the sweet ones for eating as snacks NOT for cooking. Do not make this mistake as many people have done! Though you should get them anyway as they're delish :).

Cooking tamarind comes either in ready-to-use liquid in a tub or jar, or in a brown block (pictured below) which is what you'll need to make your own tamarind paste at home.

The brown block is simply compacted tamarind fruit pulp. The pulp is seedless (though I've seen some rogue seeds occasionally), but it has lots of fibers that need to be strained out.

How to Make Tamarind Paste

Here's an overview of the process, but be sure to read the recipe card and watch the video tutorial because this is one of those things that's much better understood once you see it in action. I also include more tips I didn't include here in the video!

1. Pull apart tamarind pulp into small chunks.
2. Place the tamarind into a large heatproof bowl and cover with hot off-the-boil water and let it sit until the water is cool enough to handle, at least 20 minutes.
3. Use your hand to squeeze and scrunch the tamarind pulp so that the flesh is released from the fibers and mixes into the water. If you feel like it's too thick, and more water is needed to loosen things up, go ahead and add it.
4. Once done, you should have a thick liquid in the bowl and the fibers should have barely any pulp left on them.

5. Strain the tamarind paste into a pot through a sieve that is not too fine, using your hand to stir and push the pulp to help it go through. Feel free to add more water if it's too thick to go through the sieve.
6. Once you're down to just the fibers, rinse the remaining fibers with a little more water to release more tamarind paste.
7. You can use this right away, or for storage, cook the tamarind paste in a pot until it bubbles, and let it bubble for about 5 minutes to ensure that it is thoroughly heated. Stir it constantly to avoid splattering!
8. Transfer the tamarind paste into small mason jars, close the let and let cool. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Print

Homemade Tamarind Paste

Homemade tamarind paste is much better than anything you can buy, and it is easy to make. For the best pad thai, you gotta use homemade tamarind! Be sure to watch the video tutorial below as the process can be much better understood once you see it, and you can also watch it on YouTube.

Course Sauces

Cuisine Thai

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Cooling time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2 cups

Ingredients

• ½ lb seedless tamarind pulp (see note)
• 2 cups hot water
• ½ cup room temp water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Use your hands to pull apart the tamarind block into small chunks and place it in a large, heat-proof mixing bowl. Pour the hot water over the tamarind and let it sit until it’s cool enough for you to handle, about 20 minutes, though you can let it sit for as long as you need at this point—the longer it sits, the easier the next step will be.
  ½ lb seedless tamarind pulp (see note), 2 cups hot water
• Use clean hands, preferably gloved, to squeeze and scrunch the pulp to loosen it from the fibers. You should end up with something that has a consistency of a smoothie. A little thinner than smoothie is fine, but too thick will make it hard to strain, so if it looks super thick add a little water.
• Once you can feel that most of the pulp has been released from the fibers, strain the tamarind mixture, into a pot through a sieve, preferably not fine-mesh as the paste will be thick and it'll hard to push through. Push as much of the liquid through as possible, and scrape the bottom of the sieve occasionally.

  Tip: If at any point in the process you're having a hard time because the liquid is too thick, do not be afraid to add more water. Some brands of tamarind pulp are more "pulpy" than others and require more water to loosen.
• Gradually pour about ½ cup of room temperature water over the remaining fibers in the sieve while using your hand to mix it around. This will rinse off any last little bit of tamarind still stuck in the fibers.
• You can use this right away for cooking, but for storage, cook the tamarind paste over medium high-heat until it boils, stirring constantly, as it is quite thick and can bubble and jump at you if you don’t stir. Allow it to bubble for 4-5 minutes to ensure that it is thoroughly heated through before turning off the heat.
• Transfer the hot tamarind paste to clean, small mason jars, no larger than 1 cup capacity. I like using the smaller ones so each jar will not be open for as long. Close the lids while still hot and and allow it to cool at room temperature before moving them to the fridge for storage. As it cools the lids will be sucked in and it will seal very well, like jam, but since this was not properly canned, you still need to store them in the fridge.

  You can also freeze them in ice cube trays and store the cubes in freezer bags.

Video

Notes

Note: Buy tamarind pulp that comes in a rectangular block, and it should be a product of Thailand. Do not use tamarind pulp from whole pods, as those are sweet tamarind meant for eating, not for cooking.

The post How to Make Tamarind Paste from Pulp appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

Makrut lime leaves, also known as kaffir lime leaves, are an integral part of Thai cuisine. It's a common ingredient that Thai people have in our kitchens, and is crucial in many famous Thai dishes such as tom yum goong, tom kha gai and panang curry. It's also my favourite Thai herb! Its fresh, citrusy aroma is unlike any other citrus fruits, and it can liven up any dish it's added to. 

Over the years I've gotten a lot of questions about makrut lime leaves, so in this article I'll cover everything you need to know to cook with them including how to use, choose, store and substitute.

What is a Makrut Lime?

Makrut lime is a type of citrus fruits native to Thailand. It has fruits that are green, about the size of a golf ball, and has bumps on the skin which make them look a bit like a cartoon brain!

The leaves and the zest have very similar aroma to each other, so for Thai cooking, we mostly use just the leaves because they're so much more abundant and easier to use. We do use the zest in situations where we want to incorporate it into a fine paste, such as in red curry paste, because the leaves are tough and much harder to grind down. 

Makrut lime juice, on the other hand, is not used much as makrut limes do not have much juice to offer, have lots of seeds (see pic above), and the juice tends to be bitter.

​

How to Cook with Makrut Lime Leaves

Lime leaves are incredibly versatile, and can be used in just about anything from soups, salads, curries, stir fries, even infused into drinks! Here are a few ways to use makrut lime leaves. 

1. Infuse into liquids.

The easiest way to use makrut lime leaves is to simply let them infuse into liquid such as soups, stews, or curreis, such as in tom yum goong in the pic above. Simply grab a few leaves with your hands, and then twist to bruise the leaves to release the aromatic oils, then roughly tear into big chunks and add to your dish. It only takes a few minutes for lime leaves aroma to come out, so this is not something you have to simmer for hours on end. 

*Important: In large pieces, makrut lime leaves are for infusion only and are not meant to be eaten as they are very tough. So think of them like bay leaves!

2. Finely julienne

If you do want to actually eat the lime leaves, you have to very finely julienne them, and I mean VERY finely because as I mentioned, the leaves are tough, if you have big ribbons it won't be comfortable to eat. In this form, you can add them to salads, stir fries, or use them as garnish as I do for panang curry and pad prik king. You may also want to remove the center stems if they're quite thick before julienning.

3. Toasting or Frying

Another way  you can use these is to toast or fry them until they're crispy. Sometimes I do this when I make toasted rice powder for laab; I add the makrut lime leaves in with the rice, and as the rice toasts, the leaves dry and become crispy. Then I grind the leaves and the rice up together, resulting in an aromatic toasted rice powder. 

Deep frying lime leaves is also something many Thai people do to get them crispy, but bewarned, they will splatter A LOT. So dry the leaves COMPLETELY, drop them into the hot oil and back up. They will take just a few seconds, once they stop splattering, they're crispy and can be used as garnishes on anything you wish. 

Is that one leaf or 2 leaves?

Makrut lime leaves are what I call "double leaves" (I'm sure there's a botanical term for it), meaning each whole leaf is made of up two smaller leaves connected end to end. So when a recipe called for "1 leaf" people may understandably be confused whether that means the whole double leaf or just the single. I don't know about other recipes, but for my recipes, 1 leaf means 1 single leaf, NOT the double. 

I decided on this because often times when people buy lime leaves, the two sections will have already detached from each other and your bag will be full of single loose leaves, especially if they're older or frozen. So it wouldn't make sense if by "1 leaf" I meant that you had to pick up 2 leaves in your package. Not to mention, there is no such thing as too much lime leaves so I'd rather err on the side of you putting double the amount than only half the amount!  

Tip: Watch out for those thorns!

If you're lucky enough to find fresh lime leaves on the stems, handle them carefully! Makrut lime stems have many big sharp thorns. 

The post Makrut Lime Leaves: Everything You Need to Know (kaffir lime leaves) appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

The post Types of Soy Sauce Explained appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

Rice is a foundational ingredient of Thai cuisine, as it is for many other Asian cuisines. And over the years I’ve gotten a lot of questions about different types of rice: jasmine rice, basmati rice, short grain rice. How are they different? When should you use which rice? And do they need to be cooked differently? So in this article I want to demystify all of that and help you make the right rice decision for your next meal!

I’m going to talk about the 3 most common types of rice used in Asia: Japanese short and medium grain rice (aka "sushi rice"), basmati rice, and jasmine rice.

Jump to:

• Video: Sushi, Jasmine and Basmati Rice Explained + How to Cook Them
• The 3 Types of Rice Most Commonly Eaten in Asia
• Thai People Don't Eat Only Jasmine Rice
• Appearance, Taste, and Texture Comparison
• Aroma Comparison
• What About Brown Rice?
• How to Cook Different Types of Rice
• How Much Water Do You Need To Cook Different Types of Rice?
• Useful Fact: What's the Volume of the "Rice Cup?"
• Other factors affecting the amount of water needed to cook rice
• Does the 1-Knuckle Rule Work?
• Which Type of Rice Should You Use For Which Dish?
• Come Down the Rice Rabbit Hole!

Video: Sushi, Jasmine and Basmati Rice Explained + How to Cook Them

If you prefer watching to reading, in this video I cover most of what is included in this article, but you may find the visuals of the video more helpful as they more clearly show the differences between the types of rice. The video also includes a demo for how to cook each type properly.

The 3 Types of Rice Most Commonly Eaten in Asia

Let's go through the types of rice we're going to cover here.

First is what most people call "sushi rice." There are many varieties that fall into this category, some are considered short grain and others are considered medium grain. For this article I’ll call it "sushi rice" for simplicity, but know that in addition to Japan, this is also the type of rice that’s also eaten in Korea and parts of China. 

Then we have jasmine rice which is the staple rice of Southeast Asia. For our discussion jasmine rice will also represent other varieties of long grain rice that are similar but not technically jasmine. I’ll call these “jasmine adjacents,” which will also include the generic “long grain white rice” that you see in most Western grocery stores. 

Finally basmati rice, the longest grain of them all, and this is the rice eaten in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. Like the other two this also represents the many other subtypes of basmati rice that also exist.

Thai People Don't Eat Only Jasmine Rice

There's a misconception that Thai people, and Southeast Asians in general, only eat jasmine rice, but this is not true. Thai jasmine rice or hom mali rice is the best, most prized rice of Thailand, and it is our most popular exported rice. But it is also the most expensive, which is why when you go to Thailand and you're eating at an inexpensive street-side restaurant, they're likely not using jasmine rice, but one of the many other varieties of long grain white rice that we have.

Aside from being more fragrant, Thai hom mali rice also tends to be softer and stickier than other adjacent varieties, making it not ideal for fried rice So many restaurants who make fried rice will choose another variety, such as sao hai rice, which is less soft and sticky. Or they may also do a mix of varieties.

It is worth noting that the word "jasmine rice" is not regulated. So it may say jasmine rice on the bag, but it may not be the prized jasmine hom mali rice Thailand is known for. So if you want real hom mali rice, look for the green round logo at the top of the bag in the picture above This is the government seal certifying that the rice is genuine hom mali. Now, the logo has also been known to be faked, so go with a reputable brand if you can (Royal Umbrella, Kirkland, or 3 Ladies, for example.)

Appearance, Taste, and Texture Comparison

Sushi Rice

Sushi rice grains are short and chubby when compared to the other two rices, and the key feature here is that when cooked it is quite sticky. So when I try to pick it up with my hand, it sticks to my hand AND the grains stick to each other very well.

This is why it’s great for making sushi or kimbap where you want the rice to stick together - and this is why cultures that eat this kind of rice can eat it with chopsticks.

The texture, when cooked properly, is also a little bit chewy because it’s more dense than long grain rice. It is a very satisfying, toothsome texture.

Basmati Rice

On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve got basmati rice which are not sticky at all. If I pick it up with my fingers they won’t stick to my fingers AND won’t stick to each other.

The grains are very long and skinny, and this becomes even more obvious after you cook them because the grains get significantly longer but not much wider.

The texture is not chewy at all. It is tender, but there’s also a brittleness or a snappiness to it when you bite into the grains. Because they don’t stick together at all, the mouthfeel of basmati rice tends to feel a little bit drier, and this is why it is often cooked with added fat such as butter or oil.

Jasmine Rice

And in between these two extremes is jasmine rice and its adjacents. The grains are shorter and fatter than basmati, but longer and skinnier than sushi rice. It sticks together better than basmati, but not as much as sushi rice. The texture is not chewy, but compared to basmati it is softer and cushier, with a fluffier texture - though some non-jasmine varieties, such as the generic long grain white rice at Western stores, tend to be less soft. The mouthfeel of jasmine rice also feels quite moist compared to basmati and short grain.

Important: Sushi rice is NOT sticky rice.

A lot of people call sushi rice "sticky rice" because, for all intents and purposes, it IS pretty sticky. But it is not true "sticky rice". REAL sticky rice is wayyyyy stickier than this and it is technically called glutinous rice. Glutinous rice comes in both short AND long grain; the short grain is what the Japanese call mochigome or “mochi rice”, and the long grain is what Thai people call khao niew which literally means “chewy rice”.

If you want to dig deeper into sticky rice see my post on sticky rice 101, but for now just know that they cannot be used or cooked in the same way as their non-glutinous counterparts.

What About Brown Rice?

So where does brown rice fit into all this? Brown rice is not another type of rice, it's just processed differently. All white rice has a brown version because white rice is simply brown rice with the bran removed.

So brown rice is going to be more fibrous, and chewier than their white counterpart, but the chew is coming from the brown bran on the outside, and not the rice on the inside. You can cook brown rice using the same method as white rice, but you’ll need a little more water and a little more time because it takes more time for the water to penetrate through the bran. 

Here’s my hot tip: If you don’t like brown rice because you think it tastes like chewy twigs, try brown Thai jasmine rice; meaning real hom mali rice. It is the best tasting, softest brown rice I’ve had, and the jasmine aroma will counteract any twiggy flavour from the bran.

Useful Fact: What's the Volume of the "Rice Cup?"

The measuring cups that come with every rice cooker are equivalent to 180 ml or ¾ cup. Useful to remember if you ever lose the cup! I'm pretty confident that this is consistent across all brands of rice cookers, because I've used many rice cookers in my life, and I have never seen one with a different size cup. (*The Zojirushi provides an additional green cup that's 10 ml smaller, made specifically for Japanese no-rinse rice.)

The benefit of using this rice cup to measure your rice is that you can use the water lines in the rice cooker to measure the water, but ONLY IF you're using the type of rice that matches the nationality of the rice cooker. Which means...

The water lines in a Japanese rice cookers are made for Japanese rice, so it corresponds to a 1:1 rice to water ratio. And the water lines in most N. American rice cookers are made for long grain white rice (jasmine and adjacents) and it corresponds to a 1:1 ½ rice to water ratio. Do Indian rice cookers have basmati-specific water lines? Probably? Though I've never seen an Indian rice cooker before so I can't say for sure!

Come Down the Rice Rabbit Hole!

If you're interested in learning about Thai rice, there is SO much more you can learn. So here are just a few more posts about rice, and if you're ready to get cooking, here are all of my rice-based recipes!

The post Types of Rice Explained: Jasmine vs Sushi vs Basmati appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

Palm sugar is a delicious sweetener made from the nectar of the coconut or toddy palm flowers. It's an integral ingredient in Thai and Southeast Asian cooking, especially desserts. It is what I like to call the "original sugar" in traditional Thai cuisine before white granulated sugar became a thing.

However, I get a lot of questions about it and importantly not all palm sugars are created equal. So in this article I will answer all of your questions so you have the confidence to buy the right palm sugar, and know how to use it.

What exactly is palm sugar and coconut sugar?

Palm sugar is sugar that's made from the nectar of the flowers of *either* the coconut tree or the toddy palm tree (sometimes called sugar palm tree, pic below). If it's made from the coconut tree, then it's also called coconut sugar. In other words, coconut sugar is a type of palm sugar. So all coconut sugar is palm sugar, but not all palm sugar is coconut sugar, makes sense? 🙂

And in Thai, the generic term for all types of palm sugar is nam taan peep น้ำตาลปี๊ป or nam taan peuk น้ำตาลปึก. Coconut sugar is called nam taan maprao น้ำตาลมะพร้าว and sugar made from toddy palm is called nam taan tanoad น้ำตาลโตนด.

While the two sugars come from different plants, the flavor, however, are very, very similar. The one time I tasted them side by side I could tell that they were slightly different, but I couldn't identify which was which. So in Thai cooking palm sugar can be used interchangeably with coconut sugar, with some caveats. More on these caveats in the discussion around choosing the right palm sugar below.

Is Palm Sugar, Jaggery and Gula Melaka The Same Thing?

Jaggery is a term that's used to refer to any unrefined chunk of sugar. So yes, palm sugar is a type of jaggery, but you can also have jaggery made from cane juice that's been cooked down. In everyday speak however, we don't refer to Thai palm sugar as jaggery.

Gula melaka is the Malaysian term for palm sugar that is made from coconut nectar. Though the raw material is the same as Thai coconut palm sugar, gula melaka is reduced and caramelized further, as you can see in the pic below, so it is darker and has a different flavour. So the two are generally not interchangeable in recipes, especially if the sugar is added in large enough quantities that the flavour difference will be perceptible. So, you should use Thai palm sugar in Thai recipes, and gula melaka where it is called for specifically.

And to further clarify, palm sugar is also not the same as piloncillo or panela, which is made from sugar cane.

How is Palm Sugar Made?

Palm sugar is quite a labour intensive process. It's done in 4 major steps.

Step 1: Collecting the nectar.

The palm sugar farmer first climbs up to the top of the tree to reach the flowers. They then cut the flowers and tie a bucket to it to collect the nectar that drips out. Now, you have to imagine that these are not short trees. Toddy palm trees can be anywhere from 25 to 40 meters tal (see pic above)l!! Coconut trees are not as tall, and this is why toddy palm sugar is less common - because it is much harder and more dangerous to collect their nectar.

The palm nectar starts out as a watery liquid that is aromatic, sweet and insanely delicious. You can get the nectar actually as a drink In Thailand, and it's one of my absolute favourite things to drink ice cold. I always seek out whenever I'm in Thailand.

Step 2: Reducing the sugar.

The nectar gets transferred to a large wok, and it is reduced over flame to evaporate the water so that you're left with is just the thick, caramelly, tasty syrup. It's a very similar idea to making maple syrup! At this point, non-artisanal makers will also add various amounts of granulated sugar as a filler. More on this below.

During the boiling process, a woven bamboo "cage" is placed in the wok (pic above) to prevent the syrup from boiling over.

Step 3: Whipping the sugar.

The hot syrup is then whipped using a springy whisk, or a machine (think a boat propeller attached to a stick blender). The aeration is so that the sugar will cool down quickly AND evenly. If they let the sugar cool without whipping it, it will cool from the outside in, causing the exterior to harden while the inside is still liquid.

Step 4: Placing the sugar into molds.

Once the sugar is cool enough that it is a thick paste, it'll either be packed into containers such as tubs or jars, or if they are to be sold as hard pucks, they will be placed into molds. The molds are usually round and can be small or large. The molds are lined with cloth to prevent sticking, and once the pucks are cool and hard they are packaged for sale.

Choosing Between Hard vs Soft Palm Sugar

Palm sugar is sold in stores in two major forms, hard solid pucks and a soft paste in a tub or jar. Neither one indicates a better quality, but here's what you need to know:

Palm sugar can be reduced to various degrees, so if they leave enough moisture in the syrup, it will not completely harden once cool. This palm sugar is then packed into tubs, jars or even plastic bags, designed to be spooned out. This is the most common type in Thailand because we use palm sugar a lot, and the soft paste is more convenient to use, and it dissolves more easily.

But in the export market I more often see palm sugar in hard pucks, which is better if you don't cook with palm sugar often. Why? Because like brown sugar, palm sugar dries out over time. And if you've store palm sugar in a tub for a long time, it can completely solidify in the tub, making it a total pain to use. If this happens, check out the "how to use" section below.

So here I always buy the pucks of palm sugar, which can be chopped and then measured in a tablespoon (more on this below).

What Palm Sugar or Coconut Sugar NOT To Buy for Thai Cooking

In recent years we've started to see granulated "coconut sugar" in non-Asian stores. Can those be used for Thai cooking? Well yes and no. Generally I encourage you to buy Thai palm sugar because that's how you ensure the right flavour profile, especially when making desserts. But let's go through some other products on the market that may cause confusion.

Some granulated coconut sugar is very dark and has an entirely different flavour, like the Roger's one above. It looks almost like dark brown sugar. And while it is made from the same stuff - coconut nectar - the processing is different resulting in a different tasting product. It's very toasty, almost a little smoky, burnt toast-ish. So this is not a good one to use in Thai recipes that call for palm sugar because the flavour difference is too much.

Some granulated coconut sugar is very light and has a much milder flavour. It CAN be used in Thai recipes because it won't introduce any off flavours like the dark one, but seeing as it is not caramelized at all, it has a lighter flavour than Thai palm sugar. The Bob's Red Mill coconut sugar looks like it's medium-dark, though I haven't personally tasted it so I can't comment on how well it'll work as a Thai palm sugar substitute.

Worth noting that Red Boat sells palm sugar from Cambodia that they claim is pure (and FWIW I believe it). But the processing must be quite different because it is so much darker and more acidic than Thai palm sugar. A little bit in savoury applications would be fine, but I would not to use it in Thai desserts where the intense flavours will be quite prominent.

The post Ultimate Guide to Palm Sugar and Coconut Sugar appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

Green curry is the #1 most popular Thai curry - and while many of us would love to be making the curry paste from scratch, let's face it, most of us are gonna be turning to store bought. No shame though, cuz guess what ... most Thai people buy our curry pastes too, myself included!

So the real important question is: which is the "best" brand of Thai green curry paste? I did a blind taste test for red curry pastes a while back and found huge differences between brands that could make or break your curry, and now we have to answer the same question for green curry!

More of a video person? Watch the Curry Paste Tasting Video here, complete with my live reaction!

Our 5 Green Curry Paste Contestants

With the above criteria, I arrived at these 5:

• Maeploy - my current go-to brand and the winner from our red curry paste test. It does contain shrimp paste, which is traditional, but if you’re vegan, this one is out by default.
• Aroy-D - another brand that I use quite often cuz it’s widely available; and if Mae Ploy isn't available this is the one I get. They also make my go-to coconut milk.
• Maesri - the only brand that comes in a can, and also the only one with sugar in the ingredient list. It also contains "Chinese ginger" aka fingerroot or grachai, and I could definitely smell it upon opening.
• Namjai - another one in our lineup that contains shrimp paste, and it did very well in the red curry paste taste test. It's a brand that's become increasingly popular in Thailand.
• Thai Kitchen - not a brand I see at Asian grocery stores, but by far the most common one available in the “international aisle” at non-Asian grocery stores, so it's safe to say this is marketed to non-Asian customers. It's also probably the one that the largest number of people have access to. (Sidenote: It is a McKormick brand, but is made in Thailand.)

Where to buy these curry pastes in your city? Your local Asian grocer will surely have at least one of these, check out our map of Asian grocery stores to locate one near you!

How I Did the Taste Test - The 2 Tests

Our first test involves making my popular green curry chicken recipe. The process is shown in the video above, but I weighed every single ingredient down to the gram and timed each step of the cooking process to control for any differences.

I first tasted the curry straight up so I can really taste the differences. Then I tasted them all again with rice, which is arguably the most relevant test because Thai curries are not meant to be eaten on their own but are always served with rice.

Then I picked my top 2 (which were very close) and got 4 of my friends and family to taste the top 2 to find out which was preferred by most!

The post The Best and Worst Green Curry Paste - A Thai Chef's Review appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

But in recent years, more "premium" fish sauces have entered the market with higher and higher prices. So at what point is the extra money spent no longer worth the quality gain? THAT is what we're here to find out.

So I tasted 4 different "premium fish sauces" at different price points, ranging from $9 to $30 US dollars per 300 mls. I tasted them straight up, in a raw application, and then taste in a cooked application to see if the difference is worth the price.

You can read this article, but for a more complete experience below is the video of my taste test so you can see my live reactions. Everything covered in this article is also discussed in the video!

Video: Thai Chef Reviews Premium Fish Sauce!

What exactly is "premium" or "first press" fish sauce?

It is important that we first establish what exactly IS premium, or more specifically “first press” fish sauce, and how is it different from regular fish sauce? And no, just because it says "premium" on the label, does no make it so.

To understand this you have to know how fish sauce is made. Fish sauce is made by putting anchovies and salt together and letting it ferment over time. As the fish breaks down, the liquid from the fish comes out, mixes with the salt and THAT is the very purest, first press, extra virgin fish sauce. Or what we call in Thai hua nampla, which literally means "the head of the fish sauce." 

You can see some great pictures of how fish sauce is made in my video above, which are images of Squid fish sauce factory, originally from this article (Thai language).

Once the first press fish sauce has been removed from the tank, you can add more water and salt to the same fish and get a second press and even third press out of it, which is obvious more diluted.

Regular, inexpensive fish sauce that we get at the store is a combination of first press with subsequent presses in whatever ratio the manufacturer decides, which is why there’s such a big range of quality out there. And the really low quality fish sauce will have so little first press in it that they also have to add artificial colour and flavours to make up for it.

Our Contenders

Red Boat 40N Fish Sauce

The OG, the pioneer in the premium fish sauce market and the one who started the new wave of premium fish sauce.

• Origin: Vietnam
• Ingredients: anchovies and salt
• Protein per 15 ml: 4 g
• Sodium per 15 ml: 1430 mg
• Price as of Dec 2023: Calculated based on 300ml which is the most common size among these bottles, is $8.99 USD. Actual price per 500 ml bottle is $14.99.

The Royal Squid Fish Sauce

Regular Squid has been my go-to fish sauce for years, it’s a household name in Thailand that's been around for 80 years. Recently they entered the first press market with their first press "Royal" fish sauce.

• Origin: Thailand
• Ingredients: anchovies and salt
• Protein per 15 ml: 2 g
• Sodium per 15 ml: 1620 mg
• Price as of Dec 2023: $12.99/300 ml from an online shop but it is no longer available. In stores this will be cheaper but it is not available to me locally. I've heard some people report that they can get it at their local Asian markets. Do let me know in the comments if you can find it in your stores and how much it costs!

Abalone Fish Sauce

This name is not well known at all in the Western market, but it came up a lot when I was researching popular fish sauces amongst Thai people so I got interested and turns out you can buy it on amazon!

• Origin: Thailand
• Ingredients: anchovies, salt and sugar (we will discuss the sugar below)
• Protein per 15 ml: 2 g
• Sodium per 15 ml: 1380 mg
• Price as of Dec 2023: $11.49/300 ml on Amazon US, in stores this will probably be much cheaper.

Red Boat Phamily Reserve Maple Bourbon Fish Sauce

The most expensive fish sauce I've ever seen! This is Red Boat's 50N fish sauce, their highest grade, that has been aged in maple bourbon barrels. I'm very interested in this to see if the maple bourbon flavours come through, and whether that's a good thing.

• Origin: Vietnam
• Ingredients: anchovies and salt
• Protein per 15 ml: 5 g
• Sodium per 15 ml: 1430 mg
• Price as of Dec 2023: Calculated based on 300ml is $29.98 US. Actual price per 200ml bottle is $19.99 US  

Protein Content in Fish Sauce - What does it mean?

Protein content in fish sauce basically tells us how much "fish juice" actually made it into the bottle. Higher protein, indicates higher fish content, and the more flavourful and umami it is supposed to be.

For our lineup, the maple bourbon is highest in protein, followed by Red Boat 40N Original, then the Thai ones.

Quickly, the N number you often see on fish sauce labels is also an indication of protein content. N stands for nitrogen, which is a unique component of protein, hence its use to indicate protein content. The higher the N number, the higher the protein. You won’t usually see the N number on Thai fish sauces though because it's just not a thing Thai people look at. Most of the time this will be on Vietnamese fish sauces OR export version of Thai fish sauce such as blue label Megachef. (Domestic versions of Megachef, the brown label, does not have the N Number).

Added Sugar in Fish Sauce - Is it bad?

All “regular," non-first press fish sauce has sugar added. Sugar is added to help balance the saltiness in fish sauce to make it a little smoother. In the same way that I add sugar to many of my dishes to balance the salt.

The amount of sugar added in fish sauce is so small that it doesn’t even register on the nutritional label - it will show as zero grams of sugar per 15 ml. And if you taste it, you will realize how little sugar there is!

So I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, and in fact, if it helps the flavour, why not. And if I use no-sugar fish sauce, and the saltiness of the dish isn't balanced, I'm going to have to add sugar to balance it in the dish anyway so it's a moot point for me.

Most firs press fish sauces tend not to add sugar to keep it as pure as possible, with the exception of Abalone which adds 1% sugar, and again, it is so little that it registers as 0 on the nutritional label.

The Results #1 - Straight up Taste Test

Tasting the fish sauces straight up, my favourite one was Abalone. It has a smell that's pleasant and not too strong, the least amount of sodium and added sugar make it go down very smoothly, and it has a rich, long lasting umami in the mouth.

The Royal Squid was a runner up as it was saltier and less smooth than abalone.

Classic 40N Red Boat has a very rich flavour, as indicated by the higher protein content, that really lingers for a long time. But it is a much "fishier" fish sauce than Abalone and Royal Squid, which I didn't like as much, and I can see situations where this would be too strong.

The Maple Bourbon Red Boat had a very intense aroma of both fishiness and bourbon, though not so much maple. But it also had a fermented funk reminiscent of pla ra, padaek, or shrimp paste. I thought this was interesting and wonder if this is the case for every batch. Though it doesn't have the highest sodium content, it felt the saltiest because of the strength in flavour. Too strong to be had straight up in this way, I think. It's best to see my reaction in the video!

To keep things in perspective, I also tasted it against regular, non-premium Squid fish sauce. And indeed, compared to premium fish sauces, regular Squid felt very salty, jarring, with a much lighter body. So yay, you're paying for something!

Squid fish sauce, by the way, is a decent fish sauce that's a classic in Thailand. It is perfectly sufficient for everyday cooking. It is also what I use for my recipes when I develop them for my website and cookbooks because it is the saltiest one on the market. I do this on purpose so that when people follow my recipes, they won't end up with a dish that's too-salty just because they used a different brand of fish sauce.

The Results #2 - Condiment Taste Test

Now the test that matters: let’s put these to use. First I’m gonna use it in a raw form, by making a sauce called prik nam pla, aka the condiment that can improve all foods! It’s simply a mixture of fish sauce, lime juice, chilies, and garlic, and I’m going to to be drizzling this on fried egg over rice which is one of the most common uses for prik nam pla.

All the differences that I tasted in the straight-up test carried through, but because we have introduced other ingredients, the differences are now less obvious.

My favourite by far was Abalone. The addition of sugar really made a difference in flavour for this condiment. Royal Squid was my second choice, and I found Red Boat 40N a little too fishy for this use, so I preferred the previous two, though it was still delicious.

Maple Bourbon (MB) 50N fish sauce, however, is not something I would use for prik nam pla. Not that it was bad, it wasn't, but because I had an expectation of what prik nam pla tastes like, the MB was too different that it turned it into something else. In addition, the bourbon aroma was gone when eaten with food, which was disappointing because it's kind of the whole point of this fish sauce and really what you're paying extra for.

When tasted against prik nam pla made with regular Squid fish sauce, I still prefer ones made with the 3 premium fish sauces (not the MB), but the difference is becoming very very slight.

The Surprising Results #3 - Cooked Dish Taste Test

The final test is to actually cook with these. I’m gonna make my favourite veg side dish: garlicky cabbage fish sauce stir fry because it uses only fish sauce as the seasoning, and has very few other ingredients. So it will have the highest likelihood of the differences being detectable. And of course we’re going to be serving this with rice. 

In this test, I found very unexpected results! The differences between Red Boat 40N, Royal Squid and Abalone at this point is veeery very slight. I could taste the difference, but it was really splitting hairs at this point, and among these 3, Abalone was still my favourite.

However, when I tasted the MB 50N, it was the best one! The bourbon aroma was gone, and so was that fermented funk (it was in the air when we were cooking so that explains where that went), and what's left is a really rich, full-bodied fish sauce that was super delicious. It oddly didn't feel strong or fishy.

I wondered why Red Boat 40N didn't taste somewhere in between MB 50N and Abalone/Squid, and instead the 3 of them tasted very close to each other. I think it might be the level of heat that each was exposed to. Seeing as I couldn't exactly control the heat of the wok, it's a variable that could affect the taste of the sauce. Perhaps the MB 50N was exposed to more heat, and therefore evaporated the funky aroma and fishiness, and concentrated the umami? I can only guess.

I tasted one made from regular Squid next to MB 50N, the best and the worst, for the final judgment. And even though the MB 50N does taste better, I was still very satisfied with the regular Squid! It's still a delicious dish, in fact they all are, and if I wasn't doing a side by side test, there's no way I would be able to tell how they were different.

Conclusion: My Takeaway

My takeaway from this is that when you're going to cook with fish sauce, and especially if you're going to introduce a lot of ingredients and seasonings, a decent quality, regular fish sauce is totally fine. The difference at the end of the day is so small that you'll be hard pressed to taste the extra cash you spent on a fancy bottle.

However, when using it in a relatively pure form, such as in a condiment, the difference can really shine through. And for me personally, I'll be upgrading my prik nam pla to using Thai Abalone fish sauce!

This is a good time to remind you that these reviews are based on my personal preference, which may be different from yours. You could certainly conduct a similar taste test to find out what your favourite is! But I hope that this helps better inform your decision next time you're needing to buy a next bottle of fish sauce!

Recipes for Your Premium Fish Sauce

Here are some recipes that use fish sauce as the main seasoning that you might want to use your premium fish sauce for:

• Cabbage Fish Sauce Stir Fry
• Prik Nam Pla - The Condiment to Improve All Things
• Pad Thai (I would not use Red Boat for this as it is a bit too fishy, but Abalone or Royal Squid would be great for it.
• Thai Omelette
• Any kind of Thai salads would probably benefit from a first press fish sauce!

The post Is Expensive Fish Sauce Worth It? appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

Except that's not true.

If it's all 100% pure coconut water, why do different brands taste different?

This is exactly what I wondered for years when I came to Canada. In Thailand I always drank coconut water from the coconuts. When I found packaged ones here, I was shocked at how ... bland ... they were! After trying a few more brands, I became even more perplexed as to why they all tasted so different. What's going on here? Read on.

What's really in your coconut water?

It IS 100% coconut water...but it's also not what you think. Most of these cartons are actually a mixture of young (green) AND mature (brown) coconut water. What’s the problem with that? Well, mature coconut water doesn’t taste nearly as good, it's actually quite bland. In fact, growing up in Thailand we often just threw it away.

But there’s a lot of it leftover from making coconut milk commercially, as coconut milk is made from mature coconuts, so this is where they end up. Different brands use different ratios of young and mature coconut water, and the ones that are sweeter (and, by default, more flavourful) are ones that are using a higher ratio of young coconut water.

How did I know? I found this out straight from the source when I filmed the documentary below about how coconut milk is made in Thailand. As you will see, a lot of coconut water is collected in the process. I asked them (off camera) what they do with it, and the answer was a revelation.

I finally understood why packaged coconut water never tastes as sweet as ones straight from the coconut, and why different brands vary so much in how sweet they are!

In this video I also do a side by side taste test of coconut water from young vs mature coconuts. Check it out below!

Is it really that bad though?

No. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s actually good that they are not wasting the mature coconut water. And I think it's good that less-sweet options are available for people who may find pure young coconut water too sweet.

And to be honest, I've found a few brands of packaged coconut water that I'm perfectly happy with. (For those curious, I usually get "UFC" brand, and while they have sponsored a video before, this is not a sponsored post. "Chaokoh" brand is pretty good too.)

But I do think it’s a real problem when the packaging is misleading consumers into thinking that this is just like what you get on the beach in Thailand with the straw straight in the coconut - all that's missing is a mini umbrella! Ask anyone shopping for these products and I guarantee you that most people are under this false impression. After all - look at the picture on the carton!

It's not technically "lying," because it IS indeed pure coconut water, but it's certainly a bit sneaky.

How to choose the best coconut water

As I mentioned, different brands use different ratios of young and mature coconut water, and the ones that are sweeter and tastier use a higher ratio of the young coconut water.

Trial and error is the best way I think, but you can also go by the sugar content on the nutritional label (assuming that it's accurate).

I also found that brands that offer flavoured options, like pineapple flavoured coconut water and such, tend to be less sweet; presumably because they can get away with a blander base since they are adding flavours to it anyway. And as an FYI, I never buy these flavoured ones; because when I drink coconut water, I just want it to taste like coconut water!

Where can you find 100% pure young coconut water?

Outside of Thailand, you can buy whole young coconuts at many Asian grocery stores. But to be honest I don't bother with those. They have spent so much time in transit that sometimes they don't taste that good anymore (if the water is pink or purple...that's a sign that it's old). I save myself the effort, and the $$, and just get the packaged ones.

If you are in Thailand however, you can look for products that say "100% Young Coconut Water". In Thailand they sell both types, pure and mixed. They can do this because Thai people know the difference, so manufacturers can charge more for the pure one, and then consumers can choose.

Note: I have seen one brand here in Canada that indicates "Young Coconut Water" (it's from Vietnam), but I don't know for certain if that is true. It tasted pretty good, but I couldn't be 100% sure.

Want to know more about "fake" ingredients?

Check out my video comparing real vs fake sago pearls (aka tapioca pearls), and also find out about the myth about "pure palm sugar" in my Ultimate Guide to Palm Sugar video!

The post Coconut water - What's really in it? appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

When Sago is NOT Sago

If you do a Google search of "sago desserts" you'll come across lots of recipes for mango and coconut sago puddings. But look into the recipes, and you'll notice that these puddings are actually made from tapioca pearls.

But if they’re made from tapioca, why are they called sago? WELL, "Breaking News" ... that is because these tapioca pearls have been used as a cheaper imitation of REAL sago pearls. And real sago pearls are made from a plant actually called sago palm.

What Happened to Real Sago?

So why did we need an imitation of sago in the first place? The problem with true sago is that they are precious. It takes sago palms at least 8-10 years to reach the right maturity, and then the harvesting and processing is super labour intensive.

This means that true sago pearls are limited in quantities and are much more expensive, so people started using tapioca pearls as a substitute, and the real stuff was forgotten for a long time. Only recently did it make a bit of a comeback thanks to social media spreading news of the original substance.

So What is the Fake Stuff Then?

The fake stuff is tapioca pearls, made from tapioca starch. Tapioca starch is made from cassava (pic below), a widely available root vegetable that's a staple in the diets of many cuisines around the world. Needless to say, harvesting a root vegetable is much easier than harvesting a 10-year-old tree, making it a much more accessible and cheaper product.

The sad thing is that in Thailand we actually call tapioca pearls "sakoo," our term for sago; which as we now know is categorically wrong. But there was no other name given to it, presumably because they were originally "snuck in", pretending to be the "real thing". So now we're having to call the real one "true sago" or "tree sago," when really it should just simply be "sago."

How is Real Sago Made?

So what is so hard about making sago? Why are they so precious? In a nutshell, here's the traditional process:

1. Cut down a massive tree (the sago palm) that's been growing for 8-10 years.
2. Chop it up into manageable chunks.
3. Grate the flesh of the trunk and pound or blend it into mush with water.
4. Squeeze the grated flesh to extract the starch, then strain.
5. Let the starch in this "tree juice" settle, then pour off the excess water.
6. Break the starch up into small clumps and roll into small beads.
7. Dry the beads completely for storage and packaging.

Video: How sago pearls are made in Thailand

To really appreciate the process, watch the video below to see sago harvesting and processing in Southern Thailand (the video is in Thai, but it's mostly visual.) In the video some machines are involved in the process, but as you can see it's still pretty basic. If seeing this doesn't make you want to savour every bite of real sago...I don't know what will!

But how different are they, really?

This is where I will direct you to my video to find out! In the video you will see how they cook up, and also my reaction to tasting real sago for the first time. I'll then give you my verdict and whether it's worth searching for.

But here is some further analysis regarding the differences between the two that I didn't include in the video:

1. Colour

Real sago is made from unrefined starch and therefore has a colour; they can be anything from brown to pink. The lighter pink ones are more "desirable", presumably because they're prettier, though I don't believe they are superior in flavour.

Tapioca pearls, however, are pure white because they are made from refined tapioca starch. This has implications on flavour because the refining process removes all the flavour from the original cassava plant.

Note: You can find tapioca pearls that are pink and green; those simply have food colouring added and are not flavoured.

2. Shape

Tapioca pearls are made in factories, which can turn them out in perfect little spheres.

Sago pearls are turned into beads manually by rolling around little clumps of damp starch in a flat bamboo tray until those clumps turn into little balls, as shown in this video. This manual process means that the pearls have uneven shapes and sizes. This has implications on texture, as you will see in my comparison video.

3. Density

I tried to eat these pearls raw (though sadly I did not do this on camera), and real sago instantly disintegrated into powder in my mouth, but the tapioca pearls were so hard they could've broken my teeth! This explains the volume difference between equal weights of the two pearls; 50g of real sago looks like a lot more than 50g of tapioca pearls.

This also explains the difference in cooking time as shown in my video; tapioca pearls took much longer to cook since the water takes longer to hydrate the denser pearls, while real sago cooked up almost instantly.

4. Flavour and Texture

This is where words don't suffice, and you'll have to watch the video below so you can see my reaction to get the full sense of how they differ. You'll also see how to cook them.

Watch My Verdict: Tasting Real vs Fake Sago

Where to buy real sago pearls?

Now that I've convinced you that real sago pearls are worth trying ... next I have to apologize for having to tell you that, if you DO want to try them, you'll have to go to Thailand or another country that produces them.

I've looked around the internet and could not find an online source for true sago pearls. When you do a search for "sago pearls" even "real sago pearls" all that comes up are listings for tapioca pearls. Even if you see some brown ones most likely they are large tapioca pearls made for bubble tea which get their colour from food colouring and/or brown sugar.

If you do go to Thailand, don't be looking for them at the supermarket though. Because these are produced in such small volumes, you'll instead find them at places that sell locally made, artisanal products.

The future of the sago

Real sago is making a bit of a comeback in Thailand thanks to the media which has made people become more aware of their existence. I am one of those "media"; and quite frankly I'm a bit concerned that if the demand for them increases, what will this mean for the environments where the sago palms grow?

On the one hand, it would create a new source of income for people in the villages that make these pearls. In fact, this has already started to happen with the increased demand in Thailand, and it has helped raise the standard of living for some people in the poorer areas.

On the other hand, over-harvesting is always a concern. So while I wrote this post as a source of knowledge to expand our awareness of where our foods come from and how they evolve, it's equally important to be aware of the vulnerability of these sources and helping to protect them.

Real Sago Pudding Recipe

I can't leave you without a recipe now can I? Should you be so lucky as to get a hold of real sago pearls, there's no need to do anything fancy to them. This simple pudding lets all of their natural flavours shine. The important part is to serve it while still warm for the best texture - don't refrigerate!

Some tapioca recipes you might like

I don't mean to offend our old friend the tapioca pearls here! They are great in their own right! Try them in this refreshing tapioca melon dessert, or use tapioca starch to make fun bubble tea noodles!

Print

Real Sago Pudding

Experience the real sago pearls, made from actual sago palm, in this most iconic dish - a simple pudding that allows the true flavours of the pearls shine.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Thai

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3 servings

Author Pailin Chongchitnant

Ingredients

• 1.8 oz true sago pearls
• 1 ½ cups water see note 1
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• ½ pandan leaf optional, see note 2
• ½ cup young coconut meat, julienned optional

Salted Coconut Milk

• ½ cup coconut milk
• ⅛ teaspoon table salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• (If not using pandan leaf, skip to step 2). Tie the pandan leaf into a knot to shorten and help bruise the leaf and release the aroma. Add the pandan leaf into a small pot and add 2 cups (480 ml) of water; bring to a boil and let it boil for about 3 minutes to extract the aroma.
  ½ pandan leaf
• If not using pandan leaf, add 1 ½ cups (360 ml) of water to a small pot and bring to a full boil.
  1 ½ cups water
• Once the water is fully boiling, remove the pandan leaf, if using, then gradually sprinkle in the sago pearls while quickly stirring - then keep stirring constantly for about 1 ½ - 2 minutes; most of the pearls should be translucent on the outside, with the white center still visible. If it is too thick, add a little bit of water to loosen.
  1.8 oz true sago pearls
• Once cooked, turn off the heat and add sugar and young coconut meat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let it rest and cool down a bit while you make the salted coconut milk.
  3 tablespoon sugar, ½ cup young coconut meat, julienned
• To make the salted coconut milk, combine the coconut milk and salt in a small pot and bring to a simmer to dissolve the salt and remove from heat. Alternatively, you can just heat it up in the microwave.
  ½ cup coconut milk, ⅛ teaspoon table salt
• To serve, while still warm ladle a portion of the sago pudding into a bowl and top it with about 2 tablespoons of the salted coconut milk. How much coconut milk to add is up to your preference, so feel free to add more or less.

Video

Notes

1. If using pandan leaf, you will need to increase the water to 2 cups (480 ml)
2. In the video I did not use pandan leaves because I wanted to taste the pure flavour of the sago, but traditionally pandan leaves are infused either into the pudding or the coconut milk.

The post Real Sago vs Tapioca Pearls + Sago Pudding Recipe appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

In this post I’m going to give you everything you need to know about all the different kinds of rice noodles used in Thai cooking, including how to cook them properly so you'll have perfectly cooked noodles every time. 

But first, what are rice noodles anyway?

When it comes to dried rice noodles, the various types are all made from the same two ingredients: rice flour and water. Fresh rice noodles, however, have other starches and additives mixed in to make them sturdier and last longer. 

Unlike pasta or wheat noodles, rice noodles are gluten free and are not chewy. They are quite tender, which also makes them harder to work with because they can go from cooked to mush much more quickly. (Al dente is not a thing we aim for in rice noodles; that's just called undercooked 😂.)

Different Types of Rice Noodles:

Despite the many options at the store, rice noodles can be divided simply into two major categories: Fresh and dry.

• Thai Rice vermicelli or Sen Mee in Thai. These thread-thin rice noodles and are the smallest ones and they can be used in soups or stir fries, like this pad see ew vermicelli. These are not this is not to be confused with Vietnamese rice vermicelli which are very different and are discussed below.
• Size small (2 mm wide) or sen lek. These are my preference for Southeast Asian noodle soups such as Vietnamese pho and Thai boat noodles, but you can also stir fry them.

• Size medium (3 mm wide) is what we use as pad thai noodles and indeed in Thai we call them sen pad thai. They can also be used in noodle soups.
• Size large (4 mm wide) isn’t actually a size that exists in Thailand and so it might be for export only, but some people use these for pad thai. These are too large for noodle soups and I recommend using these only in stir fries.

• Size extra large (9 mm wide) or sen yai, which also doesn’t exist in Thailand in dried form because these are made to be a shelf stable version of fresh rice noodles (pictured at the bottom) that you associate with pad see ew, rad na, and drunken noodles. These are best used in stir fries.
• Vietnamese rice vermicelli or sen kanom jeen. Despite the similar name to the one above, it's an entirely different type of noodle. Vietnamese rice vermicelli  are thick and round, similar to spaghetti. They are cooked by boiling in hot water just like pasta (timing varies depending on the size) then rinsed in cold water to remove excess starch. They are a little different in that they are not served hot but there are many things you can do with them! You can make a cold rice noodle salad, a healthy lettuce wrap, or make kanom jeen which is basically the Thai version of pasta!

*Glass noodles, bean threads, or cellophane noodles are often misunderstood to be a type of rice noodles. The Thai/Chinese ones are actually made from mung bean starch, and the Korean ones are made from sweet potato starch. 

Cooked fresh rice noodles (ho fun) 

These are the tender noodles with a slightly chewy texture that has gained a cult following for dishes like pad see ew. In Cantonese these are called “ho fun”. They are made mostly from rice flour but often have other starched such as tapioca starch mixed in. 

This is a fresh, fully-cooked product that simply needs to be tossed with seasonings, meat and veggies. It's highly perishable which means they are usually made locally, so what you get from city to city is going to vary a lot in size and texture.

These can actually be made at home, check out my video tutorial for making your own fresh rice noodles!

Preparing Fresh Rice Noodles for Cooking:

Before cooking them, you’ll want to peel apart the noodles. But cold noodles are often stuck together and are impossible to peel apart without breaking. If that's the case, separate them into chunks best you can, spread them out on a plate and microwave them for about a minute.

Take them out, see if any noodles are hot and soft enough to be peeled apart and peel them and set them aside. Return the hard noodles into the microwave for another minute, and repeat this until all the noodles can be separated. It usually takes me 3-4 minutes of microwaving for 1 lb of noodles.

Raw fresh rice noodles

You may also see vacuum packed bags of rice noodles in the fridge that look very similar to the dried noodles. You can think of these as semi-dried version of the Small and Medium size dried noodles above. This type of noodles is what most restaurants use because they do not need to be rehydrated before using.

Choosing the Right Noodles for the Job

Best Noodles for Soups 

For noodle soups you want to go small. Anything from the vermicelli to the medium size is fine. This is because rice noodles have no flavour whatsoever, so all the flavour will comes from the broth. With small noodles there’s a lot of surface area for the broth to cling to. If you go too big, in each mouthful it’s going to feel like too much bland noodles and not enough broth flavour.

Fresh wide noodles (ho fun noodles) are the exception because fresh noodles are more tender and are less dense than the dried version, they can work fine in soups IF they’re not made too thick. 

In Thailand, we actually have two types of fresh wide noodles: One for soups, which is thinner and more delicate, and one for stir fries, which are thicker and sturdier so they’re less likely to break in the wok!

How to cook rice noodles without making them soggy, clumpy, or broken.

Cooking rice noodles is not actually hard, but most people misunderstand how they need to be treated.The #1 reason why your rice noodle stir fries are a soggy mess is that you’re cooking them before cooking them.

What I mean is that people often boil the noodles and cook them to perfection, and THEN they put them into the pan. But when you stir fry, there is a lot of liquid that comes from sauce, the meat, and the veggies. It doesn’t take much for rice noodles to over cook, so if they go into the pan already cooked, then they’ll very likely end up overcooked by the end. 

Note that this isn’t an issue with egg noodles because they don’t overcook nearly as quickly, and in fact, you want egg noodles to be fully cooked before you stir fry them. 

1. Do not boil dried noodles. Soak them.

All dried noodles simply need to be soaked until fully rehydrated before being stir fried or blanched for noodle soups.

The reason we want to soak rather than boil is because rice noodles overcook very easily. Soaking allows the noodles to hydrate evenly, and then the heat from the pan is cooking the noodles using the water that’s already IN the noodles. This results in even cooking inside out, and a very low chance of over cooking. 

How do You Know When Noodles Have Soaked Enough?

Pick the noodles up and they should droop completely, not resisting gravity. If they’re still trying to hold their original shape, they’re not ready. 

2. For stir fries, add soaked noodles directly into the pan.

Once soaked, noodles are ready to go into the pan. Generally they will need a little extra liquid, but how much depends on how much liquid is already in the sauce, how crowded your pan is, how high your heat is, etc.

So I recommend following a trusted recipe amounts before winging it so you add the right amount of liquid for the dish. And when in doubt, add less water, then taste and add more as needed.

3. Push, flip and toss. Don't stir.

Noodles break because your spatula cut them into bits while you're stirring. Once you add noodles into the pan, especially delicate fresh cooked rice noodles, don't use a spatula and haphazardly stir them which can cause the edge of the spatula to cut the noodles. Use a flipping motion or push the noodles from the edges inward. Watch my video demo to see this technique in action!

4. Use a wooden spatula.

Metal wok spatulas are like blades to these noodles, and they can easily chop your noodles without you realizing it!

5. Use a nonstick pan or a well-seasoned wok.

Whatever pan of your choice, the surface should be nonstick because rice noodles, especially fresh ones, are notorious for sticking. And if you’re having to scrape them off, that’s one sure way to get broken noodles.

6. Don’t crowd the pan

Crowding the pan is all sorts of bad news, but when it comes to noodles, this is likely the most common reason people end up with soggy and mushy noodles. Crowding traps moisture, and this moisture steams the noodles and you're basically boiling them, which causes the noodles to overcook. Overcooked noodles are too soft...too soft noodles break into bits. 

This is why I stress so much that you should only cook pad thai in batches of 2 servings, and the most delicate fresh noodles should be cooked ONE portion at a time. There is a reason why street vendors cook them one order at a time! 

On a related note, you should always use high heat when stir frying noodles to maximize liquid evaporation and prevent excess moisture in the pan.

7. For soups, blanch soaked noodles for just a few seconds

While stir fried noodles get a little extra liquid from the stir fry sauce, noodles for soups are going to be sitting in a bowl of hot broth. This means that they should go into the bowls still a little al dente, and the heat of the broth will cook them through. 

To get al dente noodles, blanch them in boiling water for just a few seconds: rice vermicelli noodles take 3 seconds, size small take 5 seconds, and size medium take 8 seconds. Cooking time will vary between brands.

Pro Tips

The post How to Cook Rice Noodles Properly (No mush, no clumps!) appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

PREFER WATCHING A VIDEO THAN READING? Check out my galangal 101 the video below, but note that the text version is a bit more detailed.

What is Galangal?

Galangal is a tropical perennial herb, and while many people call it galangal root, the part of the plant that we use for cooking is actually the rhizome. Rhizome is a type of underground stem, and from it, the roots and shoots come out. When you buy galangal, you can see little dots where the roots used to be.

Galangal is called kha in Thai. If you've ever had Thai curries, you've had galangal because it's a key ingredient in our curry pastes, such as this green curry paste, as well as in popular Thai soups such as tom yum (hot and sour soup) and tom kha gai (chicken and coconut milk soup). Sometimes, I've heard it referred to as Thai ginger or Siamese ginger.

Wanna learn more about Thai ingredients? Check out my other Thai ingredient deep-dives here.

Ginger vs Galangal

Many people confuse fresh ginger for galangal because they are both aromatic rhizomes with a similar shape. But side by side, you can see that galangal is smoother and paler than ginger. It also doesn't have much of a skin and doesn't need to be peeled. And despite what some people suggest, I maintain that ginger is not a good substitute for galangal. Ginger has a hot and spicy flavour, while galangal has a cooling, refreshing aroma.

Now, if you used ginger in place of galangal the dish will turn out fine, and it might even taste great, but the flavours will not be the same. It's like substituting basil for mint. Will your dish be ruined? No. Does it taste the same? No. So if you're gonna make the substitute, just know that going in.

What Does Galangal Taste Like?

Galangal has a wonderful cooling woodsy aroma that reminds me very much of a lush pine forest. You might say it has a slightly medicinal flavour (in a good way) because it's nice and refreshing, and kind of reminds me of Vicks!

If you were to chew a piece of galangal, it's not pleasant. It's very tough, a bit bitter and too pungent to enjoy. So we use galangal only for its aroma, and often, for infusion only and the pieces are discarded. If it is to be consumed, it has to be pounded into a paste or very finely chopped. Very much like cinnamon sticks!

3 Ways to Use Galangal

1. Infusion. Use a strong sharp knife to slice it up into thin pieces, then add them into a simmering broth and let it infuse for at least 3-4 minutes, after which you can discard the pieces, or leave them in the soup but tell guests not to eat them as they are very tough.
2. Pounded into a paste. This is very commonly done in Thai cooking. We pound galangal into many of our curry pastes, but you can also make a general herb paste and put it in a sausage mix or in a stir-fry. Use a mortar and pestle to pound, but be sure to finely chop or thinly slice it before pounding so it will break down more quickly.
3. Finely chopped. This is less common, but you can chop it finely, and then add it to salads, dips, stir-fries...or really anything! For example, you can add finely chopped galangal into a laab. Make sure it is fine though, as too-large pieces will be too tough and pungent.

Different Varieties of Galangal

A word of advice: don't worry about getting the right type of galangal. Why? Because 99.9% of the time the only one you can buy at Asian grocery stores IS the one you want (though some might be labeled incorrectly). A search into varieties will only end up confusing you. What's with greater galangal, lesser galangal, black galangal...?

Here's my attempt to simplify things: There are several aromatic rhizomes belonging to the ginger family that might be associated with the name galangal (or galanga, or galingale), however, in cooking there are only really 2 types you need to be concerned about:

• The "regular" galangal, which is the herb we're talking about. This is what people talk about when they call for "galangal" in their recipes, and this is likely the only one you can buy from the store. For nerds among us who really want to know, this is technically Alpinia galanga.
• Fingerroot, also known as Chinese ginger. In Thai we call this grachai or krachai, and sometimes, brined fingerroot you can find at Asian stores is mislabeled as "pickled galingale" and causes confusion. It is used occasionally in Thai cooking, as in this jungle curry or sour curry. Fingerroot looks like...well...fingers! Its aroma entirely different from galangal. Scientifically this is Boesenbergia rotunda.

Other varieties associated with the name galangal is used mostly in traditional medicine and is not something you can buy at your grocery store, so nothing you should worry about.

Health Benefits of Galangal

In addition to being a common culinary herb, galangal is considered to be medicinal in traditional Thai medicine and has been consumed as part of a healthy diet for thousands of years. There is some scientific evidence for its medical benefits, but please note that these were done in small studies and more research is still needed to confirm their effectiveness in humans.

• Galangal has been found to have antifungal properties with some success in treating skin fungal conditions. Many Thai herbs and spices are anti-fungal and this is probably a reason why curry pastes never seem to get moldy in the fridge even after many months!
• Some evidence shows that galangal has antibacterial properties against food borne illness bacteria such as E. coli. Again, this likely contributes to the longevity of food made with curry pastes.
• There's some evidence to show that galangal is anti-inflammatory and may help with pain associated with inflammation.
• In laboratory, extracts from galangal have shown to be effective against cancer cells, but this has not been done in humans.

Here's my source (if you can read Thai).

Substitutes for Galangal

As mentioned, many people will tell you to use ginger as a substitute, but that's like saying you can use rosemary instead of basil. Sure, you CAN use it, but the flavours are totally different. For me, ginger is not a good sub for galangal, and unfortunately nothing else tastes like it.

So if you can't find fresh galangal, your best bet is to find alternative forms. Frozen galangal should be your first choice, though choose frozen slices rather than frozen whole pieces because the whole piece is very hard to work with. Let it thaw just until you can take what you need from it; if it thaws completely it'll turn mushy.

There is also galangal paste available at some specialty stores, which is easy to use as it mixes well into a lot of things and has good flavour. Dried galangal pieces work well enough in soups, it just needs more time to infuse. Galangal powder exists but it's not a great substitute for fresh as the flavour is different, but I've seen people use it just to add some interesting flavour notes to various things, so it's worth experimenting with.

How to Store Galangal

Galangal will be fine in the fridge for a few days, but if you don't have immediate plans for it, the best way to store galangal is to freeze it. But don't just put the whole thing in the freezer or you'll end up with a hard lump that is only good for throwing at someone you're mad at. Here's what to do:

1. Wash and dry it thoroughly, then thinly slice into rounds about ⅛ inch thick.
2. Line a tray with parchment paper and spread the galangal slices in one layer and freeze. You want to freeze them in one layer otherwise they will stick together and become a pain to use. If you have a lot, stack them on the tray with parchment paper or plastic wrap in between each layer.
3. Once they are frozen, work quickly and consolidate them into a freezer bag. Remove as much air out of the bag and freeze. This will last up to 3 months before they develop freezer burn. For longer term storage, wrap the galangal in aluminum foil before putting them in the freezer bag. Aluminum foil is will prevent freezer burn for longer than the freezer bag alone.

Recipes Using Galangal

Ready to start cooking with galangal? Here are some easy galangal recipes that are a great place to start:

Video: The Ultimate Guide to Galangal

If you prefer to watch, here's the original video with all the basics you need to know plus you can see it in action. But note that there is more detailed information in this article.

The post What is Galangal and How to Use it for Cooking appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

If you want to try Thai recipes that use five spice powder, check out this Thai kids' favourite egg and pork belly stew (kai palo) and this terrific side dish, my five spice roasted cauliflower recipe! If you want to try it in Chinese cooking, I recommend starting with the iconic Chinese BBQ pork (char siu).

What spices are in Chinese five spice?

Funny thing about this is that if you were to buy Chinese five-spice powder from a grocery store, sometimes there are only 4 different spices in there and I feel ripped off 😂. My five spice recipe has 6, so I'm being generous here! All this is to say, there is wiggle room, but the first 4 spices on this list are crucial to the flavour and you cannot do without.

• Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon is fine, but cinnamon sticks will also work. This should be the prominent flavour of five spice powder
• Star anise pods. It has a liquorice aroma that can be easily over done, so don't add any more than the recipe calls for!
• Coriander seeds, with a mild citrus aroma. Never buy pre-ground coriander as they lose their aroma very quickly once ground.
• Whole cloves, which has a fragrance reminiscent of orange peel
• Fennel seeds and/or Sichuan peppercorns (also spelled Szechuan peppercorns)

How to Make Five Spice Powder

It's a simple toast-and-blend process. The toasting step is optional but it does make it more aromatic, which is helpful if the five spice powder will not be exposed to high heat in the recipe that calls for it.

1. In a dry pan, add all of the whole spices and toast over medium-high heat until the coriander seeds darken slightly and there is smoke coming up from the pan. Pour immediately onto a plate to cool
   *If you want to be meticulous you can toast each spice separately to get them all toasted to their optimal state. But for me, this mass toasting is fine.
2. Put the spices in a spice grinder, coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle. Add the ground cinnamon and grind into a fine powder.

STORAGE: Pre-ground spices lose their flavour relatively quickly, so store in a well sealed container in a cool, dry and dark place.

Try to use this up within 6 months for best flavour. BUT, before you throw out an old jar, give it a sniff! This particular blend of spices is quite potent, and I've used one older than 6 months that was still fine. So if you smell it and are still getting a relatively strong aroma, go ahead and use it!

What does Chinese five spice taste like?

The prominent flavours of five spice powder is the cinnamon, followed by star anise which has a strong licorice flavor (hence, don't over do it). While cinnamon and cloves might remind you of a pumpkin pie spice mix, everything else bring savory flavors to the party.

Some iconic dishes that you might have had that includes the use of five spice is Chinese BBQ pork (char siu), hoisin sauce, and in the seasoning powder of Taiwanese fried chicken. Once you smell your homemade five spice, you will surely recognize it in things you have had before.

Watch the Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Five-Spice Powder Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

• Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
• Yield: About 3 tablspoons

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 piece star anise
• 20 pieces whole cloves (see note)
• 1 tsp sichuan peppercorns (optional)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use

Want to save this recipe?

We can email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

* The toasting step is optional, but it will be beneficial especially in soups where the spices will not be exposed to high heat.

1. In a dry skillet, add all of the whole spices and toast over medium high heat until the coriander seeds darken slightly and there is smoke coming up from the pan. Pour immediately onto a plate to cool.
2. Put the spices in a coffee grinder, spice grinder, or a mortar and pestle. Add the cinnamon and grind into a fine powder. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Join us on Patreon for bonus content and rewards!

---

Notes

• In the video it says "1 tsp" cloves which is a mistake! 

The post Homemade Five Spice Powder Recipe appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

So in this article you'll find answers to basically every question I've gotten about it over the years, plus everything you need to know; including how to choose, use, store and substitute it in your cooking.

If you're more of a video person, watch this video below where I go through all the basics, though there is more detailed information in the article.

Note: Since the shooting of this video, there have been some changes: Aroy-D UHT coconut milk is STILL my recommended brand, but it now includes a preservative. I have not found this to affect the taste of the product and don't see it as a problem.

What is Coconut Milk?

Coconut milk is the liquid that is pressed out of grated coconut flesh (aka coconut meat). Only mature coconuts (the brown hairy ones) are used for this, as young coconuts (the green ones you see on beaches) do not contain enough fat in their flesh.

If you want to know exactly how it gets made, here's a video of me making it from scratch using the traditional method!

What is the Difference Between Coconut Milk and Coconut Cream?

The presence of coconut cream can confuse people when they're shopping, but basically, coconut cream has a higher proportion of coconut oil; it is exactly the same as the difference between dairy milk and dairy cream.

In my Thai recipes though I never call for coconut cream, because it is not an ingredient that we traditionally use. (I don't even think you can buy it in Thailand!). This is because coconut cream is an industrial product made by artificially removing water from coconut milk, so it has no place in traditional Thai cooking.

Having said that, we do have two different levels of richness of coconut milk. The first press, called hua gati (literally the "head" of the coconut milk), and the second press, haang gati, or the "tail". Some people call the first press "cream" and the second "milk," but this is incorrect, and I'll explain.

The first press coconut milk is made with little or no water added for a rich and flavourful liquid. But so as not be wasteful, Thai people then take the already-used coconut meat, add more hot water to it, and press it again to get another round of coconut milk that is quite diluted, but still useful.

All store bought coconut milk is first press, and they do not sell the second press. This is why calling these "cream" and "milk" is misleading. Store bought coconut cream is even richer and fattier than the first press!

Can I Use Coconut Cream instead of Coconut Milk?

You technically can, but know that you'll end up with a much richer and fattier dish. If that's what you want, (maybe you're on a keto diet looking to get more healthy fat in your meals), then go for it.

In theory you could add water to coconut cream to make it "milk", but I don't know how much you would need to add, so you would have to experiment and maybe do some math to match the calorie count of your coconut cream with that of coconut milk!

You can also use coconut cream as a vegan substitute for heavy cream in any recipe if you're okay with the flavor.

Can I Use Light Coconut Milk Instead?

Light or lite coconut milk has a lower fat content. It also has more water added. See in the pictures below, the regular one has "coconut" listed as the first ingredient, followed by water, but the light coconut milk has water listed first. But because coconut fat is where the flavour is, the "light" is also light in flavour.

I do not recommend cooking with it because you're giving up a lot of flavour. If you want to cut down on calories (and are willing to give up some flavour) you can simply add a little less full-fat coconut milk, then add more water to makeup the volume. That's essentially what light coconut milk is, so you might as well save yourself some money!

Watch Out for Coconut Beverage

Trendy coffee shops now give you the option of using "coconut milk" in your lattes, but this is a misnomer and cause for confusion! What they're actually using is technically a coconut beverage, in the same way that "almond milk" is actually, technically, an "almond beverage."

It is a milk substitute for vegans and people with lactose intolerance, and you cannot use it for cooking. Why? These have had most of the tasty coconut fat taken out in order to make it drinkable, so it is very thin and doesn't taste anything like coconut. It's the extreme version of light coconut milk discussed above.

What then...is Coconut Water?

A quick mention here to avoid confusion. Coconut water is a completely different ingredient and is not substitutable for coconut milk in any way. It is the almost-clear, sweet and tasty liquid inside of a coconut. It makes a great refreshing beverage, or dessert recipes such as these coconut water jelly fruit cubes!

What is the best coconut milk for cooking?

When I first came to Canada, I only had access to canned coconut milk, and I was less than enthralled by its flavour. But one day I found one in a paper carton, and lo and behold, smelling it brought back memories of Thailand. Much better! So first, let's talk about the kind of coconut milk you should get:

1. Choose UHT Cartons, if possible

When you're at the grocery store, look past all the cans and find the ones in paper cartons. Here's why:

Coconut milk in UHT cartons have been heat treated for a shorter amount of time, keeping more of the delicious flavour intact. Canned coconut milk has had aggressive heat treatment, and as a result doesn't taste as good. In Thailand most stores only carry the cartons, because it's better! But cans are preferred for export because they are more durable.

Now, that doesn't mean you should never use cans! If you're making savory dishes, the canned ones will be just fine because there's a lot of competing flavors, (a lot of herbs and spices), so you won't taste too much of a difference. But if you are making desserts, like this amazing Thai coconut ice cream, the difference will be obvious.

2. Choose one with the least ingredients.

Once you've looked for cartons, (and if you don't see them cans are fine), you should then choose the brand with the least number of other ingredients. Low quality coconut milk adds a lot of thickeners, such as gums to artificially create creaminess.

For example, in the pictures below, my top choice, Aroy-D, only contains coconut milk and a preservative (polysorbate 60). A cheaper one in a can contains: Water (as a first ingredient!), coconut extract, monoglycerides, guar gum, xanthan gum, polysorbate 60, and cellulose gum.

A note on guar gum: Many brands add guar gum to thicken and prevent the coconut milk fat from separating. While this doesn't affect the flavour, it does make the it artificially thicker, and is not my preference. It also prevents the fat from "breaking" which is something we do in traditional Thai curry making.

If you want to learn more about how coconut milk is produced at an industrial scale in Thailand, check out this fascinating short documentary that we filmed, tracking the journey of the coconut from the farm all the way to the cans!

What You Should Avoid

Assuming you're looking for coconut milk for cooking, you should avoid:

• Anything with multiple additives
• Anything powdered (unless you're going camping)
• Anything with "light", "lite", or "low-fat" on the label, as discussed above
• Anything with added sugars
• Anything with piña coladas on the package (so no Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut, thank you)
• Anything that sits on the plant-based beverages shelf

How to Use Coconut Milk

Southeast Asian cuisine does not use any dairy, so when we need things to be creamy, we turn to coconut milk. So aside from using it in traditional Thai recipes, it is a great way to add creamy texture in anything. Here are some ideas:

• Soups, stews, curries, sauces, and anything saucy and creamy
• Smoothies
• Salad dressings
• Puddings and porridges
• It is a great milk substitute in baking (though it does have a higher fat content)
• Put it in your coffee!

Coconut milk has about 13%-17% fat, depending on the brand, so keep that in mind if you're thinking of substituting it for dairy products in recipes.

Storage Tips

Once opened, keep coconut milk in the fridge and it should last you at least a week, but probably not more than 3. If you're not planning to use it soon, push it to the back of your fridge, where it's coldest (but don't forget about it!). You'll know it's gone bad if it has pink, green, or black mold on the edges.

Pro tip: If it's been sitting in your fridge for 2 weeks and you THINK it's gonna go bad any day now, bring it to a boil once and that will extend its shelf life!

You can freeze coconut milk; however, when it thaws, it becomes a little grainy and the texture is not the same. If you're going to use it in a curry, or a stir fry, it's fine. But not in desserts or when smoothness is required.

Why does my coconut milk separate and how to fix it?

If you go to open a can and you're surprised to discover a solid mass of white with watery stuff at the bottom...nothing has gone wrong. It's exactly as it should be.

Coconut milk is an oil-in-water emulsion, but a very unstable one. Without enough emulsifiers, over time coconut oil will separate from its watery component, rise to the top, and because it's mostly made up of saturated fat, it will solidify if the room is cool enough.

If this happens, all you need to do is warm it up a bit and stir everything together - problem solved.

Substitutes for coconut milk

I was completely shocked when someone told me he has had allergic reactions to coconut. WHAT? I thought coconut was the go-to solution to people with food allergies! Turns out, people can be allergic to coconut, and I have met more such individuals since.

Though there's no good substitute flavour-wise, we can at least go for texture. In savory dishes, where you've got a lot of other flavors going, you can go with either evaporated milk, a combination of milk and cream, or half and half.

I have had success making Thai curries using soy milk because the flavor of the curry paste is so strong that it didn't affect the end result too much; so other non-dairy milk alternatives like oat milk would probably work also. But choose one with the richest texture and highest fat content.

Nutritional Information

When I was a kid, Thai adults around me were talking about coconut milk as a "fattening" ingredient. Then all of a sudden Wholefoods is flooded with coconut products touting all sorts of magical health benefits. I'm not going too deep into it here as it's not my jam, but I get asked A LOT about the nutrition side of things, so here's what we know and what I think:

For a ⅓-cup or 80 ml serving (pretty reasonable amount IMO), Aroy-D coconut milk has 15 grams of fat, which is 20% of the Daily Value for an average person. The fat is responsible for most of its 150 calories, and it only has 1 gram of protein and 2 grams of carbs. So when thinking about your macros, treat it as a fat.

But most of the fats are medium-chain triglycerides, which have been a subject of much research about its potential value in weight loss, preventing heart disease, as well as lowering "bad" LDL cholesterol.

As of now, it seems to be at a "looks very promising but further studies are needed to confirm" stage, and you can read more on it in this great article here.

My take on it is this: coconut milk is a perfectly healthy, natural ingredient, and you should enjoy it like you do any other healthy foods. But it is not a low calorie food, so it's wise to keep an eye on the amount if you're watching your weight.

Need Recipe Ideas? Start with these!

Now that you know everything there is to know, it's time to start cooking! Here are some classic recipes that use coconut milk as a main ingredient.

The post Coconut Milk: How to Choose, Use, Store & Substitute appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

In this article, I’m going to help you wade through the hundreds of bottles, packages, and cans to help you find the one that's best for your Thai cooking.

*This article is based on a video I filmed for my YouTube channel, so if you prefer to watch a video rather than read, here it is!

THE PRODUCE SECTION

We won't spend too much time here because it’s pretty straightforward: they either have what you want, or they don’t. BUT there are a few things to note:

Lemongrass

Additional Video Resource: Lemongrass 101

Some stores will have lemongrass sold as whole stalks, while others will have them cut in half so that they will fit into a tray. The important thing to know here is that the flavorful part of the lemongrass is in the bottom half of the stalk only.

So if your lemongrass comes pre-cut, you'll want to find the one with the thicker base - i.e. the bottom half - and use that. The top part you can throw it in as a bonus piece; I usually just freeze it and save it for stock, but you definitely don't want to just use the top part in your cooking. 

Galangal, makrut (kaffir) lime leaves and pandan leaves.

Additional Video Resource: Galangal 101, Makrut Lime Leaves 101

Galangal, makrut lime leaves and pandan leaves are essential herbs in Thai cooking. But if you don’t see these in the fresh produce section, check the freezer. Many stores will only have them frozen, especially ones that don’t have a large-enough demand to stock fresh. More on the freezer section below.

Tom Yum Kits

If you’re looking for lemongrass, galangal, or makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, you might also look for Tom Yum kits. A Tom Yum kit comes complete with lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, and Thai chilies for your tom yum soup.

This is important to keep in mind, because for some stores might not carry fresh galangal or lime leaves separately, but they’ll have it available in this kit.

THE FREEZER

The freezer at an Asian grocery store has many different, exciting ingredients. Let's look at some that I buy often.

Head-On Shrimp

When I first came to Canada, I was surprised that essentially all Western grocery stores do not carry head-on shrimp! Why would I want head-on shrimp? Isn’t it better that the work has already been done for you?

Well…sure it’s easier, but shrimp heads contain tasty tomalley and are great for making seafood-based soup such as this tom yum goong soup, or for making shrimp oil to amp up the flavour of your pad thai, as I show in this easier pad thai recipe.

Whole Fish

Asians love cooking whole fish - steaming them with various sauces such as in this steamed fish with garlic and lime recipe. The freezer has some great options for whole fish, and the golden pompano is one of my favourites.

Frozen herbs and fruits

Couldn’t find fresh lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, pandan leaves, durian or Thai bananas? Check the freezer. For many stores that don’t have high-enough traffic, they only stock these in frozen form. Frozen herbs are perfectly fine to use; and when I buy fresh herbs, I end up freezing them at home anyway! There are some notes here:

• Frozen galangal. Avoid frozen whole galangal if possible only because it’s incredibly difficult to use. Galangal freezes solid, so to cut into it you have to thaw it to a point, but if it’s completely thawed the whole thing turns soft and leaks out precious, flavour-filled water. So if you can find pre-sliced frozen galangal, that is preferred.
• Frozen chopped lemongrass. This is something you often find in the freezer of Asian stores, and while it’s fine to use for things like curry pastes and marinades, note that they probably include quite a bit of the top half of the lemongrass stalk in this mix; and as mentioned, the top half is not as aromatic. So you will likely need to use more of it to get the same flavour.

ASIAN SAUCES - Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce and Oyster Sauce.

This is when people's eyes start to glaze over - hundreds of sauce bottles that line whole aisles. First, let’s talk location. Most of the time, all the sauces are together - fish sauce is together with soy sauce, oyster sauce, etc. But in some stores, that's not the case. At T&T, the store featured in the video, they have a dedicated aisle for Southeast Asian products, and that's where the fish sauce, Filipino soy sauces and Indonesian soy sauces are. They are not with the Chinese, Korean and Japanese sauces. So if you can’t find fish sauce or other Southeast Asian products, maybe check for a SEA section.

Fish sauce

Additional Video Resource: Fish Sauce 101 + Taste Test

Thai Fish Sauce

For Thai cooking, of course, you want to use Thai fish sauce and Squid is my go-to brand for everyday Thai cooking, and Tiparos is on par with Squid. They're not premium by any means, but they're inexpensive and perfectly fine for everyday use, and are both very popular in Thailand. Megachef is also a great one that's more premium than Squid and is a little sweeter, which might be better for those who find Squid too salty. If you're at a Western grocery store, the Thai Kitchen brand fish sauce is also very good.

If you don't plant to use fish sauce often, get smaller bottles, which are often hidden on the top shelf. Fish sauce doesn't last forever in a sense that once you open it, the flavor gets worse and worse over time, so you don't want a bottle that will last you years! Keep open fish sauce in the fridge.

Vietnamese Fish Sauce

Now, Vietnamese fish sauce is totally fine for Thai cooking. For example, Three Crabs is a good brand that’s a little lighter; less salty compared to Thai fish sauce. Red Boat is a premium brand that’s a "first press" fish sauce and is delicious if you can afford the higher price. More on what it means to be "first press" in this fish sauce 101 video.

How to Determine the Quality of Fish Sauce

Regardless of whatever kind of fish sauce you use, what you want to look for to determine the quality is the ingredient list. Good quality fish sauce contains very few ingredients: anchovy extracts or anchovies, salt, sugar, water and nothing else.

There should be no flavor and no color added because if they're adding those things, you better believe they're making up for the fact that there isn't that much fish in there!

Soy Sauce

Additional Video Resource - Soy Sauce 101: Everything You Need to Know

At most big Asian stores, soy sauces usually take up an entire aisle, and this is where people really get lost! So we're gonna spend a bit of time here.

Soy sauces are organized in Asian grocery stores, generally, in two different ways. First, by country of origin, and second, by type.

Soy Sauce by Country

For Thai cooking, if at all possible, look for Thai soy sauce. The most popular brand, and one I use, is Healthy Boy Brand. You can buy either the original flavour (yellow label) or mushroom flavour (brown label).

Unfortunately Thai soy sauce isn’t usually available at stores that are primarily Chinese, Japanese or Korean. But if you go to a Southeast Asian store, your chances of finding it are pretty good.

But that's okay, if you don't have Thai soy sauce, Chinese, Japanese, Korean soy sauces will work fine as a substitute. So my recommendation is that you can just buy the soy sauce for the cuisine you will cook the most aside from Thai, and just use that for Thai cooking as well. Is it the same? No. Will it work? Yes.

Soy Sauce by Type

Once you've located the country of origin of choice, then soy sauces are divided by type: regular, dark, sweet, and what I call “specialty” soy sauces.

Most of the time you’re going to want “regular” soy sauce, and that’s exactly what to look for on the label: something that just says “soy sauce.” Maybe it has a generic modifier like “premium soy sauce” or “organic soy sauce,” but the gist of it should just be soy sauce. You can also use gluten free and low sodium soy sauces as your “regular” if those are issues of concern.

*Do not worry about specialty soy sauces. You're going to see all sorts of labels like "soy sauce for seafood" or "brown cooking soy sauce" or something else. These are special formulas made for specific purposes, and not what you need when a recipe simply calls for soy sauce. But if you want to buy it just to see what they're like, go for it!

Pro Tip When Shopping for Soy Sauce

The soy sauce you need is likely gonna be stuff at your eye level because that's where stores stock the most popular, most commonly bought products. Top and lower shelves are for products that are less frequently bought. Note that this may not apply to small mom and pop stores who don’t follow the “industry standard” for stocking shelves! 

Soy Sauce Prices

Finally, if you have narrowed it down to what you want and you still have four different brands to choose from, price is generally a very good indicator of quality. If you're willing to spend a little bit more, you're probably going to get a better product.

What About Light Soy Sauce?

"Light soy sauce" is a cause of confusion. People think it's low sodium, low calories, or low something; but it is not low in anything. Some brands just use the term light soy sauce to distinguish it from dark soy sauce. In other words, it is just regular soy sauce. 

For example, Amoy brand carries light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, but they don't have anything that just says “soy sauce” because the “light” is their regular. By contrast, Lee Kum Kee brand does not have light soy sauce, only "soy sauce." For Thai Healthy Boy brand, regular soy sauce is labelled as “thin soy sauce,” just to add to the confusion!

Dark Soy Sauce

Dark soy sauce is used primarily to add a dark brown color to food so it looks more appetizing. It’s used usually in small amounts and is less salty than regular soy sauce.

For Thai cooking, we call it black soy sauce, but Chinese dark soy sauce is a fine substitute. However, Chinese dark soy tends to be saltier than Thai black soy sauce, so just keep that in mind and be prepared to reduce other salting agents when you’re cooking.

Sweet Soy Sauce

Sweet soy sauce is usually found next to the regular soy sauces, but if you don’t see them there, check if there’s a Southeast Asian section because sweet soy sauce is usually exported from Indonesia.

There is a Thai Healthy Boy Brand sweet soy sauce, but I don't often see it on the market in Canada, so the brand I use is the Indonesian ABC brand, which works just fine in Thai recipes. Having said that, we don't use it very often in Thai cooking, only occasionally in dipping sauces, such as for these crispy garlic chives dumplings. Mie Goreng and nasi goreng are two classic Indonesian recipes that use sweet soy sauce.

Oyster Sauce

Additional Video Resource: Oyster Sauce 101 + Taste Test

The one thing you need to know about oyster sauce is that there are grades; there are premium ones and basic ones. The premium ones are more expensive, and they are better tasting with more oyster extracts in it. The basic one is cheaper; they're not as good, but for everyday or budget cooking, it is totally fine. Lee Kum Kee carries both grades, the basic one is Panda Brand, and the premium one is Boat Lady

One giveaway of oyster sauce quality is the price. If it's more expensive, it's likely better. The other giveaway is also the protein content. The higher the protein content, the more oysters are in it, and the better quality it is.

RICE

Additional Video Resource - Mini Doc: How rice is grown and processed in Thailand

Choosing the right rice is important as it is the foundation for your Thai meal. There’s only one type of rice appropriate for your Thai meal: Thai Jasmine rice, which I also happen to think is the perfect “all-purpose rice” for non-Thai meals.

But how do you know that it's Thai Jasmine rice? Because here’s a secret: just because the bag says ‘jasmine rice” it doesn't mean it's the fragrant, famous Thai jasmine rice you’re looking for.

So, what you need to look for is the word “hom mali.” Literally “fragrant jasmine,” this is the Thai name of the best variety of white rice in Thailand. AND you need to look for the green round logo which is the Thai government’s certification that what's inside the bag is actually genuine Thai Hom Mali rice.

This is important because the word “jasmine rice” is not regulated. So, even if the bag says Jasmine rice, inside the bag could be any number of varieties, and you don't know whether if it’s good or not.

RICE NOODLES

Additional Video Resource: Mini Documentary: How rice noodles are made in Thailand

When buying rice noodles, there are two things you need to be concerned about:

1) you want to make sure it's a product of Thailand and made only from rice, because some Vietnamese rice noodles have tapioca starch added, which gives it a different texture. Not necessarily bad, but not the right one for Thai food.

2) You want to get the right size for your dish; the rule of thumb for dry noodles is that smaller ones are better for soups, and all sizes are okay for stir fries.

Sizing tends to vary from brand to brand though. Normally, I buy Erawan brand which comes in small, medium, large, plus the thread thin “rice vermicelli.” If making a noodle soup, such as pho, Erawan Small is perfect. If making pad thai or another noodle stir fry, Erawan Medium is traditional. Erawan Large is fine for stir fries as well.

You might also see super thick rice noodles that are about half an inch wide. These are meant to be a substitute for fresh ho fun noodles that we use for popular stir fries like pad see ew, drunken noodles or char kway tiew. Know that cooked dried noodles does not yield the same texture as fresh rice noodles, but it’s an acceptable substitute if that’s all you have. 

Finally, the super thread-thin noodles are called rice vermicelli. They are great for soups or stir fries, and are very quick to rehydrate and cook, perfect to have in the pantry for a meal in a hurry. Check out this pad see ew with rice vermicelli recipe where it takes only 20 minutes to prep and cook!

What about fresh rice noodles? If you're fortunate enough to have access to fresh rice noodles, that's great. Note that there are 2 types: cooked and uncooked. Cooked rice noodles are ready to use because they are, well, cooked!

The uncooked type is like fresh pasta; they're moist and pliable and need to be refrigerated, but they still need to be cooked. This is what most restaurants use because it's much faster to cook than dry. If you're buying them for a recipe, treat these like rehydrated dry noodles so you can skip the soaking. But be prepared to add a little more water to the wok if needed.

Curry Paste

Additional Video Resource: Curry Paste 101 which goes into much further detail about choosing the right curry paste for you.

The curry paste section is a bit tricky because it's hard to tell which one is good just from the packaging. But, there are two things you can look for.

1. Make sure it is a product of Thailand because I’ve seen Thai curry pastes not made in Thailand, and they are not very good.
2. Check the ingredient list. My preference is for curry pastes that only contain herbs, spices, shrimp paste, and salt - no oils, sugar or other seasonings. I want my curry paste to be as pure as possible, and then I will take it from there when I make the curry.

Maeploy, Aroy-D, Maesri and Namjai are great Thai brands that I’ve used before. They may come in big plastic tubs, which is probably more than you need but it lasts indefinitely in the freezer. But for occasional Thai cooks, look for single-use 50g packets or small tins.

Once you’ve got your curry paste, here’s a video you want to check out for 5 different ways to use curry paste beside making curries!

Tamarind

Additional Video Resource - Tamarind: Everything You Need to Know

Tamarind is an important ingredient in Thai cuisine, especially if you want to make pad thai. But if you're not at a Southeast Asian store, your choices for tamarind are going to be pretty slim. 

You can buy tamarind in 2 forms: 

Ready-to-use Tamarind Paste

Ready-to-use tamarind paste is super convenient, and it is fine to use, but it isn’t the best option in terms of flavour. It’s essentially tamarind pulp mixed with water into an easily pourable consistency, packed into a jar or tub. It is usually labeled as “tamarind paste” or “tamarind concentrate,” even though it is not a concentrate at all!

*Make sure you buy a product of Thailand or Vietnam, and do not buy Indian tamarind concentrate which is a very different thing.

Tamarind Pulp

This is the dark brown, plastic wrapped, rectangular block that is simply labelled “tamarind” or “seedless tamarind.” You will need to dissolve the pulp in water and strain it before using, but the end result is much more flavourful than buying the ready-to-use one.

This is the tamarind I use as I think the work is worth the flavour. Check out this video fora tutorial on how to make tamarind paste from pulp.

Coconut Milk

Additional Video Resource: Coconut Milk: Everything You Need to Know

When you are at the coconut milk section, the first thing I want you to do is look past all the cans, and then look for the paper cartons because the stuff in the paper carton is generally better than canned.

Coconut milk in paper cartons are processed differently, using UHT pasteurization, which results in less intensive heat treatment, leaving more of the beautiful flavour intact.

I talk more about this in my short documentary about how coconut milk is made, so I definitely recommend you to check that one out. It's one of my favourite videos of all time!

Aroy-D is currently what I use, but Chaokoh is also great. If you can't find UHT cartons, you can use coconut milk in cans, but do read on to find out how to choose the best one.

Coconut milk ingredients

Whether you're looking at cans or cartons, you want to look at the ingredient list. The fewer, the better. Most brands will contain at least 1 additive, either a preservative or an emulsifier. That’s fine, but you don't want six different things on the label. My rule of thumb is look for a brand that only has 1 additive. 

One note I will add is that I don’t like coconut milk that has gums or other thickeners in the ingredient list. Companies add gums to prevent separation and also to thicken the coconut milk, making it look richer and creamier than it actually is. I find that many companies will add more water to the coconut milk, then add gums to make up for the added water. What results is a creamy-looking coconut milk that actually has little flavour. 

Why does my coconut milk separate?

This is a totally natural thing that happens to coconut milk and there is nothing wrong with it (which is why I don’t like it when companies add gums to stop this from happening). If you open a coconut milk and it has separated into a solid part and a watery part, just warm it up a bit to melt the fat and stir it back together. It has not gone bad.

What is Coconut Cream

A quick note about coconut cream because this confuses many people. Coconut cream is a man-made version of coconut milk with a higher fat content than coconut milk. I don’t use it because this is not a naturally occuring product, so it has no place in traditional Thai cooking where recipes are based on freshly squeezed coconut milk. 

But there is nothing wrong with it, so if there's a reason why you might want your dish to be fattier, this is what you would use. It would also make a good non-dairy substitute for cream in vegan recipes.

FUN STUFF

After you've got all the ingredients that you need, you never leave an Asian grocery store without some "fun stuff," and that's all the unique snacks and sweets! Walk down the snack aisle, the drinks, the instant noodles, and the freezer and grab anything that intrigues you!

The post Ultimate Guide to Asian Grocery Store (for Thai cooking) appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

This post will discuss everything you need to know about oyster sauce, including what it is, how to use it, and which brand is the best after tasting them straight up and in a stir fry! To see the oyster sauce taste test in action, complete with my reaction and full analysis, be sure to watch the video!

What is oyster sauce and what does it taste like?

Oyster sauce is a predominantly salty seasoning that is most commonly used in stir fries, but is also used in stews, soups, marinades, and even straight up as a drizzle over steamed vegetables. Thick, rich, salty, umami and slightly sweet are the characteristics of oyster sauce, and it won’t necessarily make you go, “wow, oysters!” 

In Thai cuisine, it’s a member of what I call "the trinity of Thai sauces.” Along with soy sauce and fish sauce, it’s a staple in every Thai kitchen, and many people use it daily.

The Origin Story

Oyster sauce is of Chinese origin, but is now used in many Southeast Asian countries where their cuisines have been influenced by China. Lee Kum Sheung, the founder of the popular oyster sauce brand Lee Kum Kee, is said to have accidentally invented oyster sauce in 1888. 

The story goes that Lee Kum Sheung forgot about a simmering pot of oyster soup, and when he came back to it, it had reduced into a thick, rich, brown liquid. He discovered that this liquid was flavourful and tasty, and that was the beginning of oyster sauce. A note: this story is told by Lee Kum Kee themselves in this video.

How is oyster sauce made?

If you had to guess how oyster sauce was made, you might have reasonably thought that there are pureed oysters in it, which is why it’s thick. Nope.

Or you might have thought that if soy sauce is made from fermented soy beans, fish sauce from fermented fish, and shrimp paste from fermented shrimp, then oyster sauce must be made from fermented oysters! Also no.

Surprisingly there are no actual oysters in oyster sauce at all, but there are “oyster extracts.” Oyster extract is basically oyster cooking liquid, as per the origin story. Shucked oysters are boiled in big vats, then the oysters are removed, and the remaining briny, flavourful liquid is the base of oyster sauce. 

The oyster extract may get further reduced, then starch is usually added to thicken, and other seasonings are added such as salt, sugar, soy sauce, MSG and colouring. Brands vary significantly in what seasonings they choose to add, and in my video taste test I was so surprised at how different they taste; especially when comparing the Thai and Chinese versions! 

Oyster Sauce Taste Test: Which brand is best, and does it really make a difference?

I bought 4 brands of oyster sauce that I can find here in Vancouver and pitted them against each other. So here they are - and watch the video below to find out how they perform when tasted straight up, and whether the difference is really that obvious once used in a stir fry!

• Lee Kum Kee Premium - Or what I call the “Boat Lady” brand as per the label. This is the premium and original oyster sauce from LKK, and in Vancouver a bottle costs about $8. 
• Panda Brand (by LKK) - The most widely available oyster sauce, and probably the one your local Thai and Chinese restaurants use. This is the newer, cheaper line of oyster sauce by LKK. A bottle costs about $4 in Vancouver.
• Maekrua - The most popular Thai brand of oyster sauce. When you say “oyster sauce,” the woman on the label is the image that comes to mind for most Thai people (at least ones from my generation and older!) It costs slightly more than Panda, but not as much as Boat Lady. Maekrua is harder to find around here, and is usually available only in stores that carry a lot of Southeast Asian products.
• Healthy Boy - Healthy Boy is most famous for their soy sauces, and indeed they make my favourite soy sauces, but they have started producing all sorts of sauces in recent years. Like Maekrua, it’s not as widely available here as LKK brands. It's the least expensive of all four.
• Wish I had tried: Megachef. A new kid on the block from Thailand who has quickly gained popularity, sadly it is not available in Vancouver. I’ve heard positive reviews about their oyster sauce (and their fish sauce is great), and based on the label/ingredients it looks very promising.

VIDEO: Oyster Sauce 101 + Taste Test!

This video shows you my live side by side taste test, both straight up and also in a Chinese broccoli stir fry. Note that even though I've used these before (except Healthy Boy) this is the first time I'm tasting them side by side, so my reaction is real!

In case you don’t have time to watch the video quite yet, here’s a quick recap of my ranking: 

• #1 Lee Kum Kee Premium - Boat Lady
• #2 TIED - Maekrua and Panda
• #3 Healthy Boy

How to choose the best one based on the label

So now that you know how these 4 sauces compare, but you’re at the store, and there are brands I didn’t cover here…what do you do? Well, as I shared in the video, thankfully we can still make an educated choice based on a few factors.

1. Price is a good indicator of quality. Given that you are at the same store, the more expensive the brand, the more oyster extract is probably in the sauce, and the higher quality it likely is. Keep in mind that unlike fish sauce, bottle size varies significantly so you might need to do some math.

2. Protein content on the nutrition label is also a good general guideline of how much oyster extract is in the bottle. But keep in mind that the serving size on the nutritional information can vary between brands, so again, be prepared for some math.

What about the ingredient list?

The ingredient list is always good to look at, and if things like MSG and added colour bother you, then you definitely want to check it out. BUT...previously I maintained that if oyster extract is listed as the first ingredient, then there must be more of it, and therefore it must taste better than a brand that has it further down the list. Makes sense, right?

Well, this proved to be not so straight forward. Here's why:

• LKK Boat Lady lists oyster extract in position #1
• Panda lists oyster extract in position #4
• Maekrua lists oyster extract in position #1
• Healthy Boy lists "oysters" in position #2

This doesn't match our taste test or the protein content in any way, EXCEPT the two LKK brands differ as expected. I'm certain that this is because the way LKK defines “oyster extract” is the same between their 2 product lines, but other brands define it differently. How concentrated and diluted is this oyster extract? We don't know. And what does "oysters" even mean in the case of Healthy Boy? We also don't know. Not to mention the cooking process and the quality of oysters...there are just too many unknowns.

So I apologize to everyone in the past whom I advised going entirely by the ingredient list!

Is oyster sauce gluten free?

Most of the time, no. Wheat flour is sometimes added as a thickener as is the case with both LKK brands, and some brands, such as Maekrua, contain soy sauce which isn't gluten free. But Panda brand does have a gluten free oyster sauce that I have seen in some stores, and Megachef (the Thai brand I couldn't find) is gluten free.

Can I use Chinese oyster sauce in Thai food?

Yes. While the flavours of Thai and Chinese oyster sauces are obviously different in a taste test, once it’s in a dish it’s close enough that it’s not going to make the dish taste inauthentic. If it makes you feel better, your local Thai restaurant is most likely using Panda.

I usually buy LKK Boat Lady because of ones that are easily accessible to me, it’s the best. But whenever I make a trip to the Thai store, I will grab a bottle of Maekrua because it’s what I grew up with, and the bottle really has a nostalgic effect on me. 

However, after this taste test, I was surprised how much better Boat Lady is than Maekrua…so…this changes things. I’ll likely buy Maekrua much less now - as sad as that is!

But if you have a memory of a dish that you had in Thailand and you want it to taste exactly like what you remember, then using Maekrua is probably going to get you there. 

How do you cook with oyster sauce?

• I call oyster sauce “the queen of stir fry sauces”. Meat and veggie stir fries, fried rice, fried noodles…all of these are great places to use oyster sauce - and though you can use it as the only sauce, I like to use it in combination with soy sauce and fish sauce for a more complex flavour.
• You can add it to soups and stews, but because of its richness we usually use it in something a little richer such as the Thai beef stew, five spice eggs and pork belly soup, or the famous boat noodles.
• It’s perfect in meat marinades. A little salty, a little sweet, and with lots of umami, it’s a major player in the only steak marinade you need!
• You don't have to use it in an Asian dish. Anywhere that can use an umami boost can benefit from oyster sauce. Chili? Stews? BBQ sauce? Check out my post on how to make garlic noodles to see how I use it in a dish that's not strictly Asian.
• Finally, you can use it straight up or slightly diluted as a drizzle over steamed veggies (usually Chinese broccoli), but I highly recommend using the premium LKK oyster sauce for this. The other brands I find too salty. Case in point, in Thailand where Maekrua is our main oyster sauce, we don’t usually use it straight up.

How to Store Oyster Sauce

Once opened, oyster sauce should be kept in the fridge as it will get moldy at room temperature. However, if you go to Thailand, you’ll see most people keep their oyster sauce at room temperature despite it saying “refrigerate after opening” on the label. 

This is because we use it almost daily and can go through a bottle very quickly; and with many Thai kitchens being outside, it’s just more convenient to keep all our sauces outside as well.

Vegetarian Substitutes for Oyster Sauce

If you are vegan/vegetarian or allergic to shellfish, good news! There are decent substitutes on the market, such as one I used for this vegan claypot glass noodle recipe.

While you may not find bottles labeled "vegetarian oyster sauce" or "vegan oyster sauce," you might find ones that are meant to be vegan substitutes for oyster sauce. The picture above shows two good brands labeled "vegetarian stir fry sauce" and "vegetarian mushroom sauce".

So if it's a vegetarian sauce that looks like oyster sauce, it's probably meant to be a substitute. Most likely, shiitake mushrooms are the source of the umami in place of the oysters.

Here are some tasty recipes that use oyster sauce!

The post What is Oyster Sauce And Which is the Best One? appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.

In this article I'll walk you through everything you need to know about fish sauce including what it is, how it's made, how to choose a good quality fish sauce, how to store, and how to substitute it.

MORE OF A VIDEO PERSON? Watch this video below where I go through the basics and the live tasting of 5 different brands of fish sauce. But this article does go into more detail.

To learn about other ingredients for Thai cooking, checkout my Thai Ingredients 101 posts.

What is Fish Sauce?

Some call it a condiment, but fish sauce is more of a seasoning in a sense that we use it primarily to season our food. Its main purpose is to add saltiness; and the secondary purpose, but still very important, is to add umami or savory flavor.

You can think of it as soy sauce, but with fish! It's the main salting agent in traditional Thai cuisine, and is widely used in many Southeast Asian countries such as Laos, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

We also use it as a condiment. Often in Thailand you’ll find prik nam pla on the table, which is a simple combination of fish sauce and chilies (and sometimes lime juice and garlic) used to add an extra boost of seasoning to anything that might need it, much in the same way salt and pepper are used in the West.

How is Fish Sauce Made?

Basically, fish sauce is the liquid that results from the fermentation of small fish (most commonly anchovies) and salt. The process is rather simple: put a bunch of anchovies and salt together in a big tank and let it do its natural thing.

From there, the salt draws liquid from the fish, and naturally existing enzymes allow the fermentation process to begin. It ferments for 12 to 24 months, and the resulting liquid is your "first-press", purest, extra-virgin fish sauce.

However, most of what's on the market is not extra virgin, because what most manufacturers do after that is to add more water and salt back into the same batch to get a "second press" out of it. They can then repeat this as many times as they like, and the flavor becomes more diluted each time.

Then to make the final bottle, the first press is combined with subsequent presses at a ratio specific to that brand. So the fish sauce quality is determined by how much of that first press is in the final product.

Most brands will also add a little bit of sugar to help round off the sharpness of the salt for a more balanced flavour. The presence of sugar, in my opinion, is not a bad thing as it's such a small amount and will only help its flavour. In lower quality fish sauces, other additives such as MSG, flavor, and color might also be added.

How to Choose a Good Fish Sauce

Good news: there aren't a whole bunch of different types of fish sauce to choose from, unlike soy sauce where dark soy, light soy, sweet soy sauces and more can trip you up. There is mainly just one type (yes, "mainly." See which to avoid below).

You can also use fish sauce from different countries interchangeably, i.e. you can use Vietnamese fish sauce in Thai cooking and vice versa. BUT there is a huge range of quality, so your main concern is making sure you choose a good one. Here's how:

1. Choose one with a simple ingredient list.

First you'll want to go with the one with the least number of ingredients; because the more diluted the fish sauce, the more additives they have to add to it in order to make up for the lack of any real fish flavor.

The ingredient list should contain no more than: 1) anchovies, 2) water (may not be listed even when it contains it), 3) salt, and 4) sugar. If it contains anything else, it is not a good sign.

Note: Sometimes the label will list anchovy extract rather than anchovies. This does not mean they’re using artificial anchovy extracts or any such thing, but some brands use the word "extract" because there aren’t any actual fish in the bottle, only the liquid that had been extracted from the fish. In the same way that oyster sauce contains “oyster extracts” because the oyster bodies aren’t in the bottle.

2. Choose a higher protein content.

Another indicator of quality is protein content. As I explained in How is Fish Sauce Made above, lower quality fish sauce has more water added, and this naturally dilutes the concentration of fish protein. 

For example, Red Boat, a premium brand with no added water, contains 4 grams of protein per tablespoon. Squid and Megachef, both great everyday-use options, contain 2 grams. Lucky, a cheap brand I do not recommend you touch, contains zero grams of protein.

Some brands use a "degree N" number to indicate the amount of protein in the fish sauce, for example Red Boat indicates 40°N while Megachef indicates 30°N. The higher the number, the more protein.

You might notice that some brands contain added protein. For example, Three Crabs fish sauce contains 2 grams of protein but also has “hydrolyzed wheat protein” on its ingredient list. (Hydrolyzed wheat protein is a flavor enhancer, similar to MSG.) I do not know whether the amount added makes any difference to the total amount of protein per serving (my guess is that it doesn’t) but it is something to mention.

Important takeaway: Choose fish sauce with at least 2 grams of protein per tablespoon.

3. Choose one that's not too cheap.

Finally, the price tag can tell you something. You can use price as a general indication of quality because the most flavourful fish sauce actually takes more fish to make, and should cost you more.

Price is just a general rule of thumb though, and should not be used as the only indicator (I've seen some ridiculous pricing on fancy-looking fish sauce with a bunch of additives!). But once you've already considered the two points above, price can be used as a tiebreaker.

Note: If you're going to compare prices, it should always be compared within the same store/seller, because different sellers can set prices differently and this difference can be huge especially if buying online.

The Best Fish Sauce for Everyday Cooking

Here are some brands I recommend (not in any specific order), some of which wasn't included in the video's taste test. Note: I live in Canada and unfortunately don't have as many options, so if you don't see the brand you're interested in on my list, use the guide above to determine the quality of your fish sauce.

• SQUID. Squid is a household name of fish sauce in Thailand, and indeed it is the one my family uses. It isn't "premium," but it's perfect for everyday use and is affordable and widely available.
  
  It is a little saltier than most, with 1670 mg of sodium per tablespoon, so if you're watching your salt intake, you may want to go with another brand. But because of this, it is the brand that I now use for my recipe testing to ensure that if you follow my recipe using a different brand of fish sauce, you're not going to end up with something that's is too salty; which is something you cannot fix.
  
• MEGACHEF. Megachef fish sauce has recently surged in popularity in Thailand, branding itself as more premium, but still affordable enough for everyday use. It has a great flavour and tastes more rich and flavourful than Squid.
  
  You may come across Megachef fish sauce in two different looks: brown and blue. The brown one is a formula that is sold in Thailand, while the blue one is for export only. From my tasting, the blue one is less salty with 1500 mg sodium vs 1580 of the brown one.
  
  Megachef is fermented for 2 years, which I believe is longer than many others. The saltiness feels a little less jarring than Squid, so this is a good choice if you want to use it as a tableside condiment.
  
• THAI KITCHEN. Thai Kitchen brand fish sauce is what you will likely find at non-Asian stores. Despite not having the "authentic Asian look" that others have, it is a good quality fish sauce with a lower sodium content at 1360 mg per tablespoon. I've only seen it in small bottles, so the price-per-volume is higher than others in the same tier.
  
• THREE CRABS. I mostly use Thai fish sauce (for obvious reasons) but Vietnamese fish sauce or nuoc mam can be used in Thai cooking. I find Three Crabs to have a milder flavour than most others, which could be attributed to a higher sugar content (2g vs 1g) and perhaps less concentration of fish.
  
  It does contain hydrolyzed vegetable protein which is a flavour enhancer, not unlike MSG, so it breaks my "simple ingredient list" rule. But it still tastes good so I make an exception for it.
  
  Note: I've seen conflicting nutrition facts labels on Three Crabs, some with 1800 mg of sodium, and others with 1540 mg. My guess is 1540 is the correct amount, as it doesn't taste any saltier than other fish sauce.

Upgrade Pick

If you want to splurge a bit, RED BOAT a premium brand that is the most well known for producing "extra virgin fish sauce." It is made on the island of Phu Quoc in Vietnam, known for making good fish sauce.

With only two ingredients, fish and salt, it doesn't have any sugar or water added, and its protein content is double of others at 4g per serving. Because of the lack of sugar, it can taste a little saltier when you taste it straight up, even though it isn't any saltier with 1490 mg of sodium per tablespoon.

Other Brands to Try

Here are a few brands that are not available to me, but are worth considering:

• SON. Similar to Red Boat, Son is a premium Vietnamese fish sauce that contains only the first press without added water or sugar.
• TIPAROS. Another classic Thai household name that is on par with Squid and is widely available in the US (though not in Canada). I have used this in Thailand years ago, but have not tried it against other brands in a taste test.

Which Fish Sauce to Avoid

• Golden Boy (or as I call it, the creepy baby brand). If this is the only one you have, fine, but it isn't the best quality despite a relatively simple ingredient list.
• Lucky Brand. Avoid this one at all cost. It's full of additives and is basically salty flavored water with colour added.
• Anything that is not a clear brown liquid! If you see "fish sauce" that is a murky, brownish-grey liquid, that is a different thing altogether and is NOT what you want unless you are making specific dishes that call for it. It's an unfiltered fish sauce with a much more pungent flavour.
  I mostly see this product from Vietnam and it's labeled mam nem, though there is also a Thai version called pla ra. If you're looking at a Vietnamese fish sauce, make sure it says nuoc mam or nuoc mam nhi.

Storage Tips

Most Thai people keep fish sauce out at room temperature right by the stove because we use it for everything and it needs to be at arm's reach. But we also go through it fast.

If you're an occasional user, keep opened fish sauce in the fridge. If the fridge is not an option for some reason, at the very least store it in a cool, dark place. This is because over time, the flavour does deteriorate and becomes more pungent, and the color will be visibly darken. Keeping it cold, in the dark, and tightly sealed will slow this process down significantly.

Fish sauce won't "spoil" however, because there's so much salt in there, no bacteria can grow; it just won't taste good if it's "old".

PRO TIP: If you're not a regular user, look for a small bottle of fish sauce so it won't have time to get old. At the Asian market, look on the top shelf as smaller bottles are often hidden there. Even my parents living in Thailand only buy small bottles after all of us left home and their usage rate slowed down.

How to Use Fish Sauce

If you're new to fish sauce, I recommend starting out with recipes from Southeast Asian cuisine that naturally contains it, because those are tried and true. Thai curries, soups, or salads on this website are all great places to start.

Then, you can start experimenting with non-traditional uses. Try using it in place of soy sauce in Asian cooking, but keep in mind that the flavours are very different, so try substituting just half of the soy sauce in stir fries or marinades see how it goes!

And yes, you CAN use fish sauce outside of Asian cuisine! Remember it's just a source of salty and savory taste. Richer foods are great for experimenting as the fish flavour won't be too obvious: try it in stews, chili, bolognese sauce, braised meats, pasta sauces, or meatloaf!

You can also use it as a tableside condiment, adding it to anything that feels a little bland. For this, I recommend making the most popular Thai condiment, prik nam pla, simply by combining fish sauce with chopped fresh chilies and a squeeze of lime juice. (Ratios do not need to be exact, but you can start with 3 parts fish sauce to 1 part lime juice.) Add some chopped garlic or shallots if you'd like, then treat it like you would tabasco, worcestershire sauce, or salt and pepper!

But will it make my food taste fishy?

No. If that were true, most Thai dishes would taste fishy. I have received many messages from first timers who smell it, then immediately cannot imagine how this could be added to food. I've even had someone asking me if it had gone bad!

Yes, it smells fishy, but the magic of fish sauce is that once it's added to food, the fishiness disappears and you're left with that salty savory punch that can elevate any dish.

Substitutes

If you don't consume animal products or you're allergic to fish, there are a few options. You can substitute soy sauce using a 1:1 ratio. However, if the fish sauce is the only seasoning and it's the main flavor, I do a combination of soy sauce and Golden Mountain Seasoning or Maggi Seasoning, just to give it a little more of a sharper flavour that seems to mimic fish sauce better.

You can buy vegan fish sauce, but you have to be quite selective because there are some reeeealy bad ones out there. In the video I showed a bottle that is awful, and the ingredient list contains water, salt, sugar, MSG, caramel, "flavor" (whatever that is), and sodium benzoate which is the preservative. It's just a salty solution with artificial flavor added.

However, there are some good ones, such as Premium Pineapple Made Vegetarian Fish Sauce which you can find at some Asian markets, and a whole slew of other options online these days. Andrea Nguyen also has a great post about vegan fish sauce including a DIY recipe that I recommend checking out.

If you are need a soy-free and gluten-free option, coconut aminos might be a good substitute though I have not personally tried it.

Want to Keep Learning About Thai Ingredients?

Now that you know everything there is to know about this essential Thai sauce, time to get into the kitchen and cook with it. This list of easy Thai dishes is a great place to start.

If you want to keep learning more about other Thai ingredients, take a look at these other posts and videos, or check the complete library of my posts about Thai ingredients!

The post FISH SAUCE: How to Choose, Use, Store & Substitute appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.