FIVE ESSENTIAL THAI INGREDIENTS

Kapi (shrimp paste)

Used in stir-fries and sauces, on steamed veg and more, this has a fermented fishy funk that, as anchovies do in Italian cooking, rounds out dishes and adds umami.

Garlic

This is eaten raw in som tam salads and chilli sauces, or pickled and used in broths and soups, and also fried until nutty and caramelised for a breakfast of rice and meat porridge called khao tom.

Krachai

A punchy, warming root that’s somewhere between ginger and galangal, flavour-wise, this is used in Thai curry bases.

Knorr chicken powder

You’ll find this in Thai or Chinese supermarkets. It’s used as you would any normal stock, but, compared to UK versions, it’s got that something extra. It’s definitely a Thai storecupboard staple.

Cha-om

The feathery leaves of this thorny plant are commonly used in Thai omelettes. Its aroma is almost gassy, and its flavour slightly bitter. Lots of my friends have no idea why I eat this, but I like it!