Thai Vegetable

Thai Vegetable
Vegetable serve as the main food
in most of the Thai people. Thai love to eat vegetable because it provides many
nutrients to the body . It give nourishment which makes every person to be
healthy .Eating vegetable is a good habit because it makes strong and
healthy keeping an body alive , free from sickness or any disease.


Angled Loofah: Thai name is Buap Liam
Also known as silk
gourd, silk squash or Chinese okra, this dark green vegetable looks like a long,
thin courgette (zucchini) or a very large okra pod, and has angular ridges down
its length. A close relative, the smooth loofah is paler in colour, larger and
more cylindrical, with a slightly thicker base. Both have a very mild taste,
similar to cucumber, which can be used in its place in most cooked dishes. The
gourds are eaten young, while they are still sweet. They become unpleasantly
bitter as they mature. Loofah is used in stir-fries and soups, and is often
boiled and eaten with nam phrik.

Apple Aubergines: Thai name is
Makheua
These small round aubergines are pale green, yellow or white.
They are eaten raw with the ubiquitous chilli sauce, nam phrik, or cooked in
curries. They have little flavour, but when raw have an interesting texture.
They discolour rapidly once cut, so drop‘ them into salted water if you are
preparing them in advance.

Asparagus: Thai name is Nor Mai
Faruang
Asparagus are long, slender vegetables that grow as shoots in
spring and early summer. The straight, firm stalks, which range from pencil thin
to as thick as your thumb, are prized for their delicate flavor; the tender tips
have a particularly delicate flavor and texture. The most common variety is
green and sometimes tinged with purple at the bud. White and all-purple stalks
are also available in farmers‘ markets and well-stocked grocery stores. Look for
asparagus with crisp, straight stalks and tight buds. Wrap in damp paper towels
and refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 4 days. Trim the stalks before using.
Cut or snap off the tough ends and discard. If desired, peel the bottom third or
half of each stalk with a vegetable peeler for a more tender texture.


Baby Corn: Thai name is Khao Phod On
Baby corn refers to
whole, entirely edible cobs of immature corn, no more than 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm)
long. Corn is a popular vegetable in Thailand. For stir-fries and soups, Thais
prefer baby corn cobs, which have a musty sweet flavour, as well as a crunchy
texture. They are available fresh and canned. Fresh baby corn cobs are best
eaten soon after purchase but can be stored for up to 1 week in the salad drawer
of the refrigerator.

Bamboo Shoot: Thai name is Nor Mai

Bamboo shoots are the crisp, mild-flavored, white to ivory shoots of the
bamboo plant. The shoots of the bamboo are cut when they have grown about 15 cm.
above the ground. Before using, peel the skin and boiled the inner white part
for 30 minutes. The canned variety needs to be boiled for only 10 minutes. This
is a popular ingredient in Thai cooking and can be purchased from general stores
and markets.

Banana Blossom: Thai name is Hua Plee
Also
called banana flowers and banana blossoms, these are in fact the tender hearts
of unopened banana flowers, which have been stripped of their purple petals.
They are available fresh in some Asian markets and also canned or dried. Fresh
banana buds discolour rapidly once they are sliced or shredded, so should be
brushed with lemon juice to prevent this. Banana buds are used in northern
Thailand to make a tasty, squash soup. They are also a popular salad ingredient,
tasting rather like artichokes.

Bean Sprout: Thai name is Thua
Ngok
Most often used of bean sprouts in Thai cooking are the small
"green" sprouts from mung beans and the larger "yellow" sprouts from soya beans.
Soya beansprouts have a stronger flavour than mung beansprouts, but both are
relatively delicate, with a pleasant and unique crunchy texture. Fresh
beansprouts are widely available in supermarkets, health-food stores and Asian
food stores, or you can easily sprout your own beans at home. Avoid canned
beansprouts as they are flaccid and tasteless.

Bell Chilli: Thai name
is Phrik Youkg
Bell Chilli, phrik youkg, is light green in color and
mild in taste. They are used in spicy salads and chilli Pilstes for their
fragrance, and in stir-fried meat dishes for both flavor and aroma


Bitter Melon: Thai name is Ma Ra
Tropical, annual vine has
bitter taste Culinary use: Soup, curry, and salad. (If you don‘t like the bitter
taste, parboil with salt and rinse 2-3 times before cooking.) The Thais belive
that it is very good for the kidneys and blood. Look for small and firm
specimens that are still green when buying. Medicinal use: Mild laxative,
antipyretic gargle the fruit juice to relieve an aphthous ulcer.


Broccoli: Thai name is also Broccoli
Broccoli, a member of
the cabbage family, is green to purple-green in color and has tightly clustered
flowers, or florets, borne on sturdy stalks. The florets are the most tender
part. The stems, if peeled, can also be used. Choose firm stalks and closed
heads with deep color and no yellow areas. Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up
to 4 days.

Carrot: Thai name is also Carrot
Carrots are root
vegetables that are bright orange in color, with a sweet flavor and a crisp
texture. They range in size from small, baby carrots to short, almost round
varieties to long, slender roots. Fresh carrots are sold year-round. Avoid
droopy carrots with cracks or dry spots. Remove the feathery green tops and
store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Peel or scrub
carrots before using

Cassava Root: Thai name is Man Sam Pa Lang

Usually used to make desserts

Cauliflower: Thai name is Dok Kha
Lam
Cauliflower, a member of the cabbage family, is a solid head, white
in color, with tightly clustered flowers, or florets. The florets are the most
tender part, but the entire head is edible. Cauliflower is available year-round.
Avoid heads with brown patches or speckles or yellowed leaves. Store in a
plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. In Thai cooking, Cauliflower
florets often wind up in soups and stir fried, or as a side dish dipping with
spicy shrimp paste sauce

Chinese Broccoli /Kale : Thai name is Phak
Ka Na
A dark green vegetable with strong, thin, long round trunks, soft,
deep green delicate leaves, and sometimes tiny white flowers. It does not look
like or taste like the common broccoli. It has a slightly sweet and bitter
taste. Delicious stir-fried, steamed, or boiled but never eaten raw. Most
popular dish is Ka na nam mun hoy which is stir fired with oyster sauce.Unlike
regular broccoli, the stems are usually tender and do not need to be peeled.
However, more mature or larger stalks should be peeled before cooking. It is
always smart to separate the leaves and trunks. The trunks require more cooking
time, then add the leaves near the end, so that they cook evenly. When buying
Chinese broccoli, choose brightly colored ones with slender thin trunks.


Chinese Cabbage: Thai name is Phak Kaet Khaao
Also known as
celery cabbage, this vegetable has soft green and white leaves with a mild,
sweet flavour and crisp texture. It is widely available in supermarkets and is
easily recognized by its fat, cylindrical shape and tightly packed leaves. When
buying, choose specimens that are heavy and firm. Before use, discard any
damaged outer leaves and trim the root. Do not worry if the leaves have small
black spots on them; they are harmless. This type of cabbage keeps well and can
be stored in the salad compartment of the refrigerator for several weeks. It is
used in stir-fries, salads and soups.

Chinese Chives: Thai name is
Kui chai
These pungent herbs look more like long, flat spring onions
than their Western equivalent. The leaves are peppery, crunchy and chewy. They
are eaten raw and cooked and are prized for both their texture and flavour.
Spring onions can be used as a substitute but they will not have the distinctive
garlic taste of Chinese chives

Chinese Mustard Green: Thai name is
Phak Kwang Tung Jeen
The Chinese name for this type of cabbage is choi
sum. It is widely grown in the West and is often available from farmers‘
markets, as well as Asian food stores. The stalks, leaves and yellow flowers of
this plant are all edible and have a delicate flavour. The cabbage is usually
cut into short lengths and used in soups and noodle dishes, but it may also be
stir-fried.

Chinese Radish: Thai name is Hua Chai Tau or Hua Phak
Kat
Thais value this vegetable, believing that it aids digestion, cools
the body and improves blood circulation. Also called giant white radish or
winter radish, it is a long white root that resembles a slender, smooth-skinned
parsnip in appearance. It can be up to 40cm/l6in long, although the Thai variety
is often considerably smaller. Large specimens tend to be fibrous and should be
avoided. When raw, the flavour of mooli is cool, sharp and peppery, and the
texture is crisp. Thais don‘t often eat it this way, but the grated flesh is
sometimes used to tenderize seafood. When the vegetable is cooked, the
characteristic texture is retained, but the flavour becomes quite sweet.


Coconut: Thai name is Ma Phrao
Coconut, ma phrao, is found
nearly everywhere people have settled in all parts of the country and its
production is important to the economy. The use to coconut milk in curries is a
hallmark of Thai cooking. The meat of ripe nuts is scraped either by hand or by
machine. The grated coconut is placed in a basin and mixed with a certain amount
of warm water. The coconut is then picked up in the hand, held over a second
container, and squeezed to press out the coconut milk, ka-thi. A fine meshed
strainer should be positioned below the hand during squeezing to catch any meat
that falls. Many cooks add a little salt to the water or the milk.


Cucumber: Thai name is Taeng Kwa
Cucumber, taeng kwa, Cucumis
sativus, has short fruits about 8 em long which are crispiest while still green
and white, before yellowing. A larger type, taeng ran, are also eaten.


Eggplants: Thai name is Makheua Moung
Eggplants are tender,
mildly earthy, sweet vegetable-fruits covered with tough, shiny skin, which may
be peeled or left unpeeled in grilled or long-cooked dishes. They vary in color
from the familiar purple to red and from yellow to white. The most common
variety is the large, purple globe eggplant, but many markets also carry the
slender, purple Asian eggplant, which is more tender and has fewer, smaller
seeds. When cooked, all eggplants have a mild flavor and tender, creamy flesh.
Look for plump, glossy, heavy eggplants with taut skin and no bruises or
scratches. Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 2 days. Eggplants are also
known as aubergine and in Italy as melanzana.

Long Eggplant: Thai
name is Makhua Yaew
This elongated variety is similar in appearance and
flavour to Japanese long baby aubergines. However, the Thai ones are usually
pale green, but can also be purple or white. These aubergines are usually served
grilled (broiled) or in green curries.

Lotus root: Thai name is Raug
Bua
Lotus root is an underwater root that grows to be as long as four
feet. The root is dark reddish brown and needs to be peeled prior to using. The
flesh is a creamy white and tastes similar to coconut. Lotus root is available
canned, dried or candied and can be used as a vegetable or in dessert dishes.


Pak Choi: Thai name is Phak Kwang Tung Taiwan
This is the
most popular variety of cabbage eaten in Thailand. Despite its other name -
Chinese white cabbage pak choi is not uniformly white. The ribbed stems are a
beautiful greenish white, which stands out starkly against the lush dark green
leaves. In Thailand, cabbage is often eaten raw with a chilli dipping sauce and
is also cooked in stir-fries and soups. Pak choi is usually either thinly sliced
or cut into squares and is best cooked briefly.

Papaya: Thai name is
Ma La Kor
Papaya is a tropical fruit with a smooth, yellow skin and
soft, sweet orange flesh that is milder tasting than a mango. Other shapes and
colors of papaya are also grown. Halve a papaya lengthwise and scoop out shiny
black seeds before peeling.
In Thai cooking, young green papaya is used to
make salad or Som Tam, a popular salad dish among foreigners in Thailand. You
may be in difficulty in finding fresh green papaya outside Thailand. The fresh
carrots or cabbages or green apples can be used as a substitute.

Pea
Aubergines: Thai name is Makreu Puang
These pea-size berries, which grow
in small clusters, have a bitter flavour that is a good foil to the rich ness of
the spicy curries in which they are most often found. They are also used as a
flavouring for nam phrik

Pumpkins: Thai name is Fug Tong

Pumpkins are large, round winter squashes with orange skins and flesh. The
variety known as the sugar pumpkin has sweet flesh. In Thai cooking, it is
commonly used in dessert but is also used in savory dishes. Canned pumkin pur?e
is widely available and can easily be made from fresh pumpkin.


Shiitake Dried Mushroom: Thai name is Het Hom Hang
It is also
known as Shiitake mushroom. It has no flavor but is used for its texture. It is
available in dried form, and looks like dried, black, wrinkled paper. When
soaked in water for about 10-20 minutes, it swells and resembles wavy seaweed or
jelly. Stored in its dried form, it will keep indefinitely.

Shiitake
Mushroom: Thai name is Het Hom
Fresh shiitake mushrooms are available,
but Thai cooks prefer to use them dried as they have a stronger flavour and more
texture. Both types are available in supermarkets and Asian stores. Dried
shiitake mushrooms must be reconstituted in water before beingused. The stems
are usually discarded and the caps sliced or chopped for adding to soups or
stews. The soaking water can be strained and used in a soup or stock as it takes
on the flavour of the shiitake. The dried mushrooms will keep well if stored in
a sealed plastic tub or bag in a cool, dry place

Spring Onions: Thai
name is Ton-Hom
Soring onions are a variety of onion harvested immature
before the bulb has formed. Both the green leaves and white bulbs are used raw
or cooked for their mild but still pronounced onion flavor. Spring onions are
also known as scallions or spring onions. Spring onions are used in Thai cooking
for stir-fries and in soups. They are also popular for garnishes, either sliced
or cut into tassels, then curled in iced water

Straw Mushroom: Thai
name is Hed Fang
These delicate, sweet flavoured mushrooms have acquired
their English name because of the method of cultivation on beds of straw. They
look like miniature helmets and are the most popular variety of mushroom in Thai
cooking. Straw mushrooms are used extensively in soups, salads and curries, and
taste particularly good with prawns (shrimp) and crab meat. Canned straw
mushrooms are widely available from Asian stores and many supermarkets. They
have neither the exquisite flavour nor the texture of the fresh mushrooms, but
can be an acceptable substitute. Fresh straw mushrooms are highly perishable and
so are not often available in the West. If you do locate them, use them as soon
as possible after purchase.

Suger Pea: Thai name is Tua Lan Tao

You eat these whole, pod and all. They‘re often stir-fried very briefly (no
more than a minute), but they‘re also good raw. They‘re easy to prepare, just
wash and trim the ends. Some people string them as well, but that‘s not
necessary. Select crisp, flat snow peas that snap when you break them.


Swamp Cabbage: Thai name is Phak Boong
This popular leafy
plant, also known as water convolvulus or water spinach, is actually a herb. It
grows in marshy areas, near rivers and canals, and is related to the morning
glory that riots over walls and fences in many European gardens. It has slender,
hollow green stems and thin ovate green leaves which are pointed at the ends. In
some parts of Asia, the stems are pickled, but in Thailand, only the leaves and
tender shoots are eaten. The flavour is similar to that of spinach. In Thailand,
the tender tips are often eaten raw, on their own or with other raw vegetables,
and served with a selection of hot sauces. When cooked, the stem tips stay firm,
but the leaves rapidly become limp.Swamp Cabbage is highly perishable and must
be used promptly.

Sweet Chilli: Thai name is Pkrik Waan
Sweet
chillis are sweet-fleshed, bell-shaped members of the chilli family, enjoyed raw
or cooked. Unripe green and ripened red or yellow varieties are the most common.
Pale yellow, orange, and purple-black types are also available. Italian chillis
are slightly sweeter and more slender than regular chillis. Before use, bell
peppers must have their indigestible seeds removed. Often the chillis are
roasted, which loosens their skins for peeling and enhances their natural
sweetness.

Taro: Thai name is Puak
This root grows wild on
the banks of streams in Thailand and is particularly popular in the north of the
country.The swollen tuber is full of starch and is eaten in the same manner as
potatoes. The young leaves can also be eaten. Wear gloves when peeling taros.


Tomato: Thai name is Ma kheua Thet
Tomatoes, Ma-Kheua thet of
three types are used in Thai cooking. The first is small, round fruits, not much
bigger than a pea, which grow in clusters and have a sweet and sour taste. These
are used in Northern and Northeastern dishes. Large-sized tomatoes are sweet and
are used in sour and spicy soups and in spicy salads. The third type is cherry
tomatoes. These have a sweet and sour taste and are used in Northeasternstyle
papaya salad as well as in curries and sour and spicy soups.

Twisted
Cluster Bean: Thai name is Sa Taw
The seeds of a huge tree that grows in
southern Thailand, these beans are about the size of broad (fava) beans. The
bright green pods that house them are flat and wavy. The beans themselves have a
peculiar smell and nutty taste that give a distinctive flavour to regional
dishes. The beans are usually eaten as a vegetable, and they taste good in a
sweet-and-sour stir-fry. They are also sometimes roasted and eaten with nam
phrik, and are made into pickles.

Wax gourd: Thai name is Fak
Khiao
Wax gourd, fak khiao, Benincasa hispida, also called white gourd
or Chinese preserving melon, is oblong and light green to white. The ends are
rounded and the flesh is solid and white.

Winged Bean: Thai name is
Thua Phu
It bears a pod which in cross section looks like a rectangle
that has a fringe-like extension at each corner, the "wings" of the bean.


Yard Long Beans: Thai name is Tua Fugk Yaew
These are long,
deep green ,stringless beans which grow up to 30-60 cm. Cut in short lenghts,
they are used in stir-fries, curries and sometimes soups, They have less flavour
than other types of green beans but are easier to prepare.