Thai Herbs and Vegetable

Thai food is rich with various kinds of vegetable. They are perfectly combined, making each dish delicious. Any parts of vegetable can be used and they fit all kind of cooking method such as stir - frying, boiling or steaming, deep frying and of course making salad and chili dip.

Providing high in nutrition, vegetable dish is regarded as an ideal for healthy food.

The keys to make unforgettable Thai dishes are to use fresh ingredients taking into account their seasonality and good quality.

Quick start - guide for beginners (is it so quick???):

Water Mimosa

Best Choice: fresh plump tip.

Nutritional values: high calcium, phosphorus and iron.

#watermimosa

Yard - long bean or snake bean

Best Choice: fresh green pod that is not too plump or yellow.

Nutritional values: high in protein, calcium, iron and fiber.

#longyardbean

Spring onion

Best Choice: fresh green leaves and firm stalk.

Nutritional values: calcium, potassium, vitamin A and beta carotene.

#springonion

Lettuce

Best Choice: medium bunch having fresh light green leaves as they are slightly sween whereas dark green leaves are bitter.

Nutritional values: high in calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin C.

#lettuce

Coriander/ leaves, seeds and roots

Best Choice: fresh light green leaves.

Nutritional values: high in vitamin A and C, iron and phosphorous

#freshcoriander

Sawtooth Coriander

Best Choice: fresh long green leaves having sawtoothed rim..

Nutritional values: beta carotene, vitamin B1 and B2.

#sawtoothcoriander

Winged bean

Best Choice: fresh light green pod without any dark spots at winged rim.

Nutritional values: high in proteine, calcium, iron and fiber.

#wingedbean

Thai eggplant

Best Choice: greenish white fruit with stem attached to tightly.

Nutritional values: vitamin A, phosphorus, calcium, iron and fiber.

#thaieggplant

Pea eggplant

Best Choice: light green fruit with firm skin and stem attached to tightly

Nutritional values: high in vitamin A, iron, fiber, calcium and phosphorus.

#peaeggplant

Purple eggplant

Best Choice: fresh shiny skin with stem attached to tightly.

Nutritional values: iron, fiber, calcium and phosphorus.

#purpleeggplant

Angled gourd or sponge gourd

Best Choice: medium fruit having light green skin with low angle.

Nutritional values: high in fiber, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A and C, iron.

#Angledgourd

Cucumber

Best Choice: medium fruit having greenish white skin covered slightly with natural powder.

Nutritional values: vitamin C, iron, beta carotene, calcium and phosphorus.

#cucumber

Wax gourd

Best Choice: young fruit is small and green while the mature one is greenish white and covered with natural powder

Nutritional values: vitamin C, fiber, calcium and low in calories.

#waxgourd

Bitter Gourd

Best Choice: The immature fruit ranges from bright green to white depending on cultivar, and the mature fruit turns orange with bright red seeds.

Nutritional values: iron, vitamin C, B6 and D, magnesium and calcium.

#bittergourd

Lime

Best Choice: round fruit with thin yellowish green peel

Nutritional values: vitamin A and C, iron and phosphorus.

#lime

Kaffir lime and leaves

Best Choice: shiny dark green leaves while the fruit is rough and green and ripens to yellow; it is distinguished by its bumpy exterior and small size

Nutritional values: high in vitamin A and C, iron and calcium.

#kaffirlime

Snow pea sprouts

Best Choice: fresh light green shoot and plump stalk without any bruises

Nutritional values: high in vitamin B and C.

#snowpeasprouts

Bean sprouts

Best Choice: fresh plump stem without any bruises

Nutritional values: proteins and vitamin C and B12.

#beansprouts

Green, red and yellow spur chili

Best Choice: fresh shiny skin having firm flesh and dark stem.

Nutritional values: vitamin B, C and E.

#spurchili

Hot chili

Best Choice: fresh green stem and firm skin

Nutritional values: vitamin B, C and E.

#redchili

Straw mushroom

Best Choice: a bud has firmer flesh and better taste than a bloom mushroom.

Nutritional values: calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium and amino acid.

#strawmushroom

Angel wing mushroom

Best Choice: medium size having firm flesh with yellowish white or light brown

Nutritional values: protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and minerals.

#angelwingmushroom

Chinese dried mushroom (shiitake)

Best Choice: distinctly flavored if dry.

Nutritional values: vitamin D and B6, magnesium, iron and calcium.

#driedshiitake

Black fungus

Best Choice: if fresh it is a jelly-like mushroom while dried it's black and strong.

Nutritional values: vitamin C, D and B6, iron, magnesium and calcium.

#blackfungus

Banana bud

Best Choice: freshly cut with red purple outer layer.

Nutritional values: fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A and C.

#bananabud

Fresh turmeric

Best Choice: a rhizome which has brown and scaly skin and bright orange flesh.

Nutritional values: vitamin C, B6 and D, iron, magnesium and calcium.

#freshturmeric

Ginger

Best Choice: a rhizome which has a light brown skin and yellow flesh.

Nutritional values: fiber, vitamin B6, C and D, magnesium and iron.

#ginger

Galangal

Best Choice: a rhizome which has brownish skin and cream - colored flesh; it's a member of the ginger family but it has its own distinct flavor.

Nutritional values: fiber, vitamin C and protein.

#galangal

Lemongrass

Best Choice: fragrant and thick - stemmed herb.

Nutritional values: magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, iron vitamin A and calcium.

#lemongrass

Thai basil

Best Choice: it's a member of the basil family but, it has smaller and darker leaves.

Nutritional values: vitamin C, D and B6, iron and calcium.

#holybasil

Sweet basil:

Best Choice: leafy green herb that originated in Asia and Africa.

Nutritional values: vitamin C, D, B6 and K, iron and calcium.

#sweetbasil

Holy basil:

Best Choice: it is native to Southeast Asia. It has a history within Indian medicine as a treatment for many conditions, from eye diseases to ringworms.

Nutritional values: vitamin C, D, B6 and K, iron and calcium.

#holybasil

Vietnamese mint:

Best Choice: leaves with distinctive dark markings which vary form leaf to leaf.

Nutritional values: vitamin C, D and B6, iron magnesium and calcium.

#vietnamesemint

Water spinach or morning glory

Best Choice: a leafy Asian vegetable with dark green, long, pointed leaves and paler, hollow stems.

Nutritional values: vitamin C, D, and B6, magnesium, iron and calcium.

#waterspinach

Pandan leaves:

Best Choice: also called screw - pine leaves and they are the leaves of the pandanus plant.

Nutritional values: high in vitamin A

#pandanleaves

Chinese broccoli or gai larn

Best Choice: a green vegetable with slightly leathery leaves and thick, green stalks.

Nutritional values: protein, fiber and vitamine A.

#chinesebroccoli

Chinese cabbage or wom buk :

Best Choice: it is shape like a cos lattuce with tightly packed leaves. It has a white mid rib and pale green leaves.

Nutritional values: vitamin A, C and K, sodium, potassium, manganese, iron and calcium.

#chinesecabbage

Bamboo Shoots:

Best Choice: they are the edibile young shoots of certain varieties of bamboo.

Nutritional values: protein, fiber and sodium.

#bamboo

Green Paw Paw or green papaia:

Best Choice: it's the same fruit (in Thailand is used as a vegetable) of yellow papaya but when it's green is hard.

Nutritional values: Folate, Vitamin A, fiber, copper, magnesium, potassium and pantothenic acid.