Editing Thai cuisine (section)

===Vegetables, herbs and spices===
[[File:Thai market vegetables 01.jpg|right|thumb|A vegetable stall, [[Chiang Mai]]]]
[[File:Vegetable platter with nam phrik kapi.jpg|right|thumb|At southern Thai restaurants most often a vegetable and herbs platter with [[nam phrik kapi]] is served as a complimentary dish]]
Thai dishes use a wide variety of herbs, spices and leaves rarely found in the West. The characteristic flavor of [[kaffir lime]] leaves (''bai makrut'') appears in many Thai soups (e.g., the hot and sour ''[[tom yam]]'') or curry from the southern and central areas of Thailand. The Thai [[Lime (Citrus aurantifolia)|lime]] (''manao'') is smaller, darker and sweeter than the kaffir lime, which has a rough looking skin with a stronger lime flavor. Kaffir lime leaves or rind is frequently combined with [[galangal]] (''kha'') and [[Cymbopogon|lemongrass]] (''takhrai''), either kept whole in simmered dishes or blended together with liberal amounts of chilies and other aromatics to make curry paste. Fresh [[Thai basil]], distinctively redolent of [[clove]]s, and with stems which are often tinged with a purple color, are used to add fragrance in certain dishes such as [[green curry]]. Other commonly used herbs in Thai cuisine include ''phak chi'', ([[coriander]] or cilantro leaves), ''rak phak chi'' (cilantro/coriander roots), [[Mentha spicata|spearmint]] (''saranae''), [[holy basil]] (''kaphrao''), ginger (''khing''), [[turmeric]] (''khamin''), [[fingerroot]] (''krachai''), [[Eryngium foetidum|culantro]] (''phak chi farang''), [[Pandanus amaryllifolius|pandanus]] leaves (''bai toei''), and [[Thai lemon basil]] (''maenglak''). Spices and spice mixtures used in Thai cuisine include ''phong phalo'' ([[five-spice powder]]), ''phong kari'' ([[curry powder]]), and fresh and dried [[Black pepper|peppercorn]]s (''phrik thai''). Northern Thai ''[[larb]]'' uses a very elaborate spice mix, called ''phrik lap'', which includes ingredients such as [[cumin]], [[cloves]], [[long pepper]], [[star anise]], [[Zanthoxylum|prickly ash seeds]] and [[cinnamon]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Phrik lap |url=http://library.cmu.ac.th/ntic/en_lannafood/detail_lannafood.php?id_food=182 |website=Lanna Food |publisher=Northern Thai Information Center, Chiang Mai University Library |access-date=2014-11-03 |archive-date=8 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108110637/http://library.cmu.ac.th/ntic/en_lannafood/detail_lannafood.php?id_food=182 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Fish stuffed with Thai herbs.jpg|thumb|[[Channa striata|Snakehead fish]] packed with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves ready for steaming]]
Besides kaffir lime leaves, several other tree leaves are used in Thai cuisine such as ''[[cha-om]]'', the young feathery leaves of the ''[[Acacia pennata]]'' tree. These leaves can be cooked in omelettes, soups and curries or eaten raw in northern Thai salads. [[Banana leaf|Banana leaves]] are often used as packaging for ready-made food or as steamer cups such as in ''[[ho mok]] pla'', a spicy steamed [[pâté]] or [[soufflé]] made with fish and coconut milk. [[Banana]] flowers are also used in [[Thai salads]] or as a vegetable ingredient for certain curries. The leaves and flowers of the [[neem tree]] (''sadao'') are also eaten blanched. ''Phak lueat'' (leaves from the ''[[Ficus virens]]'') are cooked in curries, and ''bai makok'' (from the ''[[Spondias mombin]]'') can be eaten raw with a chili paste.

Five main chilies are generally used as ingredients in Thai food. One chili is very small (about {{Convert|1.25|cm|in}}) and is known as the hottest chili: ''phrik khi nu suan'' ("garden mouse-dropping chili"). The slightly larger chili ''[[Bird's eye chili|phrik khi nu]]'' ("mouse-dropping chili") is the next hottest. The green or red ''phrik chi fa'' ("sky pointing chili") is slightly less spicy than the smaller chilies. The very large '' phrik yuak'', which is pale green in color, is the least spicy and used more as a vegetable. Lastly, the dried chilies: ''phrik haeng'' are spicier than the two largest chilies and dried to a dark red color.
[[File:Phrik lap Chiang Rai.jpg|thumb|The elaborate spice mix needed for northern Thai ''[[larb]]'']]
Other typical ingredients are the several types of [[eggplant]] (''makhuea'') used in Thai cuisine, such as the pea-sized ''[[Solanum torvum|makhuea phuang]]'' and the egg-sized [[Thai eggplant|''makhuea suai'']], often also eaten raw. Although [[broccoli]] is often used in Asian restaurants in the west in ''phat phak ruam'' (stir fried mixed vegetables) and ''rat na'' (rice noodles served in gravy), it was never used in any traditional Thai food in Thailand and was rarely seen in Thailand. Usually in Thailand, [[Kai-lan|khana]] is used, for which broccoli is a substitute. Other vegetables which are often eaten in Thailand are ''thua fak yao'' ([[yardlong bean]]s), ''thua ngok'' ([[bean sprout]]s), ''no mai'' ([[bamboo shoot]]s), tomatoes, [[cucumber]]s, ''phak tam lueng'' (''[[Coccinia grandis]]''), ''phak kha na'' ([[Kai-lan|Chinese kale]]), ''phak kwangtung'' ([[Choy sum#Chinensis|choy sum]]), [[sweet potato]]es (both the tuber and leaves), a few types of [[Squash (plant)|squash]], ''phak krathin'' (''[[Leucaena leucocephala]]''), ''sato'' (''[[Parkia speciosa]]''), ''tua phū'' ([[winged bean]]s) and ''khaophot'' ([[maize|corn]]).

Among the green, leafy vegetables and herbs that are usually eaten raw in a meal or as a side dish in Thailand, the most important are: ''phak bung'' ([[Ipomoea aquatica|morning glory]]), ''horapha'' ([[Thai basil]]), ''bai bua bok'' ([[Centella asiatica|Asian pennywort]]), ''phak kachet'' ([[Neptunia oleracea|water mimosa]]), ''phak kat khao'' ([[Napa cabbage|Chinese cabbage]]), ''phak phai'' ([[Persicaria odorata|praew leaves]]), ''phak kayang'' ([[Limnophila aromatica|rice paddy herb]]), ''phak chi farang'' ([[Eryngium foetidum|culantro]]), ''phak tiu'' (''[[Cratoxylum formosum]]''), ''phak "phaai"'' ([[Limnocharis flava|yellow burr head]]) and ''kalamplī'' ([[cabbage]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/ac145e/AC145E02.htm |title=The Vegetable Sector in Thailand |publisher=Fao.org |access-date=29 October 2013 |archive-date=13 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013214239/http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/AC145E/AC145E02.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Some of these leaves are highly perishable and must be used within a couple of days.

Several types of [[Edible mushroom|mushroom]] (''het'') also feature in Thai cuisine such as [[Volvariella volvacea|straw mushroom]]s (''het fang''), [[Lentinula edodes|shiitake]] (''het hom''), and [[Tremella fuciformis|white jelly fungus]] (''het hu nu khao'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://samui.sawadee.com/dining/food/vegetable.htm |title=Thai vegetables |publisher=Samui.sawadee.com |access-date=29 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828062610/http://samui.sawadee.com/dining/food/vegetable.htm |archive-date=28 August 2013 }}</ref>

Flowers are also commonly used ingredients in many Thai dishes, either as a vegetable, such as ''dok khae'' (''[[Sesbania grandiflora]]'') and ''huapli'' (the flower bud of the [[banana]]), or as a food coloring, such as with the blue-colored ''dok anchan'' (the flowers of the ''[[Clitoria ternatea]]'', which can also be eaten raw or fried).