Fresh Fruits Fresh Vegetables & Herbs Misc.
 
 
  Name: Baby Corn
Thai Name: Khao Pod Onn
Description: Available All Year, Baby corn refers to "whole", miniature cobs of immature Sweet 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.
 
Name: Small Bitter Melon (Gourd)
Thai Name: Ma Ra Ki Nok
Description: This variety of bitter melon has a narrower shape with pointed ends, and a surface covered with jagged, triangular "teeth" and ridges. Coloration is green or white. Some bear miniature fruit of only 6 - 10 cm in length, which may be served individually as stuffed vegetables.
 		 
 
  Name: Chinese Cabbage
Thai Name: Pak Kaet Khao
Description: 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.
 
Name: Bitter Melon (Gourd)
Thai Name: Ma Ra
Description: It is hollow in cross-section, with a relatively thin layer of flesh surrounding a central seed cavity filled with large flat seeds and pith. Seeds and pith appear white in unripe fruits, ripening to red; they are intensely bitter and must be removed before cooking. The flesh is crunchy and watery in texture. The skin is tender and edible. The fruit is most often eaten green. It becomes more bitter as it ripens.
 		 
 
  Name: Banana Flower
Thai Name: Hua Plee
Description: 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.
 
Name: Chinese Chives
Thai Name: Bai Kui Chai
Description: 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.
 		 
 
  Name: Onion
Thai Name: Hua Hom
Description: Onions are edible with a distinctive strong flavour and pungent odour which is mellowed and sweetened by cooking. They generally have a papery outer skin over a fleshy, layered inner core.
 
Name: Pea Aubergines
Thai Name: Ma Kheua Puang
Description: These pea-size berries, which grow in small clusters, have a bitter flavour that is a good foil to the richness of the spicy curries in which they are most often found. They are also used as a flavouring for Nam Prik.
 		 
 
  Name: Long Bean
Thai Name: Tua Fuk Yao
Description: These are long, deep green ,string less beans which grow up to 30-60 cm. Cut in short lengths, 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. They have pod up to 60 cm long. These are eaten both fresh and cooked and are at their best when young and slender.
 
Name: Lemon Grass
Thai Name: Ta Krai
Description: Lemon grass adds a lemony flavour and aroma without acidity or sharpness. The usable inner core is about the thickness of a finger. When finely sliced, it can be eaten; larger pieces are used just for flavour and aroma. Lemon grass is also pounded into curry pastes and used, in dried form, for beverages. In tradition. For pastes and salads, use the tender, white portion just above the root. Young tender lemongrass stalks can be finely chopped and eaten, but older stalks should be cut into 3-5 centimetre lengths and bruised before being added only as a flavouring agent.
 		 
 
  Name: Chinese Radish
Thai Name: Hua Chai Tau or Hua Phak Kat
Description: 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 the vegetable is cooked, the characteristic texture is retained, but the flavor becomes quite sweet.
 
Name: Thai coriander
Thai Name: Pak Chee
Description: Coriander is the most common herb used in Thai cooking. The whole plant is used--the root, stem and leaves. The leaves are often chosen for decoration. The seeds are roasted and then ground in a spice mill and used in curry pastes. The leaves are used for their fresh, peppery flavor, and as a garnish.
 		 
 
  Name: Galangal
Thai Name: Kha
Description: This is the type of ginger Thai cook’s use most. The flavor is both more lemony and more peppery than that of common ginger, and it has a richer aroma. The skin is pale yellow, with pink-tinged knobs; the interior is cream-color. Kha is never eaten alone; it is used as a flavoring component. We float large slices into soups or chop and pound pieces into curry pastes. Medicinally, galangal is classed as a digestive stimulant and "Thais mix the grated root with limejuice" to treat stomach-ache. Thais also believe that galangal can help respiratory ailments.
 
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