Thai Cooking at Home: Essential Ingredients & Where to Buy Them

Thai cooking at home starts with stocking the right pantry ingredients. The non-negotiables: fish sauce (nam pla) — the foundational salty-savoury seasoning; Tiparos and Megachef are reliable brands. Oyster sauce for stir-fries. Shrimp paste (kapi) — a small amount used in curry pastes and some stir-fries; kept refrigerated once opened. Palm sugar (nam tan pip) — the preferred sweetener for most Thai dishes; coconut sugar is an acceptable substitute. Coconut milk in cans (Chaokoh and Aroy-D are excellent). Light soy sauce and dark soy sauce (different from Chinese soy — use Healthy Boy brand for authenticity). Fresh aromatics: galangal (not ginger — they taste different), lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and fresh bird's-eye chillies are the aromatics that define Thai cooking. In Thailand, all of these are available at any fresh market for ฿10–30 per bunch. Curry pastes: making from scratch is magnificent but time-consuming — Maesri brand ready-made pastes in small cans are genuinely excellent and used by professional Thai cooks. Fresh herbs: holy basil (kra pao) for stir-fries, Thai sweet basil (horapa) for curries, and coriander/cilantro for garnish. Markets to shop at: Or Tor Kor Market in Bangkok is the finest quality fresh market in the country; Warorot Market in Chiang Mai is the northern equivalent. Both have incredible produce at excellent prices. For expats, Villa Market and Tops Supermarket stock most of the above alongside Western products.