Cooking Thai Food In American Kitchens

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Banana (Kluai)
Bananas are available all year round. The most common varieties grown in Thailand are:

 

Kluai Hom (Fragrant Banana)
Ripe fragrant bananas are a popular all-day snack. It goes well with breakfast cereals and is ideal for making banana fritters, cakes and ice-cream.

Kluai Khai (Egg Banana)
Has a thinner golden-yellow skin when ripe. It is eaten fresh or cooked in a light syrup. It is also popular as dried banana, candy, or cake.

Kluai Nam Wa 
Sticky and sweet when ripe, Kluai Nam Wa is valued for its high nutritional value. It is often used in a dessert known as Kluai Buat Chee

                                                  in which slices

                                                  of banana are cooked in coconut milk. It is also a key ingredient of steamed desserts made

                                                  with glutinous rice, or rice flour, such as in Khao Tom Mut or Khanom Kluai.

                                                  Kluai Hak Mook
                                                  A cooking banana that is delicious when roasted or grilled.

                                                  Banana blossoms known as "Hua Plee" are used fresh as a garnish for the famous Pad Thai

                                                  noodle dish, used in Thai salads or yam, or eaten raw as a salad vegetable served with chilli

                                                  dips called nam prik.

 

 
DURIAN (Turian)
Peak season: May to August

Considered to be the 'King of Thai Fruits', Thais prefer a durian that is just ripe. The flesh should be slightly soft to the touch but without being crunchy.

Durian is without a doubt, an acquired taste. For the first taste of durian, Mon Tong or the Golden Pillow Durian with its light creamy texture is the mildest of the durians and is widely available throughout Thailand.

 

The best durian is judged by the thickness of the flesh and the size of its seed.
(The smaller the seed, the better the amount of flesh )

 

The best durian are from the Eastern provinces of Thailand namely Rayong, Trat, Prachin Buri, Chanthaburi and Surat and Chumphon in southern Thailand.

 

 

 

THAI MANGO (Ma-Muang) 

 

Peak season: April to June

All Thai mangoes are sweet, juicy, and fragrant, when ripe. However the "Nam Dawk Mai" and "Ok Long" variety are best known. They are the favourite choices as dessert fruit or as "Mango and Sticky (glutinous) Rice", a popular dessert during the peak of the mango season in the summer.

 

"Ma-muang Keow Savoey" and "Ma-muang Rat" are also delicious as ripe mango but Thais prefer to enjoy both of these as raw mango served with a dry salt-and-sugar dip seasoned with crushed chilli called prik kab kleua or a savoury chilli dip prepared by blending palm sugar with fish sauce heated to a caramel-like consistency called nam pla wan.

 

Green Keow Savoey is sweet and has a powdery texture, while Ma-muang Rat is predominantly sour with a hint of sweet.

Raw mangoes add a more delicate sour flavour to dishes and are featured in Thai salads such as Yam Ma-muang and in chili dips.

 

 

STAR-FRUIT (Ma Feung)

 

 

Peak season: October to December

The star-fruit is not a native species but is grown throughout Thailand. Ripe star-fruit is sweet and juicy with a hint of sour making star-fruit excellent for quenching thirst. It is often served as a refreshing fruit juice. It can also be served in slices with a dry salt-and-granulated sugar dip seasoned with crushed chilli called prik kaab kleua, or with a savoury chilli dip prepared with palm sugar and fish sauce heated to a caramel-like consistency called nam pla wan.

 
GUAVA (Farang)
 
 
Farang is not a native species. It was brought into the kingdom by traders in the 17th century. Guava is grown primarily in the Central Plains and is available all year round.
Crunchy raw guava is served with a dry salt-and-granulated sugar dip seasoned with crushed chilli called prik kab kleua or a savoury chilli dip prepared by blending palm sugar with fish sauce heated to a caramel-like consistency called nam pla wan.

 

 

 
LONGAN (Lam Yai)
 
Peak season: June to August

Longan has a thin brittle olive-brown outer shell that is easy to crack open.


The Bieow Keow variety is commonly found in fruit stalls, markets and supermarkets, the smooth translucent flesh that surrounds the round black seed is juicier and exceptionally sweet. The See Chompoo variety, the light champagne pink flesh is noticeably crisp.

 

Longan is usually eaten fresh but is also popular when served as a dessert called Khao Nieow Lam Yai - a rice pudding cooked in coconut milk. Dried longan is double-boiled and served as a refreshing Chinese-style tea, hot or with crushed ice. Canned longan is simply served with crushed ice.

 

 

 

Rose Apple (Chumphu) 

 

Pal gree or soft pink. Tastes vary accourding to variety.

Popularly eaten with a lightly chiliedd salt and sugar dip.

Harvested throughout the year.

 

  

 

MANGOSTEEN (Mungkoot)

 

 

Peak season: May to August or September

Considered to be the "Queen of Tropical Fruits", there are five or six small segments of white flesh contained within the hard, dark reddish purple outer shell. When ripe, the outer shell yields to slight pressure and cracks easily to reveal the soft, white flesh with a refreshing sweet and tangy taste.

To avoid crushing the delicate flesh within, it is best to make a continuous clean cut around the circumference by turning the mangosteen clockwise or counter-clockwise through the dark beetroot-coloured pith but without cutting through the flesh.

  

 

RAMBUTAN (Ngoh)

 

Peak Peak season: May to September

In Thailand, there are two varieties of rambutan, a fruit with a thick and hairy outer skin. "Ngoh Rong Rian" has sweet, succulent flesh that clings to the seed, while the oval-shaped Si Chompoo, the "pink" rambutan, has crisp, white flesh that comes off the seed easily.

Rambutan orchards are commonly found in Chanthaburi and the provinces of the South.

 

 

 

 

LYCHEES (Lin Chee)

 

Peak season: April to June

Prime grade fresh lychees are large in size with a thicker bright red skin. Lychees with thick, succulent flesh surrounding a relatively small seed, such as in the "Hong Huai" and "Chakrapat" (Emperor lychees), are considered to be the best quality. These are predominantly sweet. However for those who prefer flavourful lychees with a sharper taste, look out for oval-shaped lychees with brittle skin. These are sweet and slightly sour.

 

Lychees are primarily grown in the Central Plains and in Northern Thailand.

 

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