Unusual Thai ingredients

[patrickamory]

Sourced by Andy Ricker for his new Pok Pok in New York:

http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2012/06/andy-ricker-pok-pok-pantry-thai-ingredients-slideshow.html#show-249226

I would seriously kill to lay my hands on some of these, some of which he sources from a Florida grower who imports seeds from Thailand. The larger, softer dried chiles, the homemade shrimp paste (I have considered trying David Thompson's recipe for this), sadao, khao tawng, bai makhok, and apple eggplant that's truly delicious and flavorful eaten raw on its own (the ones I find don't even have much bitterness - they're mainly textural carriers for nahm priks and the like).

"Why don't we ever see them at Thai markets? Ricker's theory: the community knows what day and time the herbs come in, and they buy the store out immediately."

I think this is exactly true - even to get something as relatively well known as holy basil, you have to get Bangkok Center Grocery in Chinatown here early in the day - the guy has told me that they have a rush on that stuff and it's generally gone by mid-afternoon.

So frustrating! But this does make me want to go to Pok Pok - maybe as real Thai cuisine gets more well known here, the ingredients will become more common.

[patrickamory]

Went to Bangkok Center Grocery in NYC's Chinatown today... as usual the holy basil bin had already been picked clean at 1 PM. Bought bird chiles, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, coriander with roots on, fresh turmeric and a bunch of other stuff, but none of the more unusual items above was available there or at the southeast Asian grocers on Bayard or Mulberry.

Anyone able to find this stuff locally?

Edited June 18, 2012 by patrickamory (log)

[KennethT]

Just came back from pok pok a few hours ago. Got there at 6:30 and already an hour wait. Totally worth it. Best Thai food since I was in Thailand a few years ago. Really made me miss it, and brought back many memories of that trip to Chiang Mai.

[C. sapidus]

Sounds like I need to hit pok pok next trip to NYC. I would love to try all of those different herbs and spices in the article that Patrick linked. The larb spice mix sounded particularly intriguing.

We do grow holy basil in the garden, and one plant usually supples a summer's worth of grapao.

Edited June 18, 2012 by C. sapidus (log)

[Kim D]

Living out in the country, I've had to grow my own Thai ingredients. Last year I grew Thai basil, three kinds of Thai chilies, three kinds of Thai eggplants (long green, round purple, round green), lemongrass. This year I've added holy basil, pea eggplants, wing beans, drumstick, yam beans, Thai corn. I also have two kaffir lime trees. Should be a good year for Thai cooking.

That said, I would love to go to pok pok on my next trip in to the city!

Edited June 19, 2012 by Kim D (log)

[KennethT]

Kim - where did you get your seeds? I found this place: evergreenseeds.com - it's a Yahoo store (temporarily closed until June 20th) but I don't know if there's somewhere better out there...

[HungryC]

Kim - where did you get your seeds? I found this place: evergreenseeds.com - it's a Yahoo store (temporarily closed until June 20th) but I don't know if there's somewhere better out there...

For herb seeds, try Baker Creek Heirloom seeds...a huge variety of basils, lots of other Asian-cooking herbs (shiso, etc). See the basils here: http://rareseeds.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=+basil&searchbox=products&Submit=

[Kim D]

Kim - where did you get your seeds? I found this place: evergreenseeds.com - it's a Yahoo store (temporarily closed until June 20th) but I don't know if there's somewhere better out there...

Last year I got my seeds from Baker Creek. This year, a friend brought seeds back from Thailand. I've planted seeds from both sources this year. I am interested to see how the Thai cucumber (noticed my first flower just now) will taste.

[takadi]

Coriander roots seem ubiquitous in thai curry pastes and they are exceedingly difficult to find around my area. How do you guys go about procuring them? Do you just grow coriander and harvest the roots?

[KennethT]

sometimes the thai, asian or indian markets will carry coriander with the roots on... when that happens buy a whole bunch and freeze the roots - they freeze fine (since you'll be pounding them into paste anyway). Other than that, yeah, you'd have to grow your own!

[GlorifiedRice]

Coriander roots seem ubiquitous in thai curry pastes and they are exceedingly difficult to find around my area. How do you guys go about procuring them? Do you just grow coriander and harvest the roots?

I saw them at Wegmans yesterday...

I also have those Long Peppers

[takadi]

I saw them at Wegmans yesterday...

I also have those Long Peppers

 

Damn, which Wegmans? I called the one in Fairfax and they said they didn't have them...

[GlorifiedRice]

Damn, which Wegmans? I called the one in Fairfax and they said they didn't have them,...

 

I think it was Montgomeryville mall Wegmans, pa They had them in whole plant bunches