Sauces and other ingredients

Chilli paste (Nam prik)

May be bought or made at home. Nowadays most Thai people buy ready-made pastes in the market. You can buy them yourself in any Asian supermarket in a packet, jar or tin.

Mushroom sauce (Sauce-het-hom)
This is made from soy sauce with mushroom extract and brings out the flavour of the food. You can use light soy sauce as a substitute.

Fish sauce (Nam blah)
Made from small fermented fish. Used instead of salt because it has a better flavour. However, you may use salt, iffish sauce is unavailable. Use light soy sauce as a vegetarian alternative. Occasionally you may find vegetarian fish sauce.

Oyster sauce (Namann hoy)
This is made from soy sauce with oyster extract and brings out the flavour oftbe food.

Dark soy sauce (See-u-dam)
Sometimes known as Black Sweet Soy sauce. Made from soy beans, it is a slightly thick and sweet sauce. There is no sustitute for this and you can just leave it out of your recipe.

Light soy sauce (See-u kao)
Made from soy beans and is more salty than dark soy sauce. Used the same way as fish sauce and you can also use fish sauce as a substitute.

Palm sugar (Nam taan peep or Nam taan ma - prow)
Used with desserts and gives a fuller flavour than commercial sugars. Comes in blocks or pieces. You can use brown or Demerara sugar as a substitute.