Chef Nutnisa and her parents plant and harvest Thai Chilli Peppers at the family's garden in Lee's Summit, Missouri where the chilli receives plenty of light and heat.

"Phrik" in Thai

Chilli is an erect, branched, shrub-like herb with fruits used as garnishing and flavouring in Thai dishes. There are many different species. All contain capsaicin, a biologically active ingredient beneficial to the respiratory system, blood pressure and heart. Other therapeutic uses include being a stomachic, carminative and antiflatulence agent, and digest.

"Ta-khrai" in Thai

A common ingredient in Thai cooking, lemongrass provides a zesty lemon flavor and aroma to many Thai dishes. This erect annual plant resembles a coarse grey-green grass. Fresh leaves and grass are used as a flavouring. Lemongrass contains 0.2-0.4 % volatile oil. Therapeutic properties are as a diuretic, emmanagogue, antiflatulence, antiflu and antimicrobial agent.

Lemongrass gives a zesty lemon flavor and aroma to many Thai dishes.

"Ma-krut" in Thai

The leaves, peel and juice of the Kaffir Lime are used as a flavouring in Thai cuisine. The leaves and peel contain volatile oil. The major therapeutic benefit of the juice is as an appetizer. Think of kaffir lime leaves as the Asian equivalent to bay leaves. They can be added whole to Thai curries, soups, and stir-fries (and removed before eating the dish), and can also be cut up into very thin slivers and added to spice pastes, or used as a topping for many recipes.

Kaffir Lime is the Asian eqivalent to bay leaves.

"Ka Prao" in Thai

Holy Basil or Sacred Basil is an annual herbaceous plant that resembles Sweet Basil but has narrower and oftentimes reddish-purple leaves. The fresh leaves, which are used as a flavouring, contain approximately 0.5 % volatile oil, which exhibits antimicrobial activity, specifically as a carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant and stomachic.

Bai Ka Prao (Thai Holy Basil) is used in "Pad Ka Prao", one of staple dishes in Thailand.

"Kra Thiam" in Thai

Garlic is an annual herbaceous plant with underground bulbs comprising several cloves. Dried mature bulbs are used as aflavouring and condiment in Thai cuisine. The bulbs contain 0.1 to 0.36 % garlic oil and organic sulfur compounds. Therapeutic use are as antimicrobial, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, antiflatulence and cholesterol lowering agents.

Garlic is one of main ingredients in our "From the Wok" menu.