A variety of spices, herbs, sauces give the national flavor to Thai dishes. They are usually represented by sugarcane or pineapple, lemon and lemongrass, galangal, chili, soy, oyster and fish sauce.
Fish sauce. It is made from small or damaged fresh fish, which is salted and kept in barrels for about a year. The resulting liquid is filtered and infused for another month - this is the sauce. You can substitute 1 tablespoon of fish sauce with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of chopped anchovies.
Oyster sauce. This dark brown condiment is made from oyster meat or oyster extract. The product also contains starch, water and sugar. All ingredients are boiled in a pan until thickened. Oyster sauce can be substituted for fish sauce.
Lemon sorghum. It is widely used as a seasoning both fresh and dried. It has a pronounced citrus aroma. Suitable for soups and curries, and goes well with poultry, fish and seafood. Lemongrass can be substituted for lemon balm or lime zest in cooking.
Galangal. A relative of ginger, it is endowed with a citrus aroma and a pungent spicy taste. In cooking, it can be replaced with ginger.
Kafir lime. Citrus with a dark lumpy skin. Leaves are often used in cooking, which can be replaced with lemon or lime zest.
