Thai ingredients
in South Africa.

Where to start shopping

Check the Asian-food, rice, noodle and spice sections of your local supermarket first. Stock varies by branch, so read labels rather than relying on a particular shop. Thai or larger Asian grocery stores are useful for specialist ingredients such as palm sugar, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, sweet preserved radish and dried shrimp.

You do not need to buy everything at once. Choose a recipe, check its ingredient list, and build your pantry around dishes you actually want to cook.

Your core Thai pantry

Fish sauce, soy sauce and oyster sauce

Fish sauce brings saltiness and savoury depth. Soy sauce adds seasoning and colour, while oyster sauce adds richness to stir-fries. They do different jobs: swapping one for another changes the flavour, so taste and adjust rather than treating them as identical. Check labels for ingredients and allergens.

Coconut milk and curry paste

Coconut milk gives curries and soups their creamy texture. Coconut milk and coconut cream have different consistencies; use the form specified in your recipe. Green, red and Massaman curry pastes provide different flavour bases. Read the label carefully, as pastes vary in heat and may contain shrimp or fish.

Jasmine rice, rice noodles and sticky rice

Jasmine rice works alongside curries and stir-fries. Rice noodles come in different widths: thin rice noodles suit Pad Thai, while wide noodles are used for dishes such as Pad See Ew. Follow the recipe’s soaking or cooking method. For sticky-rice dishes, look for Thai glutinous rice, sometimes labelled sweet rice. Ordinary jasmine rice does not give the same texture.

Tamarind, palm sugar and peanuts

Tamarind provides a distinctive sour flavour, especially in Pad Thai. Products labelled paste, concentrate or juice can differ in strength, so follow the product directions and adjust gradually. Palm sugar adds sweetness; coconut sugar or brown sugar can be practical alternatives where the recipe allows, with a slightly different flavour. Keep roasted peanuts for sauces, salads and noodle garnishes.

Fresh herbs and aromatics

Garlic, lemongrass, chilies, shallots, lime and coriander help build Thai flavours. Galangal and ginger have different aromas; ginger can be a practical alternative in some home adaptations, but it does not reproduce galangal exactly.

Thai sweet basil, holy basil and ordinary sweet basil also have different flavours. Use the variety your recipe names when you can find it. Ordinary basil can be a useful fallback in some dishes, while keeping in mind that the finished flavour will change.

If your recipe uses coriander roots, look for bunches with the roots still attached. Add delicate fresh herbs towards the end of cooking where directed to preserve their fragrance.

Useful ingredient substitutions

• Lime to lemon: a useful backup for sourness. Add a little at a time and taste; the aroma will differ.
• Shallots to red onion: a practical option where shallots are unavailable. Slice finely and expect a different intensity.
• Thai eggplant to local brinjal or courgette: an adaptation for some curries. Adjust the cooking time to the vegetable you use.
• Garlic chives to spring onions: a convenient fallback in dishes such as Pad Thai, with a different flavour.

Some ingredients are worth seeking out. Tamarind gives Pad Thai its characteristic sweet-sour balance; tomato paste and lemon do not recreate it exactly. Similarly, sweet preserved radish and dried shrimp add flavours that a simple swap may leave out.

Taste for balance

Thai cooking brings salty, sweet, sour and spicy flavours together. Add seasonings gradually, taste as you cook, and let the recipe guide the balance. The aim is a dish that tastes rounded, with fresh herbs and lime added at the stage the recipe recommends.

Explore Pad Thai, Green Curry and Mango Sticky Rice previews, or discover the Golden Lotus cookbook for June’s recipes and South African ingredient notes.