A guide to Thai cooking herbs for the garden or kitchen — the plants that define the cuisine.
Sweet, anise-like — used in curries, stir-fries; easier to grow than Italian basil in hot climates; wilts quickly after harvest.
Spicier, more peppery-clove flavour than Thai basil — the basil in pad krapao; essential and irreplaceable.
Stalky, fibrous, intensely citrus-grassy; use the bottom 10cm; grows in large clumps; can be bought fresh at Bangkok markets.
Similar in appearance to ginger but different flavour — sharper, more medicinal; grows from rhizomes like ginger.
Double-lobed leaves; the tree grows well in tropical climates; one of the most transformative ingredients in Thai cooking.
Or Tor Kor Market and neighbourhood wet markets sell all of these herbs fresh and cheaply, usually bundled together for curry-making — far fresher than anything found packaged in a supermarket.
Most countries restrict importing live plants and seeds, so check your destination's customs rules before attempting to bring any of these home — dried versions travel far more easily.