Cooking authentic Thai food requires fresh and correct ingredients, and ideally you use ingredients like fresh tamarind, galangal, freshly squeezed lime and real Thai basil.
There are no substitute for the real thing but since in real-life not all Thai herbs, vegetables and spices will be available in your part of the world here are a guide of possible substitute ingredients that can help you create your favorite tasty Thai dishes anyway.
Green Papaya (For Som Tam/Green Papaya Salad)
- Cucumber, green apple, rutabaga or chopped long beans.
Tamarind
- Apple vinegar, rice vinegar or pineapple vinegar. Alternatively mix 5 parts tomato ketchup with 1 part vinegar.
Birds Eye Chilies (Small Spicy Thai Chilies)
- Habanero, local spicy chilies or chili powder.
Big Chilies (Big Mild Chilies)
- Serrano, jalapeno, local mild chilies or chili powder.
Galangal Root
- Powdered galangal. As a last resort you can use ginger, it has a different flavor and smell but are close enough so it can be used in a pinch.
Kaffir Lime Leaves
- Kafir lime skin/zest, lime leaves or lime skin/zest.
Lemongrass
- Lemon skin / Lemon zest
Thai Basil
- Mix of Italian basil and mint
Holy basil leaves
- Italian or Greek basil leaves
Green Mango
- Sour green apples
Turmeric
- Powdered turmeric or powdered curcumin.
Garlic Chives
- Chives or green onions
Green Onions
- Chives or garlic chives
Coriander / Cilantro
- Mint leaves or basil leaves
Chinese Broccoli / Chinese Kale
- Regular broccoli, broccolini or kale
Thai Eggplants
- Eggplant / aubergin
Shallots
- Red or Spanish onions
Bamboo Shoots
- Asparagus
Limes
- Lemons
Lime Juice
- Lemon juice
Mushrooms
- Oyster mushrooms, champignon mushrooms or local mushrooms.
Gourd Leaves
- Watercress
Thai kale
- Broccoli
Thai Pea Eggplants
- Garden peas
Swamp Cabbage
- Cabbage
White Radish
- Turnip
Green Peppercorns
- Can usually be skipped.
Coconut Sugar / Palm Sugar
- Brown sugar or as a very last resort white sugar.
Coconut Milk
- Canned coconut milk or powdered coconut milk. As a last resort you can use cream, whole milk or condensed milk.
Fish Sauce
- Soy sauce or salt.
Oyster Sauce
- Hoisin sauce or soy sauce with a bit of honey.
Shrimp Paste
- Can simply be skipped when making Thai curries. (If you absolutely want a replacement you can use mashed up salted soy beans, anchovy paste or mashed up anchovies)
Fermented Fish
- Anchovy paste
Fermented Pork
- Spam marinaded in lime juice
