The Science of Spice

Southeast Asia 49

No other country along the spice route embraced

the chilli pepper as enthusiastically as Thailand. It’s

impossible to imagine Thai cuisine without liberal

quantities of chilli, though the blander flavours of the

Cambodian kitchen do hint at what pre-chilli Thai

food would have tasted like. Other spice staples were

less eagerly adopted and, like cooks in land-locked

Laos, Thai chefs still prefer freshly pounded spice

pastes. Cambodian cuisine, meanwhile, draws its

more subtle heat from the black pepper that has

been grown in the country since the 13th century.

THAILAND, LAOS,

AND CAMBODIA

Hot | Fresh |Clean

SPICE

PALETTE

LOCAL SPICE BLEND

Khao kua

This ground roasted rice

powder, infused with fresh

spices, is a key ingredient in

both Laotian larb and Thai

beef salad. Its unique texture

means nothing else can be

used as a substitute.

5 tbsp uncooked glutinous

(“sticky”) rice

1 lemongrass stalk, sliced

1 thumb-sized piece of galangal, sliced

3 makrut lime leaves, roughly torn

Dry-roast all the ingredients

in a frying pan, over a medium heat,

stirring frequently, until the rice turns

golden brown. Leave to cool, then

pick out the spices and pound the

rice using a pestle and mortar until

coarsely ground.

Signature

Chilli, garlic, coriander

root, lemongrass

All four fresh spices are

near ubiquitous in Thai and

Laotian cuisine. Cambodian

cooks use less chilli but get

enthusiastically stuck into

the rest.

Supporting

Lime leaf, galangal, ginger,

krachai (wild ginger),

black pepper, tamarind

Several roots in the ginger

family, along with makrut

lime leaves, provide further

fresh flavours, while tamarind

is drawn on for sour notes,

and black or white pepper

for slow-burning heat.

Supplementary

Turmeric, clove, nutmeg,

cinnamon, fennel, cardamom,

pandan leaf, green pepper

Although widely available

throughout the region,

dry spices tend to find

their way into a limited

number of dishes rather

than everyday cooking.

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