Bitter melon – mara

Like the name says, bitter melon is bitter. Bitter melon is available at oriental groceries and Indian groceries.

Bitter melon makes a wonderful soup. There is no need to peel, just cut off the stem and remove the seeds and white spongy part inside. There are three ways to cut up bitter melon. To make stuffed bitter melon soup, cut across to get 3-4 pieces and remove inside to get cylinders. The second way to make soup is to cut lengthwise and remove inside and cut into pieces, 2 inches long. For other types of cooking, cut lengthwise, remove the inside and slice into 1/4 of an inch pieces.

It is said in Thai that bitter taste is the taste of medicine. Basically, bitter things are thought to be good for your health.

I don't know if it is really good for my health. I just like the bitter taste of it.

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Bamboo shoots - naw mai

A bamboo shoot is the start of a young bamboo plant that, if not harvested, will grow into a tall bamboo plant. The leaves that cover the shoot are black and covered with tiny hairs. The black leaves are peeled off until you can see the off-white meat inside. The white meat turns yellowish after it is cooked. When the shoot is cooked on the day it is harvested it is very sweet.
There are many different types and sizes of bamboo shoots depending on the plant. Big ones are usually sliced and used as an ingredient in a main course dish. The little ones(half an inch in diameter) are cut into finger size pieces and eaten as a vegetable with sauces like nam prig gapi.

In Thailand, bamboo shoots are available fresh during the rainy season, May through October. Otherwise, they are available in cans and jars. In the US, bamboo shoots come in cans and glass jars, pickled or sour, non-pickled and with bai yanang. For the recipes here, unless otherwise specified, use the plain non-pickled shoots.

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Thai basil - hora-pa

Thai basil - hora-pa
Thai basil or 'hora-pa' is different than the sweet basil or Italian basil in supermarket. It has smaller leaves with purple stems. It can be found in oriental grocery stores. If you can get some seeds, it is very easy to grow. Choose a sunny spot, you will have you Thai basil all summer along. Pick often to encourage growth. I often get hora-pa mixed with gra-pow. My mom taught me how to remember which is which by noticing the hair on the leaves and branches. The one without the hair is hora- pa and the one with hair is 'gra-pow'.
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