Fresh Thai Herbs You Need to Know More About

Fresh Thai Herbs have landed, and we couldn’t be more excited!

At Nurtured in Norfolk, we keep on top of food trends, and like to keep our ranges fresh and current. Most recently, we’ve introduced our Thai Range. Included in the range are bunched herbs, baby vegetables, edible leaves and edible flowers. – There’s sure to be something for every chef!

Although, if you’ve not spotted any of the goodies in our new range before, and don’t know where to start, fear not! Check out below to see the health benefits of some of our new products, and some wonderful ways to use them!

Health Benefits

Thai Herbs are highly nutritious and contain lots of vitamins and health benefits. It is noted that Morning Glory, Bai Cha Plu and Thai Parsley contain substantial levels of Vitamin C. Thai Parsley is also rich in Vitamins A, B and K.

Thai edible leaves such as Banana Leaves are also a great source of antioxidants. Lastly, Pandan Leaves are rich in essential oils and have traditionally been used to reduce symptoms of pain. These essential oils assist in giving Pandan leaves their sweet popcorn aroma.

How to use them?

Contrary to what their name would suggest, our Thai range does not have to be used only in Asian cuisine. Instead, the likes of our Baby Corn can be used on a variety of dishes. Why not try grilling Baby Corn for a side dish to summer BBQs.

Chinese Chive Flowers may be the most versatile of our Thai range. They can be chopped up and tossed through salads. This adds pungent garlic flavours and pops of white edible flowers. These little flowers may also be snipped off the top of the chives and sprinkled on soups. Chinese Chive Flowers can also be chopped and used to flavour butters.

Morning Glory bunched herbs can be used in a variety of Asian stir fries. Head to our Morning Glory Thai Herb Stir Fry Recipe to follow a 4-step flavoursome Thai stir fry from @char_cuterieboards. Or why not give Morning Glory a go in Thai curries.

Traditionally, Banana Leaves have been used as a food wrap. They can be used to wrap marinated meats and fish, or sticky rice. Using the leaves to wrap the food locks in the flavours. When the leaves are heated, they also emit a lovely sweet flavour and possess a glossy green colour. Furthermore, the leaves can be used as a plate garnish. Try lining a wooden sushi board with a banana leaf before decorating the platter with the fresh sushi.

It is important to be careful when washing the Banana Leaves as they can be very brittle and may subsequently snap if you are not careful.

Similar to our Banana Leaves, Yanang Leaves are also used slightly differently, compared with our other Fresh Thai Herbs. The Thai Cookbook notes Yanang Leaves do not tend to be used whole. Instead, an extract is commonly made from the leaves. This extract is then used to flavour broths and soups, or as a thickening agent.

If you’re keen to try out the rest of our new Thai range, be sure to head to the Bunched Herbs tab on our shop page or give us a call on 01362 760760.

Need a little more inspiration?

If you loved Char-Cuterie Boards Morning Glory Stir Fry, check out another of her recipes below. Here, Charlotte uses Thai Holy Basil for her dish, which is available to shop on our website. You can also use our new Fresh Thai Herbs to garnish.

Pad Kra Pow Gai (Chicken)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 Cup of Chicken Broth
• 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 Tsp Fish Sauce
• 1 Tsp White Sugar
• 1 Tsp Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 1 Lb Skinless, Boneless Chicken Thighs, Coarsely Chopped
• 1/4 Cup of Slice Shallots
• 4 Garlic Cloves, Minced
• 2 Tbsp Minced Thai Chillies
• 1 Cup Thinly Sliced Nurtured in Norfolk Thai Holy Basil Leaves
• 2 Cups of Hot Cooked Rice

Method

1. Whisk chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, white sugar, and brown sugar together in a bowl until well blended.
2. Heat large skillet over high heat. Drizzle in oil. Add chicken and stir fry until it loses its raw colour, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in shallots, garlic, and sliced chilies. Continue cooking on high heat until some of the juices start to caramelize in the bottom of the pan, about 2 or 3 more minutes. Add about a tablespoon of the sauce mixture to the skillet; cook and stir until sauce begins to caramelize, about 1 minute.
3. Pour in the rest of the sauce. Cook and stir until sauce has deglazed the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until sauce glazes onto the meat, 1 or 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in Thai basil. Cook and stir until Thai basil is wilted, about 20 seconds. Serve with rice.

Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram when you recreate a recipe, so we know you have stopped by!