The Most Used Thai Cooking Spices
Spices are the backbone of Thai and Akha flavour. A curry rarely starts from a jar – whole spices are toasted in a dry pan until they wake up, then pounded with fresh aromatics into a paste that carries the whole dish. Getting the balance of heat, earth and perfume right is what Thai cooking spices are really about, and it begins with good, fresh ingredients. That is why we grind our Thai cooking spices ourselves rather than buying them pre-ground and tired. Below are the 24 Thai cooking spices we reach for most, each with its Thai name and phonetics.
Thai food is built on Thai cooking spices and herbs, and once you know them, most feel familiar. You will recognise bay leaf, star anise and cinnamon straight away. A few others are less common in Western kitchens, but the essential Thai cooking spices are easier to work with than they look.
One small detail matters. Thai and Akha recipes lean on white cardamom, also called Thai cardamom, rather than the green or black pods (those two can stand in for each other). Beyond that, most of the Thai cooking spices are imported from overseas, so your local supermarket likely stocks them, and some may already sit in your cupboard.
Only a handful are harder to track down, such as long pepper and Sichuan pepper. And don’t worry about seed versus ground: use whichever form you have. If a recipe asks for cumin seed and you only own cumin powder, the powder works fine. These Thai cooking spices are forgiving, and cooking with them should feel relaxed, not fussy.
Cooking with Thai Cooking Spices in Chiang Mai
In our morning and evening classes you work with Thai cooking spices by hand, not from a shaker. You toast whole spices until they turn fragrant, then pound your own curry paste in a stone mortar, tasting as the flavour builds. Along the way you learn which of these Thai cooking spices brings heat, which brings warmth, and which brings that deep, earthy base – so you can judge a spice by smell the way an Akha cook does.
List of Thai Cooking Spices
Allspice
TH – ออลสไปซ์ – All Spice
An aromatic spice that looks like a large, smooth peppercorn (about the size of a pea), allspice is the dried berry of the West Indian allspice tree. It’s also called Jamaican pepper or pimento.
If a recipe calls for allspice and you don’t have any, you could mix up a substitute by combining equal parts ground cloves, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg.
Bay Leaf
TH – ใบเบย์ – Bai Bay
A spice highly prized by the Greeks and Romans, it is also known as laurel. This dried leaf is rich in minerals and vitamins, specifically Vitamins A & C, and grows all throughout Asia. The bay leaf is never eaten, only used for its diffusion of flavors.
Bird Eye Chili
TH – พริกขี้หนู – Prik Kee Noo
The bird eye chili is one of the smallest yet most fiery chilies used in Thai cuisine. Despite its tiny size, it delivers intense heat that defines many beloved dishes including Tom Yum, Green Papaya Salad, and various Nam Prik dipping sauces. In Akha cooking, fresh bird eye chilies are pounded daily into pastes and condiments. Learning to manage their heat is one of the first lessons in our Chiang Mai cooking class.
Black Cardamom
TH – กระวานดำ – Gra Wan Dam
Black cardamom has a distinctly smoky, camphor-like aroma that sets it apart from the more delicate green cardamom. The pods are dried over fire, giving them their characteristic dark color and deep, resinous flavor. In Northern Thailand, black cardamom is used whole in slow-cooked braises, aromatic soups, and the famous Hung Lei curry – a dish with strong Burmese and Akha hill tribe influences. It is simmered whole so its flavor gently infuses the dish.
Black Peppercorn
TH – เม็ดพริกไทยดำ – Met Prik Tai Dam
Black pepper is the original “chili” that would add spice to food in Thailand before the Portuguese brought chilies to the country. The black peppercorn grows on a trailing, woody vine that grows wild in the jungle, or today, in the Thai garden. It bears tiny white blossoms that become berries known as peppercorn. Peppercorn is picked at maturity, and then dried. Green and white peppercorn can be picked at different stages of growth in the berry, and each has its own unique flavor.
Brown Sugar
TH – น้ำตาลทรายแดง – Nam Taan Saai Daeng
Thai people love sweet flavors, and you will see a lot of sweet treats in Thailand everywhere from the far North to deep Southern part of the country. Brown sugar plays an important role in giving dishes a sweet tinge and deep flavor that compliments other ingredients, even in hardy dishes. Brown sugar gets its color from the presence of molasses, also known as treacle.
Cardamom
TH – กระวาน – Gra Wan
There are actually three types of cardamom: green cardamom, technically the true cardamom which has a thin, papery, green pod filled with small, blackish seeds; black cardamom (or brown cardamom) has a thick, large, rough blackish-brown pod; and finally, the white cardamom (or Thai cardamom), which is found in a small, pea-sized pod, and is covered in whitish-brown coloring. Cardamom is typically used to make Thai curry pastes.
Chili Powder
TH – พริกป่น – Prik Bayeng
The dried and pulverized version has a variety of chili peppers, sometimes with added spices. Chili powder is not only beneficial for specific spice flavorings, but is also high in antioxidants, as well as Vitamins C & A. Chili powder is vital to Thai kitchen, and is regularly used.
Cinnamon
TH – อบเชย – Op Choie
Cinnamon is a spice that grows on the branches of wild cinnamon trees, similar to that of a soft-barked evergreen. The cinnamon used in Thai cuisine is known as “cassia cinnamon” or Chinese cinnamon, and has a more mild flavor compared to the Ceylon cinnamon.
Cloves
TH – กานพลู – Gaan Poon
Cloves are the dried flower buds of a tropical tree native to Indonesia, and have been traded across Asia for thousands of years. In Thai cooking, their warm, sweet, and intensely aromatic flavor appears in slow-cooked dishes like Palo (braised pork with five spice), Hung Lei curry, and some Massaman curry pastes. Cloves should be used sparingly as their flavor is very concentrated. At Thai Akha Kitchen, we use cloves as part of our Northern Thai spice blending traditions.
Coriander Seeds
TH – เม็ดผักชี – Met Pak Chee
These small, creamy brown seeds come from the herb coriander. Coriander seeds are important for giving dishes a warm, aromatic flavor that is completely different to the fresh coriander leaf. Thai cuisine regularly uses coriander seeds and they are also used in all curry pastes.
Cumin Seeds
TH – เม็ดยี่หร่า – Met Jee Ra
Cumin seeds, or cuminum, grow into a small flowering herbaceous plant. Cumin has a distinctive yellowish green-brown color with a sharp, pungent taste, and spicy yet sweet and bitter aromatic flavor. This important spice is commonly used when making traditional Thai curry pastes.
Dill
TH – ดิลล์ – Med Pak Chee Fa Rung
Dill is a feathery, aromatic herb particularly beloved in Northern Thai and Akha cooking. Unlike in Western cuisine where it is mostly used dried, in Chiang Mai and the surrounding hill tribe communities, fresh dill is used generously in fish soups, herb salads, and traditional Akha dishes. Its mild, slightly anise-like fragrance pairs beautifully with freshwater fish and clear broths – a testament to the unique, lighter character of Northern Thai cooking.
Hung Lei Curry Powder
TH – ผงฮังเล – Pong Hung Lei
Hung Lei Curry Powder is a Northern Thai spice blend that forms the base of the famous Hung Lei curry – a slow-cooked pork dish beloved in Chiang Mai with strong connections to Burmese and Shan cooking traditions. The blend typically includes cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, coriander seeds, and dried chilies, creating a flavor profile that is warmer and more aromatic than typical Thai curry pastes. It is a cornerstone of Akha and Northern Thai cooking.
Indian Curry Powder
TH – ผงกะหรี่ – Pong Ga Ree
In Thailand, you can find great examples of food influences from other countries, such as the use of rice noodles in wok dishes which actually come from China. Indian curry powder is another example of the adopted food culture, in this case, adding color and flavor to Thai dishes like Panang curry and Khao Soi.
Long Pepper
TH – ดีปลี – Dee Pree
Long pepper is one of Thailand’s most ancient spices, used long before the common black peppercorn arrived via trade routes. With a complex heat that is slightly sweeter and earthier than black pepper, long pepper has notes of nutmeg, cardamom, and ginger. It is used in traditional Thai and Akha herbal preparations and specialty curry pastes. Though becoming rare in modern Thai kitchens, long pepper remains an important part of the culinary and medicinal heritage of Northern Thailand.
Nutmeg
TH – ลูกจันทน์เทศ – Luk jun Tayt
Nutmeg is the seed of the Myristica fragrans tree, prized along ancient trade routes for centuries. In Thai cuisine, nutmeg is used sparingly in complex curry pastes, particularly Massaman curry – a dish reflecting strong Persian and Indian influences. Its warm, slightly sweet, and woody flavor also appears in some Northern Thai slow-cooked preparations. Our cooking classes explore how a small pinch of nutmeg can transform a curry paste into something deeply aromatic and layered.
Oregano
TH – ออริกาโน – Ore Gano
Oregano is a herb, a flowering plant in the mint family or lamiaceae. People have used fresh or dried leaves for thousands of years to add flavor to the dish. Fresh oregano has the most flavor and aroma. It has a camphor note and tastes pungent.
Palm Sugar
TH – น้ำตาลปี๊ป – Nam Taan Beep
Palm sugar comes from various types of palm trees. The sticky, sweeter type derives from the sap of the palm flowers and is used in an unrefined form. This specific type of sugar holds a deep, and more mildly sweet flavour that makes it ideal for use in many savory dishes in Thai cuisine, such as Papaya salad.
Salt
TH – เกลือ – Gleua
In Thai cuisine, salt is projected in dishes in quite a special way. It is important that sea salt is used for optimal flavoring. You will see that sea salt is mainly used in sweet dishes and desserts. As contradicting as that may sound, the contrasting flavors of sugar and salt in one dish make for perfect harmony in Thailand.
Sichuan Pepper
TH – พริกไทยเสฉวน – Prik Thai Say Chuan
Despite its name, Sichuan pepper is not a true pepper but the dried husk of the prickly ash plant. It creates a unique numbing, tingling sensation on the palate unlike any other spice. In Northern Thailand and among Akha hill tribe communities, Sichuan pepper reflects the deep culinary connections between Chiang Mai, Yunnan Province in China, and Myanmar. It appears in traditional Akha spice blends and herbal preparations, adding a distinctive character that fascinates visitors to our cooking class.
Star Anise
TH – โป๊ยกั๊ก – Bpoh Gak
Star anise is highly recognizable by its eight-pointed star shape. It contains seeds with aniseed flavor, similar to licorice. The star anise pod is dried before it is used as spice, which turns the color to a shade of brown. Star anise has a very strong, distinct flavor and should be used in small doses when cooking Thai cuisine.
Sweet Fennel Seeds
TH – เทียนข้าวเปลือก – Tien Kao Plueng
Sweet fennel seeds have a gentle, anise-like flavor that adds subtle sweetness and fragrance to Thai dishes. They are used in some Northern Thai curry pastes and traditional Akha spice blends, particularly in preparations with a Chinese culinary influence. Fennel seeds also have a long history in Thai herbal medicine, valued for their digestive and cooling properties. In our cooking classes, fennel seeds balance stronger aromatics like cardamom and star anise in complex spice mix preparations.
Vegetable Bouillon
TH – รดดี – Rot Dee
Vegetable bouillon is a combination of many dried and pulverized vegetables, and is added to dishes in Thai cooking to amplify flavors. You will see the powdered version of this bouillon used in many different Akha dishes.
The Chiang Mai Markets Behind Our Spices
Good Thai cooking spices lose their punch fast, so we don’t stockpile them. We buy from the dry-goods and spice merchants at two Chiang Mai markets, in small amounts and often, so nothing sits on our shelf going flat. Buying our Thai cooking spices this way – by weight, from sellers who know their stock – means the chilli, cardamom and pepper you grind in class still carry their full aroma, not the dusty ghost of a spice left in a packet for a year.
Visit Our Two Chiang Mai Markets
Where the day’s fresh ingredients come from
🛒 Chiang Mai Gate (South Gate) Market – A few minutes from our kitchen, the market by the old city’s southern gate is where we top up the everyday spices and salt, and where curry pastes are pounded fresh each morning. It is small, local and open before dawn – the corner shop of a Thai cook, and the quickest place to grab whatever a day’s cooking still needs.
🛒 Muang Mai Market – Along the Ping River, Muang Mai is Chiang Mai’s largest fresh market, and behind the produce sit the dry-goods stalls: sacks of dried chillies, jars of peppercorns and cardamom, star anise, cloves and the curry powders Northern cooks rely on. We buy here by weight, scooping only what we need – bought loose from a busy stall, these spices are far fresher than anything sealed in a supermarket packet.
Want to learn which spice to buy and how to toast it? Join the Morning Class with its fresh-market tour – we walk the spice stalls together, then head back to the kitchen to pound a curry paste from what you have chosen.
How Thai Cooking Spices Build Real Flavour
Thai flavour is layered, not loud. A single dish can carry warmth from cardamom, heat from pepper and a bright top note from coriander seed, all at once. The Thai cooking spices do the quiet work underneath the fish sauce, lime and chilli, giving each curry and stir-fry its depth and its own clear character.
In class we don’t reach for pre-ground jars. You toast whole seeds in a dry pan until they smell nutty, then pound them fresh in the mortar beside Chef Niti. Grinding your own Thai cooking spices this way releases oils that stale powder has already lost, and it is the simplest habit to carry home. Fresh Thai cooking spices are the difference you taste first.
Recommended by Lonely Planet – 2026
Listed among the best things to do in Chiang Mai by Lonely Planet – independent recognition that stands beside the Thai Akha Kitchen awards 2026.
Lonely Planet again recommended Thai Akha Kitchen among the best things to do in Chiang Mai in 2026 – an unbroken run since 2019. Two of travel’s most trusted names, TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet, pointing independent travellers to the same Akha kitchen, year after year. It is the kind of steady, repeated endorsement that sits naturally beside the Thai Akha Kitchen awards 2026.
Thai & Akha Spices: Aromatics That Define Northern Thai Flavors (เครื่องเทศ – Kreuang Tayt)
Your Questions Answered
When people think of Thai food, they think of bold, complex aromas – and those aromas come from Thai cooking spices. Thai cuisine draws on a rich tradition of spice blending that spans centuries and reflects the country’s position along ancient trade routes connecting India, China, and the Middle East. At Thai Akha Kitchen in Chiang Mai, we teach you how to identify, toast, grind, and balance these Thai cooking spices to create authentic curry pastes and spice blends from scratch – a skill that takes years to master but starts with understanding each individual ingredient.
The Akha hill tribe traditions of Northern Thailand use spices differently from central Thai cuisine. Northern Thai cooking tends to be less sweet and more aromatic, with stronger use of dry spices like cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, and coriander seeds. These spices appear prominently in Akha herbal soups, braised meats, and the famous Khao Soi – a Northern Thai coconut curry noodle soup that is Chiang Mai’s most iconic dish. Learning about these spices at our cooking class gives you a deeper appreciation of what makes Northern Thai food unique.
Explore our experiences: Morning Cooking Class (with market tour, 1,400 THB) · Evening Cooking Class (1,300 THB) · Local Market Tour · Online Cooking Class · Thai Ingredients Guide · About Thai Akha Kitchen
What spices are used in Thai curry paste?
Traditional Thai curry pastes are made with a combination of dried Thai cooking spices including coriander seeds (ลูกผักชี – Look Phakchi), cumin seeds (ยี่หร่า – Yi Ra), white cardamom, black peppercorn, and sometimes cinnamon and star anise. These dried spices are roasted and ground together with fresh ingredients like lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime zest, garlic, shallots, fresh chilies, and shrimp paste to create a fragrant, complex paste that forms the base of the curry.
What is the difference between Thai cardamom and regular cardamom?
Thai cardamom, also called white cardamom, is smaller than green or black cardamom and has a milder, slightly camphor-like flavor. It is the variety most commonly used in Thai and Akha curry pastes. Green cardamom (the most common type found in Western supermarkets) can be used as a substitute, though it has a slightly more intense flavor. In our cooking classes in Chiang Mai, you will learn to recognize and use the authentic Thai cooking spices as our chef walks you through each ingredient.
Can I use spice powders instead of whole spices in Thai cooking?
Yes! If a recipe calls for coriander seeds but you only have coriander powder, you can use the powder – the result will be very similar. The same applies to cumin, cardamom, and other Thai cooking spices. Whole spices do deliver a slightly fresher, more complex aroma when freshly ground, but powdered spices are a perfectly valid substitute. At Thai Akha Kitchen, we cook with both – and our recipe book explains the equivalents so you can recreate your dishes at home with ease.
Which spices do you cook with at Thai Akha Kitchen?
We keep it close to how we cook at home in the hills. The heat comes from fresh and dried chilies, including bird’s eye chili (พริกขี้หนู – Prik Kee Noo). The backbone of our curry pastes is toasted coriander seed (เมล็ดผักชี – Malet Pak Chee) and cumin seed (ยี่หร่า – Yee Raa). For depth we add warm Thai cooking spices: cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, and cloves. Then salt and palm sugar (น้ำตาลปี๊บ – Nam Taan Bpeep) bring everything into balance. You will toast and pound most of these yourself in class.
What is Hung Lei (Hang Lay) curry powder?
Hung Lei curry powder (ผงกะหรี่ฮังเล – Pong Ga-ree Hang Lay) is the warm, fragrant spice blend behind Gaeng Hang Lay (แกงฮังเล), the famous Northern Thai pork curry. The dish came to us through Burmese trade, so the blend leans toward Indian-style spices: cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, and clove, often with a little dried chili. It is earthier and sweeter than a central Thai curry, with no coconut milk. We cook this slow-braised curry with tamarind and ginger, and it is one of the dishes guests remember most.
How does Northern Thai and Akha spice use differ from central Thai cooking?
Central Thai cooking leans on fresh, bright aromatics and coconut milk. In the North, our food is earthier, smokier, and drier. We toast and grind more dried Thai cooking spices, and we reach for things you rarely see in Bangkok kitchens: Sichuan pepper (มะแขว่น – Ma Kwaen), with its citrusy, tingling note, and long pepper (ดีปลี – Dee Plee), warmer and more pungent than black peppercorn. Akha cooking adds wild mountain herbs and a love of smoke and fermentation. The result tastes of the hills, not the central plains.
How should I store whole spices and ground spice powders?
Keep everything airtight, cool, and away from light, since sunlight and heat steal the aroma fastest. Whole spices like coriander seed, cumin, cardamom, and star anise hold their oils far longer, staying good for a year or more. Ground powders, including chili powder and Hung Lei blend, fade within a few months, so buy them in small amounts. Our best tip: store your Thai cooking spices whole, then dry-toast and pound them just before cooking. That quick toast in a hot pan wakes up the oils and makes the difference you taste in class.
Are these Thai and Akha spices easy to find outside Thailand?
Many travel well. Dried whole Thai cooking spices such as cardamom, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, cumin, and coriander seed keep for months and pack easily in your luggage. The harder ones to find abroad are the Northern specialties: Hung Lei curry powder (ผงกะหรี่ฮังเล), fresh long pepper (ดีปลี – Dee Plee), and good Sichuan pepper (มะแขว่น – Ma Kwaen). That is exactly why we love taking guests through the Chiang Mai market with us, so you can taste, smell, and carry home the real thing, plus the small shops where we buy it ourselves.
🌶️ Thai Cooking Ingredients:
Every ingredient guide below works the same way – a photo, the Thai name and the English phonetics for each item – so you can move from one category to the next and get to know the whole Thai pantry:
Fresh Vegetables · Fruits · Misc. Ingredients · Spices · Rice · Meats
Or start from the overview: the Thai Ingredients Guide brings all six categories together in one place – a complete map of the Thai & Akha pantry, from the morning market to the wok.
Cooking vegan, vegetarian, or around an allergy? Our Dietary Style guide shows how Thai & Akha dishes adapt to different dietary needs without losing their flavour.
Discover more about Thai Akha Kitchen:
Morning Class · Evening Class · Local Market Tour · Online Class · Recipes · Reviews · Awards · Contact
Thai Cooking Ingredients on the Web
Further Reading
Trusted, independent references on Thai cooking ingredients – the herbs, spices, vegetables, and aromatics behind every dish – plus the Northern Thai and Akha food traditions of Chiang Mai, to help you understand the pantry before you cook with us:
🍜 Wikipedia – Thai Cuisine
A broad overview of Thai cuisine, history and ingredients.
🏔️ Wikipedia – Northern Thai Cuisine
Lanna food traditions of Chiang Mai and the north.
🌿 Wikipedia – Kaffir Lime
Aromatic citrus leaf, essential and irreplaceable in Thai cooking.
🪺 Wikipedia – Galangal
The rhizome behind tom kha and many curry pastes.
🌏 Tourism Authority of Thailand
The official guide to Thai food and culinary travel.
🛖 Wikipedia – Akha People
The hill-tribe heritage behind our family kitchen and flavours.
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