Thai Grocery Curry Vegetable Assistance Please

Last night, the Condiment Queen picked up for the family, some curries from Thai Grocery. As I have noted before, this is one of the great food deals in Chicago. $4.50 gets you three types of curry plus a big helping of rice. A lot of times, I can even make two meals outta the package. The Thai Grocery curries take no quarter. They are as funky, spicy, and interesting as their clientele demands. Besides all the intense flavors, what I always like about them (and I have mentioned this too before), is their ample use of vegetables in the curries. Most of the curries contain more veg than meat, and because the veg's are so good, that does not bother me one bit.

So, yesterday's curries featured, in one, VERY bitter chunks of bitter melon, another had soft, well wilted greens (I believe called on chom), but where I really need Erik's help (or anyones) is with this other dish. It had all these green berries, looking a little but not too much like caper berries. They had a vague but not too strong bitter taste. Their main contribution seem to be in the addition of a hollow biting sensation. What are they?

Rob

I ain't Erik, but cha-om is I think acacia leaf, often used in omelettes with sour orange curry, the green berries were probably green peppercorns.

they also make a nice fatty belly pork with water spinach in mild red curry that's very worthwhile including in your order

Vital Information wrote:So, yesterday's curries featured, in one, VERY bitter chunks of bitter melon, another had soft, well wilted greens (I believe called on chom), but where I really need Erik's help (or anyones) is with this other dish. It had all these green berries, looking a little but not too much like caper berries. They had a vague but not too strong bitter taste. Their main contribution seem to be in the addition of a hollow biting sensation. What are they?

As I see it, there are three distinct possibilities:

1) phrík thai àwn, or "young peppercorns"

2) hèt phaw

3) mákhẽua phuang, or "pea eggplants"

I should think that you would know a green peppercorn if you came across one. At any rate, they are roughly the same colour and size as nonpareil capers and have a sharp, hot "bite."

As you can see from the photos at the link that I provided, hèt phaw have a slightly roughened surface. And, as I mentioned in the linked post, the fungus bodies are hollow inside and have a bitter taste.

Pea eggplants have a very smooth surface and a slightly bitter taste. They are just about the same size as hèt phaw.

So, you tell me.

E.M.

Yea, I know green peppercorns (which I've had before in Thai Grocery curries). I'm just not sure from the info above. Yea, they were hollow like the fungus, but they were more green in color like the eggplants.

Erik what are you doing for lunch?

Rob

Vital Information wrote:Erik what are you doing for lunch?

Chlorine: The Lunch of Champions.

E.M.

Erik M. wrote:

Vital Information wrote:Erik what are you doing for lunch?

Chlorine: The Lunch of Champions.

E.M.

Well if you can find it in you to take a peak at Thai Grocery I'd be much appreciative

Could someone please post an address?

Google.com -> Google Local -> "Thai Grocery, Chicago, IL"

Thai Grocery Inc
(773) 561-5345
(773) 769-0800
5014 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL 60640

Thai Grocery (at Google Local)