Perfect list for the lazy Thai food lover
Editor’s note: We announced the soft launch of Souk—our wildest adventure to date—earlier this week. It has one simple mission: To help you find the most delightful, useful and mindful products that are worth your time and money. We’re pretty sure you’re going to love it. We recommend heading over to souk.splainer.in—and browsing at your leisure.
This week, we have five must-have ingredients to make the yummiest, low-effort Thai food! Souk’s pantry basket’s got us covered with tried and trusted coconut milk, pad rice noodles and some quintessential Thai curry and soup pastes that can help even a chef ordinaire like us whip up some extraordinary Thai food!
Written and curated by: The dedicated Souk team
Unsweetened Coconut Milk: If you cook with coconut milk often, you’ll know how hard it is to find one that isn’t padded with gums, preservatives, or some kind of thickener. This one from Urban Platter keeps it simple: just pure coconut extract and water. No added sugar, no weird ingredients—and that matters when you’re using it in clean, simple recipes. The flavour is subtle, not overpowering, and the texture is smooth enough for coffee, but still rich enough for curries. Also, the 250ml size? Perfect. No half-used cans staring at you from the fridge.
Thai Pad Rice Noodles: These flat rice noodles from the brand Blue Elephant are made with just rice flour and water—nothing else—which is probably why they cook so well and taste so clean. We like how they hold their bite and soak up flavour without going soggy. Just soak them in hot water for a few minutes, and they’re ready for the pan—no boiling required. Perfect when you’re throwing together a quick stir-fry, or doing a proper Pad Thai from scratch. We’ve even used them in broths and cold salads when we’re feeling experimental.
Tom Kha Soup Paste (Veg): Also from the brand Blue Elephant, this Thai soup has that perfect balance of creamy, tangy, and gently spiced—and this paste nails the base. It’s made in Thailand with real galangal, lemongrass, and tamarind, so the flavours come through bright and authentic. We add coconut milk, mushrooms, and a few extras like bok choy or tofu to make it more of a meal, and it always hits the spot. No MSG, no preservatives, and no guesswork. Just a warm, comforting bowl in under 15 minutes.
Green Curry Paste (Veg): If Thai green curry is more your thing, Blue Elephant has a paste for that as well. What we like most about the green curry is how forgiving it is—most vegetables and proteins work, and it still ends up tasting great. This paste brings all the essentials: green chilli, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime peel, garlic, shallots—all pounded fresh and blended in Thailand. It’s got a good kick (this is one of the spicier Thai curries), but rounds out beautifully once you add coconut milk. We keep it on hand for nights when we want something fresh, flavourful, and faster than takeout.
Basil Stir Fry Paste (Veg): If you’ve ever had Phad Krapao in Thailand, you’ll know it’s bold, spicy, and full of fragrance—that’s all thanks to holy basil (or bai krapao), a herb that’s hard to find outside Southeast Asia. This Blue Elephant paste captures that flavour beautifully, blending holy basil with garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and chilli. We just toss it in a pan with whatever’s in the fridge—mushrooms, tofu, chicken, even paneer—and it turns into something that tastes like way more effort than it was. No MSG, no preservatives, and ready in under 10 minutes.
There is much, much more over at souk.splainer.in for you to discover, be it Thai cooking essentials or pet-friendly carpets!
Important reminder: Be sure to let us know what you appreciate, anything that needs fixing or is missing—and just generally, what you think. You are our trusted beta testers so we’re relying on you to help us get this right. Besides, Souk’s mission is to help you find what you want—and you best know how. Be sure to email dearsouk@splainer.in with your feedback.
