A reference entry for the seven primary aromatic plants of the Thai kitchen — lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, coriander root, grapao (holy basil), horapa (Thai sweet basil), and manglak (lemon basil) — treated as a vocabulary reference: what each contributes, how it is prepared for different applications, how it differs from the closest Western substitute, and where it is irreplaceable. Understanding these seven plants is understanding the aromatic language of Thai cooking.
David Thompson, *Thai Food* (2002); *Thai Street Food* (2010)