Salt, garlic, cilantro root, and Thai white peppercorns—the Big Four, as I like to think of them—are the essence of Thai cooking. The ritual of Thai food preparation invariably begins with pounding these ingredients, sometimes along with other herbs and spices, into a paste. Pounding with a mortar and pestle is the most important technique in Thai cooking because it releases the oils and scents of herbs and spices. The spice paste, which lasts for a month and can be made ahead in batches, is used to flavor all kinds of dishes, from stir-fries to roasts.

泰国的食谱chicken and vegetable stir-fry对四大口味进行了很好的介绍，但不要止步于此。一旦您熟悉四大，我鼓励您在自己的烹饪中尝试这些口味。

The Big Four ingredients

盐 （Glurh)
The dominant flavor of traditional Thai food is saltiness. There are two kinds of salt from Thailand: sea salt, which is intensely salty, and salt mined from the earth, which has a metallic taste. Thai salt is coarser than the table salt with which most people are familiar. If you can’t find Thai sea salt, French or Italian sea salt or kosher salt make better substitutes than regular table salt.

Garlic (ka-tiem)
Garlic is highly prized in Thai cooking for its subtle peppery flavor. It’s typically added to salt, and it’s often used in pounded spice pastes because it helps break down other ingredients and enhances other flavors. Thai garlic cloves are smaller and more aromatic than garlic grown in other countries, but for our purposes regular garlic cloves are fine. If the garlic is very mature and has started to grow green shoots, remove them before mincing. Always store unused garlic in a basket out of direct light.

Thai whitepeppercorns (prikk thai)
白胡椒是成熟的黑色胡椒粉，然后被浸泡，然后摩擦并磨碎以去除其外层并光滑其表面。因此，它们不如黑色胡椒粉强烈。最初的刺破消散后，他们在嘴里留下了炎热的感觉。白色的胡椒可能是白色，黄色或灰色，有几个黑色斑点。泰国白胡椒粉是灰白色的，比其他品种更美味。在泰国包装的白胡椒粉也比其他类型还要便宜，但是在使用之前需要挑选它们以清除任何碎屑。如果您找不到泰国白胡椒粉，普通的胡椒粉也会工作。

香菜根（rak pakk chee)
The use of cilantro, or fresh coriander, roots was borrowed from southern Chinese cooking. Today, cilantro roots have all but disappeared from Chinese cooking, but they remain a defining element of Thai cuisine. They’re used not so much for their taste, which is bitter and sharp, as for their aroma, which adds a musty, earthy perfume to a dish. Their fibrous texture helps bind the ingredients in a seasoning paste. In American supermarkets, cilantro isn’t usually sold with its roots still attached, though you may occasionally get lucky. To compensate, I’ve adapted the Big Four Paste to use roasted coriander seeds in combination with cilantro stems to maintain the correct balance of flavors. (Yes, this variation really turns the Big Four into the Big Five, but who’s counting?) If you do find cilantro roots, by all means use them. Clean them first with water and a vegetable brush. Mince them by smashing them with the flat side of a chef’s knife or cleaver and then chopping them finely. Unused whole cilantro roots can be wrapped well and frozen for two months, so buy them when you see them.

Experimenting with the Big Four Paste

烤食品：每磅的肉，鱼或贝类，涂有1柠檬汁，1汤匙橄榄油和1茶匙大四大糊状的果汁。盖上盖子并冷藏1小时，然后再烧烤。

炒食物：使用1汤匙Big Four Paste每1/4至1/2磅肉，鱼或贝类，再加上2至3杯切成薄片的蔬菜或2杯面条和1杯切成薄片的蔬菜。在添加其他任何东西之前，将糊状物搅拌成炒锅中的热油。

Roast chicken or turkey:For a 3-pound chicken, rub the bird with 2 tablespoons olive oil and the juice of 1 lemon, and then rub 1 tablespoon Big Four Paste all over, including under the skin and in the cavity. Seal tightly in a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight. For a 16-pound turkey, use 1 cup olive oil, the juice of 2 lemons, and 3/4 cup Big Four Paste.

Meatballs and meatloaf:每磅的磨碎肉，加入1汤匙四大糊状物以及其他成分。