Palm sugar
In Thai cooking, sweetness never works alone: it balances sour, salty and hot. Palm sugar does it with a caramel roundness that white sugar just doesn't have.
What exactly is it?
A sugar made by boiling down palm sap. Sold in small cakes or as a paste, it melts easily and has a rich, slightly caramel taste.
How to use it
- Grated or crumbled into curries, pad thai and sauces.
- Melted into the coconut milk for mango sticky rice.
- In a Thai dressing with lime and fish sauce.
What can I use instead?
Coconut sugar or soft brown sugar, a little less of it.
How do I store it?
In a sealed tin, somewhere dry: over a year.
