- bai-krapowใบกะเพราbai krapow/baj kra.pʰaw/
- Holy basil — clove-peppery Thai herb essential for drunken noodles. Different from sweet Thai basil.
- belacanbelacanbelacan/bəlat͡ʃan/
- Malaysian shrimp paste — denser and more intense than Thai kapi. For laksa, sambal.
- gai-lan芥兰gai lan/kaj.lan/
- Chinese broccoli — thick-stemmed, slightly bitter, essential for pad see ew. Not Western broccoli.
- kapiกะปิkapi/ka.pi/
- Thai shrimp paste — fermented, intensely fishy. Used in curry pastes.
- kecap-maniskecap maniskecap manis/kɛ.t͡ʃap ma.nis/
- Indonesian sweet soy sauce. Thick, caramel-like, palm-sugar-sweetened. The defining flavor of mì goreng.
- kerupukkerupukkerupuk/kə.ru.puk/
- Indonesian prawn crackers. Crispy, served alongside mì goreng and other Indonesian dishes.
- sambal-oeleksambal oeleksambal oelek/sam.bal u.lɛk/
- Indonesian raw chili paste. Pure chili + salt + vinegar. The Indonesian heat-builder.
- sen-lekเส้นเล็กsen lek/sên lék/
- Thai thin flat rice noodle (5mm). The standard pad thai noodle width.
- sen-yaiเส้นใหญ่sen yai/sên jàj/
- Thai wide flat rice noodle (10-15mm). For drunken noodles, pad see ew, rad na.
- wok-hei鑊氣wok hei/wɔk hej/
- 'Breath of the wok' — the smoky-charred flavor from very high-heat wok cooking. Defining feature of char kway teow.