Mandarin, King Orange, Tangerine
Scientific Name: Citrus reticulate Blanco
Family: RUTACEAE
Other Names: Sompaen Keema, Sompaen Kradaan, Somkaew Boran, Somsangthong, Som Tranganoo, Som Jantaboon (Krung tep ) Somchiengtung, Majook, Makhang, (The Northern Part ) Mabaang, Makiew (Chiangmai ) Leemayeubo, Leenajeena (Malay - The Southern Part).

Botanical features:

Trunk A small - sized perennial plant with plentiful branches.

LeavesThe leaves of an orange plant are in compound form with glossy skin. Fresh leaves have a unique smell.

Blossoms Either single or cluster, the blossoms are white with fragrance and easily fall off the branches.

Fruit A round, rather flat-shaped fruit has glossy and green skin when very young. The skin turns yellow when it is fully ripe.

Usage:

As foods Oranges are edible as fruit when well-ripe, and made juice.

Food value An orange consists of vitamins C, A, B, Calcium Iron, Phosphorus and many kinds of organic acids. Out of its edible part of 100 grammes, an orange has 4,000 I.U. of Vitamin A. An orange's rind has sweet vaporized oil and Vitamin C.

As medicineThe rind is extacted to make tingeriodine, to give flavors to medicine and to relieve chest and stomach discomfort as well as to be an ingredient of ya - hom (a medicine to cure dizziness). Orange juice gives Vitamin C to prevent scurvy, to cure coughing and to dissolve phlegm.

Nam Som Kaan (Orange Juice):

IngredientsOranges
Lime juice
Syrup
Powdered salt
Crushed ice

Makaan (Tamarind)

Scientific Name:Tamarindus indica Linn.

Family:Makaam, Makaan Thai (The Central Part) Ampial (Surin) Taloob (Nakrornsritammaraj) Maakkang (Shan-Mae Hongsorn) Samawgale (Karen-Mae Hongsorn) Makaam gadaan, Makaan Keemaew

Botanical features:

TrunkA medium / large sized perennial tree or about 60 ft. height. Branches are growing on the tree top. The bark is light- brown with splits in the skin.

Leaves The leaves of a tamarind tree are in compound form arranged in pairs on the midrib of about 10-18 pairs. The leaves'tips and bases are dark green and somewhat round.

Blossoms About 10-15 blossoms are in a cluster at the end of the twigs. The petals are yellow with scattered, red dots at the center. The flowers produce a sour taste.

FruitThe tamarind's fruit is brittle, with its grayish brown when fully ripe. Inside the flesh, there are seeds in their rather round shape.

Usage:

As foodsYong leaves and blossoms with their sour flavor are used for cooking tom yam (sour soup) and tom kloang (a kind of sour soup which uses dried fish, onion and tamrind leaves to be main flavor). The young, sour pods are main ingredients of namprig makaam (pepper souce with tamarind). The fully rip pods, also sour, give sour flavor to kaeng som (a kaeng of sour soups made with tamarind paste), and kaeng kua (a kind of curry depending its sour flavor on tamarind paste).

Food value The fully ripe tamarind flesh consists of high organic acid, calcium, phosphorus, a little of Vitamins C and A, and also gum, pectine and others. The tamarind seeds have high mucilage, fat, carbohydrate, semidrying fixed oil and others.

As medicine Fully ripe leaves are used to cure cough problem, dysentery and get rid of phlegm in colons. Flesh is used as laxative to cure constipation as well as cough and phlegm. Fully grown seeds are laxatives to help get rid of parasitic worms imbedded in children's abdomen.

Nam Makaam (Makaam Juice):
Ingredients Fresh tamarind flesh, granulated sugar, powdered salt, fresh water