I'll update this comment over the next few hours in case I think of anything specific. I am most familiar with Northern Thai food from Chiang Mai. This list is a great place to start- we use most of these brands at the restaurant If you shop at American grocery stores they'll have some brands like Thai Kitchen which are ok, but you can get a better taste with more authentic brands. If you use limes, don't cook lime juice, add it at the very end. You can also grate lime peel as a substitute for kaffir lime leaf but the real thing is much better!