There are many reasons to visit Thailand, from its magnificent golden beaches to its legendary celebrations under the full moon, etc. Especially, when mentioning Thailand, an important thing to keep in mind is its gastronomy. Whatever the reason for your visit, the abundance of the best Thai dishes will make you want to extend your stay.
Considered one of the best gastronomy in the world, Thai cuisine is both colorful and flavorful. It stands out with its spicy and spicy flavors such as curry, lemongrass, coriander, chili, or even basil. A tour to Thailand is also an opportunity to discover a tasty and very healthy cuisine if you do not abuse fried dishes.
Paradise Travel presents the best Thai dishes for you to savor in Thailand.
1. Tom Yum Goong (spicy shrimp soup)
Tom yum goong, a must-try dish when coming to Thailand
It is one of the most famous dishes in Thailand, and many of its neighboring countries even serve it. It’s fresh and rich exotic flavor instinctively defines the flavor of Thailand! The spicy soup is made with shrimp with additional Thai peppers. Many herbs and lime juice add flavor to this typical Thai dish!
2. Tom Kha
Among the essential dishes of Thailand, soups have a major place! This is the case of Tom Kha. It is a soup made from coconut milk and galangal, typical of Thai cuisine. In Thailand, most tom kha recipes usually include coconut milk, galangal, kaffir leaves, lemongrass, baby peppers, cilantro, fish sauce, and lime juice.
The main ingredient of the soup may vary. The most famous one is the chicken, to give the tom kha kai, mushrooms are often added. Spinach, chicken breasts, and fresh ingredients add flavor, texture, and nutrients to this chicken, coconut milk, and curry soup.
Other variations include seafood (tom kha thale), mushrooms (tom kha het), pork (tom kha mu), tofu (tom kha taohu) or vegetables (tom kha phak).
3. Som tam – Papaya salad
The papaya salad is native to the Isan region, in the northeast of Thailand. Notice to thrill-seekers, Som Tam is one of the spiciest Thai dishes! It is a green papaya salad cut into strips with fish sauce, tomatoes, lemon, peanuts, and very powerful small peppers. And the result is a fireworks display for the taste buds, we will have warned you. There are many different versions of this salad, although it is the most popular with dried shrimp.
4. The Pad Thai
The specialty Pad Thai
It’s an iconic dish in Thailand! These fried noodles are even part of the classification of the favorite dishes in the world. Pad Thai was born by decree at the request of Prime Minister Plaek Pibulsonggram, in the late 1930s.
This dish is cooked with rice pasta that the cook sauté, depending on the variant, with fresh shrimp, eggs, and various spices and sprouted seeds. A simple dish to make in a few minutes, you can taste it almost everywhere in Thailand.
5. Laab
It is a northeast style salad with meat or mushrooms and mint that comes from the northeast province of Isan. Laab is available in a variety of styles, including chicken, pork, and mushrooms.
6. Panang curry
Panang curry, one of must-try food on your Thailand tour
Thai cuisine is the delight of all curry lovers. Among them, the most famous is Panang Curry – a peanut-flavored red curry paste. It has dry peppers, galangal, lemongrass, combava, coriander, cumin, lemon, garlic, and shallots. This is usually cooked in coconut milk in which we add meat, fish, or tofu for vegetarians!
7. Khao Phat – Fried Rice
It is a simple dish that you can easily find almost everywhere in Thailand. Ingredients include rice, eggs, garlic, onion, and some form of protein, such as chicken, shrimp, crabmeat, or beef. The cooking method is also very simple – just put everything in a pan on the stove and sauté.
8. Khao Pad Sapparod (fried rice with pineapple)
A dish of Thailand Khao Pad with salted fish
Always popular, Thai fried rice with shrimp and pineapple is easy to cook and very satisfying to eat. Thai jasmine rice, fresh shrimp, and pineapple are what make this dish worthy of being on this best list of Thai dishes. Curry powder, shrimp sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce are the main sauces that give this dish a delicious taste.
9. Gaeng Keow Wan (Thai Green Curry)
Originating in central Thailand, green curry is the spiciest of all, with a perfect balance of sweet coconut milk added. It is an exciting treat for lovers of spicy dishes but a challenge for people who have sweeter taste preferences. Green curry consists of the most appetizing ingredients, including fresh green peppers, ginger, eggplant, and, of course, lots of coconut milk. Eat with lots of steamed rice to lower the spice level.
10. Khao Soi
You should not miss a chance to try this food in northern Thailand, especially in Chiang Mai. Khao soi is a Burmese-inspired curry and coconut noodle soup. Available in chicken, beef, pork, or vegetarian, this mouth-watering dish has a rich base of coconut curry, boiled egg noodles. It is garnished with fried crispy egg noodles, marinated mustard greens, shallots, lime and ground peppers fried in oil.
11. Phat Krapao
This Thai specialty with an incomparable and truly tasty taste will delight all lovers of Asian cuisine. A fairly spicy dish but the spiciness does not last too long. Traditionally cooked with pork, Pat Krapao is a stir-fry flavored with Thai basil, enhanced with chili and a hint of oyster sauce. You can have it with rice and sometimes with a fried egg. Anyway, it is a typical dish in Thailand as much appreciated by locals as by tourists!
12. Massaman (Thai Red Curry)
Massaman, Thai’s famous red curry
Notice to those who love curry but who can not stand too spicy cuisine, the Massaman is for you! It’s one of the sweetest curries you’ll find in Thailand. This dish consists of potatoes, onions, peanuts, meat, or fish (or tofu for vegetarians). Everything is deep in coconut milk and massaman curry paste.
13. Khao Yam (rice salad from southern Thailand with shrimps)
A rice salad flavored with grated coconut, shredded dry shrimp, and lots of herbs (like kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, turmeric, etc.). The rice salad is mixed with all these ingredients and then garnished with a little sweet fish sauce. It will make you love this omnipresent street cuisine.
14. Banana Roti
Thai’s Banana Roti
It is a pancake that is fried on both sides until it is golden and crisp with banana slices inside. Next, the whole crispy pancake has its top layer with condensed milk and sugar. Some people can also add strawberries or replace the pancake filling.
15. Khao Niao Mamuang
It is a dessert from sticky rice, coconut milk, and mango, very popular and particularly appreciated in Thailand. You can find this dish everywhere: in the street, at street vendors, or in small restaurants. Sometimes, this Thai dessert comes with papaya or durian. In all cases, you will love its sweetness and exotic flavors.
A few notes for the best Thai cuisine experience
1. Thais prefer to cook with or add sugar to almost everything, so be sure to tell the waiter that you don’t want sugar if you are on a sugar-free diet.
2. There are so many popular Thai dishes to enjoy that you can get confused, so remember this: Thai soups, like spicy shrimp soup and Thai curries, are the best choices, so make sure at least to eat these dishes.
3. From the northern and southern islands to the central plain, each region of Thailand has its popular food, so the Thai dishes that are popular in Phuket will not be the same as those served in Chiang Mai.
4. The food of northern Thailand stands out from the rest of the country because of mountain vegetables, unusual ingredients, and unusual flavors. It has a strong influence from China, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Vietnam.
5. Thai cuisine in the south is strong and intense, with lots of spices and herbs. It is best to use seafood and coconut milk as an ingredient.
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That’s pretty intriguing! You guys should also check out Asian street food serie of NEtflix, that’s incredible!