Eating every single Thai dish is impossible whether you spend days, weeks or months in Thailand. Thai cuisine is that vast. However, there are certain Thai foods that you won’t want to miss during your visit or at your local Thai restauant.
Discover a dozen Thai food favorites you must eat at least once.
1. Pad Thai (Fried Thai Noodles)
Don’t count out Pad Thai despite its popularity and cheap eats pricing. It’s a solid option to order at both street stalls and in restaurants. As a bonus, protein options include chicken, shrimp and tofu, making the Thai noodle dish attractive to vegetarian travelers.
2. Pad See Ew (Fried Wide Noodles with Soy Sauce)
Beyond its wide noodles, Pad See Ew gets its flavors from soy sauce (both light and dark) and fresh garlic. Meats like beef, chicken and pork provide the protein while veggies like Chinese broccoli and cabbage provide the crunch.
3. Khao Soi (Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)
With Islamic origins in Burma and elements from Yunnan, China, Khao Soi marries fried and boiled noodles and combines them with a unique curry, coconut milk and meaty broth. Cooked low and slow, this highly slurpable Thai soup is a must-eat for any visit to Chiang Mai.
4. Tom Kha Gai (Chicken Coconut Soup)
It would be easy to describe Tom Kha Gai as a ramped up Tom Yum. Both soups are made with chilies, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass. Coconut milk gives Tom Kha Gai its richer, creamier texture.
Discover more great global soups.
5. Som Tam (Spicy Green Papaya Salad)
Instead of lettuce and croutons, Som Tam’s ingredients include shredded and pounded green papaya, carrots, tomatoes, beans and peanuts. Additional ingredients like chili peppers, garlic, palm sugar, tamarind, fish sauce and lime juice give the crunchy salad a burst of complex flavor.
Discover more great global salads.
6. Gaeng (Curry)
In Thailand, curry is both an ingredient and a dish. The ingredient (curry paste) comes in different varieties that impact both the color and flavor of the dish. Thai curries (the dish) contain ingredients like coconut milk, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, proteins and curry paste.
Discover a Thai curry recipe that you can cook at home.
7. Khao Kha Moo (Pork Leg and Rice)
Khao Kha Moo looks like a simple dish but its tastes are more complex than its appearance. Thai cooks assemble this dish by slowly stewing pork leg and serving it over rice.
8. Khao Man Gai (Chicken and Rice)
Originally invented in Hainan, China and hugely popular in Singapore where it’s considered a national dish, this simple dish pairs poached chicken with rice cooked in a rich chicken broth. Thailand’s version, known as Khao Man Gai, is a Bangkok street food staple. Most vendors serve the dish with sides of chicken soup and chili dipping sauce.
9. Gai Yang (Grilled Chicken)
Gai Yang is proof that not all Thai chicken is poached and served with rice. This dish takes a different approach by marinating chicken with lemongrass and garlic before roasting the bird on a grill.
10. Pla Pao (Baked Fish)
Probably the most typical Thai-style omelette, Kai Jeow is as brown and crispy as a French omelet is buttery and fluffy. Thailand’s version starts with eggs and fish sauce before adding a myriad of potential ingredients like green onions, onions, tomato, garlic, chili, pork, shrimp and even crab meat.
11. Khao Niao Mamuang (Mango Sticky Rice)
In addition to sliced mangos and sticky rice, Khao Niao Mamuang’s ingredient list includes sweet coconut milk and a sprinkling of fried mung beans. The end result is a refreshing dessert.
Discover more global desserts.
12. Banana Roti
While roti is a savory flatbread in India, the Thai version is a dessert made with sweet dough and filled with items like banana and eggs. Vendors serve buttery Banana Roti to the masses from carts all over Thailand.
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About the Authors
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.