When zesty flavours harmoniously blend with aromatic herbs, you get a portion of authentic Thailand. Thai cuisine's bespoke bold spices are commonly lemongrass, chilli, mint, lime, lemon, basil, parsley, and dill. Tons of fresh vegetables and a variety of protein are tossed around in soups, curries, stir-fries, salads, and noodles.
Whether you’ve fallen in love with Thai cuisine from the very first bite or are new to tickling your tastebuds, the best way to explore its explosive and unique traits is by checking out the dynamic street food around the country. Bear in mind that there will be hints of spiciness in each bite!
Taste of Authentic Thailand: Foods to Try
Avoiding food poisoning
Travelling overseas can come with the unwanted food poisoning fiasco. The shock that comes with devouring foreign flavours can stimulate a negative reaction in your digestive system. Even if you’re accustomed to the spices, something about the “real deal” sometimes doesn’t sit right, meanwhile, all you want to do is eat! Frustrating, indeed.
We have a few tips so that you can return to your hotel room in peace:
Choose vendors with high customer turnover and good hygiene practices. You can check on Google Maps or make a quick observation before claiming your seat at the table.
Keep an eye out for seafood, meats, and poultry. It’s generally safer to opt for freshly cooked dishes as opposed to raw ingredients, especially when you explore street food.
Most ice cubes are made from unclean water. Make sure to ask the vendor how they produce the ice cubes or else, stick to sealed beverages.
It's time to familiarise yourself with the Thai foods below...
Dump everything on a wok and stir-fry!
Stir-fry is a staple cooking method in Thailand. It’s convenient, flavoursome, and ready in a blink of an eye!
Pad Kra Pao Moo
The sweet and spicy stir-fried Thai basil and pork include fresh chillies, green beans, garlic, palm sugar, and fish sauce. Minced pork and basil leaves are stir-fried altogether and served with white rice and a fried egg. Non-pork eaters can opt for minced chicken, duck, beef, seafood, and tofu.
Khao Pad
One of the safest options - especially when you don’t want to think too hard - is Thai fried rice. Locals adore it and so do tourists. Slices of chicken, beef, pork, seafood, or fish are stir-fried with jasmine rice, eggs, and vegetables, showered in fish sauce, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and fresh herbs.
Endless trails of noodles
Whether you like it drenched in coconut milk or oil, Thailand’s incorporation of noodles is highly distinguished.
Khao Soi
Thai coconut curry noodle soup is fragrant, sweet yet spicy, and creamy. The broth uses a coconut milk base. Deep-fried egg noodles and either chicken, beef, or seafood swim around the broth before shallots and pickled vegetables are adorned on top.
Pad Thai
You’ve probably noticed renditions of Pad Thais across the globe. It’s simple yet satiating and scrumptious. Flat rice noodles are combined with some sort of protein (seafood, chicken, or pork), scrambled eggs, bean sprouts, and shallots. A mixture of sauces is stirred into the mix, along with sprinkles of fresh herbs, chillies, and roasted peanuts.
Curry, the Thai style
Curry is a versatile dish that has gained a repertoire in Asian cooking. The Thai style is definitely unique, categorised into three main colours: green, yellow, and red.
Gaeng Keow Wan Gai
Are you fond of spicy food? Thai green curry is noted as the spiciest of all three Thai curries. This dish includes the fiery green chillies, which are balanced out by the simmered coconut milk and stalks of lemongrass. Slices of chicken breast, potatoes, and eggplants are poured into the mix.
Gaeng Daeng
A level below the green curry on the spicy ladder is the Thai red curry. It’s a wonderful option for those of you who like spicy but aren’t willing to battle the heat of the green. Crushed red chillies stimulate the striking red paste of garlic, shallots, lemongrass, and ginger. More chicken breast, tomatoes, mushrooms, and eggplant are added to the swirling vibrancy.
Kaeng Lueang
As for the least spicy curry, the award goes to the Thai yellow curry, made of a generous amount of grounded turmeric. The paste also includes cumin, coriander, lemongrass, and shallots that are added to some coconut milk. Chicken or tofu can be found within the plethora of potatoes and other vegetables.
An honourable mention
Tom Yum
This hot and sour shrimp soup is an iconic Thai dish. Ask anyone about Thai cuisine and they’re most likely to mention tom yum! You can get tom yum with shrimp dancing in a clear soup of shallots, lemongrass, mushrooms, red chilli peppers, lime juice, galangal, and fish sauce. Alternate it with other variations such as chicken, mixed seafood, or fish as your choice of protein. Regardless of the components, Tom Yum is for spicy enthusiasts.
Sweet treat
Khao Niao Mamuang
You’d probably recognise its English name, mango sticky rice. This sweet treat is a fantastic way to wash down all of the curries, soups, and noodles you consume in a sitting. Thai mango sticky rice can be found everywhere. It’s glutinous rice doused in coconut milk and served with slices of fresh, sweet mango.
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