Thailand Famous Food

Thailand is a country located in Southeast Asia and is famous for having more tourists than anywhere else in the world. It shares its border with the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. In addition to that, Myanmar (Previously known as Burma), Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia are the neighboring countries of Thailand. It is one of the safest countries in Southeast Asia for travelers. But of course, laws are strict, and one has to take precautions to ensure a safe and enjoyable vacation.

In recent times, the cuisines of Thailand have become very popular in the world. Thailand’s food reflects its culture that offers a wonderful variety of flavors and cooking styles – from rich, spicy soups and curries to clean, fresh salads and everything else in-between. Thai cuisine has a very interesting thing in that it is a perfect mixture of four seasonings i.e. salty, sweet, spicy, and sour. In Thai cuisine, a lot of importance is given to fresh vegetables and fruits which is very much evident from the fact that their curries and every dessert come loaded with fruits. Moreover, their restaurants can be found in most of the big cities of the world like in America and Europe. Few famous dishes of Thailand include Massaman Curry, Guay Teow, Khao Kha Mu, Tom Kha Gai, Tom Yum Goong, Thai Papaya Salad, etc. Following are some of the famous dishes eaten in Thailand:

1. Massaman Curry: No one can exactly say where this rustic curry dish came from and is yet to pin down where exactly this rustic curry dish came from. Some historians believe that it was brought over from Malaysia through Middle Eastern traders, while others point to its history in the Thai royal court. Whatever might be its history, Massaman sets itself apart from other Thai curries by having less commonly used spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and anise.

This curry is commonly made with chicken, but the other variations of the dish have duck, beef, venison, mutton, goat, and even pork. The paste is made of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cumin, bay leaves, nutmeg, mace, and potato, the curry paste is fried with coconut cream and then meat, potatoes, onions, fish sauce or salt, tamarind paste, sugar, coconut milk, and peanuts are mixed with it. The Curry is usually eaten with rice.

2. Guay Teow: This dish can be found almost everywhere in the world. Guay Teow, meaning noodle, was adapted from Chinese cuisine by Thais. However, Thailand has its own style of noodles, soups, and other elements like meatballs, dumplings, slow-cooked beef, roast pork, crispy egg pastry, and many other things to perfect their own food market. Hence, it can be made with chicken, pork, or beef (rarely vegetarian-friendly) as well as either rice noodles or egg noodles. Most of the time, vendors also add wontons or meatballs to the bowl. A selection of condiments including, sugar, dried chili flakes, lime juice, and fish sauce is generally used here as toppings. It can be eaten at any time of the day and is particularly good as a late-night snack.

3. Khao Kha Mu: Khao Kha Mu, simply called Kha Mu, is a popular Thai food. This dish can be generally seen on Thai food carts on the streets, this slow-braised stewed pork leg on rice dish is a crowd-pleaser at night markets. One can find this dish at roadside stalls simmered in large aluminum pots with soy sauce and five-spice powder until the meat is soft enough to slide off the bone. The roasted meat is then chopped into thin strips on a large cutting board with a knife and served on a bed of rice alongside bok choy, boiled eggs, and pickled vegetables with the custardy yolk.

4. Tom Kha Gai (chicken coconut soup): This is a Thai coconut soup that is spicy and sour in taste and served with coconut milk in Thai cuisine. It was invented in Thailand and Laos, main ingredients of this dish include coconut milk, galangal, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, mushrooms, and chicken. This dish is also known as chicken coconut soup or galangal soup. It offers the people an opportunity to taste the same beautiful flavors with a lower tolerance to spice at the same time. Besides the spice scale, this dish is also unique in that it typically comes with lots of creamy coconut milk which makes it a rich sweet soup. Like most Thai foods, vegetarian options can be made easily by substituting a few ingredients.

5. Tom Yum Goong (Spicy shrimp soup): It was basically created in central Thailand. This is a type of hot and sour soup. It is usually cooked with shrimp. The name “Tom yam” is taken from two Thai words. Here, Tom means boiling process and yam refers to the ‘mixed’. The main ingredients of this dish include Broth, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, and chili peppers. Moreover, the creamy version of this dish can be made by adding coconut cream along with fresh prawns and mushrooms. 

6. Thai Papaya Salad: Popularly known as Som Tam in Northeastern Thailand. It generally consists of green papaya and a spicy chili pepper dressing. It can be interesting to know that the name Som tam means “pounded sour”. This dish comes in a variety of styles, but, the classic som tam consists of shredded green papaya, tomatoes, carrots, peanuts, dried shrimp, runner beans, palm sugar, tamarind pulp, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, and plenty of chilies. The ingredients when mixed together using a mortar and pestle, amplify the flavors into a super moreish dish.

7. Pad Thai: It is a stir-fried rice noodle dish that is commonly served as street food in Thailand. It is one of Thailand’s national dishes and of course part of the country’s cuisine. It can be a go-to for tourists who are starting out their Thai cuisine exploration. It is a fried noodle dish that is usually made with, peanuts, a scrambled egg, shrimp, or chicken, but the vegetarian option is also popular. Its popularity can be justified by the fact that it is available on almost every street corner and is a cheap and tasty meal.

8. Pad See Ew: This dish consists of wide rice noodles which are stir-fried in thick dark soy sauce with chicken, pork, or beef along with Chinese broccoli that is commonly eaten in Thailand. It is quite popular in Thai restaurants around the world and can be easily found among street food vendors.