Top 10 | Best Thai Dishes
Thailand is a country where gastronomy has its place in the national culture. There are several dishes in different styles that you should absolutely taste when you are visiting Thailand or when you live there. The advantage of Thai food is that it is available everywhere, at any time and at low prices. All the dishes listed below cost between 2 and 6 euros (80 to 240 baht) depending on the restaurant in which you taste them.
ต้มยำกุ้ง – Tom Yam Kung
Tom Yam Kung is almost the national dish as the name is famous and the taste appreciated by both Thai and Westerners. Sweet and sour soup served hot, mainly based onTom Yam Kung shrimps, it is distinguished by its red color quite pronounced depending on the way it is prepared. It can be very spicy as Thai people like it or simply a little bit spicy.
Tom Yam has many variations, the most famous being the version with shrimps and prawns. For example, you can also cook a Tom Yam soup with seafood (Tom Yam Talé) or chicken (Tom Yam Gai) as the main ingredient.
ต้มข่าไก – Tom Ka Gai
Tom Ka GaiAnother famous Thai soup, Tom Kha Gai is an amazing blend of coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass, Thai red chili, lime and chicken. It is a real explosion of exotic flavors to which you can also add shiitake mushrooms and coriander leaves.
This dish is found everywhere in Thailand. It is very appreciated for its creamy soup. The small pieces of chicken in the broth come out with a light coconut flavor and melt in your mouth.
ส้มตำ – Som Tam
A typical street food dish, Som Tam, also known as papaya salad, isSom Tam a dish originating from Isaan, the northeastern region of Thailand. This dish, very appreciated today by all Thai people, is originally a dish for modest families. Little by little, this dish conquered the whole country until it became one of the most famous Thai culinary specialties in the world. The great Thai chefs have fun reinventing this dish every day in the trendy restaurants of the capital.
This dish can be eaten spicy or not, by choosing the number of chillies, from zero to five. Two or more chillies can be very spicy for a Western palate not used to this food. A Som Tam with five chillies is almost inedible for a farang (westerner).
ผัดไทย – Pad Thai
The Pad Thai was popularized by the Thai government following the economic recession after World War II. The stated purpose was to decrease the domestic demand for the country’s star grain: rice. Today, Pad Thai is probably the most famous Thai dish in the West and very popular in Thailand.
This dish is cooked with rice noodles that the cook stir-fries, depending on the variant, with fresh shrimps, eggs as well as various spices and sprouted seeds. Simple dish to make in a few minutes, you can enjoy a pad thai almost everywhere you find street food in Thailand.
ข้าวมันไก่ – Khao Man Gai
Khao Man Gai is a surprisingly simple dish compared to traditional Thai Khao Man Gaimais of pure delight. Thai variation of the famous Hainan style chicken, Khao Man Gai is undoubtedly one of the most popular street food dish, Thai people are crazy about it!
This dish is simply composed of cooked chicken breast accompanied by a fragrant rice and a soup. It is served with a hot sauce made of ginger, garlic, chili and soy. It goes without saying that without the sauce, the dish loses all its flavor and originality.
ยำถั่วพลู – Yam Tua Plu
In the Thai culinary tradition, there are dozens of different Yam, Yam Yam Tua Plusignificant spicy salad. Yam Tuna (spicy tuna salad), Yam Talé (spicy seafood salad) or Yam Gai Kratiam (spicy chicken salad with garlic) are some examples.
Yam Tua Plu is one of these famous Yam. It is a fresh salad made from chopped winged beans, some shrimps, eggs, sliced squid, peanuts, cashew nuts, all coated with a spicy sauce. The result is a surprisingly creamy combination that is literally not lacking in power.
ปลากระพงทอดนำปลา – Pla Krapong Tot Nam Pla
This dish is a fried fish fillet with its Nam Pla sauce (fish sauce). Pla Krapong Tot Nam PlaTot Nam Pla is very popular in Bangkok and especially nice to enjoy during a dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River, accompanied by rice and other dishes.
Fish and seafood are an integral part of Thai cuisine and there are dozens of variations in the way fish is cooked in different parts of Thailand. Pla Krapong Tot Nam Pla is one of the most popular recipes of cooking fish for Thai people.
โรตี – Roti
Thai Roti has absolutely nothing to do with the roast pork or beef that we know in France. RotiIn Thailand, it is the equivalent of a pancake eaten as a dessert or snack. Originally from Malaysia and India, Roti is one of the stars of Thai street food. You can find it in almost every street in Bangkok.
The street vendor cooks the Roti directly on his mobile cart. He can add inside the Roti, at the request of the customer, banana or an egg. Thai people like to eat Roti covered with chocolate or sweetened condensed milk. It is a very smooth and sweet dish, a good dessert after a meal or an ideal snack when you are hungry.
ชานมเย็น – Cha Nom Yen
Cha Nom Yen can be translated as cold tea with milk. This Thai drink is actually popular throughout Southeast Asia. Cha Nom Yen vendors can be found on the street and in shopping malls thanks to several brands that have ventured into this ชานมเย็นmarket.
A Cha Nom Yen is built around a tea, Thai or otherwise, to which fresh milk or condensed milk is added. The result gives a smooth, soft and sweet taste to which one may quickly become addicted as the taste is so addictive. It is possible to drink a milk tea without ice cubes but the mixture will lose its refreshing function during hot tropical weather.