The Top 5 Thai Dishes to Sample Every Chance You Get
Ever wondered why Thai food is one of the more popular Asian cuisines? One huge reason is its bold, aromatic umami flavours from — surprisingly — very healthy green vegetables and herbs. Here are 5 of Thailand’s favorite dishes (plus a bonus couple of items) that perfectly sample such wholesome cuisine.
Last update: 27 December 2021
Tom Yum Goong or Spicy Prawn Soup
One can say Thai cuisine successfully makes food that tastes enjoyably rich but without a lot of the guilt, something we wish on whatever we eat. So here they are: Thailand’s most-loved dishes that foodies simply shouldn’t miss:
Tom Kha Kai or Chicken in a Soup of Coconut Milk
Tom Kha Kai (or sometimes Tom Kha Gai) is a sour and spicy hot soup made of coconut milk. The broth itself is cooked with a slew of Thai herbs, including healthful lemongrass and cilantro, seasoned with chili and fish sauce.
The dish’s nutritional density and spice combination helps boost the immune system. And, indeed, tom kha kai is perfect for the cold and flu season, for recovering from illness, or just to prevent infections.
And since it’s low-carb, it’s ideal for people with blood sugar concerns or those who want to lose weight.
Kao Pad or Thai Fried Rice
What makes Thai fried rice worth recommending when the world has innumerable versions? What gives it the edge is the combination of oyster sauce, cucumbers, spring onions, and tomatoes, mixed with Thailand’s fragrant rice (typically long-grain Jasmine).
Thai fried rice is not as healthy as you think, though, mainly because it is carb-heavy. But, oh, the resulting flavors are a blast, especially when paired with our next dish.
Gaeng Keow Wan Gai or Green Chicken Curry
Take note of the ingredients here: green curry chili paste, coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce. Just reading these already conjures the resulting flavours: the spice in the curry chili paste, the milkiness of coconut broth, the salty kick of fish sauce. These are what makes you reach for another scoop of rice.
A traditional coconut curry from Central Thailand, this dish is typically served with thinly sliced chicken breast or fish. Its green colour comes from fresh green chili pounded in a mortar and pestle. Sometimes the dish is called “sweet green curry,” because the coconut milk tempers the bright green of the chili and turns the sauce into more of a sweet-looking milder green.
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Tom Yum Goong or Spicy Prawn Soup
The hot and sour tom yum soup is quintessentially Thai, along with the last entree listed here. “Tom yum" is, in fact, derived from words that reference the boiling process and mixing. Its fragrant spices and herbs are boiled altogether creating a distinct umami. These include lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal (a unique Asian ginger variation), shallots, lime juice, fish sauce, and crushed chili peppers.
Prawns, fish, or seafood go very well with this dish, as they are less dense and do not steal focus aways from the broth.
Pad Thai or Thai-Style Fried Rice Noodle
Said to contain a perfect balance of sweet, salty, spicy, and sour, pad thai is a stir-fried rice noodle cooked with eggs, fish sauce, red chili peppers, and tamarind juice, topped with coriander and crushed peanuts. It’s a much richer-tasting stir-fried noodle dish compared with similar Chinese dishes, but it also feels fresher and crunchier, like a salad.
In Thailand, pad thai is a lovely streetside snack or meal, cleanly prepared and freshly served. Having pad thai this way is an important part of the local experience when visiting the country.
Bonus Round:
Kao Niew Ma Muang or Mango and Sticky Rice)
This dessert is simple but fabulously delicious. Just 3 ingredients needed: sticky rice, fresh mango slices, topped generously with sweet condensed milk.
O-liang or Thai Iced Coffee
With the hot and humid weather in Thailand, iced coffee is a welcome treat. The aromatic (and even smoky!) Thai version is made from ground sugar, ground coffea canephora, and a load of roasted grains and seeds like cardamom, corn, soybeans, sesame seeds, and rice.
