Thailand Food Guide

Khao Soi

A Chiang Mai specialty: egg noodles in a coconut-milk curry broth, topped with crispy fried noodles and served with pickled vegetables and lime on the side.

Larb (Laab)

An Isaan (northeastern Thai) minced meat salad seasoned with fresh herbs, toasted rice powder, lime juice and chili. It's also widely considered the unofficial national dish of neighboring Laos.

Boat Noodles (Kuay Teow Reua)

Once sold from boats along Bangkok's canals, these come in small bowls of rice noodles in a dark broth thickened and deepened with pork or beef blood.

Gaeng Hung Lay

A northern Thai pork belly curry shaped by Burmese cooking, with ginger, tamarind and turmeric in the mix. In the north it's a dish for special occasions.

Kai Yang

Isaan-style grilled chicken marinated in fish sauce, garlic and herbs, then cooked slowly over low heat until the skin crisps up. It usually comes with sticky rice and dipping sauces.

Tom Yum Goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง)

A hot and sour soup with prawns, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, chilies and mushrooms. The lemongrass and lime leaves give it a strong, aromatic edge.

Pad Thai (ผัดไทย)

Thailand's national dish: rice noodles stir-fried with shrimp, tofu, eggs, bean sprouts and peanuts, seasoned with tamarind pulp, fish sauce and palm sugar.

Green Curry (แกงเขียวหวาน)

A creamy curry made with green chilies, coconut milk, vegetables and meat (often chicken, beef or pork). It runs spicy, sweet and savory at once.

Massaman Curry (แกงมัสมั่น)

A mild curry shaped by Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. It usually has coconut milk, potatoes, peanuts and meat (often beef or chicken), built on a distinctive spice blend.

Som Tum (ส้มตำ)

A spicy green papaya salad with shredded papaya, tomatoes, green beans, peanuts, chilies, garlic, lime juice and fish sauce. Sharp and refreshing, it's often eaten with sticky rice.

Khao Pad (ข้าวผัด)

Thai fried rice, an everyday staple. It's usually jasmine rice fried with vegetables, eggs and meat (often chicken, pork or shrimp), seasoned with soy sauce and fish sauce.

Gaeng Keow Wan Gai (แกงเขียวหวานไก่)

Green curry with chicken, the most common version of the dish, with tender chicken pieces in a creamy coconut-milk sauce.

Pad See Ew (ผัดซีอิ๊ว)

Wide rice noodles stir-fried with Chinese broccoli, egg and meat (often pork or chicken), seasoned with dark and sweet soy sauce for a savory, slightly sweet result.

Kuay Teow Reua (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ)

Boat noodles, a noodle soup served in small bowls and usually made with pork or beef. The dark broth gets its character from spices and herbs.

Ripe mango with sweet sticky rice and a drizzle of coconut milk. A Thai classic that's at its best during mango season.

Bananas simmered in sweet coconut milk with pandan leaves and a pinch of salt. Simple, and all the better for it.

Small round coconut-rice pancakes cooked in a dimpled pan, with crispy edges and a soft, creamy center.

A layered Thai jelly cake of coconut milk, rice flour and pandan, built up in alternating colored layers (usually green and white). Each layer is steamed separately, so making it takes time and a steady hand. The translucent layers are silky and a little chewy. It shows up at celebrations, festivals and auspicious occasions, and the number of layers (chan) is read as a sign of rising fortune in Thai culture.

Water chestnuts coated in tapioca flour to make ruby-red (tub tim) cubes with a crunchy (grob) center, served in sweetened coconut milk over crushed ice. The cold creamy coconut milk against the crunch of the water chestnuts is what makes it such a good hot-weather dessert. Bangkok dessert cafes now do their own takes, adding jackfruit, pandan jelly and other colors.

Sweet egg-yolk threads (foi thong means 'golden threads'), made by drizzling yolk into boiling sugar syrup through a special cone. It takes real skill: the yolk has to flow at a steady pace while the cook swirls the cone into nest-like shapes. The golden color reads as prosperity, so it turns up at weddings and celebrations. The technique came from the Portuguese in the 17th century and has long since become part of Thai royal cuisine.

Thai crispy crepes: ultra-thin, lacy pancakes cooked on a hot griddle, then folded over a sweet or savory filling. The classic sweet one has coconut cream (foi) and sweetened shredded coconut, sometimes with golden egg-yolk threads (foi thong); savory versions use minced shrimp. At Bangkok street markets you'll also find newer flavors like chocolate, durian and taro.

Thai coconut custard, traditionally steamed inside a small pumpkin or young coconut into a silky, sweet pudding scented with pandan. It's made from coconut milk, eggs, palm sugar and pandan leaves. The pumpkin version (sangkhaya fak thong) is the best known, with the pumpkin flesh eaten alongside the custard; steaming it inside the pumpkin lends a faint vegetable sweetness. You'll find it in markets all over Thailand.