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Thai food is one of the most popular and recognizable cuisines in the world. It’s known for being light, healthy, aromatic, and spicy.
Traditional Thai dishes belong to one of four categories: tom (boiled dishes), yam (spicy salads), tam (pounded foods), and gaeng (curries). I’ve included meals from all of these categories so you can have the most authentic and comprehensive culinary experience when you’re in Thailand.
Now let’s work up an appetite! Here are the best foods to try in Thailand!
Gaeng Keow Wan Gai (Green Chicken Curry)
Green Chicken Curry is one of the spiciest curries you can eat (and not just in Thailand…anywhere)! The green curry paste is mixed with coconut milk, green chili, lemongrass, lime, shrimp paste, cilantro, and other spices.
Gaeng Keow Wan Gai was too hot for me to eat more than a few bites, even with rice to temper the spice, so be warned!
Pad Thai (Stir-Fried Noodles)
Pad Thai is one of the most popular and well-known Thai dishes. It’s comprised of stir-fried rice noodles, peanuts, scrambled eggs, vegetables, and shrimp, chicken, beef, or tofu.
This is a sweeter dish, allowing your taste buds a break from the spicy flavors. So Pad Thai is a “safe bet” if you need to ease yourself into Thai food.
Tom Kha Gai (Chicken in Coconut Soup)
Tom Kha Gai is my favorite Thai meal! I learned how to make it from a cooking class I took in Chiang Mai. It’s a sweet and tangy soup made of coconut milk, chicken strips, chili, galangal (Thai ginger), lemongrass, shallots, and lime.
The link to the Thai cooking class I took is included in my Top Things To Do In Chiang Mai!
Pad Pak Boong (Morning Glory)
For this dish, morning glories (water spinach) are stir-fried with beans, fish sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, and chili. The combination of sauces gives it a delicious flavor, and the crunchy morning glories provide a delightful texture to the dish. This is considered one of the healthiest traditional Thai meals.
Som Tam (Spicy Green Papaya Salad)
This salad is mostly shredded green papaya with ground chili, cherry tomatoes, garlic, green beans, fish sauce, lime, sugar, and peanuts mixed in. Be warned that this salad (despite its appearance) is very spicy.
I think sticky rice is the best side dish for Som Tam, but it can also be served with crab, salted egg, or fermented fish.
Tom Yum Goong (Spicy Shrimp Soup)
This meal is consistently ranked as one of the world’s best foods by CNN Travel. It was too spicy for my liking, but you can add coconut milk to temper the spice, which is what I did.
Tom Yum Goong is most commonly made with shrimp, but you can also have chicken, beef, or pork mixed with the hot and sour broth, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, and chili peppers.
Khao Soi (Creamy Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)
This is a regional specialty from Northern Thailand. Noodles are cooked in a coconut milk-based curry broth, then tender shredded spicy chicken is mixed in, then the dish is topped with crispy egg noodles. Khao Soi was one of my favorite lunches.
Gaeng Daeng (Red Curry)
With Gaeng Daeng, you can choose from chicken, beef, pork, duck, shrimp, or tofu (my favorite was shrimp and chicken). Your meat is then cooked in coconut milk and a very spicy red curry paste and seasoned with garlic, shallots, chili peppers, galangal, fish sauce, and kaffir lime leaves.
Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles)
Despite its name, Pad Kee Mao is not made with any alcohol. This sweet and savory dish is rice noodles, Thai basil, and mixed vegetables stir-fried in a fish and soy sauce. This is an excellent meal if you want something sweeter and not very spicy.
Khao Niew Mamuang (Mango Sticky Rice)
This is one of my favorite desserts…ever! The iconic Khao Niew Mamuang dish is a sliced mango served with sticky rice covered in coconut cream. Be warned; you will become addicted to this!
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What do you think are the best foods in Thailand? Tell me in the comments below so we can “dish” about our favorite meals!
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This article on the best foods in Thailand is not a sponsored post. And, as always, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own. Some of the links in this post about the best foods in Thailand are affiliate links. And, at no cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
Dirk Hofstadter
Thanks for your personal marvelous posting! I definitely enjoyed reading it, you can be a great author.I will remember to bookmark your blog and will often come back later in life. I want to encourage you continue your great posts, have a nice weekend!
Lucy On Locale
Thank you so much! I’m glad my content can help and inspire your travels.
Nisha
Loved this post , so well presented and all the dishes look super yum!
Lucy On Locale
Thanks! Thai food is AMAZING, so I hope you can visit Thailand in the future to try these meals.