Starters & Skewers
อาหารเรียกน้ำย่อย 56 recipes
Thailand · The Skewers That Arrived By Boat
Chicken Satay
ไก่สะเต๊ะ
Coconut-milk marinade with cumin, turmeric and curry powder, basted on the grill, served with a roasted-peanut sauce built on two curry pastes and the ajad pickle.
Thailand · The Fish Cakes That Bounce
Thai Fish Cakes
ทอดมันปลา
Fish kneaded with red curry paste and kaffir lime until it bounces, fried golden, served with the ajad pickle — not sweet chilli. UK fish substitution handled honestly.
Thailand · The Breakfast Skewers
Moo Ping
หมูปิ้ง
Thin pork in a coriander-root, garlic and coconut-milk marinade, charcoal-grilled and basted glossy, with the jaew chilli dip and sticky rice.
Thailand · The Shrimp Cakes That Bounce
Shrimp Cakes
ทอดมันกุ้ง
Shrimp pounded with garlic, coriander root and white pepper, kneaded until it springs back, crumbed and fried golden. The bounce is the dish.
Thailand · The Rolls That Must Not Burst
Thai Spring Rolls
ปอเปี๊ยะทอด
Glass noodles, minced pork and cabbage in a white-soy filling, egg-sealed and fried until the wrapper blisters — dipped in plum sauce.
Thailand · The Story Dish
Son-in-Law Eggs
ไข่ลูกเขย
Boiled eggs deep-fried to a golden wrinkle, halved and drowned in sweet-sour tamarind sauce under fried shallots.
Thailand · The Isaan Table's Centrepiece
Gai Yang
ไก่ย่าง
Chicken marinated in oyster-soy-garlic, grilled over charcoal and eaten with jaew — the smoky roasted-rice chilli dip.
Thailand · The Seafood Restaurant Classic
Goong Ob Woon Sen
กุ้งอบวุ้นเส้น
Prawns baked in a clay pot over ginger, pork fat and pepper-soaked glass noodles.
Isaan · Laab, Deep-Fried
Laab Tod
ลาบทอด
Laab-seasoned pork rolled into balls and fried crisp — three coating schools, one Isaan flavour.
Isaan · The Grill's Pork Course
Moo Yang
หมูย่าง
Marinated pork collar grilled over charcoal, dipped into jaew — tamarind school or lime school.
Thailand · The School-Lunch Classic
Khai Yat Sai
ไข่ยัดไส้
Minced pork in a ketchup glaze wrapped inside a thin golden egg sheet.
Thailand · The Leaf-Wrap Bite
Miang Kham
เมี่ยงคำ
Cha phlu leaves wrapped around roasted coconut, dried shrimp, peanuts, shallot, ginger, chilli and lime, dipped in a palm-sugar and shrimp-paste sauce.
Thailand · The Banana-Leaf Steamer
Hor Mok
ห่อหมก
Minced fish and red curry paste set with egg, steamed in banana-leaf cups and capped with split coconut cream. Traditional technique meets delicate flavours.
Thailand · The Street-Grill Cut
Kor Moo Yang
คอหมูย่าง
Marbled pork neck marinated and grilled over charcoal, sliced and dunked in nam jim jaew. The cut that made Thailand's street grilling famous.
Southern Thailand · The Stall Classic
Gai Tod Hat Yai
ไก่ทอดหาดใหญ่
Chicken marinated in toasted coriander and cumin, fried shatteringly crisp, buried under golden fried shallots.
Thailand · The Crisp-Edged Pancake
Hoy Tod
หอยทอด
Mussels in a three-flour batter fried until the edges shatter, egg broken over, torn into shards on bean sprouts with sweet chilli and sriracha.
Thailand · The Roller's Art
Po Pia Sot
ปอเปี๊ยะสด
Fresh wheat rolls packed with five-spice tofu, kun chiang sausage and herbs, with the sweet bean-paste dip.
Thailand · The Northeast's Sour Sausage
Sai Krok Isan
ไส้กรอกอีสาน
The northeast's sour lactic sausage — pork, rice, garlic and pepper, sun-aged, grilled and pungent.
Thailand · The Salt-Crusted Grill
Pla Pao
ปลาเผา
Whole fish stuffed with lemongrass, packed in salt and charcoal-grilled until the crust cracks away.
Thailand · The River Prawn Grill
Goong Pao
กุ้งเผา
Charcoal-grilled river prawns split down the back, tomalley returned to the flesh, sweet seafood sauce on the side.
Thailand · The Golden Money Bag
Thung Thong
ถุงทอง
Crisp fried parcels tied with spring onion — pork and shrimp in a wrapper, for the luck that comes in bags.
Thailand · The Pork Toast
Khanom Pang Na Moo
ขนมปังหน้าหมู
Minced pork pressed onto bread and fried crisp — the old-school starter with cucumber relish.
Thailand · The Charcoal Squid
Pla Meuk Yang
ปลาหมึกย่าง
Squid marinated and grilled over charcoal, sliced and dunked in the chilli-lime nam jim.
Thailand · The North's Herb Sausage
Sai Ua
ไส้อั่ว
Northern herb sausage — pork packed with lemongrass, kaffir and turmeric, grilled low and slow.
Thailand · The Raw Prawn
Goong Chae Nam Pla
กุ้งแช่น้ำปลา
Raw prawns in fish sauce with bitter gourd and the chilli-garlic dip — the boldest starter on the menu.
Thailand · The One-Sun Pork
Moo Dad Deow
หมูแดดเดียว
Pork marinated sweet and savoury, dried in a single day's sun, then fried crisp — the shelf-stable snack.
Thailand · The One-Sun Beef
Nua Dad Deow
เนื้อแดดเดียว
Beef marinated sweet and savoury, dried in one day's sun, then fried — the beef answer to moo dad deow.
Thailand · The Grilled Beef
Nua Yang
เนื้อย่าง
Beef grilled over charcoal and served with jaew — the tamarind-chilli dipping sauce from Isaan.
Thailand · Rice Noodle Rolls
Kuay Tiew Lui Suan
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวลุยสวน
Fresh rice noodle sheets steamed and rolled around seasoned minced pork, shiitake and herbs, sliced and served with a sharp green chilli-vinegar.
Thailand · Steamed Lime Seabass
Pla Kapong Neung Manao
ปลากะพงนึ่งมะนาว
Whole steamed seabass with a sharp lime, garlic and chilli dressing — the fish scored, the sauce poured over, and the whole plate steamed together.
Thailand · Crispy Prawn Nests
Kung Sarong
กุ้งโสร่ง
Royal Thai starter: prawns marinated in coriander root, garlic and white pepper, wrapped in mee sua noodle threads and deep-fried until golden and.
Thailand · Rice Cracker Dip
Khao Tang Na Tang
ข้าวตังหน้าตั้ง
The old Thai starter of thrift: pot-bottom rice dried and fried to a golden puff, topped with na tang — minced pork and shrimp simmered in cracked.
Thailand · Corn Fritters
Tod Mun Khao Pod
ทอดมันข้าวโพด
Thai corn fritters: sweetcorn kernels bound with red curry paste, egg and shredded kaffir lime leaves, spooned into hot oil and fried golden. Served.
Thailand · Tapioca Dumplings
Sakoo Sai Moo
สาคูไส้หมู
Sweet-savoury pork, pickled radish and peanut filling wrapped in steamed tapioca pearls, served with lettuce, fresh chilli and fried garlic. Thai.
Thailand · Rice Dumplings
Khao Kriap Pak Moh
ข้าวเกรียบปากหม้อ
Rice-flour skins steamed on a cloth over the pot, folded around a sweet-savoury pork, sweet radish and peanut filling, served with fried garlic and.
Thailand · Oyster Omelette
Hoi Tod
หอยทอด
Thai street-food omelette: mussels or oysters bound in rice-flour, arrowroot and tempura batter fried shatteringly crisp, eggs smeared over.
Isaan · Grilled Beef
Suea Rong Hai
เสือร้องไห้
Marbled beef brisket grilled until the fat weeps between the layers of meat, sliced and eaten with a pounded jaew dip.
Royal Thai · Flower Dumplings
Chor Muang
ช่อม่วง
Purple flower-shaped dumplings from the royal kitchens — a pandan-tinted dough folded over a sweet-salty chicken and peanut filling.
Northern Thai · Grilled Parcels
Aab Mu
แอ๊บหมู
Minced pork worked with curry paste, herbs and egg, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over charcoal until the packet chars and the pork steams.
Isaan · Breakfast Pan
Kai Kratha
ไข่กระทะ
Isaan's breakfast — eggs cracked into a hot pan with minced pork and sausage, finished with scallions, eaten with bread and coffee.
Central Thai · Fish Cakes
Tod Mun Pla
ทอดมันปลา
Thai fish cakes with red curry paste and kaffir lime — bouncy, crisp-edged, served with ajad cucumber relish.
Central Thai · Crab Omelette
Kai Jeow Poo
ไข่เจียวปู
The crispy-edged Thai crab omelette — fluffy egg puffed golden in hot oil, stuffed with sweet crab.
Central Thai · Fried Chicken
Kai Tod Takrai
ไก่ทอดตะไคร้
Chicken wings in oyster sauce and pounded lemongrass, fried with crisp lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves.
Central Thai · Garlic Pork
Moo Tod Kratiem
หมูทอดกระเทียม
Pork fried with a storm of garlic and pepper — crisp-edged, aggressively savoury, gone in minutes.
Thailand · The Golden Wonton Parcels
Kiao Tod
เกี๊ยวทอด
Crispy fried wontons with a spiced minced pork filling — the shatter-crisp wrapper against a juicy, garlic-and-pepper pork centre, with sweet chilli or plum sauce.
Thailand · Garlic-Pepper Fried Ribs
Si Khrong Moo Tod
ซี่โครงหมูทอด
Deep-fried pork spare ribs marinated with garlic and white pepper and tossed with crisp fried garlic — dry, fragrant, and eaten off the bone.
Thailand · The Wet-Batter Fry
Gai Chup Paeng / Gung Chup Paeng
ไก่ชุบแป้งทอด / กุ้งชุบแป้งทอด
Chicken or prawns in a light, craggy tempura-style batter — pale golden, crisp outside, moist inside, with sweet chilli sauce.
Thailand · The Puffed Prawn Cracker
Khao Kriab Gung
ข้าวเกรียบกุ้ง
Prawn crackers made from scratch — prawn paste and tapioca steamed, sliced, dried, then fried into light, peppery puffs.
Thailand · Mushroom Skewers
Satay Hed
สะเต๊ะเห็ด
Grilled marinated mushroom satay — king oyster mushrooms in a coconut-curry marinade, charred over the grill and served with peanut sauce and cucumber relish.
Thailand · Vegetable Fritters
Pak Tod
ผักทอด
Thai fried vegetable fritters — mixed vegetables in a light batter, fried golden and craggy, with tamarind-peanut or sweet chilli sauce.
Thailand · The Crisp Garlic Toss
Pepper Squid
ปลาหมึกทอดกระเทียมพริกไทย
Crispy fried squid tossed with pounded garlic and black pepper.
Thailand · The Pan-Fried Dumpling
Gyoza
เกี๊ยวซ่า
Pork and cabbage dumplings with the crisp flour-water wing.
Thailand · The Steamed Dim Sum Cup
Kanom Jeeb
ขนมจีบ
Steamed pork and prawn dumplings pleated open at the top.
Thailand · The Honey-Glazed Ribs
Sie Krong Moo Op
ซี่โครงหมูอบ
Baked pork ribs simmered to a sticky honey-soy glaze.
Thailand · The Lacquered Duck
Crispy Aromatic Duck
เป็ดปักกิ่ง
Peking-style roast duck with pancakes, cucumber and hoisin.
Thailand · The Crisp Tofu
Tao Hoo Tod
เต้าหู้ทอด
Fried tofu with sweet-sour peanut and chilli dipping sauce.
Soups
ต้ม 16 recipes
Thailand · The Family-Table Soup
Tom Yum Goong
ต้มยำกุ้ง
The real hot and sour prawn soup: clear, sour-leading, lime squeezed off the heat, prawn-head stock. Recipe from a Michelin-starred chef — plus the four documented ways Thais make it creamy.
Thailand · Named After Its Herb
Tom Kha Gai
ต้มข่าไก่
The only Thai soup named after its ingredient: galangal poached gently in coconut milk, cream added late, lime squeezed in off the heat. No dairy, no ginger — Thai cooks mock the milk version in verse.
Thailand · The Noodle Bowl That Isn't a Soup
Tom Yum Noodle Soup
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวต้มยำ
Clear pork-bone stock with pickled garlic, dressed per bowl with ground peanuts, chilli flakes, fish sauce and lime — just enough liquid to coat. The Sukhothai war documented.
Thailand · The Soup With No Chilli
Gaeng Jued
แกงจืด
The one mild dish on the Thai table — coriander-root broth, seasoned pork balls, glass noodles, tofu and toasted seaweed.
Isaan · The Soup That Isn't Tom Yum
Tom Saap
ต้มแซ่บ
Pork ribs boiled with galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime, soured with lime or tamarind, finished with roasted chilli and toasted rice — Isaan's coconut-free tom yum.
Thailand · The Breakfast Bowl
Khao Tom
ข้าวต้ม
Rice bloomed in a garlic, peppercorn and coriander-root stock, topped with seasoned pork and crisp fried garlic — the bowl that sits beside the omelette.
Thailand · The Smoky Sour Broth
Tom Klong
ต้มโคล้ง
The smoky Central-Thai sour soup: grilled fish simmered with dry-roasted galangal, lemongrass and shallots, soured with tamarind — salty-sour, no sugar, all smoke.
Thailand · Seafood Hot Pot
Po Taek
โป๊ะแตก
Thailand's clear, hot-and-sour seafood hot pot: lemongrass and chilli pounded coarse, holy basil, and mixed seafood in a lime-sharp broth. Thai.
Thailand · Five-Spice Egg Stew
Kai Palo
ไข่พะโล้
Pork belly and boiled eggs braised in a sweet five-spice stew — palm sugar caramelised with garlic, coriander root and pepper, then star anise.
Thailand · Mixed Herb Soup
Kaeng Liang
แกงเลียง
Thailand's peppery vegetable soup: pumpkin, loofah, baby corn and bai maenglak leaves in a lightly cloudy broth pounded from peppercorns, dried.
Thailand · Mushroom Tom Kha
Tom Kha Hed
ต้มข่าเห็ด
The vegetarian tom kha: mixed mushrooms simmered in coconut milk with toasted galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, sharpened with tamarind.
Central Thai · Coconut Soup
Tom Kha Moo
ต้มข่าหมู
The pork cousin of tom kha gai — coconut galangal soup with tender pork and straw mushrooms.
Central Thai · Rice Soup
Khao Tom Pla
ข้าวต้มปลา
Thai rice soup with fish and ginger — the gentle breakfast porridge served with fermented soy bean sauce.
Central Thai · Creamy Soup
Tom Yum Goong Nam Khon
ต้มยำกุ้งน้ำข้น
The creamy tom yum — prawns in a rich, chilli-red broth enriched with evaporated milk and chilli jam.
Central Thai · Coconut Soup
Tom Kati Sai Bua
ต้มกะทิสายบัว
Coconut soup with lotus stems and mackerel — delicate, aromatic, the gentlest dish in the Thai canon.
Thailand · The Noodleless Broth
Kao Lao
เกาเหลา
Thai clear-broth soup served without noodles — slow-stewed beef, tendon or sliced pork in a skimmed-clean broth, finished with fried garlic, herbs and chilli-vinegar sauce.
Salads
ยำ & ส้มตำ 32 recipes
Thailand · Isaan & Central
Som Tum Thai
ส้มตำไทย
The classic green papaya salad, done properly: mortar-pounded with a four-flavour balance of sour, sweet, salty and hot. Recipe from a Michelin-recommended som tum chef — plus the whole som tum family mapped.
Isaan · The Guest-Honouring Dish
Laab
ลาบ
The real Isaan minced meat salad: khao khua toasted rice powder (with makrut leaves, the Bib Gourmand way), hot-salty-sour balance, fresh herbs matched to the meat.
Thailand · The Salad Named for the Waterfall
Nam Tok
น้ำตก
Grilled pork neck sliced warm, dressed in its own juices with lime, fish sauce, toasted rice and mint — the Isaan waterfall salad.
Thailand · The Salad Where the Dressing Is Everything
Yum Neua
ยำเนื้อย่าง
Grilled sirloin, rested and sliced against the grain, dressed warm with a pounded lime-fish-chilli paste balanced in the bowl before it touches the meat. The bitter-lime lesson included.
Thailand · The Lime-Sharp Noodle Salad
Yum Woon Sen
ยำวุ้นเส้น
Chewy glass noodles tossed in lime, fish sauce and sugar with fried peanuts, crisp dried shrimp and tomato — the ancient dry version, not the puddle.
Isaan · The Full-Strength Version
Som Tum Pu Pla Ra
ส้มตำปูปลาร้า
Papaya salad at full Isaan strength — pounded salted crab, boiled pla ra, chillies and garlic, lime sharp.
Thailand · The Salad That Eats Like A Cloud
Yam Pla Duk Foo
ยำปลาดุกฟู
Catfish fried into a crisp golden raft under sour mango salad — the raft school or the whole-fish school.
Thailand · The Cheap-And-Fierce Classic
Yam Mama
ยำมาม่า
Instant noodles tossed in lime and chilli with canned fish — the dorm-room salad Thailand never outgrew.
Thailand · The Palace Prawn Salad
Pla Goong
พล่ากุ้ง
Prawns blanched to tenderness, tossed with fine-sliced lemongrass, makrut leaf and a lime-chilli dressing.
Thailand · The Royal Fruit Salad
Yam Som O
ยำส้มโอ
Pomelo tossed with roasted coconut, dried shrimp and fried shallots in a palm-sugar-and-tamarind coconut-cream dressing.
Thailand · The Fried-Egg Salad
Yam Khai Dao
ยำไข่ดาว
Crispy fried eggs tossed in a tangy, sweet-sour Thai dressing with fresh vegetables. This beloved salad transforms the humble fried egg into a refreshing, flavourful dish.
Thailand · The Northern Stir-Fry
Laab Mu Kua
ลาบหมูคั่ว
A fragrant northern Thai speciality where ground pork is stir-fried with aromatic spices until dry and deeply flavoured. Unlike raw Isaan laab, this Lanna version is fully cooked.
Thailand · The Pot You Must Not Stir
Tom Yum Pla
ต้มยำปลา
Fish dropped into fiercely boiling tom yum broth and never stirred, lime squeezed in off the heat — clear or creamy.
Thailand · The Quiet Soup
Tom Jeud Tao Hu
ต้มจืดเต้าหู้หมูสับ
Pork balls kneaded with ice-cold water, shiitake soaking water for sweetness, silky egg tofu added last.
Thailand · The Early-Morning Bowl
Tom Luad Mu
ต้มเลือดหมู
Clear pork bone broth poured over blood, offal and greens, each blanched to order — never one-pot boiled.
Thailand · The Winged-Bean Salad
Yam Tua Pu
ยำถั่วพู
Crisp winged beans blanched a moment, dressed with coconut cream, dried shrimp and the lime-chilli toss.
Thailand · The Sour Green Salad
Yum Mamuang
ยำมะม่วง
Shredded sour green mango tossed with palm sugar, dried shrimp and chillies — the salad that bites back.
Thailand · The Jackfruit Salad
Yam Khanun
ยำขนุน
Young jackfruit pounded with aromatics, chilli and funk — the northern salad built from one fruit.
Thailand · Duck Laab
Laab Ped
ลาบเป็ด
Northern Thai duck laab: duck meat and offal chopped coarsely and cooked, dressed with toasted spices, lime juice, fish sauce and roasted rice.
Thailand · Salted Egg Salad
Yum Kai Kem
ยำไข่เค็ม
Thai salted duck egg salad with tangy lime dressing and fresh herbs. A simple yet flavourful dish that balances creamy salted eggs with zesty.
Northern Thai · Pounded Salad
Tum Kha Mu
ตำข่าหมู
Boiled pork trotter, torn warm from the bone, pounded in the mortar with young galangal, chillies and lime — the north's party salad.
Isaan · Beef Larb
Larb Neua
ลาบเนื้อ
Beef, toasted rice, shallots, mint and lime — Isaan's signature salad, ordered cooked, raw or bitter depending on nerve.
Isaan · Raw Beef Salad
Koi Nuea
ก้อยเนื้อ
Raw beef tossed with blood, bile, chilli and fresh herbs — Isaan's sharpest salad, with a cooked koi khua alternative.
Isaan · Catfish Larb
Laab Pla Duk
ลาบปลาดุก
Grilled catfish flaked and tossed with toasted rice, shallots, mint and chilli — the Isaan larb built on fish instead of meat.
Isaan · Papaya Salad
Som Tum Mua
ส้มตำมั่ว
The papaya salad with everything in the mortar — noodles, pickled greens and pla ra.
Central Thai · Noodle Salad
Yum Wun Sen
ยำวุ้นเส้น
Glass noodles, minced pork and prawns in a hot-sour lime dressing — the lightest of the yum family.
Northern Thai · Chicken Larb
Laab Gai
ลาบไก่
Minced chicken larb with toasted rice, dried chilli and herbs — bright, sharp, endlessly scoopable.
Central Thai · Noodle Salad
Yam Khanom Jeen
ยำขนมจีน
The viral khanom jeen salad — fermented rice vermicelli tangled in pla ra, lime, and a riot of herbs.
Thailand · The Seafood Salad
Yum Talay
ยำทะเล
Prawns and squid tossed in a pounded chilli, lime and fish-sauce dressing — sour, salty and hot.
Thailand · The Roast-Duck Salad
Yum Ped Yang
ยำเป็ดย่าง
Roast duck with crispy skin tossed with shallots, tomato, cucumber and herbs in a chilli-lime dressing.
Thailand · The Fried Fish Salad
Yum Pla Tod
ยำปลาทอด
Deep-fried whole sea bass under a sharp salad of shallots, chillies, herbs and sour mango.
Thailand · The Tofu Yum
Yum Tofu
ยำเต้าหู้
Thai crispy tofu salad — golden fried tofu tossed in lime-fish-sugar dressing with ginger, shallots and chillies, served over lettuce with peanuts.
Curries
แกง 26 recipes
Thailand · The Nation's Favourite
Thai Green Curry
แกงเขียวหวาน
The curry Thais eat more than pad thai — from scratch. A 14-ingredient pounded paste from a Michelin-starred chef, cracked coconut cream, pea aubergines, and the green colour it's named for.
Thailand · The Curry That Means "Spicy"
Red Curry
แกงเผ็ด
Dried-chilli paste pounded from scratch, coconut cream cracked until the oil splits, pork and aubergines finished with Thai basil and kaffir lime. The older duck-and-pineapple kaeng daeng documented.
Thailand · The Curry That Runs on Curry Powder
Yellow Curry
แกงกะหรี่
Chicken simmered in coconut milk with potato, onion, bay leaf and palm sugar — the mild, golden curry of the Muslim-community lineage, served with ajad.
Thailand · The World's #1 Stew
Panang Curry
พะแนง
The curry TasteAtlas ranked #1 stew: beef braised in coconut milk, a from-scratch paste, ground peanuts stirred into the curry as it reduces, pickled shallots on the side. No lime.
Thailand · The World's #1
Massaman Curry
แกงมัสมั่น
The curry CNN ranked the world's best food: a 16-ingredient spice paste — nutmeg, mace, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves — cracked coconut cream, potatoes and tamarind. Peanuts as a finish, never a sauce.
Thailand · The Sour Curry With No Orange
Gaeng Som
แกงส้ม
The sour curry named for its sourness: prawn meat pounded into the paste, tamarind and lime together, prawns curled to a C and no further. Southern turmeric version documented.
Thailand · The Fire Curry
Gaeng Pa
แกงป่า
The jungle curry — water-based, no coconut milk, loaded with vegetables and finished with green peppercorns.
Thailand · Three Regions, One Dry Curry
Kaeng Kua Gai
แกงคั่วไก่
Chicken fried in a spice-free curry paste with coconut cream until the oil splits, simmered dry with winter melon.
Thailand · The Curry Without Coconut
Gaeng Om
แกงอ่อม
Isaan herbal stew of chicken, pla ra, dill and toasted rice — no coconut milk.
Thailand · Burma's Curry, Lanna's Own
Kaeng Hang Lay
แกงฮังเล
Northern pork curry of Burmese origin — belly and neck marinated in a ginger-garlic paste, slow-simmered with tamarind, no coconut milk.
Thailand · The South's Fiercest Curry
Kaeng Tai Pla
แกงไตปลา
The south's fermented fish curry — strained tai pla broth, fresh pounded paste, grilled fish, no coconut milk. Complex, intense, and deeply regional.
Thailand · The Fence-Garden Curry
Kaeng Khae
แกงแค
Northern Thailand's greens curry — laab-style paste, makwaen pepper, and whatever the fence garden grows.
Thailand · The South's Sour Yellow
Kaeng Luang
แกงเหลือง
The south's yellow sour curry — turmeric and chillies pounded, soured with garcinia, fish dropped in last.
Thailand · The Isaan Bamboo Pot
Kaeng Nor Mai
แกงหน่อไม้
Bamboo shoots in a ya nang-leaf broth with fermented fish paste — Isaan's soupy curry.
Thailand · The Southern Dry Curry
Kua Kling
คั่วกลิ้ง
Minced pork dry-fried with southern curry paste until the oils run — the hottest curry without a drop of broth.
Thailand · The Pineapple Curry
Kaeng Kua Sapparod
แกงคั่วสับปะรด
Southern-style curry of prawns and pineapple — sour fruit, coconut milk, and the paste that smells of the coast.
Thailand · Fish in Chu Chee
Chu Chee Pla
ฉู่ฉี่ปลา
Fish in Thailand's richest curry — chu chee paste fried in coconut cream until the oil splits, then kaffir lime leaves and sliced red chilli. Thai.
Thailand · Crab Curry Fry
Poo Pad Pong Karee
ปูผัดผงกะหรี่
Crab stir-fried in a yellow curry-powder sauce of evaporated milk, egg and roasted chilli paste, finished with spring onion and celery. Thai sources.
Thailand · Roast Duck Curry
Kaeng Phed Pet Yang
แกงเผ็ดเป็ดย่าง
Cantonese roast duck in a red coconut curry with sour pineapple, cherry tomatoes, red grapes and pea aubergines — the fruit cuts the fat of the duck.
Southern Thai · Crab Curry
Gaeng Poo
แกงปูใบชะพลู
Blue swimmer crab simmered in coconut milk with a pounded southern paste and betel leaves — the south's celebration curry.
Phuket · Braised Pork
Moo Hong
หมูฮ้อง
Phuket's Hokkien braise — pork belly cooked slow in sweet soy, palm sugar and pepper until the sauce clings and the fat goes glassy.
Northern Thai · Jackfruit Curry
Gaeng Khanun
แกงขนุน
Young jackfruit simmered with pork ribs and tomatoes in a northern paste — a Lanna curry that makes a vegetable the star.
Thai · Chicken Curry
Gaeng Kari Gai
แกงกะหรี่ไก่
The Thai take on yellow curry — chicken and potatoes in coconut milk with turmeric and curry powder, sweet and mild.
Central Thai · Sour Curry
Gaeng Som Cha-Om Kai
แกงส้มชะอมไข่
Sour curry with prawns and a cha-om omelette floated in — the herbal, eggy sponge that drinks the hot-sour broth.
Northern Thai · Pork Jelly
Kaeng Kradang
แกงกระด้าง
Lanna's winter curry — trotter simmered with a pounded garlic-peppercorn paste, left overnight to set into savoury jelly.
Northern Thai · Mix Curry
Kaeng Ho
แกงโฮะ
The northern curry born from temple leftovers — hang lay stir-fried with glass noodles, bamboo and herbs.
Stir-Fries & Eggs
ผัด & ไข่ 35 recipes
Thailand · The One-Plate Meal
Pad Krapow
ผัดกะเพรา
Thailand's favourite one-plate meal: minced meat stir-fried at maximum heat with real holy basil, finished with a crispy runny-yolk egg over jasmine rice. Recipe from a Michelin-starred chef — plus the 1968 original.
Thailand · The Stir-Fry Named for Its Ginger
Pad Prik King
ผัดพริกขิง
Crispy pork belly tossed with a pounded chilli-ginger paste, long beans and hair-thin kaffir lime. The salted-egg version documented.
Thailand · The Omelette That Must Puff
Thai Omelette
ไข่เจียว
Eggs whisked to a froth with fish sauce and minced pork, fried puffy-crisp in hot oil, over rice with the prik nam pla chilli sauce.
Thailand · The Chinese-Thai Restaurant Classic
Cashew Chicken
ไก่ผัดเม็ดมะม่วงหิมพานต์
Floured chicken fried golden, roasted cashews, fried dried chillies and spring onion in an oyster-sauce gloss.
Thailand · The Thirty-Second Dish
Pad Pak Bung Fai Daeng
ผัดผักบุ้งไฟแดง
Morning glory tossed in a screaming-hot wok with pounded garlic, chillies and tao jiao — thirty seconds, done.
Thailand · The Ahan Tam Sang Classic
Pad Kana Moo Krob
คะน้าหมูกรอบ
Chinese broccoli flash-fried with garlic and chillies in oyster sauce, crispy pork belly folded in at the last second so the crackling stays loud.
Thailand · The Rice-Shop Staple
Pad Khing
ผัดขิง
Chicken through a hot wok with pounded garlic and a half-cup of ginger, wood-ear and a tao jiao gloss.
Thailand · The Herbal Chilli Storm
Pad Cha
ผัดฉ่า
Clams through a screaming wok under fingerroot, green peppercorns, kaffir lime and fresh chillies.
Thailand · The Dish With Two Identities
Pad Priew Wan
ผัดเปรี้ยวหวาน
Pork with pineapple, cucumber and tomato — the Thai original is vinegar and fish sauce; the Chinese-style uses ketchup.
Thailand · The Herb-Forward Stir-Fry
Pad Phet
ผัดเผ็ด
Pork fried with red curry paste, then buried in fingerroot, kaffir leaves and green peppercorns.
Thailand · The Slippery One
Pad Woon Sen
ผัดวุ้นเส้น
Glass noodles fried with egg — the purist pickled-garlic version or the full family version.
Thailand · The Deep South Stir-Fry
Pad Sator
ผัดสะตอ
Southern sataw (stink) beans stir-fried with shrimp paste, chillies, pork and prawns — lime squeezed in at the end.
Thailand · The Everything-Vegetable Stir-fry
Pad Phak Ruam
ผัดผักรวมมิตร
Whatever vegetables the market has, flash-fried with garlic, oyster sauce and your choice of shrimp or pork.
Thailand · The Roasted-Chilli-Paste Stir-fry
Pad Nam Prik Pao
ผัดน้ำพริกเผา
Seafood or pork tossed with nam prik phao until the paste breaks its oil — smoky, sweet and sticky.
Thailand · The Beef Krapow
Pad Krapow Nuea
ผัดกะเพราเนื้อ
Beef, holy basil and the chilli-garlic paste — the beef take on Thailand's national stir-fry.
Thailand · The Bean Sprout Stir-Fry
Pad Tua Ngok
ผัดถั่วงอก
Bean sprouts flash-fried with garlic and soy — the ninety-second stir-fry that stays crisp.
Thailand · The Everyday Bean Stir-Fry
Pad Tua Fak Yao
ผัดถั่วฝักยาว
Garlic in sesame oil, minced pork, and long beans dropped in last so they still crunch.
Thailand · Crispy Fish
Pla Rad Prik
ปลาราดพริก
A whole fish deep-fried until the skin crackles, dressed with a glossy hot sweet-sour chilli sauce of tamarind, palm sugar and fish sauce. Thai.
Thailand · Three-Flavour Fish
Pla Sam Rod
ปลาสามรส
Whole fish deep-fried until the skin shatters, then the three-flavour sauce — tamarind sour, palm sugar sweet, fresh chilli heat — poured over the.
Thailand · Clams in Chilli Jam
Hoi Lai Pad Nam Prik Pao
หอยลายผัดน้ำพริกเผา
Short-neck clams stir-fried in nam prik pao, Thailand's sweet-smoky roasted chilli jam, with garlic, bird's eye chillies, oyster sauce and Thai.
Thailand · Squid, Salted Egg
Pla Meuk Pad Kai Kem
ปลาหมึกผัดไข่เค็ม
Squid rings stir-fried in a golden sauce of salted duck egg yolks, roasted chilli jam and oyster sauce — the mid-2000s Thai restaurant craze. Thai.
Southern Thai · Fried Fish
Pla Tod Kamin
ปลาทอดขมิ้น
Whole fish rubbed with turmeric, garlic and salt, deep-fried crisp and crowned with fried garlic — the south's simplest feast.
Central Thai · Fried Fish
Pla Kapong Tod Nam Pla
ปลากะพงทอดน้ำปลา
Whole sea bass deep-fried crisp and lacquered with a hot fish-sauce caramel — the sharp, savoury restaurant classic.
Southern Thai · Stir-fry
Goong Pad Sataw
กุ้งผัดสะตอ
Prawns stir-fried with stink beans and a fiery southern red curry paste — pungent, hot and completely addictive.
Central Thai · Dry Curry Fry
Pad Phrik Khing
ผัดพริกขิง
Pork and yardlong beans stir-fried in a dry red curry paste — sweet, salty and fiercely fragrant.
Thailand · The One-Bottle Stir-Fry
Pad Nam Man Hoi
ผัดน้ำมันหอย
Pork or beef and vegetables fried hot with garlic and oyster sauce until glossy — the Thai weeknight stir-fry.
Isaan · The Whole-Fish Classic
Pla Pae Sa
ปลาแป๊ะซะ
Deep-fried whole fish with the garlic, chilli and coriander sauce — the Isaan classic.
Thailand · The Crispy Pork Stir-Fry
Pad Prik Gaeng Moo Krob
ผัดพริกแกงหมูกรอบ
Crispy pork belly stir-fried with red curry paste, long beans and kaffir lime leaves.
Thailand · The Chilli Stir-Fry
Pad Prig
ผัดพริก
Meat fried dry with pounded fresh chillies and garlic — the chilli-forward classic.
Thailand · The Garlic-Pepper Stir-Fry
Pad Kratiem Prik Thai
ผัดกระเทียมพริกไทย
Pork fried with pounded garlic and peppercorns, finished with a light oyster glaze.
Thailand · The Three Friends
Goong Pad Saam Sahai
กุ้งผัดสามสหาย
Thai garlic prawn stir-fry — king prawns with baby corn, mangetout and mushrooms in light soy and oyster seasoning, finished with crispy fried garlic.
Thailand · The Lamb Grill
Gae Yang
แกะย่าง
Thai-style grilled lamb — spice-rubbed or fish-sauce marinated, charcoal-grilled, served with jaew dipping sauce and sticky rice.
Thailand · The Honey Duck
Ped Op Nam Pueng
เป็ดอบน้ำผึ้ง
Honey-marinated duck roasted low and finished crisp.
Thailand · The Steamed Whole Fish
Pla Nueng See Lew
ปลานึ่งซีอิ๊ว
Whole fish steamed over ginger with hot soy-sesame dressing.
Thailand · The Baby Corn Stir-Fry
Pad Khao Pord Orn
ผัดข้าวโพดอ่อน
Baby corn wok-fried with prawns in a light oyster-soy glaze.
Noodles
ก๋วยเตี๋ยว 28 recipes
Thailand · The Noodle Diplomat
Pad Thai
ผัดไทย
The dish the world knows, done right: tamarind-palm-sugar-fish-sauce balance, sen chan noodles, dried shrimp and preserved radish. No ketchup. Technique from Bib Gourmand chefs, plus the 3-star Chaiya variant.
Thailand · The Chef-Killer Dish
Pad See Ew
ผัดซีอิ๊ว
Fresh wide rice noodles pre-coated in dark soy and charred in a very hot wok — the burnt edges are the point — with ice-water-marinated pork, egg and kale.
Thailand · The Noodles Named for a Drunk
Pad Kee Mao
ผัดขี้เมา
Wide rice noodles, a pounded chilli-garlic-shrimp-paste relish, holy basil and fresh green peppercorns. No alcohol in the wok — and all three styles documented.
Northern Thailand · Chiang Mai
Khao Soi
ข้าวซอย
Chiang Mai's curry noodle soup: egg noodles in a coconut-cream broth with a homemade spice paste, crowned with fried noodles. The dish TasteAtlas ranked the #1 soup in the world in 2022 — done the way northern Thailand actually makes it.
Thailand · The Pink Bowl
Yen Ta Fo
เย็นตาโฟ
Noodle soup dyed pink by fermented tofu — fish balls, crisp squid, water spinach and a fried wonton.
Thailand · The Noodle That Snaps
Mee Krob
หมี่กรอบ
Puffed rice vermicelli tossed in slow-reduced sweet-sour sauce with prawns and golden egg floss — the old palace party dish.
Thailand · The Dish With Two Schools
Khanom Jeen Nam Ya
ขนมจีนน้ำยา
Rice vermicelli under a pounded fish curry — the coconut school or the wild jungle school.
Thailand · The Wok-Charred Classic
Kuay Tiew Khua Gai
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวคั่วไก่
Wide rice noodles fried in lard until the edges char, chicken, tang chai and a lava egg.
Thailand · The Noodle Curry of the North
Khanom Jeen Nam Ngiao
ขนมจีนน้ำเงี้ยว
Fermented rice noodles under the north's tomato-and-pork curry — dried chillies and thua nao pounded to a paste, ngiao flowers softening in the broth.
Thailand · The Charred-Noodle Classic
Rad Na
ราดหน้า
Wide rice noodles charred in a screaming wok under a silky pork gravy with tao jiao and crisp kana.
Thailand · The Chinatown Bowl
Bamee Moo Daeng
บะหมี่หมูแดง
Springy yellow egg noodles in clean pork-bone broth under lacquered red roast pork, wontons and greens.
Thailand · The Canal Bowl
Guay Tiew Ruea
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ
The boat-sold bowl — dark broth of star anise, fermented tofu and blood, with pork, liver and crackling.
Thailand · The Dark Morning Bowl
Kuay Jap
ก๋วยจั๊บ
Rolled rice noodle sheets in a dark five-spice pepper broth with offal, blood cake, fried tofu and crispy pork.
Thailand · The Borrowed Hot Pot
Suki Thai
สุกี้ยากี้
Dashi broth, marinated pork and vegetables, and the red fermented-tofu dipping sauce.
Thailand · The Waterfall Noodle Soup
Kuay Tiew Nam Tok
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวน้ำตก
Boat-noodle broth enriched with blood and coconut milk, beef or pork, rice noodles and the spice bag.
Thailand · The Dry Egg Noodle Bowl
Bamee Haeng
บะหมี่แห้ง
Egg noodles tossed with dark soy, char siu and greens — the dry bowl that beats the soup version.
Thailand · The Chicken Noodle Bowl
Kuay Tiew Kai
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวไก่
Chicken noodle soup in clear or braised broth, bitter gourd on the side, pickled garlic in the pot.
Thailand · The Duck Noodle Bowl
Kuay Tiew Ped
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเป็ด
Duck noodle soup in a five-spice broth — the old-shop bowl Bangkok still queues for.
Thailand · The Chanthaburi Crab Noodles
Sen Chan Pad Poo
เส้นจันท์ผัดปู
Chanthaburi rice noodles stir-fried with crab meat in a sweet-savoury paste — the east coast's signature.
Thailand · The Paste-Free Khao Soi
Khao Soi Nam Na
ข้าวซอยน้ำหน้า
The northern khao soi without curry paste — a clear, tangy broth from Chiang Khong, sharpened with tomato.
Thailand · Korat Noodle Fry
Pad Mi Korat
ผัดหมี่โคราช
Korat's local noodle fry: dried rice vermicelli bundles stirred over low heat into a tamarind, palm sugar and fermented soybean paste sauce with pork.
Thailand · Summer Coconut Noodles
Khanom Jeen Sao Nam
ขนมจีนซาวน้ำ
Fresh rice noodles in lightly salted coconut cream with pineapple, young ginger, garlic, pounded dried shrimp and poached featherback fish balls.
Thailand · Wonton Egg Noodles
Bamee Kiao
บะหมี่เกี๊ยว
Egg noodles and hand-folded wontons in a clear pork-bone broth, topped with red barbecue pork, fried garlic and spring onion. Translated from.
Central Thai · Rice Noodles
Khanom Jin Nam Prik
ขนมจีนน้ำพริก
Fermented rice noodles under an old-style prawn nam phrik — pounded prawns, mung beans and coconut, sweet-sour-salty.
Central Thai · Coconut Noodles
Mee Kati
หมี่กะทิ
Pink coconut rice noodles with prawns — the festive central Thai mee, tinted red and topped with fried shallots.
Thai · Noodle Rolls
Kuay Tiew Lord
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวหลอด
Steamed rice noodle rolls filled with pork and tofu, scattered with fried garlic — the daytime sibling of pad thai.
Central Thai · Rice Vermicelli
Khanom Jeen Gaeng Nuea
ขนมจีนแกงเนื้อ
Rice vermicelli with a rich beef curry — the khanom jeen pairing for red-meat lovers.
Thailand · The Stewed-Beef Bowl
Kuay Dtiao Neua Dtoon
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเนื้อตุ๋น
Thai stewed beef noodle soup — beef braised with toasted Chinese spices in a clean dark broth over rice noodles, finished with fried garlic and chilli vinegar.
Rice Dishes
ข้าวราด 23 recipes
Thailand · The Dish Everyone Thinks They Can Cook
Khao Pad
ข้าวผัด
Day-old jasmine rice fried hard in a hot wok, garlic and pork and egg, tomato folded in gently, prik nam pla on the side. Plus the crab version that put a street stall in the Michelin Guide.
Thailand · The Dish Three Countries Claim
Khao Man Gai
ข้าวมันไก่
Thai chicken rice: whole chicken poached and rubbed in its own rendered fat, rice stir-fried in that fat with ginger and garlic, and the tao jiao dipping sauce that makes it Thai.
Thailand · The Dish That's Better Tomorrow
Khao Kha Mu
ข้าวขาหมู
Pork leg fried until the skin tightens, braised in palm-sugar caramel with cinnamon and star anise, rested overnight and reheated. Pickled mustard and sour chilli vinegar on the side.
Thailand · The Ten-Sided Plate
Khao Khluk Kapi
ข้าวคลุกกะปิ
Rice fried with shrimp paste, ringed by sweet pork, dried shrimp, kun chiang, egg, mango and lime.
Thailand · The Chinatown Plate
Khao Na Pet
ข้าวหน้าเป็ด
Five-spice duck, braised or roasted, sliced over rice and drowned in a sweet gravy made with its own drippings.
Thailand · The Rice That Arrives In Its Own Bowl
Khao Pad Saparot
ข้าวผัดสับปะรด
Curry-scented fried rice with prawns, Chinese sausage, raisins and cashews, served in the hollowed pineapple.
Thailand · The Special-Occasion Fried Rice
Khao Pad Poo
ข้าวผัดปู
Loose grains with wok-hei, sweet lump crab in two stages, and a squeeze of lime.
Thailand · Chicken Rice, Crisped
Khao Mun Gai Tod
ข้าวมันไก่ทอด
The fried-chicken version of Thai chicken rice — garlic-ginger chicken-fat rice under crisp battered chicken, with sweet chilli sauce.
Thailand · The Salad Songkhla Eats for Breakfast
Khao Yam
ข้าวยำ
The south's rice salad — butterfly-pea rice under a pile of shredded herbs, roasted coconut and dried shrimp, dressed with budu sauce.
Thailand · The Morning Bowl
Jok
โจ๊ก
Silky broken-rice porridge with bouncy pork balls, ginger and a soft egg.
Thailand · The Muslim Kitchen
Khao Mok Gai
ข้าวหมกไก่
Chicken marinated in yogurt and toasted spices, browned in butter, steamed over turmeric-stained jasmine rice.
Thailand · Sour Sausage Fried Rice
Khao Pad Naem
ข้าวผัดแหนม
Fried rice with sour fermented pork sausage — garlic, egg, and the lime that wakes it up.
Thailand · The Beef Biryani
Khao Mok Nuea
ข้าวหมกเนื้อ
Thai-style beef biryani — beef simmered in spiced milk broth, rice cooked in the same pot.
Thailand · The Banana-Leaf Parcel
Khao Tom Mat
ข้าวต้มมัด
Sticky rice, coconut milk and black beans wrapped in banana leaf and boiled until the parcels set sweet.
Thailand · The Lao Crispy Rice Salad
Nam Khao Tod
น้ำข้าวทอด
Curry-seasoned rice balls deep-fried, broken and tossed with fermented pork, herbs and peanuts — the Lao-Isaan classic.
Thailand · The Grilled Rice
Khao Jee
ข้าวจี่
Sticky rice seasoned and pressed, brushed with egg and grilled over charcoal — the roadside snack of the northeast.
Thailand · Red Pork Rice
Khao Moo Daeng
ข้าวหมูแดง
Red roast pork over jasmine rice: pork neck marinated in five-spice, honey and soy, roasted, then sliced over rice with gravy made from the marinade.
Thailand · Royal Summer Rice
Khao Chae
ข้าวแช่
Parboiled jasmine rice chilled in candle-smoked jasmine water, served with shrimp-paste fritters, stuffed sweet peppers and sweet fried salted.
Thailand · Chicken Gravy Rice
Khao Na Gai
ข้าวหน้าไก่
Soy-marinated chicken simmered in stock and finished with a glossy cornflour gravy, served over jasmine rice with green spur chillies and coriander.
Northern Thai · Steamed Rice
Khao Kan Jin
ข้าวกั๊นจิ๊น
Northern sticky rice kneaded with pork blood, steamed in banana leaf parcels — a market breakfast of Lanna.
Central Thai · Coconut Rice
Khao Man Som Tum
ข้าวมันส้มตำ
Coconut oil rice with papaya salad — the Thai two-bowl meal of fragrant rice and sharp som tum.
Thailand · The Coconut Baked Rice
Khao Op Ma Praow
ข้าวอบมะพร้าวอ่อน
Rice baked in a young coconut with prawns, pork and sausage.
Thailand · The Coconut Side
Khao Kathi
ข้าวกะทิ
Jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk with pandan — the plain coconut rice Thai cooks serve beside curries and som tam.
Desserts
ขนมหวาน 38 recipes
Thailand · The Coachella Dessert
Mango Sticky Rice
ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง
Steamed glutinous rice folded hot with salted coconut cream and pandan, ripe mango, salted cream sauce, fried mung beans. The salt is the dish.
Thailand · Rubies in Coconut Milk
Tab Tim Grob
ทับทิมกรอบ
Water chestnuts dyed ruby-red, rolled in tapioca, boiled and shocked into translucent jewels with crisp hearts — served cold in scented syrup under salted coconut cream.
Thailand · The Fritters of the Street Vendors
Thai Banana Fritters
กล้วยแขก
Nam wah bananas in a rice-flour batter with coconut, sesame and lime water, fried with pandan in the oil — the crack, not the chew.
Thailand · The Pancakes of the Sizzling Pan
Kanom Krok
ขนมครก
Rice-flour batter with cooked jasmine rice and lime water, coconut cream poured on top, spring onion and corn — crisp shell, custard heart.
Thailand · The Dessert in Little Cups
Kanom Tuay
ขนมถ้วย
Palm sugar and pandan custard under salted coconut cream, steamed in tiny porcelain cups until the top splits into little fat eyes.
Thailand · The Hottest-Day Dessert
Lod Chong
ลอดช่อง
Green pandan rice-flour strands pressed into ice water, served in sweet coconut milk with jackfruit.
Thailand · The Warm Bowl
Kluay Buat Chi
กล้วยบวชชี
Kluay nam wa banana simmered in sweet coconut cream with pandan — the hot dessert of the Thai home kitchen.
Thailand · The Custard Inside The Pumpkin
Sangkaya Fak Thong
สังขยาฟักทอง
Palm-sugar coconut custard steamed inside a whole pumpkin, sliced into wedges at the table.
Thailand · The Breakfast That Tastes Like Dessert
Khao Niew Sangkaya
ข้าวเหนียวสังขยา
Coconut-mooned sticky rice under warm palm-sugar pandan custard.
Thailand · The Custard With The Burnt Face
Khanom Mo Kaeng
ขนมหม้อแกง
Phetchaburi's baked coconut custard — mung bean or taro, with fried shallots and a caramelised top.
Thailand · The Floating Lotus
Bua Loy
บัวลอย
Glutinous-rice balls in taro, pumpkin and pandan colours floating in salted-sweet coconut milk, sweet egg optional.
Thailand · The Nine-Layer Sweet
Khanom Chan
ขนมชั้น
White and pandan-green batter steamed one thin layer at a time until the cake peels apart like pages.
Thailand · The Market Crisp
Khanom Buang
ขนมเบื้อง
Crisp little crepes spread with sweet meringue and foi thong — the old market dessert Thailand still queues for.
Thailand · The Mixed-Dessert Bowl
Ruam Mit
รวมมิตร
Tapioca jelly pieces, beans and roots in sweet coconut milk with jasmine syrup — the bowl that has a bit of everything.
Thailand · The Pumpkin Sweet
Fak Thong Kaeng Buat
ฟักทองแกงบวช
Pumpkin chunks simmered in sweet coconut milk — warm, gentle and cheap.
Thailand · The Auspicious Cupcake
Khanom Thuai Fu
ขนมถ้วยฟู
Yeast-leavened rice batter steamed in little cups until the top cracks and flowers.
Thailand · The Coconut Ice Cream
Itim Kathi
ไอติมกะทิ
Old-style coconut ice cream — freeze, blend, refreeze, served over sticky rice with peanuts.
Thailand · The Durian Sticky Rice
Khao Niew Durian
ข้าวเหนียวทุเรียน
Sticky rice in coconut cream with durian cooked into the sauce — the king of fruit meets the king of desserts.
Thailand · The Pounded Young Rice
Khao Mao
ข้าวเม่า
Pounded young rice moistened with pandan water and tossed with coconut — the dessert of the harvest.
Thailand · The Custard Toast
Khanom Pang Sangkaya
ขนมปังสังขยา
Pandan or egg custard spooned over toast — the market breakfast in a dipping bowl.
Thailand · The Golden Flower
Thong Yip
ทองหยิบ
Egg-yolk batter dropped into syrup and pinched into little golden flowers — the auspicious nine in every set.
Thailand · The Golden Drop
Thong Yod
ทองหยอด
Egg-yolk drops poached in a furious syrup until they set into teardrops — the sweet of nine auspicious drops.
Thailand · The Golden Thread
Foi Thong
ฝอยทอง
Egg-yolk threads spun through hot syrup and folded into nests — the Portuguese sweet Thailand made its own.
Thailand · Coconut Cup Puddings
Khanom Tako
ขนมตะโก้
Pandan-scented rice-flour pudding with diced water chestnuts, set in small banana-leaf cups and finished with a salty coconut cream top. Thai sources.
Thailand · Pandan Thread Dessert
Sarim
ซ่าหริ่ม
Mung bean flour threads pressed through a sarim press into ice water, served in sweet coconut cream over crushed ice — an Ayutthaya-era Thai sweet.
Thailand · Bamboo Sticky Rice
Khao Lam
ข้าวหลาม
Sticky rice soaked in sweet, salted coconut milk with black beans, packed into bamboo tubes and roasted upright over charcoal until the rice steams.
Thailand · Sugar-Floss Roti
Roti Sai Mai
โรตีสายไหม
Paper-thin crepes wrapped around sai mai, hand-pulled brown-sugar threads — Ayutthaya's famous sweet, from the SGE Thai recipe and other Thai sources.
Thailand · Steamed Banana Cake
Khanom Kluay
ขนมกล้วย
Thailand's steamed banana and coconut cake: ripe nam wa bananas kneaded with rice flour, tapioca starch, coconut cream and grated coconut, then.
Thailand · Shaved Ice
Nam Kang Sai
น้ำแข็งใส
Fine shaved ice mounded over bread and sweet toppings, then drenched with red sala syrup and condensed milk — Thailand's classic shaved-ice dessert.
Thailand · Sweet Sticky Rice
Khao Niew Piak
ข้าวเหนียวเปียก
Sticky rice boiled into a warm, sweet porridge — longan in season, black rice for the old bowl — finished with salted coconut cream. Thai sources.
Royal Thai · Fruit Marzipan
Look Chup
ลูกชุบ
Mung bean paste cooked with coconut milk and sugar, shaped into miniature fruits, hand-painted and dipped in agar jelly until glassy — the Portuguese.
Royal Thai · Layered Cake
Kanom Chan
ขนมชั้น
Tapioca starch, rice flour and arrowroot with coconut milk, steamed one thin layer at a time — pandan green over coconut white, nine layers for luck.
Thai · Black Sticky Rice
Khao Niew Tua Dum
ข้าวเหนียวถั่วดำ
Black sticky rice and black beans steamed with coconut milk, topped with salted coconut cream — warm, purple and comforting.
Thai-Chinese · Dough Sticks
Patongko
ปาท่องโก๋
Crisp yeasted dough sticks fried in pairs, dipped in pandan sangkaya and condensed milk.
Central Thai · Palm Sugar Cake
Kanom Tan
ขนมตาล
Steamed palm sugar cakes — the golden, honey-scented sweets made from ripe toddy palm fruit.
Central Thai · Crispy Crepe
Khanom Tang Taek
ขนมถังแตก
The sweet crepe that crackles — crispy edges folded over hot sweet fillings, sold from a round iron pan.
Royal Thai · Jackfruit Sweets
Met Khanun
เม็ดขนุน
Royal jackfruit seed sweets — golden pellets shimmering in jasmine syrup, a palace dessert turned street treat.
Central Thai · Mung Bean Dessert
Tao Suan
เต้าส่วน
Warm mung bean and coconut dessert — the sweet soup sold at morning markets with fried dough sticks.
Drinks
เครื่องดื่ม 14 recipes
Thailand · The Drink With a Colour Story
Thai Iced Tea
ชาไทย
Spiced black tea steeped strong, condensed milk, full ice, evaporated milk poured over the top. Why it's orange, and why Thailand argues about the name.
Thailand · The Sweet Black Coffee of the Old Cafés
Thai Iced Coffee
กาแฟเย็น
The sock-brewed coffee of the old cafés — condensed milk in the glass, evaporated poured over full ice — and the café es yen built on a double shot. Both versions.
Thailand · The Stall Classic
Thai Lemon Iced Tea
ชามะนาว
Thai tea brewed dark, sweetened with a pinch of salt, cut with fresh lime over ice — cha yen without the milk.
Thailand · The Pink Drink
Nom Yen
นมเย็น
Red sala syrup, condensed milk and fresh milk over ice with an evaporated-milk drizzle — the café pink glass.
Thailand · The Cart Coffee
Oliang
โอเลี้ยง
Traditional Thai coffee — beans roasted with corn and tamarind seeds — sock-brewed dark, sweetened, over ice.
Thailand · The Green Glass
Cha Kiao Yen
ชาเขียวเย็น
Thai iced green tea — matcha or green syrup, condensed milk and fresh milk over ice.
Thailand · The Pulled-Tea Cooler
Cha Manao
ชามะนาว
Pulled Thai red tea over ice, sharpened with fresh lime and the pinch of salt nobody expects.
Thailand · The Herbal Cooler
Nam Takrai
น้ำตะไคร้
Lemongrass and pandan simmered into a pale green herbal drink, sweetened and iced.
Thailand · The Fence-Line Flower
Nam Dok Anchan
น้ำดอกอัญชัน
Butterfly pea flowers steeped into a blue drink that turns purple with lime.
Thailand · The Green Cooler
Nam Bai Toey
น้ำใบเตย
Pandan leaves boiled into a pale green, sweet-scented herbal drink — sugar, a pinch of salt, ice.
Thailand · The Cart's Dark Glass
Cha Dum Yen
ชาดำเย็น
Strong pulled Thai tea, brown sugar, ice — the street cart's milk-free black tea. Simple, refreshing, and deeply caffeinated.
Thailand · The Street Cart's Glass
Nam Manao
น้ำมะนาว
Limes rolled hard and squeezed, cooled sugar syrup, ice-cold water and the street-stall pinch of salt.
Thailand · The Young Coconut Glass
Nam Ma Prao On
น้ำมะพร้าวอ่อน
Young coconut water and soft flesh over ice, sweetened with pandan syrup — raw, roasted or simmered warm.
Thailand · Roselle Drink
Nam Krajiab
น้ำกระเจี๊ยบ
Dried roselle calyxes simmered until the water turns deep ruby, sweetened and rounded with a pinch of salt, then chilled or poured over ice —.
Nam Phrik & Dips
น้ำพริก 12 recipes
Thailand · The Pork-and-Tomato Dip of the North
Nam Phrik Ong
น้ำพริกอ่อง
The northern Thai dip of pounded dried chilli paste fried with fatty minced pork and tomatoes until the tomato collapses.
Thailand · The Smoky Green Chilli Dip
Nam Phrik Num
น้ำพริกหนุ่ม
Young green chillies, shallots and garlic grilled until blistered black, peeled and pounded with salt — the north's simplest dip.
Thailand · The Shrimp-Paste Chilli Dip
Nam Phrik Kapi
น้ำพริกกะปิ
Chillies, garlic and shrimp paste pounded with palm sugar, lime and fish sauce — the dip that anchors the Thai table.
Thailand · The Pounded Mackerel Dip
Nam Phrik Pla Too
น้ำพริกปลาทู
Mackerel pounded in the mortar with roasted chillies, garlic and shallots — the fish dip of the Thai lunch table.
Thailand · The Toasted-Rice Dip
Nam Jim Jaew
น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว
The Isaan table dip built on toasted rice powder: fish sauce, tamarind water, lime and chilli balanced sour, salty, spicy and a little sweet.
Thailand · Lanna's Herbal Dip
Nam Phrik Kha
น้ำพริกข่า
Roasted galangal and dried chillies pounded fine, dry-fried into a hot herbal paste that keeps a month.
