When it comes to food, Thai cuisine is definitely on the top of our list. It is absolutely one of the most delicious and versatile cuisine out there as it offers so many varieties of Thai dishes, which can be cooked in many styles. The best part is that it is extremly vegan and vegeterian friendly because all you have to do is remove the meat or dairy ingredients.

So here’s some of our favorite Thai dishes that we just can’t live without.

Warning: this post is going to send your food cravings through the roof. Forget wanderlust, you’re going to have foodlust!

Nam Tok

Thailand gives salad a completely different name. Originated from North Eastern part of the country (Isan) and Laos, one of the most delicious and spicy salad known as Nam Tok is to die for. Literally trasnlated, it means ‘waterfall’, because there is some still water or juice in the salad.

The salad is made with chicken, meat or pork, which is mixed with ground roasted rice, dried chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, shallots, mint leaves and shallots. Best way to enjoy this dish is by itself or with a plate of sticky rice.

A photo posted by Tom (@yum_bai) on

Usually at street vendors, they have the meat already cooked or it is quickly cooked it in boiling water and then mixed/tossed with the ingredients in a large pan.

We’re not sure how you could have a vegetarian version of this (perhaps replace the meat with tofu or no meat at all) but to be honest that would take away the flavor of the dish altogether.

Pad Kra Pao

Pad krap pao or stir fry basil is one of the most common Thai dishes. It’s what everyone eats as staple food when they don’t know what to cook or order.

The recipe is pretty simple and it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and cook. The main ingredients you need are:

  • Garlic
  • Thai holy basil
  • Thai chilies or any type of red chilies
  • Oyster sauce
  • Soy sauce (light and dark)
  • Vegetables and/or meat

basil chicken with rice

We usually make it with seafood, chicken or beef but you can easily make an equally delicious vegeterian version with fresh vegetables or tofu.

We have actually been on the lookout for the best Stir fry chicken with basil leaves across Bangkok. So far they all have been pretty good!

Ba Mee

Ba Mee or egg noodles is another favorite Thai dish we love but don’t have enough of. You can find these at almost every street food corner. Just look out for packets of noodles and ask them for Ba Mee. You can have it two ways – in a soup or dry (hang) so let them know which one you prefer.

Ba mee thai food

If the weather is too hot, we prefer the dry version but the soup one is definitely more delicious. We add in a bunch of condiments such as soy sauce, chili powder, fish sauce and peanuts to enhance the flavor. Again, another very versatile Thai dish.

Khao Man Gai

This is the Thai version of the famous Hainanese chicken rice. Basically the same concept, it is a plate of boiled chicken and rice cooked in chicken stock.

You’ll find this at every street food corner and food courts. It’s unmissable as the shop will have whole chicken hanging from the counter.

Khao man gai

Photo cr: nation multimedia

You may think what is so special about boiled chicken and rice? The truth is, it’s the spicy sauce and broth soup that comes with it, which truly makes this dish one of our top favorites. It’s often eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night after-drinks meal. Sorry vegetarians, there’s no alternative for you.

Nam Prik Pla Tu

This is Kanika’s all-time favorite, although I cannot agree. It definitely requires a special taste since the fish has a strong smell and taste. However, it is a Thai delicacy and a local favorite. 

 

A photo posted by @hungrybabes on

The dish is basically a Thai mackerel that comes with fresh vegetables and sweet/sour dipping sauce, which is made of fish bits, fish sauce, chilies and many other ingredients.

If you really want to try something new, different and non-touristy, this is it, NOT bugs at Khao San road.

Honorable Mentions

The above Thai dishes we mentioned are very staple, everyday type of dishes that we like to eat. However, there’s a whole list of Thai dishes that we wish we ate more of but cannot because they are either expensive or rare to find in Bangkok.

Northern Food

When we were in Chiang Mai we were really excited to try the delicacies there. So at a restaurant in the mountain, we ordered a bowl of Khao Soi, mushroom stir fry, and sai ua (northern Thai sausages). All so delicious!

Different types of Seafood

When we go to the beach, we just always have to eat the local seafood. Usually it’s the same all over Thailand so we’ve narrowed our favorite seafood dishes to the following:

Pla rad prik / pla sam rod – fried fish with sweet and spicy sauce

pla rad prik

Photo cr: commons.wikimedia.org

 Steamed glass noodles with shrimp

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Crab Curry

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Hungry yet? How many of these dishes have you tried or will try on your next trip to Thailand?