Traditional Thai Food sourced from an age-old rich culinary heritage has amazing delicacies to offer. The options are unlimited, and undoubtedly, this place is a foodie’s paradise. Almost every holiday memory, in general, involves our favorite culinary experiences. The way to every living being’s heart is through the stomach, and that is all the more true when we talk about Thailand.
Offbeat Culinary Experiences in Thailand present various opportunities to explore and enjoy an unforgettable gastronomic experience. This dining experience takes a whole new dimension because it is not only the food but also the way it is prepared is unique. From street food to gourmet preparations in upscale restaurants, Thai cuisines leave no stone unturned. Almost every dish is enriched with various herbs and spices to tingle your taste buds. The best part is that Thai Food is a healthy indulgence and is suitable even for weight watchers.
Here are some traditional Thai foods that you can find in Thailand:
1. Tom Yum Goong
One of the most famous dishes of Thailand, Tom Yum Goong, is a spicy and sour soup loaded with shrimp, vegetables, spices, and herbs. The origin of this dish is the central part of the country, but now, it has become a popular name in the list of best Thai foods. The flavors of fresh Thai chilies, galangal, fresh lime juice, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves are combined to create a healthy and soothing soup with a magical taste. The creamy version of this soup has mushrooms, coconut cream, and all the Thai ingredients, giving it a more aromatic flavor.
2. Pad Thai
A popular stir-fried noodle dish, Pad Thai combines rice noodles, shrimp or chicken, bean sprouts, eggs, tofu, peanuts, and a tangy sauce made from tamarind paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar.
It is the national food of Thailand, served as street food and the main dish in restaurants. Pad Thai is a stir-fried rice noodle dish prepared with chicken, shrimp, or tofu. The rice noodles are stir-fried with your choice of protein – be it tofu or meat and eggs. It is served with garlic chives, red chilli pepper, chopped roasted peanuts, turnips, and lime on the side. It is Thailand’s special food, which you must try at least once.
3. Green Curry (Kaeng Khiao Wan)
Made with coconut milk, fresh chiles, and curry paste, green curry (“geang keow wan”) is one of the most popular culinary exports of Thailand. As with pad Thai, the formal creation of Thai green curry didn’t happen until relatively recently. According to National Geographic, the first Thai cookbooks were written in the 1890s, and a recipe for green chili didn’t appear until a recipe book that was published in 1926. This is a much different story from massaman curry, which is known to be more than 300 years old.
4. Som Tum
Also known as green papaya salad, Som Tum is a refreshing and spicy salad made with shredded unripe papaya, tomatoes, green beans, peanuts, lime juice, fish sauce, and chili peppers.
5. Massaman Curry
Chicken, fish, or beef is cooked in coconut sauce, tamarind sauce, and potatoes and Thai herbs are used in this Traditional Thai Food. It is a Thai Muslim dish and has been a typical handed-down recipe for ages. The Massaman curry paste is unique, and it is difficult to identify the ingredients by tasting alone. You get a blast of flavours from one bite into the succulent meats.
6. Pad Kra Pao
This popular stir-fry dish typically consists of minced meat (pork, chicken, or beef) cooked with Thai holy basil, chili peppers, garlic, and soy sauce. It is commonly served with rice and topped with a fried egg.
7. Mango Sticky Rice
A delicious Thai dessert, Mango Sticky Rice combines fragrant glutinous rice, ripe mango slices, and sweet coconut sauce. It’s a delightful blend of textures and flavors.
8. Tom Kha Gai
Tom Kha Gai is another delicious soup, traditional in Thailand (and Laos), made with chicken and coconut milk. Aromatic, creamy, and slightly sour. Tom Kha Gai recipe‘s main ingredients are coconut milk, mushroom, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, chili, fish sauce, lemon juice, and chicken.
9. Satay
It is a world-famous dish and a favourite appetizer for many across the globe. It is one of the Offbeat Culinary Experiences in Thailand. Satay is typically served with peanut sauce as an accompaniment. Kids and adults will quickly fall in love with this dish. Flattened cubes of chicken meat are grilled on a wooden skewer and seasoned with various Thai herbs, including lemon grass and red chilli sauce. The peanut sauce, or chutney as they call it, is spicy and salty; however, it is a rich nourishing accompaniment. Nobody can stop with one helping of satay and will ask for more. In some restaurants, the satay is placed right on the dining table.
10. Khao Pad (Fried Rice)
Traditional fried rice dishes are common in many Asian countries and Thailand is no exception. “Khao pad” is the Thai term for fried rice, and it can be found at just about every street vendor and restaurant in Thailand. Ingredients like jasmine rice, Thai basil, cilantro, fish sauce, and Thais chiles differentiate khao pao from other types of fried rice. Beyond that, just about anything is fair game in spicy Thai fried rice.
