It’s all too easy for modern restaurants to become overly creative with a Thai menu. Especially when Thai cuisine contains splashes of influence from nearby Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. To muddy the water even more, modern Thai dishes enjoy inspiration from European and Japanese cuisines, making truly authentic Thai food all the more elusive, but not impossible to hunt down.
When in Thailand, why not dine like the locals by seeking out traditional Thai recipes in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, or while island-hopping from Phuket? From restaurants on Sukhumvit Road to beachside open-air tables, you can easily find these must-try traditional Thai food anywhere in the “Land of Smiles”:
Massaman Curry
No one knows for sure where Massaman Curry originated from. Some historians suggest this rustic curry dish was brought over from Malaysia by Middle Eastern traders, others say it came from the Thai royal court. Either way, Massaman sets itself apart from other Thai curries with its usage of aromatic spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and anise. This spicy and savoury curry is usually made with a complex mix of ingredients including shallots, shrimp paste, tamarind paste, galangals, and lemongrass fried together in a pan with coconut cream. Some variations of Massaman contain a dash of orange juice or pineapple juice for additional tartness.
Pad Kra Prao
This minced pork and rice à la carte dish is known as the go-to dish for a Thai local when he is unsure about what to eat on a night out. Pad Kra Prao is typically served alongside steamed jasmine rice, with a side of minced pork stir-fried with Thai holy basil, and seasoned with fish sauce and chopped chilli. Other variations may include beef, chicken, or seafood ingredients stir-fried with basil, cowpeas, bamboo shoots, and topped with a fried egg.
Kao Ka Moo
This slow-braised stewed pork leg on rice dish can be found on almost every street corner in the city and is quite the spectacle to behold when watching it prepped at a Thai food cart. At roadside stalls, you’ll find pork legs simmering in large aluminum pots with soy sauce and five-spice powder until the meat is succulent enough to slide off the bone. Then, the pork strips are chopped on a large cutting board with cleavers before finally being served on a bed of rice alongside bok choi, pickled vegetables, and boiled eggs with custard yolk.
Khao Soi
Khao Soi is an iconic northern Thai staple that originated from nearby Myanmar and Laos. This yellow curry rice noodle soup enjoys many different styles and can be found almost anywhere in Chaing Mai, from roadside kitchens to fine-dining restaurants. In a single bowl, you’ll find both boiled egg noodles and deep-fried egg noodles steeped in curry soup and topped with green shallots, pickled cabbage, minced pork or chicken leg. Each serving usually comes with condiments like oil-fried chilli paste, coriander, and lime on the side. With hundreds of variations found across northern Thailand, you’ll find the debate for the best Khao Soi, especially in Chiang Mai, to be quite heated but has no apparent winner.
Yam Nua (Beef Salad)
This beef salad is a popular dish to make in a Phuket cooking class. Both spicy and zesty, Yam Nua is a refreshing alternative to the ubiquitous mango salad. Made with thinly sliced grilled beef tenderloin strips, tossed alongside sprigs of fresh spearmint, chopped shallots, onions, garlic, and chilis, then seasoned with lime juice and fish sauce, Yam Nua excites the palate with both heat and acidity. Try ordering Yam Nua before an entree or pair it with a cocktail while dining at a beachside restaurant, you’ll find this dish complements every meal.
Pad Woon Sen (Stir-fried Glass Noodles)
Although not as flashy as pad thai, Pad Woon Sen, a stir-fried cellophane noodle dish, is highly versatile and popular in Thailand. The mung bean noodles are normally pre-soaked before frying in a wok with prawns, shallots, garlic cloves, vegetables, and scrambled eggs. Then, a dash of oyster sauce is added for seasoning. Each plate of Woon Sen is typically garnished with bean sprouts or chopped coriander. When in Thailand, think twice before shrugging off this dish, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the many styles it can come in.
Kway Teow (noodle soup)
As simple as a bowl of Kway Toew comes across to the average diner, ordering one in Thailand can be an eye-opening experience. For those stumbling across a crowded roadside kitchen in Bangkok, you’ll usually find menus on the walls listing different types of noodles, soup, seasoning, and ingredients. Diners can mix and match these combinations however they want. But the most commonly ordered Kway Teow Moo comes with rice noodles, pork tenderloins, offal, minced meat, fish balls, and vegetables. Each bowl is served with a plate of condiments including bean sprouts, chilli paste, lime, and chopped coriander. While in Bangkok, try sitting down at different noodle houses and discover your favourite style and combination of Kway Teow.
Hor Mok Ma Prow Awn (seafood coconut curry)
It’s not every day you get to eat curry straight out of a whole coconut. With Hor Mok Prow Awn, coconut lovers can rejoice with a seafood red curry dish cooked with coconut cream and flesh before being poured into a hollowed-out young coconut. After it has been steam-cooked for a short period, the finished curry bowl fills the room with the fragrant scent of coconut, spices, and curry. When digging in, you’ll get spoonfuls of prawns, chopped squid, and soup mixed with kaffir lime leaves and galangals. You can hunt down this uniquely Thai dish when out and about in Bangkok or while island hopping.
Pla Kapung Neung Manao (Steamed lime fish)
This fish entree is a crowd-pleaser both at home and abroad. Authentic Thai food lovers know Pla Kapung Neung Manao well as the “steamed lime fish” dish. Take one whole Asian seabass, steamed until the fillet is moist and fluffy, then, after soaking in lime soup, serve it with diced garlic, chilli, and cilantro. You can find this classic dish anywhere in Thailand and it pairs best with a side of jasmine rice.
Mango Sticky Rice
This popular traditional dessert is the final highlight of any authentic Thai meal. After downing several heavily spiced dishes, it’s the mango sticky rice to the rescue. At a glance, the mango sticky rice seems deceptively simple, but it’s a dessert made from two unlikely combinations: mango slices and sweet glutinous rice. When eaten together, the tartness of the mango is balanced out by the coconut milk infused sticky rice, which offers a mild, creamy flavour similar to rice pudding. Some variations of the dessert come with sweet coconut cream drizzled over the sticky rice, topped with a few sprinkles of roasted mung beans or sesame.