Joanna James
Sweet, sour, spicy and succulent Thai dishes are famous all over the world. As Thai cuisine has taken the world by storm, here are some quintessentially Thai dishes to try during your holiday there.
If a dish were to scream Thailand, this would be it. Whether you are in Bangkok or looking to dine at far away khon kaen restaurants, you'll definitely numerous places ready to whip up a delectable Pad Thai. You get to choose whether you want thin or broad noodles with your onion, bean sprouts and egg. All the ingredients then go into a hot wok just come out of it in a crunchy, crisp yet succulent bunch of goodness. You can also choose your condiment to go with the dish from fish sauce, powdery chilli, peanuts and of course fish sauce. Dump sprinkles and dashes of all condiments into your bowlful or plateful of Pad Thai for heavenly bites.
Whether you dine at a street food cart or go to a restaurant at one of the resorts such as Avani Khon Kaen Hotel & Convention Centre, the aroma of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal and fish sauce will entice you if they are serving Tom Yum Goong. The dish is a herb-infused soup made out of freshly caught prawn and delicious straw mushroom.
Som Tum combines sweet, sour and spicy flavours all in one. Another famous Thai dish, Som Tum is made of raw papaya crushed in a pestle and mortar with cloves of garlic, green beans, fiery red chillies and cherry tomatoes along with bean sprouts and sometimes peanuts. Some regions throw in dry shrimp or salted crab to make the dish even more interesting.
This one offers a twist to the famous Tom Yum soup. The trick is to add creamy coconut milk to soften the fiery attack of the spices used in traditional Tom Yum. The result is compelling. You, of course, get the traditional mix of galangal, shallots, lemongrass, spicy kick of chillies and of course strips of chicken tender to the bite.
Laap is a rustic dish. It contains minced meat mixed with lime, fish sauce, rice powder and plenty of herbs. You can eat it with sticky rice.
This rich red curry dish is made of meat mixed with red curry paste, creamy dashes of coconut cream and a handful of shredded kaffir lime leaves. The fragrant dish is at its best when they use morsels of tender meat.
Khao Pad is basically a fried rice dish served during lunch for the most part. It is simple, but the combination of fluffy rice, eggs, onion and fresh herbs lend it the characteristic comfort food taste. They usually serve it with cucumber and lime wedges on the side. You can load your plate of fried rice with crab, prawns, meat, vegetables and chilli mixes to add to the taste.
Yam can either be a side dish or a drinking snack. Thai people call it a salad, but it is a dish made of meat, seafood and noodles with a dressing that is both spicy and sour. They load it with fresh herbs for added crispness and flavour.
Pad Krapow Moo Saap is a one-dish lunch or dinner speciality. They fry pork in a hot wok with basil, large chillies, soy sauce, a sprinkling of sugar and green beans to make this popular concoction. The pork mix is served on white rice to make up a filling meal. Usually, you'll get a slightly runny fried egg on top of your Pad Krapow Moo Saap.
Yam Nua is a spicy beef salad. Morsels of tender beef are served with onions, spearmint fresh coriander leaves, a dash of lime, and dried chillies. Let your taste buds savour the invigorating thrill of Thai salad with Yam Nua.
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