Joanna James
The collection of mouth-watering local dishes is something that almost all tourists to Thailand look forward to. Treat yourself to an assortment of local Thai dishes and taste your way through authentic Southeast Asian cuisine — an inviting experience that's sure to unleash the true foodie in you.
A dish that has become synonymous with Thai cuisine, pad thai is arguably Thailand's most recognised dish and is what introduced Southeast Asian cuisine to the world. Even for tourists vacationing in Thailand, the stir-fried rice noodles present a fantastic starting option for their exploration of Thai cuisine. Long rice noodles mixed with crunchy bean sprouts, shrimp, peanuts, a scrambled egg, and a variety of locally grown vegetables, all stir-fried in a searing hot wok, this tantalising Thai classic is unmissable in Thailand no matter how much you've had it back at home.
With its roots deeply embedded in Northern Thailand and influenced by neighbouring Laos, Tom Kha Gai is one of Thailand's most delicious national dishes. Tom Kha Gai — which translates to boiled galangal chicken soup — is a spicy and sour hot soup, that uses coconut milk as its primary ingredient, which is mixed with chunks or shredded chicken, galangal (Thailand's alternative to ginger), garlic, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves and shiitake mushrooms. The contrasting blend of coconut milk's creaminess and galangal's pungent flavour make for an interestingly flavourful and aromatic dish.
The aptly named Tom Yum is derived from two Thai words, where tom refers to the boiling process involved in the making of the dish and yum translates to "mixed". A combination of shrimp, mushrooms, shallots, chilli peppers, fish sauce, galangal, lime juice and lemongrass, tom yum is one of the most popular dishes in Thailand, so much so that different versions of the soup have emerged over the years, such as tom yum gai, with added chicken, and tom yum talay, with mixed seafood.
A traditional Thai dessert to your traditional Thai meal, Khao Niew Mamuang — or mango sticky rice, as tourists to Thailand are familiar — is a traditional dessert in all of Southeast Asia as well as a highly favoured delicacy in Thailand by locals and tourists alike. Slices of bright yellow, juicy fresh mango next to a bed of white sweetened sticky rice mixed with coconut milk served on a green banana leaf — the striking contrast of colours is a treat to the eyes as the mouth-watering blend of flavours is to the taste buds.
This simple yet incredibly delicious salad may have its origin in Isaan in Northeastern Thailand, but it is a dish that people throughout Thailand practically couldn't live without. Served at the best Bangkok restaurants, including the likes offered by Avani+ Riverside Bangkok Hotel, and eateries in other parts of the country, som tam is a green papaya salad that treats you to a flavourful spicy relish.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
