See our pages for
recommended
restaurants and drinking establishments - the list is
divided by the into districts of Bangkok with a separate page for each
area.
Thai cuisine is known for its balance of five
fundamental flavors in each dish or the overall meal - hot (spicy),
sour, sweet, salty and bitter (optional). Although popularly
considered as a single cuisine, Thai food is really better described
as four regional cuisines corresponding to the four main regions of
the country: Northern, Northeastern (or Isan), Central and Southern.
Southern curries, for example, tend to contain coconut milk and fresh
turmeric, while northeastern dishes often include lime juice. Thai
cuisine has been greatly influenced by its neighbors, especially
India, China, Malaysia, Laos. Many dishes are in fact Chinese dishes
adopted to local tastes.
Influence and Western popularity
Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of
fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices as well as fish sauce.
Thai food is popular in many Western countries
especially in Australia, New Zealand, some countries in Europe such as
the United Kingdom, as well as the United States, and Canada.
Serving
Instead of a single main course with side dishes
found in Western cuisine, a Thai full meal typically consists of
either a single dish or rice khao (Thai
: ข้าว) with many complementary
dishes served concurrently.
Rice is a staple component of Thai cuisine, as it
is of most Asian cuisines. The highly prized, sweet-smelling jasmine
rice is indigenous to Thailand. This naturally aromatic long-grained
rice grows in abundance in the verdant patchwork of paddy fields that
blanket Thailand's central plains. Steamed rice is accompanied by
highly aromatic curries, stir-frys and other dishes, incorporating
sometimes large quantities of chillies, lime juice and lemon grass.
Curries, stir-frys and others may be poured onto the rice creating a
single dish called khao rad gang (Thai: ข้าวราดแกง), a popular meal
when time is limited. Sticky rice khao neow (Thai: ข้าวเหนียว) is a unique
variety of rice that contains an unusual balance of the starches
present in all rice, causing it to cook up to a sticky texture. It is
the daily bread of Laos and substitutes ordinary rice in rural
Northern and Northeastern Thai cuisine, where Lao cultural influence
is strong.
Noodles, known throughout parts of Southeast Asia
by the Chinese name kwaytiow, are popular as well but usually come as
a single dish, like the stir-fried Pad Thai (Thai: ผัดไทย) or noodle soups. Many
Chinese cuisine are adapted to suit Thai taste, such as khuaytiow rue,
a sour and spicy rice noodle soup.
There is a uniquely Thai dish called nam prik
(Thai: น้ำพริก) which refers
to a chile sauce or paste. Each region has its own special versions.
It is prepared by crushing together chillies with various ingredients
such as garlic and shrimp paste using a mortar and pestle. It is then
often served with vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage and yard-long
beans, either raw or blanched. The vegetables are dipped into the
sauce and eaten with rice. Nam prik may also be simply eaten alone
with rice or, in a bit of Thai and Western fusion, spread on toast.
Thai food is generally eaten with a fork and a
spoon. Chopsticks are used rarely, primarily for the consumption of
noodle soups. The fork, held in the left hand, is used to shovel food
into the spoon. However, it is common practice for Thais and hill
tribe peoples in the North and Northeast to eat sticky rice with their
right hands by making it into balls that are dipped into side dishes
and eaten. Thai-Muslims also frequently eat meals with only their
right hands.
Often Thai food is served with a variety of spicy
condiments to embolden dishes. This can range from dried chili pieces,
or sliced chili peppers in rice vinegar, to a spicy chili sauce such
as the nam prik mentioned above.
Famous dishes
Many Thai dishes are familiar in the West. In
many dishes below, different kinds of protein can be chosen as the
ingredient, such as beef, chicken, pork, tofu or seafood.
* Pad Thai (Thai:
ผัดไท) - rice noodles pan
fried with fish sauce, sugar, lime juice or tamarind pulp, chopped
peanuts, and egg combined with chicken, seafood, and tofu
* Rad na (Thai: ราดหน้า) - wide rice noodles
in gravy, with beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, or seafood. (Originally
from China)
* Khao pad naem (Thai: ข้าวผัดแหนม) - fried rice with
fermented sausage (typically from the Northeast)
* Pad see ew (Thai: ผัดซีอิ๊ว) - noodles
stir-fried with see ew dum (thick soy sauce) and nahm plah (fish
sauce) and pork or chicken.
* Pad kee mao (Thai: ผัดขี้เมา) - noodles
stir-fried with Thai basil
* Khao khluk kapi (Thai: ข้าวคลุกกะปิ) - rice
stir-fried with shrimp paste, served with sweeten pork and vegetables.
* Khanom chin namya (Thai: ขนมจีนน้ำยา) - round boiled
rice noodles topped with various curry sauces and eaten with fresh
leaves and vegetables.
* Khao soi (Thai: ข้าวซอย) - crispy wheat
noodles in sweet chicken curry soup (a Northern dish)
* Khao pad gai (Thai: ข้าวผัดไก่) - fried rice with
chicken
* Kaphrao gai (Thai: กระเพราไก่) - minced chicken
in sauce made up of a combination of hot green chilies, garlic, and
basil
* Gai himaphan (Thai: ไก่หิมพานต์) - juicy chunks of
chicken with cashew nuts and chilies
Thai Food
in Bangkok
