12 best Thai dishes that locals eat
As with many ‘exotic’ cuisines, preconceptions are far from the on-the-ground reality and indeed what most Thai restaurants in your home countries would have you believe. Rather than what visitors assume are the most popular Thai dishes or what Thai restaurateurs in tourist-orientated resorts choose to offer to visitors, our rundown includes the most common, and in our opinion, the 12 best Thai dishes that locals eat.
Restaurant staples such as tom yam, green curry, chicken with cashews are world famous – and justifiably so – whereas many of the below dishes would not necessarily be associated with Thai cuisine. Conversely, several items frequently requested by visitors are not really Thai at all, such as Vietnamese spring rolls or Indonesian sate, while chicken in cashews is generic Southeast Asian. (We’re reminded of eateries in India having to concoct the Anglo-Indian derived tikka masala due to requests from British tourists.)
Most locals do eat out a large percentage of the time; Thai dishes can be fiddly to prepare in small quantities and local cafes are often cheaper than cooking at home. However, they commonly eat in cafes, markets and street stalls and locals probably don’t eat in a ‘restaurant’ as such anymore often than people do in Western countries. Nonetheless, fancier versions of the below often appear on hotel menus, albeit at highly inflated prices justified by the addition of a tomato peel rose. We’ve seen a 50 baht khao soi go for over 300 baht and it probably isn’t as good (or necessarily any more hygienic), so without further ado, here’s our rundown of 12 best Thai dishes that locals eat or…12 best Thai street foods.
Pat Kra Phao, minced pork with chilli and holy basil 1. Pat Kra Phao – fried with basil and chilli
Possibly top of the list of 12 best Thai dishes for Thais, if any single one can lay claim to being the national favourite, then the ubiquitous pad kra phao is probably it. A standard Pat kra phao consists of minced pork with onions, garlic, chillies and basil. Beef or chicken versions are possible but not common; the pork needs to be minced (not in chunks) and the basil has to be fresh holy basil – not Thai or Italian or dried. It’s generally served ‘on rice’, is frequently accompanied by a fried egg and costs around 50-60 baht in a local cafe. This is a difficult one to reproduce at home simply because fresh holy basil is hard to find outside of Southeast Asia. Regrettably, there are no obvious vegetarian equivalents.
Classic laap – minced pork with coriander, mint and chillies 2. Laap – minced meat salad
Strictly speaking, the minced pork salad with mint, coriander, spring onions, chillies, garlic and toasted ground rice is a Lao dish, although since more people of Lao origin live in Thailand than in Laos, this is another favourite that’s found just about everywhere in the country. In northeastern Thailand, it rivals pat kra phao as the signature dish, while a variation known as laap muang is common in North Thailand. (Laap muang incorporates pig’s blood into the sauce so it provides a richer, black pudding-style sauce.) Chicken, duck and fish versions are common, although this is another dish that doesn’t offer any obvious vegetarian alternatives.
Barbeque chicken with a dipping sauce and laap side dish 3. Kai Yang – barbeque chicken
Kai yang is another staple that wouldn’t necessarily be associated with Thai cuisine, and another that is originally associated with Isan-style eateries. Today, every Thai town has a barbeque chicken stand where you order a half or whole chicken served with sticky rice and usually a som tam – papaya salad. Several northeastern districts vie for the tastiest kai yang tag by tweaking the marinade and/or the spicy dipping sauce so stalls will often include the name of the recipe’s town of origin in their title.
4. Som Tam – green papaya salad
Another Isan, or northeastern, dish which is now ubiquitous across the kingdom and which generally accompanies a laap or kai yang. (Very toned-down versions also appear on many tourist restaurant menus.) There are two principal variants – som tam Isan and som tam Thai – while the number of required chillies is generally specified on ordering. (e.g som tam Thai with one chili, som tam Isan with two etc.) Both include diced, green papaya, tomato, peanuts, fish sauce and lime juice, although while the Thai one is vegetarian (if you omit the fish sauce), the Isan variant usually includes fermented fish paste and pickled, paddy-field crabs. (The latter version involves some strong and unusual flavours, so you’re best sticking to the former.)
Curried, crispy pork belly with green beans 5. Pat Prik Gaeng – SPICY fried curry
This spicy, dry curry is far more common with locals than the creamy, coconut-based green or massaman curries favoured by visitors. Chicken or vegetable versions are fine although one of the most popular among Thais is the crispy belly pork option – pat prik gaeng mo kop. This is also commonly served on rice and goes for around 50 baht and while you might not eat it every day, it’s got to be tried at least once.
6. Khao Pat – fried rice
In contrast to perhaps the Cantonese restaurant at home, Thai fried rice is not generally seen as an alternative to plain rice but rather as a dish in its own right. Chicken, pork or vegetable versions will be available (just make sure they skip the fish sauce condiment for the latter), and again, the simple dish is livened up by a fried egg on top. Lime juice and chilli sauce can be added as you wish. Another simple, tasty and inexpensive dish that makes for a great, quick, lunch stop.
7. Khao Man Kai – chicken on rice
The influence here is Chinese and indeed the full name for the original dish is Hainanese chicken rice. Another simple but delicious dish consisting of rice steamed in water and chicken fat or oil served with slices of boiled chicken and accompanied by a chicken broth and a dipping sauce. (Deep fried chicken is an alternative.) It may sound – and indeed – look simple, but it’s noteworthy that several local khao man kai shops have received Michelin recommendations.
The Chiang Mai ‘cowboy hat lady’ is now a local celebrity after appearing on CNN Travel and serving her stewed pork to Anthony Bourdain. 8. Khao Ka Mo – slow stewed pork leg
Cafe owners will get up early to prepare this dish which sees pork shank or leg slowly stewed in a steaming vat of rich stock. Not certain exactly what is in the stock and every cafe probably has a different recipe but the resulting pork slices, served with greens and a tangy, spicy sauce just melt in your mouth. Another deceptively simple dish that even Anthony Bourdain raved about on a Chiang Mai night market visit.
Nicely presented 50 baht pad Thai in a local cafe 9. Pad Thai
The famous fried noodle dish is one of the country’s best-known, both in overseas Thai restaurants, hotel eateries and local street stalls. It translates simply as ‘Thai fried’ and surprisingly is actually a relatively new addition to Thai cuisine. The rice noodle base is clearly Chinese influenced, while the unique Thai flavour derives from dried shrimp, bean sprouts, tofu and a tangy tamarind and brown sugar sauce. It should be served with lime juice, crushed peanuts and dried chilli flakes.
Although one of the most popular dishes among both locals and visitors, it is also possibly the single most abused of Thai dishes. It’s just not easy to get right and even many local cafes have a job to turn out the authentic version. (Perhaps because it is a relatively new addition to the Thai food range – a bit like a Brit trying to make an authentic carbonara.)
Noodle soup; the darker broth is referred to as nam khon, the lighter is nam sai 10. Kwai Teow – noodle soup
There are nearly as many Anglicised spellings for this dish as there are different versions. The stock, type of noodle and soup ingredients can vary enormously just within a single cafe and ordering a simple bowl of noodles can be quite bewildering for the non-initiated. (Bit like ordering eggs in an American diner!) This dish alone could cover a lengthy post so our description is a very simplified one.
Firstly, you’ll need to specify wheat or rice flour noodles (yellow or white, respectively), after which, if you’ve gone for rice, you select the size: thin, standard or wide. The broth can be broadly divided into light and dark versions, with the former simpler and milder and the latter incorporating additional herbs and spices plus dark soya sauce. (Other versions include, for instance, a tom yam stock.) The toppings can then include pork, beef or chicken – either sliced and/or in the form of meatballs. You can order a vegetable one but the stock itself is likely to be pork.
Classic North Thai noodle soup, khao soi 11. Khao Soi – North Thai noodle soup
An iconic, northern Thai dish consisting of both soft and crispy yellow noodles in a mild, coconut curry sauce. The default version is chicken, although beef is common while, unlike most Thai noodle soups, pork does not predominate as the dish was originally a South China (Yunnanese), Muslim dish. Accompanying condiments include lime juice, chilli sauce and pickled cabbage. The chicken is invariably on the bone so eating the soup with chopsticks can be tricky and with turmeric in the stock don’t try one if you’re wearing a white shirt.
This is another classic dish which, in the north, can be found everywhere from 5-star hotels to street stalls but expect to pay around 50 baht in the latter and upwards of 250 baht in the former. Several khao soi restaurants in Chiang Mai receive Michelin mentions which results in a doubling of prices and a long queue outside, so ask your guide where the locals go.
The classic Thai dessert – sticky rice with mango 12. Khao niaw mamuang – mango with sticky rice
No list of 12 best Thai dishes would be complete without khao niaw mamuang. While Thais pride themselves on their myriad desserts, the simple sticky rice with mango is really the only one that would be familiar to visitors. (You’ll see many brightly coloured jellies and flans in Thai markets but ideally, you’d need a local to talk you through the bewildering array.) The dish comprises steamed, sticky rice, a warm and slightly salted coconut sauce and crispy mung beans. All are essential with the slight saltiness countering the sweetness and the beans adding a welcome crunch.
Needless to say, hotel and restaurant owners catering to visitors are aware of its popularity, so don’t pay through the nose and just pick up a 40-50 baht serving in the local market.
Thai food on our Thailand small group tours
We like to mix and match – and hopefully, give you the best of both worlds – on our Thai tours so you’ll be able to sample all our ’12 best Thai dishes’ in street stalls and markets as well as all the classics in more standard restaurant-style establishments. The emphasis is on authentic local dishes so in the case of the latter, we find eateries which are popular with locals rather than simply eating in a hotel restaurant.
Dinners in particular are generally eaten local fashion – i.e. a selection of shared dishes – but, never fear, your tour leader will of course bear in mind your chilli tolerance levels. While the widespread use of fish or oyster sauce means the Thai diet doesn’t at first glance cater as easily to vegetarian tastes as for instance, Indian or Sri Lankan, our experienced tour-leaders will ensure that plenty of tasty and varied vegetarian and vegan options are readily available.
