Must-try food to prove that you have visited Bangkok, Thailand
Just like many of other Asia countries, Thailand has been famous for their food, especially street food with the cost is low but the taste is high. It doesn't mean that food served in restaurant is not tasty, but the feeling to have your food eaten on the street or taken away then enjoyed while walking, is more exciting to try. Let's start the list of the mouthwatering weapons in Bangkok, where you can find most of traditional dishes throughout Thailand.
1. Tom Yum Kung
Tom yum or Tom yam is the most classic Thai dish that contains all the signature taste of Thailand cuisine: spicy chilli, sour lemon, harmonized lemongrass, seasoning herbs, and uniquely, the greasy coconut milk. Tom yum is a soup itself, and depends on region that the recipe would be modified. But the most popular which can be found easily either in restaurant or along the streets is Tom yum kung, with "kung" means "prawn" as the main topping added to the soup.
2. Pad Thai
If you've heard about Thai dish, you probably know about Pad Thai, a dish with stir-fried rice noodles mix with egg, tofu, bean sprouts, featuring seafood delights, and definitely cannot be served without peanuts and lemon. The most attractive Pad Thai restaurant is Thipsamai - 313 315 Maha Chai Rd, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok.
3. Pad See Ew
Like a Pad thai cousin, Pad see ew can be recognized with the thicker piece of noodles. But sometimes size doesn't matter, because the basic difference between these two is how they taste. Pad thai is sweeter and nuttier while Pad see ew is a bit saltier with the taste of soy sauce.
4. Som Tum
Som tum or Som tam is shredded unripe papaya salad with dried baby shrimp, tomatoes, peanut. It is somehow believed that this dish origin is from the north of Thailand which is colder than the south, so the signature taste of Som tum is sour from lemon and salty from fish sauce, and of course, spicy from chilli and garlic, to keep people warm during cold season. But now, Som tum becomes nationwide so it is easy to randomly pick a food stall serving this throughout maps of Bangkok.
Fun fact: They will pestle the salad in a giant mortar, this is not a usual item you can see every day
5. Kuay Tiew Reua
One of Thai attraction is floating market, and it would be incomplete if Kuay tiew reua is not mentioned. Kuay tiew reua simply means boat noodles, which is served on the boat along the river. Kuay tiew reua soup is not nice-looking because it is cooked from organs and blood of port or beef causing the dark brown color. But a bowl of boat noodles savour is refine enough to please the Hell's Kitchen's host. There is a small restaurant serving many flavors of boat noodles called Doy Kuay Teow Reua - Ratchawithi 18 Alley, Thung Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok.
6. Kuay Teow Neua
Much similar to boat noodles is beef noodles, Kuay teow neua, which you can find either in the boat noodles stalls or another spectacular place: Wattana Panich - 336 - 338 Ekkamai Soi 18, Bangkok.
The reason why this place become so famous is that the main giant boiling soup pool full with juicy beef pieces is surrounded with a circle of soup simmering out then hardening day by day for over 40 years. But if you come here once, you definitely want to come back.
7. Yentafo
Yentafo is a Chinese inspired noodles with unique pink soup made from a kind of red fermented tofu, which causes the main sour taste. Other toppings is almost meat balls, and fried wonton pad.
8. Red/green/yellow curry
The next 3 dishes are different kinds of Thai curry, started with the basic ones that the color can somehow describe the dish: Red curry is the most spicy, yellow curry has the color of turmeric, and green curry is the most intense flavor. One special feature that makes Thai curry differ from Indian curry is the addition of coconut milk and fish sauce, which can ease the smell of cinnamon and star anise.
9. Miang Pla Plao
It is not difficult to see food vendors with smoky charcoal grill bar all over Bangkok. And one specialty of grill cuisines here is Miang pla plao, as known as salt-coated grilled fish. A thick layer of salt will cover the whole fish but the savour is nothing too salty as it seems, everything harmonizes and the taste is enhanced by herbs and seasonings served together.
10. Tom Kha Kai
Also known as Tom yum cousin, Tom kha kai is cooked in a similar way, but reduce much spicy even to zero, and increase the coconut milk until it almost become sweet soup. Chicken is steamed with the soup until the sweet is balanced, and its texture is juicy enough in order to not be so dry.
11. Thai hotpot
Let's meet Tom yum's big brother, Chim Chum, hotpot in Thai style. Most of ingredients are similar but the recognizable difference is no coconut milk in Thai hotpot, otherwise it would become Tom yum hotpot. But the name Chim chum itself means dip and drop, rather to express the way it is cooked and eaten than the flavor of the hotpot. Therefore, you can enjoy the Chim chum either with Thai original flavor or Tom yum flavor in the traditional clay pot, or even both using the half half pot invented lately.
12. Moo Ping
Another authentic street food that can only be made in Thailand is Moo ping, grilled pork skewers in Thai style. Moo ping is grilled on charcoal grill bar with many other kind of skewers, but it is still the spotlight which temps you to crave more and more.
13. Hoi Tod
A dish of crispy-bordered softly puffed up omelette topped with fresh oysters or mussels and bean sprouts, you've just found a Hoi tod (or Hoy tod) for yourself. Originating from Chinese culture, Thai has made Hoi tod even greater.
14. Khao Niao Ma Muang
Considered as an specialty of Thailand, you can find Khao niao ma muang everywhere on your path, starting from the airport. FYI, this is the legendary mango sticky rice, with authentic taste from coconut milk and fresh mango.
15. Kai Med Ma Muang
If you are a fan of fast food with chicken, this one would diversify your point of view about fried chicken. Kai med ma muang is stir fried combination of fried chicken and cashew nuts, seasoned by soy sauce, onions, chilies, pepper, and some various vegetables. Fried chicken is crunchy mixing with greasy nuts and refine veggies makes Kai med ma muang is one of the must-try food in Bangkok which can be easily found in night markets.
16. Hor Mok Pla
Hor Mok is a process to steam curry dumplings wrapped by banana leaf, and Pla means fish. This Thai curry fish custard would bring you the feeling of creamy blend of fish, smell of curry paste cover by yummy coconut milk. You can find Hor mok pla in the open markets in Bangkok.
17. Gai Hor Bai Toey
Throughout South East Asia, you may find a lot of kinds of food that use leaves to form the shape as well as to enhance the smell of those dishes. Two most used types of leaf are banana leaf (as the Hor mok pla above), and pandan leaf. Gai hor bai toey is chicken wrapped in pandan leaves then grill on charcoal stove.
18. Cha Yen
Traditional Thai tea is called Cha yen, which is Thai black tea mix with milk. There are originally red tea and green tea, but there is also black tea without milk for those who are lactose intolerant. The very authentic Thai tea brand is Cha Tra Mue - G floor, Pathum Wan, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok and many stores around Thailand, with plentiful menu including even Thai tea ice-cream. But you can also randomly buy a cup of Cha yen in any beverage vendors you can see, all are good tasted but you can decide which suits you best.
19. Pomegranate juice
Another signature beverage from Thai is pomegranate juice which absolutely attracts you on the road because of its vivid color. The juice is squeezed right when you order, or you can buy the cold bottle which is also squeezed just some minutes ago. Of course there are a lot of types of juice here but pomegranate is rare to find in other places, and really delicious.
20. Khanom Khrok
Once you start eating this, you might not stop, then even looking back at the photo can also make you feel mouthwatering. It's Khanom khrok, coconut rice-pancake in a bite size, which is not too sweet, not too fatty, but balanced.
Too much confused to decide which to start with? You can join Street Food tour at Yaowarat Str. in China Town by Klook. Within half of a day, you can enjoy 7-10 signature dishes, together with visiting some attraction in the neighborhood and being taken care of by an English speaking guide.
There are more and more savory dishes in Bangkok, the heaven of street foods, as well as Thailand. What are written here are just popular in Thai cuisines, but never enough. You can consider this as a recommendation list, because there are not much certain addresses included to be called a food guide. But besides the specific suggestions here, Bangkok is a place that you would rather try the food yourself to generate an own favorite list, since all are worthy.
What is your favorite that missing here?
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