Taste Thailand
ประเทศไทย
Central Thai cooking loves coconut and fish sauce; the north prefers pork, herbs and milder chilli; Isaan is loud with lime, dried chilli and fermented fish; the south goes hard on turmeric and seafood. Street stalls are not a sideshow — they are one of the country's great public kitchens.
33 recipes · 2 cuisines
Essential dishes
Pad thai
ผัดไทย
Stir-fried rice noodles with tamarind, fish sauce, palm sugar, egg and peanuts — a national dish with a 20th-century origin story.
40 minMedium🌶️
Som tam
ส้มตำ
Isaan green papaya salad pounded in a mortar — lime, fish sauce, chilli, peanuts, and a crunch that should be loud.
20 minEasy🌶️🌶️🌶️
Pad krapow
ผัดกะเพรา
Holy basil stir-fry, ripping hot, with a fried egg and rice — the Thai plate people actually order on a Tuesday.
20 minEasy🌶️🌶️🌶️
Khao soi
ข้าวซอย
Northern Thai curry noodles — coconut broth, boiled noodles, fried noodles on top, pickle on the side.
55 minMedium🌶️🌶️
Moo ping
หมูปิ้ง
Street grilled pork skewers, coconut-sweet and a little smoky, eaten with sticky rice.
2 hr 32 minEasyNo chilli
Mango sticky rice
ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง
Ripe mango, steamed sticky rice, salted coconut cream — a dessert that is only good when the fruit is.
4 hr 50 minEasyNo chilli
Larb
ลาบ
Isaan minced-meat salad — lime, fish sauce, toasted rice powder, herbs. Heat that wants sticky rice.
25 minEasy🌶️🌶️🌶️
Drunken noodles (pad kee mao)
Drunken noodles
Drunken noodles (pad kee mao) from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
13 minMedium🌶️
Lemongrass beef stew with noodles
Lemongrass beef stew with noodles from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
1 hr 45 minA bit of work🌶️
Massaman Beef curry
Massaman Beef curry from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
2 hr 16 minA bit of work🌶️
Panang chicken curry (kaeng panang gai)
Panang chicken curry
Panang chicken curry (kaeng panang gai) from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
20 minA bit of work🌶️
Red curry chicken kebabs
Red curry chicken kebabs from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
18 minMediumNo chilli
Prawn stir-fry
Prawn stir-fry from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
14 minA bit of work🌶️
Thai coconut & veg broth
Thai coconut & veg broth from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
20 minA bit of workNo chilli
Thai drumsticks
Thai drumsticks from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
50 minEasy🌶️
Thai green chicken soup
Thai green chicken soup from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
31 minA bit of workNo chilli
Thai Green Curry
Thai Green Curry from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
36 minMediumNo chilli
Thai prawn curry
Thai prawn curry from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
26 minMediumNo chilli
Thai-style steamed fish
Thai-style steamed fish from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
25 minMedium🌶️
Tom kha gai
Tom kha gai from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
33 minA bit of work🌶️
Tom yum soup with prawns
Tom yum soup with prawns from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
35 minA bit of work🌶️
Pad See Ew
Pad See Ew from Thailand. Times are typical for this kind of dish.
35 minMediumNo chilli
Thai beef stir-fry
Thai beef stir-fry from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
13 minEasy🌶️
Thai curry noodle soup
Thai curry noodle soup from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
19 minMedium🌶️
Thai fried rice with prawns & peas
Thai fried rice with prawns & peas from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
14 minMedium🌶️
Thai-style fish broth with greens
Thai-style fish broth with greens from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
20 minMediumNo chilli
Tom yum (hot & sour) soup with prawns
Tom yum (hot & sour) soup with prawns from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
12 minMedium🌶️
Thai chicken cakes with sweet chilli sauce
Thai chicken cakes with sweet chilli sauce from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
18 minMedium🌶️
Thai pork & peanut curry
Thai pork & peanut curry from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
34 minMediumNo chilli
Thai rice noodle salad
Thai rice noodle salad from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
34 minA bit of work🌶️
Spicy Thai prawn noodles
Spicy Thai prawn noodles from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
16 minMedium🌶️
Stir-fried chicken with chillies & basil
Stir-fried chicken with chillies & basil from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
33 minMedium🌶️
Thai pumpkin soup
Thai pumpkin soup from Thailand. Times were inferred from the source steps.
56 minMedium🌶️
Regional cuisines
Think you know Thailand food?
33 quiz dishes. Optional — Passport stamps still come from cooking.
Take the Thailand food quizFood history
Ayutthaya's court absorbed Chinese, Persian and Portuguese ideas. Chilli, now essential, is an American crop that Thailand made its own. Chinese immigration shaped noodles and stir-fries, including pad thai — a 20th-century national dish with Chinese technique and Thai seasoning. Home cooks still pound curry paste when they have time, and buy it when they don't.
Common ingredients
Techniques
- pounding in a mortar
- wok tossing
- balancing naam
- grilling satay
- coconut simmering