Our family of 6 just got back from a month in Thailand, and I’m already dreaming of when we can return!
It was hard for me to get this post going because I have so much stirring in me since our Thailand trip, and I didn’t know how to summarize it.
But sharing about Thai food is always my fav way to share about Thailand!
If you can’t go to Thailand right now, but want to learn more about food in Thailand, here are 9 dishes or snacks we had in Thailand on our recent trip that you might not know of that you need to know about:
1. Thai Hot Pot
Hot Pot is like a make your own Thai noodle soup at your table, but on the next level! You choose your broth, meats, veggies, and noodles and then dip it in spicy Thai sauces. Amazing!
Hot Pot started out in China over 1000 years ago and then came to Thailand probably in the mid-20th century from Chinese immigrants. Thais put their own spin on hot pot by adding a spicy, sweet, savory sauce called Sukiyaki.
The best part of any Thai hot pot meal we had, whether it was sitting around Thai Hubby’s sister’s house in Bangkok, or at a little roadside restaurant in the Thailand countryside is that the feasting lasts a long time as you keep adding more ingredients to the soup and more broth as you chat and hang out.
2. Fresh Thai Coconut Ice Cream with Peanuts
Why we are obsessed with Thai coconut ice cream:
- Made with only coconut milk so lactose intolerant Thai Hubby can eat it
- Typically only costs $1!
- Peanuts are sprinkled to the top, which gives it a crunchy salty note
- Coconut ice cream vendors walk up and down the streets with an adorable little bell to alert the kids they are in town
3. Fried Thai Tadpoles
I had no idea Thais fried tadpoles until we were in a little village in northern Thailand doing outreaches during our missions trip.
We were chatting with one sweet Thai lady while she was sitting on a bench outside her home, with a huge plastic bowl of wriggling tadpoles.
We watched as she took each one out, popped its back to squish the poop out (like deveining shrimp), and put them in a pile to fry up for later.
She had found the tadpoles near the field next to their home. I was in awe of how resourceful Thais are to use creatures found in the backyard to make dinner!
We left before she started cooking them, but I’ve heard eating fried tadpoles is like eating chicken nuggets.
I’m sure it’s better than eating fried frog, which I’m not a huge fan of since frogs have so many bones, but tadpoles are boneless.
Here’s to trying fried Thai tadpoles next time!
4. Thai-Style Hainanese Chicken and Rice aka Khao Man Gai
When we were in Chiang Mai we went to a Thai-Style Hainanese Chicken and Rice restaurant that looked like any other nondescript Thai restaurant, but it was Michelin star since their Thai Chicken and Rice, aka Khao Man Gai was so amazing!
Khao Man Gai will always hold a special spot in my heart because it’s one of the meals Thai Hubby and I always had together when we were dating.
The ginger and chicken broth flavored rice, tender chicken, and spicy umami packed sauce blew away all our American friends who traveled with us, and it was one of their favorite Thai dishes to order during the trip.
And don’t worry, I have an easy weeknight version of it here.
5. Legit Espresso Drinks in Thailand
When I arrived in Thailand for the first time back in 2007, I’d just finished up a year of working as a barista at a coffee shop where I’d been trained in the art of coffee by the owner who is an international barista judge.
So of course when I arrived in Thailand, I set out looking for some amazing espresso and sadly couldn’t find it anywhere.
I succumbed to every once in awhile paying for a cappuccino from Gloria Jeans or Starbucks, but it was triple the cost of most Thai meals, and not worth it at all.
But now in 2024 in Thailand, you can find legit coffee shops on every corner that international barista judges should give awards to, but the cappuccinos are only $2!
Go Thailand for adopting the coffeeshop trend and doing it so well!
6. Drunken Noodle Spaghetti
One of my favorite Thai dishes is Thai Drunken Noodles, aka Pad Kee Maw.
But in Thailand they don’t make it just with wide rice noodles like you find it in most Thai restaurants in America, but nicer Thai restaurants love it serve it with spaghetti noodles.
I think it’s fun, and if you are at a Thai restaurant in Thailand you have to give it a shot.
Plus they usually add the spicy fresh green peppercorns, which you rarely see Drunken Noodles served with in America since they are so hard to find.
We had this Drunken Noodle Spaghetti at an elephant park in Chiang Mai after hiking with elephants, giving them a bath, and then rafting down the river to a restaurant where we watched elephants play in the river while we ate mind-blowing Thai food.
Wish I could eat it after a day like that every day!
7. Mind Blowing French Steak
Not only is Thai food and espresso out of this world in Thailand, but we also discovered on this trip dreamy French steak with truffle sauce that blew our minds at Pastel, one of the most fun rooftop restaurants in Bangkok that we’ve been to.
Thai Hubby and I went on a date night to Pastel, and I felt like Cinderella at the ball and didn’t want the magical food night to end. Read all about it here dear!
8. Pad Thai that we nicknamed Sad Thai
I didn’t know this dish existed in Thailand, I thought it only was found in lame American restaurants, but sadly it’s also in Thailand.
Pad Thai made with ketchup!
If you’ve taken my Thai cooking class, you’ve heard me tell you that if your Pad Thai has a red tint to it, it’s most likely made with ketchup instead of the authentic Pad Thai sauce that’s made of tamarind paste, palm sugar and fish sauce.
We were at a market in Chiang Mai where I ordered this Pad Thai.
As they stir-fried the noodles, I saw that the sauce they were using looked unusually red, but I thought, “Oh wow! Maybe they used the shrimp head fat in the sauce because that can also make Pad Thai more red! This will be so good!”
But no, after my first bite, my friends and I collectively looked at each other and said, “They put ketchup in the sauce!”
My American friends were shocked to learn you can find Pad Thai we nicknamed Sad Thai in Thailand.
Yup, not great Thai food can be found in Thailand sometimes, but all the amazing Thai food we usually find more than makes up for the Sad Thai!
9. 7/11 snacks like Khao Soi flavored Lays Chips
My kids favorite place to go in Thailand is 7/11, and for good reason.
They have Thai snacks like Khao Soi Chips that remind me of how Willy Wonka made that gum that truly tasted like a three course dinner.
If you are longing for the flavor of Thai Spicy Basil with Chicken, Thai Green Curry or Thai Duck Noodle Soup, it’s so convenient to get a bag of chips from 7/11, and get the exact taste of what you’d find at a restaurant.
Sorry if this made you hungry for some Khao Soi! Make some now!
Have you ever had a dish in Thailand that you might not have expected to find there or heard about before visiting Thailand? Let me know in the comments dear!
And if you want to see more pics from our Thailand trip check out my Thailand Trip Highlights on Instagram @thaifoodie.
Leave a Reply