Thai cuisine guide - by food author Howard Hillman

Thai cuisine

a helpful guide
to Thai cuisine
for diners & travelers

by an established authority

Why Thai cuisine
is special

The are many cuisines in the world that freely use hot chili peppers, but few can match the level of Thailand's culinary sophistication.

Insights on
Thai Cuisine

Flavoring agents

Thai cooks are particularly fond of flavoring agents like lemon grass, coriander leaves, Nam Pla (fish sauce), Kapi (shrimp paste), Java root, and the previously mentioned chilies.

Rice

As with most other parts of tropical and semitropical Asia, meals in Thailand center on rice.

Famous specialties
of Thailand

Kaeng (also "Kung")

These "liquid" dishes can be soups, curries or stews that complement rice. This Thai cuisine soup is quite popular:

Tom Yam Kung
Uses one kind of meat or seafood in broth. Often spiced with lemon grass.

The below three kaeng curries are also local Thai cuisine favorites. They are cooked in coconut milk. Their degree of hotness is conveniently color coded (the hues come from the chilies and other spices in the curry paste):

Kaeng Kari
Has a yellow sauce. Comparatively mild.

Kaeng Phed
Red sauce. Hotter.

Kaeng Kao Wan
Green sauce. Hottest.

Mee Krob

A classic celebration dish of rice noodles in a sweetened pork and crustacean sauce. Traditionally served in a mound with an elaborate, colorful garnish.

Nam Prik

A term used both for the beloved Thai hot sauce and for dishes of raw or cooked vegetables, eggs, fish, or meat served with rice and a sauce. There are many variations of Nam Prik sauce. Most include chilies, garlic, fish sauce, and shrimp paste, with other ingredients to the taste of the cook.

Yam

Lilterally, "mixed with the hands". A yam is a Thai salad. But the salad is not restricted to raw vegetables. Cooked vegetables, meat, fish, even flowers can be used. Pork and oranges, and beef and roses make up the bases of two popular Yams.

Best city for gourmets

Bangkok is the top all around Thai cuisine city in Thailand. Criteria include cooking, food markets, cooking ingredients, cooking schools, beverages, dining and restaurants. Chiang Mai is the runner-up.

Also learn
about these exciting
world cuisines

My food & wine
credentials
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