The Best Street Food in Thailand You MUST try!

One of my favourite things about Thailand, other than the amazing beaches and heartwarming people is the street food! The flavours you can find here are really one-off!

I consider myself an adventurous eater and was in my element trying all the wonderful dishes whilst I was there. Even if, like me, you can’t handle the spice there are plenty of delicious dishes out there for you! The cuisine varies greatly as you travel through the regions and there is always going to be something new to try.

Firstly I will go through the cuisine in the different parts of the nation, then we will look at some of the most amazing dishes to try!

Northern Thailand.

The food in the North of Thailand is like nowhere else in the country. Thailand borders Laos, China, and Myanmar on its northern borders and you will find similar cuisine in these countries. The climate is also cooler in the northern regions of Thailand which makes herbs much more plentiful. Also, the fact that the north is landlocked means there is not an abundance of seafood (as you will find in the south) so meat and poultry are preferred.

Here are a few of my favourite dishes from the North of Thailand.

Khao Soi.

Khao Soi is my all-time favourite dish from Thailand (hence why I have picked to write about it first!) It’s absolutely delicious! It is made with egg noodles and a beautiful rich yellow, creamy, coco-nutty, mild curry broth, (I feel like my words cannot do justice to how nice this meal is. I am terrible at describing food!) It usually arrives in a bowl with a beautifully tender chicken thigh (it also comes with beef but I prefer the chicken) soaked in the broth, along with a nest of deep-fried egg noodles.

The nest of egg noodles provides a crunchy texture to the dish which really makes it! When I have been served Khao Soi I have been provided with a lime wedge and some chopped shallots which really brings the whole dish alive! It’s so cheap too it usually costs 50 baht for a portion which is around $1.50. I can’t recommend this dish enough please try it when you have the opportunity!

Sai Oua.

Sai Oua is basically a Thai spicy sausage. It’s not really a meal but if you’re out for the day and fancy a snack you should definitely try this! You will find street vendors selling sliced portions along with some sticky rice, which is the staple in northern Thailand. It’s great food for when you want to keep roaming around and have something to eat on the go!

It is full of minced pork, Thai herbs, curry paste, and of course chilli! Well, you are in Thailand. But don’t be put off, I cannot handle spicy food at all but I am fine with this. Even if you struggle with spice, sometimes you’ve just got to bite the bullet!

Khao Lam.

Khao Lam is a Thai dessert originating in the North of Thailand. It’s a concoction of sticky rice, coconut milk, sugar, and black beans stuffed into a hollow piece of bamboo. Personally, I’m not a massive fan of Thai deserts, being from Europe I don’t find them sweet enough. But Khao Lam is my go too, it’s not very sweet but when you have a sweet tooth like me it can fulfil your craving!

It’s usually found roasting on a BBQ so when you get it it will be a warm sticky sweet tube of coconut rice goodness! It’s also really cheap if I remember correctly its about 10-20 baht which is about $0.30-0.60 so it’s definitely worth trying!

Issan (North-East)

Now I have not personally been to Issan so I cannot comment on all the food there, but the food is widely available in the rest of the nation. Issan is the largest region of Thailand (but is the least visited by tourists). It borders Laos and Cambodia where a lot of the food takes influence from. The majority of people in the Issan region are of Laotian heritage so you will find a lot of the dishes are the same across the border. The region is hot and humid (unlike the north) and therefore the methods of cooking vary. In Issan, they ferment and preserve a lot of their products to protect them from the climate and this shows in the cuisine.

Here are a few dishes from the Isaan region i recommend you to try in Thailand!

Som Tam.

Som Tam also known as papaya salad is another of my favourite dishes from Thailand. It is made by shredding green (unripe) papaya, pounding a mixture of chilli, tomatoes, roasted peanuts, dried shrimp, fish sauce, lime, garlic, and palm sugar together in a mortar. It sounds strange I know but trust me, this is the best salad I have ever eaten! I went through a stage of eating papaya salad every day and I never got bored of it!

There are so many variations as well. It will be a different flavour whatever stall you go to depending on the recipe they like to use. You can have it with or without the fish sauce ask them to put less or more chilli. They even serve it with crab! It’s all prepared to order so it’s really fresh and just absolutely delicious!

Laab.

Laab is another “salad” although I don’t think most westerners would class it as a salad. Its made of minced pork with some mint leaves, chilli, spring onions, lime, fish sauce, and fine toasted rice. I know it doesn’t sound very appetizing, but trust me it’s amazing! It has a kick to it but it’s not overpowering and the tartness of the lime helps cut through the chilli. It tastes a lot better than it looks as well so don’t be put off if you see it being sold!

It’s usually served warm which is another reason I find the concept of it being a salad strange and can be eaten with jasmine rice but I prefer it with sticky rice! Again it’s so cheap and can be found all around Thailand if you are not planning a visit to the Issan region!

Central Thailand.

Central Thailand is where a lot of backpackers will start their travels. Read my transportation guide if you’re planning a trip. With cheap flights into Bangkok and bustling streets and lots to see, do and eat it’s the ideal place to start your journey! In the Central region, you are going to find the most varied cuisine as the luxury of being able to take produce and dishes from each surrounding region is possible.

You will find street food vendors on every corner and there is so much food on offer it can be overwhelming! For me, I tried most new dishes whilst in Bangkok, as you can literally find everything here (although they had nothing on the khao soi in the north) This region takes influence from every other region and puts its own unique twist on the dishes.

These are some of my personal favourites!

Pad Thai.

Pad Thai is one of Thailand’s national dishes. Most people will of heard of or had Pad Thai before, but you really can’t beat the fresh Pad Thai made in front of your eyes in Thailand. Pad Thai was actually brought into the countries cuisine after WW2 brought rice shortages to the country. The former prime minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram (Phibun) encouraged the nation to eat rice noodles instead of rice and thus the national dish was born!

Pad Thai also has many varieties, it is usually cooked using rice noodles, egg, tofu, tamarind juice, palm sugar, dried shrimp, bean sprouts, shallots, lime, and peanuts. You can usually pick your protein, commonly it comes with egg, chicken, or pork but you can find beef Pad Thai. It’s really a staple for many travellers as it’s delicious, filling and once again cheap! It would be criminal to go to Thailand and not try Pad Thai from a street vendor!

Kaeng Khiao Wan

Or Thai Green Curry to me and you.

Thai green curry is well known across the world, it’s named (obviously) after its rich green colour which comes from the green chillies used. It is a coconut milk-based curry which makes it extremely creamy, although it does pack a spicy punch! You can find this dish across Thailand (and the world) and it’s a personal favourite of mine.

The curry paste is fried in coconut milk to release the flavours and aromas of the paste. More coconut milk, fish sauce, and palm sugar are added to complete the curry. Fresh basil and kaffir lime leaves are usually added as a garnish but this can vary from place to place. Also depending on which region you are in the protein can vary. In the south, you may expect fish whereas in the north or central regions chicken may be more common!

Why dont you try cooking it for yourself here?

Khao Kaa Moo.

Now, this is an absolutely amazing dish! Don’t be put off by the huge pork leg stewing away in the cauldron!

I was sceptical about eating this dish, it really looks alien to a westerner. But it’s the most delicious pork I’ve ever tasted! It’s made with a huge stewed pork leg (trotter attached!) in a rich sauce. When you order the vendor will take a portion off of the leg, slice it and place it onto a bed of steamed rice, pouring the sauce over the top. Its also served with pickled greens half a boiled egg and a clear broth in a separate bowl.

It is truly one of the most delicious dishes you can find in Bangkok.

Southern Thailand.

Food in the south of Thailand is the spiciest your going to find! Inspired by Malaysian cuisine the food here is really different from that in the north with its cooler climate and abundance of land to farm. In the south with its huge coastline seafood is the staple! They also prefer steamed rice to sticky rice in the south so expect to be eating completely different meals whilst in this region.

Another point to make is that the south has a much more tropical climate, meaning there is a lot more rain compared to the north. This results in an abundance of coconuts meaning you will find a lot of curries using coconut milk as the base!

Here are some of the dishes i love from the south of Thailand.

Panang Curry.

Now Panang Curry is actually thought to be from the city of Penang which is to the southwest of the Thai border in Malaysia. But this is a dish that the Thais have inherited and made their own. You will be hard pushed to find a Thai restaurant in your local area that doest sell Panang Curry.

Panang Curry is a thick red Thai curry, its a mixture of salty and sweet and it packs a punch in the spice department! Its also flavoured with kaffir lime leaves which gives it a zesty flavour and along with the rich creaminess of the coconut milk really helps to cut through the heat of the chilli.

It’s really delicious and if you do sweat out from the powerful chillis….. it’s 35 degrees no one is going to know it’s the spice that’s killing you!

Gaeng Massaman.

Gaeng Massaman or Massaman curry is up there in my top 3 favourite Thai dishes. It’s a mild Thai curry and it’s a big hit with travellers who can’t handle the heat (like me) it has a coconut milk base which makes for a really creamy curry. It’s full of different spices and does not taste typically Thai as it’s influenced by Indian cuisine. Its usually served with potatoes and beef but chicken is also widely available. The meat is always deliciously tender as it is stewed for hours before serving.

I can almost guarantee you will love massaman curry it’s really appealing to the western pallet especially if you are a lover of Indian cuisine. Cook it yourself using this recipe!

I hope that you can try all the dishes I’ve listed here, trust me they are fantastic! If your planning a trip to Thailand or anywhere else and haven’t packed yet why don’t you check out my packing guide?

Thanks for reading!