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When you are in Thailand, my recommendation is to try out the Thai food. Please be forewarned that most dishes are hot and spicy, but you can always order it to be done less spicy. Some people can adapt the taste of Thai food immediately while others don't. Thai dishes can be pungent and spicy - a lot of garlic and chilies are used, Almost all Thai food is cooked with fresh ingredients, including vegetables, poultry, pork and some beef. Also plenty of limejuice, lemon grass and fresh coriander leaf are added to give the food its characteristic taste, and fish sauce (generally made from anchovies) or shrimp paste to make it salty. Rice is eaten with most meals. Other common seasonings include 'laos' root (khaa), black pepper, ground peanuts (more often a condiment), tamarind juice (nam makhaam), ginger (khing) and coconut milk.  Like any eatery meal, the start of dish usually is the salad and here the salad dish is quite popular and often ordered with a pre-dinner drink or served as a starter of the meal but its spicy and sour.
The main course comprises of at least three dishes depending on the number of diners.
The most famous and frequently order of all Thai soups all over any eatery outlets is Tom Yum. It is typically made with prawns (Option of fish or chicken are also available) and flavoured with lemon grass, chilies and kaffir lime leaves. In different parts of Thailand the ingredient and style of cooking may differs slightly, but you still get the best taste and flavour.
A green curry cooked with ingredients comprised of coconut milk, sweet basil and chilies. Coconut milk give a curry a mild almost sweet flavour. Green chilies add more spice. Kaeng Khiao Wan Nuea ( green curry with beef ) can be eaten with rice spaghetti known as 'Khanom Jeen Kaeng Khiao Wan'.
 Rival to the fame of Tom Yum Kung, Phat Thai is claimed to be Thailand's national dish. The dish is a mixture of flat rice noodles fried with bean curd, vegetables, eggs, peanuts and dried shrimps. Fresh prawn can also be added. If you still have the appetite and getting along with the taste you can try some other popular dishes like Gai Ta Krai - Lemonglass Chicken, Mee Krob - Fried rice noodles with sticky sauce and Satay - BBQ strip of meat.
You complete your meal with the Thai special dessert and fruits. There are quite a variety to choose from but the more common likings are the Sangkhaya Fakthong
(Custard Pumpkin), Bua Loi Phuak (Taro Balls in Coconut Cream) and Kluai Buat Chi
(Banana Cooked in Coconut Milk)Thailand is a paradise for tropical fruits and they are aplenty, some are seasonal and others are available throughout the year. It is available almost anywhere, fruit stall, market and hawker food center.
The Thais also eat Chinese food, which is generally less spicy. In the north and northeast 'sticky', or glutinous rice, is common. The most economical places to eat and most dependable are noodle shops and night markets. Most towns and villages have at least one night market and several noodle shops. A cheaper alternative is to order dishes 'over rice' or raat khao. Curry (kaeng) over rice is called khao kaeng. Thais eat with a fork and spoon, except for noodles, which are eaten with spoon and chopsticks (ta-kiap) and sticky rice, which is rolled into balls and eaten with hands, along with the food accompanying it. Try the barbecued chicken legs, omelettes, sweet crepes, and sticky rice and taro rolled up in a leaf. With all the delicious and mouth watering dishes presented here, I guess you can forget about the Western-style restaurants or the more common fast-food outlets during your stay in Thailand. |
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