For the Thai Food-Craving Rumbly in Your Tumbly

Greetings, friends and family!  I thought 6 months later was a good point in time to throw another blog up here.  And one that is relevant to the lives of us all.

People often ask me what kinds of food I eat out here in the Land of Smiles.  (They don't ever call it that when they ask, but you know.)  So I decided to compile a list of some of my favorites + some of what probably should be my favorites because of how popular/traditional they are.  

Let it be known that I am neither a food connoisseur nor an aspiring food blogger, so when I use words like limey and spicy and yummy and can't really think of anything else to say... suffice it to say that the food is delicious, and that's why it's on this list.  And for the items with little or no description at all:  use your imagination, or Google :-).  (Mark Wiens at migrationology.com has a great list of 100 Thai dishes to eat in Bangkok - many of the dishes I have here are on his list as well!)

The format for the name of each food is as follows:
      Thai script name
      Phonetic pronunciation
      English description

Try some of these out for yourself, and let me know what you think!



Salads:
 

ส้มตำ

Som tam

Green papaya salad

This dish comes in many different varieties, but I prefer it without the seafood.  It is fresh, limey, and can be very spicy.  Eat with sticky rice!

ยำวุ้นเส้น

Yam woon sen
Glass noodles salad

Another fresh-tasting dish that won't leave you feeling heavy.  A great lime flavor, and also spicy.

Veggies:  

ผักบุ้งไฟแดง

Phat phak bung fai daeng

Stir-fried morning glory

Soups & Curries:

ก๋วยเตี๋ยว

Guay tiao

Noodle soup

One of my favorites, and a dish that is extremely versatile as far as the type of noodle and meat you can order.  For extra yumminess (and a tangy & spicy flavor), ask them to put in tom yum (ต้มยำ, hot and sour flavor) and kiao (เกี๊ยว, dumplings).

แกงเขียวหวาน

Gaeng kheow wan

Green curry

แกงส้มชะอม

Gaeng som cha om

Sour orange curry (with egg & veggie omelette)

I normally have them put in shrimp, but you can choose any meat.

ต้มยำ

Tom yam

Hot and sour soup

One of my very favorite dishes.  Spicy and shrimp are standard, but you can ask them to tone down the spicy level, and chicken and pork are also delicious.

ต้มข่าไก่

Tom kha gai

Coconut chicken soup

Another favorite.  Very creamy and not spicy.  Eat with rice.

แกงพะแนง

Gaeng panang

Panang curry

Noodle Dishes:

สุกี้แห้ง

Suki haeng

Stir-fried noodles, veggies, and meat in a spicy, sour sauce.  The dry version of suki nam, which is a soup adapted from Japanese hot pot. 

ผัดไทย

Phat Thai

The sweet, peanuty noodle dish everyone loves.   

ผัดซีอิ้ว

Phat see ew

Soy sauce fried noodles

Basically, just like it sounds.  Not a spicy dish on its own, but it tastes great with fish sauce and pepper.

Gap Khao (Food to Eat with Rice) Dishes:

ลาบหมู, ลาบไก่

Laab moo/gai

Ground pork/chicken salad

This is an Isaan dish with a strong lime flavor.  Eat with sticky rice!

ข้าวมันไก่

Khao man gai

Boiled chicken and rice

A pretty popular street food.  It comes with a yummy spicy sauce on the side, as well as a bowl of soup.

พัดกระเพราหมู, ผัดกระเพราไก่

Phat gaprow moo/gai

Basil pork/chicken

I've heard it said that this is the dish Thais order when they don't really know what they want.  And this "default dish" is certainly worthy of that standing.  Spicy, and really good with fish sauce and a fried egg on top!

ไข่เจียว

Khai jiao

Omelette

The "safe for the whole family" dish.  This normally comes either plain or with ground pork.  Dip in the creamy spicy sauce if you want, and eat with rice.

Rice:

ข้าวผัด

Khao phat

Fried rice

ข้าวผัดต้มยำ

Khao phat tom yum

Fried rice with tom yum

All the greatness of Thai-style fried rice and tom yum soup combined into one.