Thailand is known for a lot of things, including but not limited to its tourist attractions, its hospitable people, and perhaps most of all, its mouthwatering cuisine. These are just a few of the many reasons why you’ll love this country. If you’re ever in Thailand, particularly in Bangkok, expect to be overwhelmed by the multitude of restaurants and bistros offering authentic Thai cuisine. Prepare to be indulged by a wide variety of choices, from a sizzling bowl of Tom Yum to a savory serving of Pad Thai. You’re definitely in for a treat once you come inside one of the many top-rated restaurants in Bangkok!
To help you get started on your Thai food trip, here’s a guide to the various types of dishes and treats you should try and enjoy:
Snacks and Sides
These are savory tidbits that can be eaten alone as you explore the city attractions. However, you can also enjoy them as side dishes to go with your main meals. Among the traditional favorites are satay, stuffed dumplings, spring rolls, and crisp-fried noodles finished with sweet and spicy sauce on top.
Chili Dips
What’s a food trip in Thailand if you don’t try one of the local favorites – chili dips? These are usually served with fish, meat, or vegetables. Chili dips are actually very versatile. They can serve as, well, dips, but they’re so good they can even double as a main or side dish paired with fried rice. They’re also good for drizzling over chips. Chili dips can be whipped up from various ingredients, including chili, onion, garlic, tamarind, and shrimp paste, to name a few.
Salads
More commonly referred to in Thailand as yam, Thai salad dressing is characterized by its sweet, sour, spicy, and salty taste. It’s great for seafood, meat, vegetable, and fruit salad. Yam is made with fish sauce and lime juice, sprinkled with a dash of sugar. Chili can be added to give it that distinct Thai heat.
Soups
Thai soups are usually one of two extremes: clear and bland or hot and spicy. There’s no in-between! In Thailand, soups are served together with the main dishes, not as a first course. Thai soups are more than good enough to be slathered onto rice and be enjoyed like a viand.
Desserts
Traditional Thai desserts are sweet, but not too much. Among the most popular are seasonal fruits mixed with crushed ice and sweet syrup. You’ll also find the sticky rice with ripe mango quite filling and satisfying. Another one to try is the flour or banana dumpling dipped in sweetened coconut cream.
Curries
Thailand’s traditional curry paste is made from fresh spices and herbs native to the country, including garlic, chili, coriander root, krachai, and galangal. To make the curry dish, the curry paste is cooked in coconut cream. Then, meat and vegetables are thrown in to give the dish more substance.
Thai Rice
With Thailand being the second largest exporter of rice in the world, you can expect to eat a lot of it while you’re here. After all, the dishes can be too savory to eat on their own. There are at various types of rice you can try in Thailand, such as:
- Thai Jasmine Rice – The most common type of rice in Thailand got its name because of its pleasant jasmine aroma.
- Glutinous or Sticky Rice – Also known as Khao Neow, this type of rice is distinguished by its opaque, milky color. It has shorter grains than Thai rice. Because of its stickiness, it is often used as an ingredient in desserts.
- Brown Rice – High in fiber, brown rice comes in both regular and sticky variants. It’s more reddish-black in color than brown and has a somewhat crunchy texture thanks to the intact bran layer.
- Colored Rice – This type of rice comes in vibrant colors: blue, yellow, or green! It’s great for desserts as it eliminates the need for artificial food coloring.
Can’t wait to try authentic Thai cuisine? Enjoy these and more when you drop by the Indulge Bar – we’re rated as one of the best restaurants in Bangkok!