Top 10 Thai food to eat for your first travel to Thailand
Is it your first time in Thailand? I went to Bangkok in November 2015 and I’ve never tried Thai food in my life before I went traveling in Bangkok. I’ve tried Korean food, Japanese food, Chinese food, Indian food, Indonesian food, Vietnamese food, Italian food, but I really had no idea what it is like to eat Thai food. When I tried to order Thai food for the first time, I looked through the menu but I really didn’t know what to eat. I’ve been to Thailand for 6 months and I’ve tried different kinds of Thai food. This is how I found best Thai food to eat in Thailand! Here I am to help you out what Thai food to eat for people who plan to travel to Thailand for the first time! Here are Top 10 Thai food to eat!
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Top 10 Thai food to eat in Thailand
1.Pad Thai
I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of Pad Thai. Pad Thai is loved by many tourists. You know why? Pad Thai usually doesn’t taste spicy at all. Pad Thai is seasoned with fish sauce, tamarind puree. Usually, you can find vegetable Pad Thai, egg Pad Thai, chicken Pad Thai, or Pork Pad Thai. You can find Pad Thai with vegetables and an egg for 30 baht near Khao San road if you like street food. One day I was thinking why travelers like Pad Thai so much. I think Pad Thai is so popular because it’s the least spicy food (unless you ask for spicy), cheap, easy to find, and most importantly it’s just so delicious. You will be so addicted to eating Pad Thai for a while if you first started traveling in Thailand!
Fun fact about Pad Thai
Pad Thai is like Big Mac. I call it Pad Thai barometer. If you want to check how expensive the food will be at a Thai restaurant is usually up to the price of Pad Thai. You can always ask how much Pad Thai is at the restaurant. Then you will see how cheap the food are in the restaurant!
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2. Thai Omelet (Khai jiao)
Unlike typical Omelet, Thai omelet is very soft inside and really crisp outside made of fish sauce, lime juice, water, and rice flour. Usually, they put some vegetables like tomatoes to make it taste better. It’s very simple dish but delicious. It’s good for Thai food beginners.
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3. Mango Sticky Rice
I don’t like my food to be too sweet since I love savory food but Mango Sticky Rice is an exception! Mango Sticky Rice is actually a Thai dessert! Sticky Rice is made with coconut milk(or cream), palm sugar, and a bit of salt. And then this Sticky Rice is served with fresh sweet Mango. I learned how to make Sticky Rice with Mango at Thai cooking class at Asia Scenic in Chiang Mai. It’s super easy to make and delicious! Don’t worry if you don’t have a chance to make it your own! You can just buy it for 50 baht! Mango Sticky Rice will be a must-try dish if you have a sweet tooth!
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4. Stir-fried Morning Glory(Stir-fried Mixed Vegetables)
Do you want some Morning Glory? Hahaha. I know what you are thinking! When I first saw “Morning Glory” on the menu in Thailand, I didn’t know what this food is… I couldn’t imagine Morning Glory is a really delicious stir-fried green vegetable! Hahahaha. I ordered Morning Glory from curiosity, and I really loved it! Since then, I became a Morning glory lover. HAHAHA!
I’m a big fan of Stir-fried food like Stir-fried mixed vegetables and stir-fried Morning Glory because I love to eat vegetables. Especially, Stir-fried Morning glory is so simple and tasty without too much seasoning. It’s fried, but still healthier than just eating meat.If you are a vegetable lover like me, I’m pretty sure you’re going to like it as well!
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5. Thai Curry
I love all kinds of Thai Curry. It is simple, healthy and delicious. Compared to Indian Curry, Thai Curry is quite sweet because of Coconut milk.
Massaman Curry
Massaman Curry is very popular Thai curry especially among travelers from Europe. You know many people from European countries love eating potatoes! One of my friends calls herself as a potato head since she loves eating potatoes so! One of Massaman Curry’s main ingredients is the potato! No wonder why they like Massaman Curry so much! It also has some chicken, carrots, and onions. Massaman Curry is a bit salty and sweet. Don’t worry! It doesn’t taste spicy at all! You must try it if you can’t eat spicy food but you want to try Thai Curry! You will fall in love with Massaman Curry!
Penang Curry
Penang Curry can be a bit spicy compared to Massaman Curry but most of my European friends think Penang Curry is quite tasty. It is not soupy at all. It’s saltier compared to another Thai curry, but it tastes sweet at the end. It’s a perfect mixture of sweetness and saltiness. Chicken Penang Curry is typical but you can also order vegetarian style with Tofu or without meat.
Green Curry
The first time I’ve tried Green Curry was back in November 2015 at a small Thai restaurant near my guesthouse in Ayutthaya. The Thai lady cooks amazing Green Curry! I fell in love with her Green Curry and I went to her restaurant every day to eat her delicious Green Curry while I was staying in Ayutthaya for 9 days! I even went to a cooking school called Asia Scenic in Chiang Mai and I made my own Green curry paste and Green Curry!
It’s a bit spicy but sweet at the same time. It’s so addictive! If you can eat spicy food, don’t hold yourself back from trying Green Curry!
6. Somtam
Somtam is also called Papaya salad. Somtam is a fresh papaya salad seasoned with fish sauce and sugar. It’s sour, salty, sweet, and spicy. You really need to make sure to ask for not to make it too spicy if you can’t handle spiciness. I can eat spicy food but I always tell them to make it a little spicy, not too spicy. It can be really really spicy that your tongue feels numb, your mouth will be burning and your stomach will be sore. But Somtam’s a very typical Thai food that you must try! Just ask them to make it not spicy…
7. Pad Kra Pao (Stir-fried pork with Thai basil)
Pad Kra Pao is one of my favorite Thai food on Top 10 Thai food to eat in Thailand. It’s a stir-fried Thai dish with minced pork with Thai Basil. Pad Kra Pao is quite spicy and salty. It tastes really good but it can be challenging to eat if you don’t ask for not spicy. I recommend eating Pad Kra Pao with extra egg on top to make it less spicy. It’s not crazy spicy, but good spicy! I hope you try!
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8. Thai larb salad
I have to warn you that authentic Thai Larb salad is super spicy! Its main ingredients are minced chicken(or pork), garlic, scallion, Thai chilies, lemongrass, coriander, and mint.
It’s salty and just a little bit sweet at the end. When I first tried chicken Thai Larb at Krabi Night Market, my mouth was blowing fire! But you know what? I absolutely fell in love with this crazy spicy food. It’s so spicy with garlic and chili but somehow it tastes sweet and fresh! To eat this Thai Larb salad, you will need some sticky rice! Have a spoon of Thai larb salad and then have a bite of sticky rice! Mango sticky rice also works! My Brazilian friend who can’t eat spicy food at all couldn’t stop eating while shedding tears! If you travel to Thailand, you really need to try Thai Larb salad at least once!
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9. Tom Yum(Tom Yam)
Tom Yam Goong is also my favorite Thai food on Top 10 Thai food to eat list! It’s spicy sour soup with lemon grass, Kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, chili peppers. Tom Yum (Tom Yum Goong) is quite spicy but it’s really good so I think you should give it a try at least once!
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10. Banana Nutella Pancake(Banana Chocolate Pancake)
Do you have a sweet tooth? Then, Banana Pancake will be your favorite on my Top 10 Thai food to eat list! I think Thai Banana Pancake is a must try dessert for anyone who travels to Thailand. Banana Pancake is crisp outside with soft and warm banana inside. Since I first tried Banana Nutella Pancake (Banana Chocolate Pancake), I couldn’t stop eating it. I have to warn you that Banana Nutella Pancake in Thailand is so addictive! Why don’t you ask for Nutella over this sweet Banana Pancake? It’s amazing! You will love it!
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How was my Top 10 Thai food to eat in Thailand? Have you tried one of the foods that are on Top 10 Thai food to eat list? What did you like the most? If it’s your first time traveling to Thailand, what Thai food do you want to try first? Let me know what you think! I hope this post helps you choose the best Thai food to eat for your first time in Thailand! 🙂
Delicious post.Love reading our post.As i am a foodie.I use to visit different types of places where i enjoyed lots of different foods.Thanks for the post.I would love to visit here.Thanks for sharing.
Thank you David! I hope to see you soon!