Whereas many Thai dishes are now familiar in the West, the vast majority are not. In many of the dishes below, different kinds of protein, or combinations of protein, are interchangeable as the main ingredient. Beef (
nuea), chicken (
kai), pork (
mu), duck (
pet),
tofu (
taohu), fish (
pla), prawns or shrimp (
kung), crab (
pu),
shellfish (
hoi), or
egg (
khai) can, for example, all be used as main ingredients for
kaeng phet (red curry). Thus
kaeng phet kai is red curry with chicken and
kaeng phet mu is red curry made with pork.
Breakfast dishes Khao chao (; ), breakfast dishes, for Thais are limited. Very often, a Thai breakfast can consist of the same dishes with rice which are also eaten for lunch or dinner. Single dishes such as fried rice, noodle soups, and steamed rice with something simple such as an omelette, fried/grilled pork or chicken, or a stir fry with vegetables, are commonly sold for breakfast from
street stalls as a quick
take-out. The following dishes are viewed as being specific breakfast dishes but they can also be found at any other moment of the day: •
Chok – a rice porridge commonly eaten in Thailand for breakfast. Similar to the
rice congee eaten in other parts of Asia. •
Khao khai chiao – an omelet (
khai chiao) with white rice, often eaten with a chili sauce and slices of cucumber. •
Khao tom – a Thai style rice soup, usually with pork, chicken, fish, or shrimp. •
Pathongko – The Thai version of the Chinese deep-fried bread called
youtiao. It can be topped up with spreads such as
sangkhaya or with chocolate and sweetened
condensed milk. •
Nam taohu –
Soy milk which is often served with sweet jellies.
Individual dishes The term
ahan chan diao (; ) represents truly single-plate dishes as well as dishes that are served
"rat khao" (): one or more dishes served together with rice on one plate. Some eateries offer a large selection of (pre-cooked) dishes; others specialize in only one dish, or a few dishes, with rice. •
Phat kaphrao mu rat khao – minced pork fried with chilies, garlic, soy sauce and holy basil, served together with rice, and with
nam pla phrik as a condiment. •
Khanom chin kaeng kiao wan kai – fresh Thai rice noodles (
khanom chin) served in a bowl with green chicken curry as a sauce. Raw vegetables, herbs, and fish sauce are served on the side and can be added to taste. •
Khanom chin nam ngiao – A specialty of northern Thailand, it is Thai fermented rice noodles served with pork
blood tofu and raw vegetables, in a sauce made with pork broth and tomato, crushed fried dry chilies, chicken blood, dry fermented soy bean, and dried red
kapok flowers. •
Khanom chin namya – round boiled rice noodles topped with a fish-based sauce and eaten with fresh leaves and vegetables. •
Khao kha mu – steamed rice served with
red-cooked pork leg, steamed mustard greens, pickled cabbage, sweet-sour chili sauce, raw garlic, fresh bird's eye chilies, and boiled egg. •
Khao khluk kapi – rice stir-fried with shrimp paste, served with sweetened pork and vegetables. •
Khao man kai – rice steamed in chicken stock with garlic, with boiled chicken, chicken stock, and a spicy dipping sauce. It is usually served with a bowl of radish soup, or
nam kaeng hua chai thao. •
Khao mu daeng – slices of Thai-style Chinese
char siu are served with rice, sliced cucumber, and a thickened gravy. This often comes with a bowl of broth and a few raw scallions. Thick, black soy sauce with sliced chilies is used as a condiment. •
Khao na pet – rice served with slices of red-roast duck, sliced cucumber, and a thickened gravy. It is served with the same spicy soy sauce condiment as
khao mu daeng and also often comes with a bowl of soup and additional raw scallions. •
Khao phat – One of the most common rice dishes in Thailand. Usually with chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, crab, coconut or pineapple, or vegetarian (
che; ). •
Khao phat American – although devised in Thailand, it is called "American-style" fried rice because the rice is fried with tomato
ketchup, may contain raisins, and is served with a
fried egg, hot dogs, and bacon, which were all viewed as being typically American ingredients. •
Khao phat kai – fried rice with chicken. •
Khao phat mu – fried rice with pork. •
Khao phat pu – fried rice with crab meat. •
Khao phat kung – fried rice with shrimp. •
Khao phat naem – fried rice with fermented sausage (
naem, a typical sausage from the northeast; it is similar to the
Vietnamese nem chua). •
Khao soi – curried noodle soup enriched with coconut milk (traditionally a novel ingredient in the cooking traditions of northern Thailand), garnished with crispy fried wheat noodles, and served with pickled cabbage, lime, a chili paste, and raw shallots on the side. Arguably Chiang Mai's most iconic dish, it was originally a dish of the
Chin Haw, Chinese-Muslim traders from
Yunnan Province in China. '' •
Kuaitiao nam and
bami nam – noodle soup that can be eaten at any time of day; served with many combinations of proteins, vegetables, and spicy condiments. The word
kuaitiao, although originally designating only
sen yai (
wide rice noodles), is now used colloquially for rice noodles in general:
sen mi (
rice vermicelli),
sen lek (narrow rice noodles) and the aforementioned
sen yai. The yellow egg noodles are called
bami. Four condiments are usually provided on the table: sugar, fish sauce, chili flakes, and sliced chilies in vinegar. •
Kuaitiao lukchin pla – noodle soup with
fish balls. •
Bami mu daeng – egg noodles with Thai-style
char siu. •
Kuaitiao rat na – wide rice noodles covered in a gravy, with beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, or seafood. •
Kuaitiao ruea – also known as
boat noodles in English, it is a rice noodle dish, which has a strong flavor. It contains both pork and beef, as well as dark soy sauce, pickled bean curd, and other spices, and is normally served with meatballs and pig's liver. •
Mi krop – deep-fried rice vermicelli with a sweet and sour sauce. •
Phat khi mao – noodles stir-fried with chilies and holy basil. •
Phat si-io – rice noodles (often
kuai tiao) stir-fried with
si-io dam (thick sweet soy sauce) and
nam pla (fish sauce) and pork or chicken. •
Pad thai – rice noodles pan-fried with fish sauce, sugar, lime juice or tamarind pulp, chopped peanuts, and egg, combined with chicken, seafood, or tofu. It is listed at number five on the World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll compiled by
CNNGo in 2011.
Bangkok shared dishes with chicken, served with
roti. .
Ahan Krung Thep (; ), the cuisine has also incorporated many
Thai Chinese dishes. •
Kai phat khing – chicken stir fried with sliced ginger. •
Kaeng khiao wan – called "green curry" in English, it is a coconut curry made with fresh green chillies and flavoured with Thai basil, and chicken or fish meatballs. This dish can be one of the spiciest Thai curries. •
Kaeng phanaeng – a mild creamy coconut curry with beef (
phanaeng nuea), chicken, or pork. It includes roasted dried spices similar to
kaeng matsaman. •
Kaeng phet () – also known as
red curry in English, it is a coconut curry made with copious amounts of dried red chillies in the curry paste. •
Kaeng som – a hot and sour soup or curry usually eaten together with rice •
Kai phat met mamuang himmaphan – The
Thai Chinese version of the
Sichuan-style chicken with
cashews known as
cashew chicken, fried with whole dried chilies. •
Phak bung fai daeng – stir-fried
morning glory with
yellow bean paste. •
Phat phak ruam – stir-fried combination of vegetables depending on availability and preference. •
Phat phrik – often eaten as
nuea phat phrik; beef stir-fried with chilli. •
Phat khana mu krop – khana (
gailan) stir-fried with crispy pork. •
Phat kaphrao – beef, pork, prawns, or chicken stir-fried with
Thai holy basil, chillies, garlic, and soy sauce; for instance,
mu phat kaphrao /
kaphrao mu with minced pork. •
Suki – a Thai variant of the Chinese
hot pot. •
Thot man – deep-fried fishcake made from
knifefish (
thot man pla krai) or shrimp (
thot man kung). •
Tom chuet or
kaeng chuet – a clear soup with vegetables and, for instance,
wunsen (
cellophane noodles),
taohu (
silken tofu),
mu sap (minced pork), or
het (mushrooms). It is of Thai Chinese origin. •
Tom kha kai – hot spicy soup with coconut milk, galangal, and chicken. •
Tom yam – hot and sour soup with meat. With shrimp it is called
tom yam goong or
tom yam kung, with seafood (typically shrimp, squid, fish)
tom yam thale, with chicken
tom yam kai.
Central Thai shared dishes Ahan Phak Klang (; ) is most often eaten with the non-
glutinous jasmine rice. Due to the extensive, centuries-long contact between
Ayutthaya Kingdom and
Khmer Empire, the flavour principles of many Central Thai dishes, such as sour fish soups, stews and coconut-based curries, including
steamed curries, are almost identical to that of
Cambodian cuisine, with the notable exception of Central Thai dishes containing much more chilli and sugar. •
Chuchi pla kaphong – snapper in
chuchi curry sauce (thick red curry sauce) •
Ho mok pla – a
pâté or
soufflé of fish, spices, coconut milk and egg, steamed in a banana leaf cup and topped with thick coconut cream before serving. •
Pla nueng manao – steamed fish with a spicy lime juice dressing. •
Pla sam rot – literally, 'three flavours fish': deep fried fish with a sweet, tangy and spicy tamarind sauce. •
Pu cha – a mixture of cooked crab meat, pork, garlic and pepper, deep fried inside the crab shells and served with a simple spicy sauce, such as Sriracha sauce, sweet-hot garlic sauce,
nam phrik phao (roasted chilli paste),
nam chim buai (plum sauce), or in a red curry paste, with chopped green onions. It is sometimes also served as deep fried patties instead of being fried in the crab shell. •
Som tam – grated
green papaya salad, pounded with a
mortar and pestle, similar to the Laotian and Isan
Tam mak hoong. There are three main variations:
Som tam with peanuts, dried shrimp and palm sugar,
Som tam pu with pickled
rice-paddy crab, and
Som tam pla ra with salted
gourami fish, white eggplants, fish sauce and
long beans. Som tam is usually eaten with sticky rice but a popular variation is to serve it with
Khanom chin (rice noodles) instead. •
Yam – general name for many different kinds of sour
Thai salads, such as those made with
glass noodles (
yam wunsen), with seafood (
yam thale), or grilled beef (
yam nuea). The dressing of a
"yam" will normally consist of shallots, fish sauce, tomato, lime juice, sugar, chilies and Thai celery (
khuenchai), or coriander. •
Yam pla duk fu – crispy fried catfish with a spicy, sweet-and-sour, green mango salad.
Northeastern shared dishes '' and
sticky rice is typical isan dish
, more spicy and salty version of som tam
, usually contains pla ra'' (a sauce of fermented fish).
Ahan Isan (; ) generally features dishes similar to those found in
Laos, as
Isan people historically have close ties with
Lao culture and speak a language that is generally mutually intelligible with the
Lao language. The
staple food of Isan is
glutinous rice and most of the Isan food is spicy and cooked with local ingredients found on the farms all through northeastern Thailand. Isan people primarily get their income from farming. Rice, sugar cane, pineapple, potato, and rubber are all farmed in this region. •
Kaeng khae hoi (snail curry) –
Kaeng khae hoi or
kaeng khao khua hoi requires the same ingredients as kaeng khae except for using snails instead of chicken. Roasted ground rice thickens the liquid. •
Lap kai –
Lap kai requires minced chicken meat and fresh chicken blood mixed with chili paste for lap made from roasted dried chilies and spices. It is usually eaten with a variety of vegetables and herbs that are pungent known as "phak kap lap". Lap dip refers to the uncooked kind. "Lap suk" is the cooked version which is stir fried with a little oil and water. •
Yam tao (paddy crabs in algae with eggplant) –
Yam tao or
tam tao is made from fresh water algae grown in paddy fields in Isan and 2–3 kinds of sliced eggplant with boiled crabs and ginger leaves as well as fresh bird chilies. •
Tam khai mot daeng (ant eggs and roasted vegetables) –
Tam khai mot daeng is made the same as other kinds of "tam" dishes with roasted long peppers and two kinds of chopped mint to enhance the flavor. Shrimp paste is not used in this recipe. •
Namphrik maeng da (water beetle and chili dip) – This is a rather dry or very thick kind of chili dish. Any kind of chilies (preferably fresh) can be used. Other kinds of edible beetles or wasps or bees can be used instead of the maeng da. Because of the pungent odor of the maeng da, garlic should be left out. •
Yam phak kum dong (pickled phak kum leaf) – The greens of phak kum have to be pickled for at least three days the same way as pickling mustard greens (phak kat). This recipe calls for roasted dried chilies. •
Nam tok mu – made with pork (mu) or beef (nuea) and somewhat identical to
Lap, except that the pork or beef is cut into thin strips rather than minced. •
No o (pickled bamboo shoots) – No o refers to bamboo shoots that have a strong smell by the process of quick pickling (2–3 days). Some recipes pickle the shoots with the peels and take off the peel just before boiling. Boiling should be rather long for a good result. •
Namphrik maeng chon (mola crickets and chili dip) – This kind of chili dish is rather dry and very thick. Use fresh chilies of any kind. Other kinds of edible insects or larvae can be used instead of mola crickets which will be called by the name of the insects used as the main ingredients such as wasp, grasshopper, or bee larvae (namphrik to, namphrik taen and namphrik phueng). •
Khai mot daeng –
ant eggs – clean and high in protein nutrients. Red ants eat mango leaves so their bodies taste like a squirt of lime, but their fresh eggs are fatty and sweet. •
Kai yang – marinated, grilled chicken. •
Lap – a traditional Lao
salad containing meat, onions, chillies, roasted rice powder, and garnished with mint. •
Nam chim chaeo – is a sticky, sweet and spicy dipping sauce made with dried chilies, fish sauce, palm sugar, and black roasted rice flour. It is often served as a dip with
mu yang (grilled pork). •
Phat mi Khorat – a stir fried rice noodle dish commonly served with papaya salad in Thailand. Dried rice noodles of many colors are a specific ingredient for this dish. •
Tam maak hoong or
Som tam pla ra – spicy papaya salad, similar to central thai
som tam, but more spicy and less sweet, and contains
pla ra (a sauce of fermented fish). •
Suea rong hai - Grilled beef
brisket. •
Tom saep – Northeastern-style hot and sour soup. •
Yam naem khao thot or
naem khluk – a salad made of crumbled rice-and-curry
croquettes and sour pork sausage.
Northern shared dishes pla'' literally means "wrapped fish"
Ahan phak nuea (; ) shares certain dishes with neighboring
Shan State, in Burma, and with
Laos. As in northeastern Thailand, glutinous rice, not jasmine rice, is eaten as the staple food. •
Aep – Slow-grilled wrapped in banana leaves, this dish is most often made with chopped meat, small fish or
edible insects, mixed with beaten eggs and spices. •
Kaeng hang le – a Burmese-influenced stewed pork curry which uses peanuts, dried chilies, tamarind juice and curry paste in the recipe, but no coconut milk. •
Kaeng khae – is a spicy curry of herbs, vegetables, the leaves of an acacia tree (
cha-om) and meat (chicken,
water buffalo, pork or
frog). It does not contain coconut milk. •
Kaeng khanun – a curry of pork stewed with green jackfruit. Like all northern Thai curries, it does not contain coconut milk. •
Kaeng pa –
Pa in this context has nothing to do with
ahan pa ('jungle food'). It does not consist of ingredients found in the forest. It refers to a simple dish with spicy and salty flavours. •
Kaep mu – deep fried crispy pork rinds, often eaten with chili pastes such as
nam phrik num. •
Lab nuea – drier and smokier in taste, northern Thai larb does not contain lime or fish sauce. Instead it's flavoured and seasoned with a mix of ground dried chillies, dried spices like
cumin,
cloves,
long pepper,
star anise,
Sichuan pepper,
cinnamon, and occasionally blood of the animal used. •
Nam phrik kha – thick relish made with roasted chilies, garlic, galangal, and salt. This specialty is often served as a dip for steamed mushrooms or steamed sliced beef shank. •
Nam phrik nam oi – brown sugar chili sauce – brown cane sugar sauce is good as a dip for such sour tasting fruit as green mangoes, mango plums, or tamarinds. •
Nam phrik nam pu – crab and chili Sauce – Namphrik nam pu is rather thick to almost dry. Many kinds of fresh chilies can be used also. Including smoked chilies. •
Nam phrik num – a chili paste of pounded large green chilies, shallots, garlic, coriander leaves, lime juice and fish sauce; eaten with steamed and raw vegetables, and sticky rice. •
Nam phrik pla – fish chili sauce – Namphrik pla or fish chili sauce can be a little thick or thin depending on the amount of liquid from the boiling fish one puts in it. Grilled fish can be used instead of boiled fish. Any kinds of fresh chilies can be used from mild to the hottest kinds to suit one's taste. It goes well with water clover, tips of lead tree greens, or crispy eggplant. •
Nam phrik ong – resembling a thick
Bolognese sauce, it is made with dried chilies, minced pork, fermented soy beans, and tomato; eaten with steamed and raw vegetables, and sticky rice. •
Sai ua – a grilled sausage of ground pork mixed with spices and herbs; it is often served with chopped fresh ginger and chilies at a meal. It is sold at markets in Chiang Mai as a snack. •
Tam som-o – a salad made from the slightly pounded flesh of a pomelo fruit, which is mixed with garlic, sliced lemongrass, and a thick pungent black paste (
nam pu) made from boiling down the juices and meat of rice-paddy crab.
Southern shared dishes Ahan Phak Tai (; ) shares certain dishes with the
cuisine of northern Malaysia. Southern Thais, just like the people of central Thailand to the north, and the people of Malaysia to the south, eat non-glutinous rice as their staple food. •
Kaeng matsaman – known in English as
Massaman curry, is an Indian-Malay style curry of stewed beef containing roasted dried spices, such as coriander seeds, that are rarely found in other Thai curries. In 2011
CNNGo ranked massaman as number one in an article titled World's 50 most delicious foods. •
Kaeng som (southern Thai name) or
kaeng lueang (central Thai name) – a sour curry with fish, vegetables or fruit, deriving its acidity from the use of tamarind juice. •
Kaeng tai pla – a thick sour vegetable curry made with
turmeric and shrimp paste, often containing roasted fish or fish innards, bamboo shoots, and eggplant. •
Khao mok – Thai-Malay style biryani, a specialty of southern Thailand's Malay community. •
Khao yam – a rice salad from southern Thailand. •
Khua kling – a dry spicy curry made with minced or diced meat with sometimes yard long beans added to it; often served with fresh green
phrik khi nu (Thai chilies) and finely shredded
bai makrut (kaffir lime leaves). •
Sate – grilled meat, usually pork or chicken, served with cucumber salad and peanut sauce (of Malaysian-Indonesian origin, but now a popular street food in Thailand). •
Bai liang phat khai – or
Gnetum gnemon is native to Southeast Asia. It is widely used in Thai.
Bai liang tastes sweet and a bit greasy, not rank and bitter like other species. It is commonly eaten as a vegetable with chili sauce and used to make a variety of dishes such as stir-fry with red curry. A popular dish is stir-fried with eggs called
Bai liang phat khai. ==Desserts and sweets==