Thai Dishes, Curries, Salads and Noodles
A simple guide to common Thai dishes you will see in restaurants, markets and street stalls.
This page covers some of the better-known Thai rice dishes, noodles, soups, curries, stir-fries, salads and vegetarian food. It is meant as a traveller’s guide, not a complete Thai cookbook.
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Thai dish names are written many ways in English. I have used simple traveller spelling here. On menus you may see pad, phad or phat for the same word.
Rice Dishes
Rice is the base of Thai eating. In Thai, gin khao literally means “eat rice”, but it is also used to mean “eat a meal”.
| Dish | What It Is | Good to Know |
|---|---|---|
| Khao Suay | Plain steamed jasmine rice. | The base for many Thai meals. |
| Khao Phat | Thai fried rice with egg, onion and meat, seafood or vegetables. | Simple, safe and widely available. |
| Khao Tom | Rice soup or rice porridge. | Often eaten for breakfast or when someone feels unwell. |
| Khao Man Gai | Chicken rice served with soup and a ginger chilli sauce. | One of Thailand’s best simple meals. |
| Khao Niao | Sticky rice. | Common in northern and northeast Thai food. |
Noodles
Noodles are common across Thailand, especially in quick meals and street stalls. Noodle soups are usually eaten with chopsticks and a spoon.
| Dish | What It Is | Good to Know |
|---|---|---|
| Pad Thai | Fried rice noodles with tamarind sauce, egg, bean sprouts, tofu and peanuts. | Often served with prawns, chicken or tofu. |
| Kuay Tiao | General word for Thai noodle soup. | You can choose different noodles and toppings. |
| Bami Moo Daeng | Egg noodles with Chinese-style red pork. | Often served dry or with soup on the side. |
| Khanom Jeen | Fresh rice noodles served with curry sauces and vegetables. | Popular for breakfast and local lunches. |
| Khao Soi | Northern curry noodle soup with soft and crispy noodles. | Very popular around Chiang Mai and northern Thailand. |
| Pad See Ew | Wide rice noodles fried with dark soy sauce, egg and greens. | A good option if you want something less spicy. |
Soups and Curries
The line between soups and curries in Thailand can be a bit fuzzy. Some dishes called gaeng are closer to soup than what many visitors think of as curry.
| Dish | What It Is | Good to Know |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Yum Goong | Hot and sour prawn soup with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and chilli. | Usually clear. Creamy versions exist, but coconut milk is not the normal base. |
| Tom Kha Gai | Chicken coconut soup with galangal, lemongrass and lime. | Milder, creamy and very popular. |
| Gaeng Khiao Wan | Green curry with coconut milk, herbs and curry paste. | Often made with chicken, beef or fish balls. |
| Gaeng Daeng / Gaeng Phet | Red curry made with red curry paste and coconut milk. | Roast duck red curry is a popular version. |
| Gaeng Som | Sour orange curry soup, often with fish, prawns or vegetables. | Southern versions can be very spicy. |
| Massaman Curry | Rich curry with coconut milk, potatoes, peanuts and warm spices. | Usually milder and slightly sweet. |
| Panang Curry | Thicker coconut curry, often with beef, pork or chicken. | Rich, fragrant and not as soupy as many curries. |
Stir-Fries and Grilled Food
Stir-fried dishes are quick, common and usually cooked to order. Grilled food is popular everywhere, especially with sticky rice and salad.
| Dish | What It Is | Good to Know |
|---|---|---|
| Pad Kra Pao | Holy basil stir-fry with meat, seafood or tofu. | Often served over rice with a fried egg. |
| Gai Pad Met Mamuang | Stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts. | A good mild option for visitors. |
| Pad Pak Ruam | Mixed vegetable stir-fry. | Useful for vegetarians, but ask about fish sauce. |
| Gai Yang | Grilled chicken. | Great with sticky rice and som tam. |
| Moo Ping | Grilled pork skewers. | Common breakfast and snack food. |
| Pla Tod | Fried fish. | Often served whole with sauce or salad. |
Thai Salads and Isaan Food
Thai salads are not usually lettuce-and-tomato affairs. They are often sour, salty, spicy and fresh, with lime juice, fish sauce, chilli and herbs doing most of the work.
| Dish | What It Is | Good to Know |
|---|---|---|
| Som Tam | Green papaya salad with lime, chilli, fish sauce, palm sugar and peanuts. | Usually eaten with sticky rice and grilled chicken. |
| Larb | Minced meat salad with lime, herbs, chilli and toasted rice powder. | A classic Isaan dish. |
| Nam Tok | Grilled meat salad with lime, herbs and toasted rice powder. | Similar flavour family to larb. |
| Yam Woon Sen | Glass noodle salad, often with seafood or minced pork. | Can be very spicy. |
| Yam Talay | Spicy seafood salad. | Fresh, sharp and usually not shy with chilli. |
| Yam Som-O | Pomelo salad with coconut, herbs and sometimes prawns or chicken. | A good one if you like sweet-sour fruit flavours. |
Vegetarian Food in Thailand
Vegetarian travellers can eat well in Thailand, but there is one catch: fish sauce is used in many dishes, even when there is no meat. Shrimp paste can also appear in curry pastes and chilli pastes.
| Phrase | Say it like this | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| I eat vegetarian food | Gin jay | Strict vegetarian style, often understood around Chinese-Thai vegetarian food. |
| I do not eat meat | Mai gin neua sat | Useful, but still check for fish sauce. |
| Please do not add fish sauce | Mai sai nam pla | Very useful for vegetarians. |
| Please do not add shrimp paste | Mai sai gapi | Useful for curries and chilli pastes. |
Information on Thailand’s Vegetarian Festival
Ordering Spicy Food
Thai food can be mild, medium, hot or ridiculous. It depends on the dish, the cook and whether they believe you when you say you can eat spicy food.
| English | Say it like this | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Not spicy | Mai phet | Good for beginners. |
| A little spicy | Phet nit noi | Usually a good compromise. |
| Very spicy | Phet mak | Best not said after two beers unless you mean it. |
| No chilli | Mai sai prik | Useful for kids or sensitive stomachs. |