Good things to eat in Thailand

[Gaybutton]

We just had a thread all about gross things to eat in Thailand, so it stands to reason that we also ought to have a thread about things we enjoy eating in Thailand.

 

First, I can't eat the spicy foods. It burns the hell out of my mouth and then I can't taste anything else for the rest of the meal. Next morning, it burns again!

 

However, not all Thai food is spiced up. The fried rice and most of the noodle dishes aren't spicy at all, and many can be very good. But if I had to narrow it down to a single category of Thai foods I truly enjoy, for me it would be seafood. If you're a seafood lover, then Thailand is the place to be. I have never had a Thai seafood dish I didn't enjoy, except of course the ones that are too spicy for me. But most are not particularly spicy at all and there are so many kinds of fish, crab, and shellfish dishes that I can't count them all. And seafood is really a bargain in Thailand, especially when you consider how much a similar meal would cost 'back home.'

 

I can't tell you the names of the different seafood dishes. I don't know most of them. Fortunately, the restaurants that serve them usually have picture menus. Sometimes I order for myself, but I enjoy it more when I let the Thai boy do the ordering. I just make sure to tell him not to order anything spicy for me, but he can order whatever spicy dishes he wants for himself.

 

There is an abundance of great Thai seafood restaurants all over Thailand. You can even get most of the same foods in areas nowhere near the sea. The seafood restaurants are especially popular among the Thais. Quite often you can't get in.

 

So, the Thai seafood is without question my personal favorite.

[ChristianPFC]

Me too, I don't like spicy. I espicially enjoy dishes with prawn, chicken or noodles. I tried two different dishes with mussels (both prepared with shell), was quite messy and the taste didn't justify the work to get the meat out of the shell. The same with crab.

 

I had something, I think it was banana with a crust and sesame seed, and this barbecued, I would really like to try this again but neither know what it is nor what it's called!

 

I like the fruits, mangosteen and pomelo are my favorites. I can do without durian and jackfruit.

[Bob]

My favorites, rather simple dishes, include kao man gai and kao pat gai/moo/goong. And kao man gai just doesn't taste right without a little (or more than a little) of the somewhat spicy brown sauce you slather over the chicken and rice.

 

I like a little spiciness but not a lot. If I ever have somtam salad, it's specifically ordered with one chili only. But every year I seem to be able to handle and actually want a little more spiciness.

 

I have this thing for Thai chicken and pork as, in my opinion, it has more taste than the chicken and pork sold here in the states. I'm guessing that the Thais do not feed the chicken and pigs all the growth additives/hormones which, while turning a chicken or a pig into a whale in 12 minutes, ends up drying out the meat and leaving it rather tasteless. Thai bacon, for example, tastes to me like the bacon I used to eat 5+ decades ago.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Next morning, it burns again!

 

The trick to the morning after burn is to eat ice cream after spicy food. In the morning you just say "Come on ice cream".

[eddy0126]

If many will not swim in the waters off Pattaya, why would they eat fish and seafood from those waters?

[Gaybutton]

If many will not swim in the waters off Pattaya, why would they eat fish and seafood from those waters?

Because they're not from these waters. I never see commercial fishing going on anywhere near the polluted Pattaya waters.

[Guest fountainhall]

I like a little spiciness but not a lot

I find that as the years pass I prefer a little of the chilli sauce to spice things up - but just a bit. Not sure why, but I seem able to tolerate more spiciness in Chinese Szechuan cuisine than I can with Thai food.

[Guest RichLB]

Since we're talking about Hot spices in Thai food, here's a little hint I discoverd from a Thai friend. When your mouth is on fire DON'T drink water. That will only spread the oils that are burning your mouth. What DOES work is raw cabbage. For some reason or other, that kills the burning immediately.

[Guest RichLB]

Getting back to the thread topic, here are some of my favorite Thai dishes. I don't know how to transliterate the spelling, but you'll get the idea.

 

Poo Pad Pung guree gon chin - fried crab in a curry sauce. Order it "gon chin" as that means they serve it already cracked and out of the shell - usually the little legs with the meat hanging out to be sucked away.usually not very spicey unless you don't like curry.

 

Tom Ka Gai - A coconut milk based chicken soup. Also not usually spicey unless you are hyper sensitive.

 

Pad Thai Goong - Everyone (except maybe newbies) knows what this is. A noodle dish with shrimp mixed into the sauce. Served with side condiments of peanuts, Lime bits, bean sprouts, garlic bits, and other assorted tasties. Not spicey at all unless you add them from the condiment tray that is served with it.

 

Hoi Malang Poo - Steamed mussels served with a fantastic dipping sauce.

 

Guay Tio Moo (or gai or goong) - A noodle soup with all sorts of things floating in it. Usually fish balls, greens, pork (or chicken, shrimp, etc.) and other tasty stuff. Mpt served spicey but comes with a condiment dish to flavor it as you like.

 

Kao Pad Gai, kai dow - My favorite breakfast fare. Fried rice with chicken and a fried egg (kai dow) on top. Not spicey at all.

 

Satay - not really Thai, but Indonesian. These are the sticks with pieces of meat skewered on it. Again, not the least bit spicey.

 

Kao cook ka pee - Another fried rice dish with all sorts of condiments to be mixed in to your taste. Again, not spicey.

 

Well, those are some of my favorites. There are lots of others, but how about the rest of you adding some of the dishes you really like to the list.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Since we're talking about Hot spices in Thai food, here's a little hint I discoverd from a Thai friend. When your mouth is on fire DON'T drink water. That will only spread the oils that are burning your mouth. What DOES work is raw cabbage. For some reason or other, that kills the burning immediately.

Milk or something sweet will help too. Thai iced coffee works well.

[Gaybutton]

Milk or something sweet will help too. Thai iced coffee works well.

I've heard all kinds of "remedies." The cabbage, iced coffee, hot coffee, iced tea, hot tea, green tea, milk, cucumbers, plain white rice, etc. I've heard them all and tried them all. For me, none of them work.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

I've heard all kinds of "remedies." The cabbage, iced coffee, hot coffee, iced tea, hot tea, green tea, milk, cucumbers, plain white rice, etc. I've heard them all and tried them all. For me, none of them work.

Best for you to stick with non-spicy foods then.

[Gaybutton]

Best for you to stick with non-spicy foods then.

Exactly. I really don't have much choice. Even if I ever do find something that "cures" the burning, I don't want to go through the burning until the "cure" takes effect. Even then, so far nobody has come up with suggestions for a "morning after pill," so the spices would still get their revenge. I can do without that too. Anyway, there are plenty of non-spicy Thai foods out there that I truly enjoy. For me that will have to suffice.

[Guest luvthai]

So hard to find a good hotdog in thailand but the ones at the DQ on the second floor of BIg C are great.

I don't eat thai (too spicy ) or rice so I'm always looking for something good. I usually make sure I have acess to a kitchen so i can cook me up something from time to time.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

I haven't tried the hotdogs at Big C, but all the others I have tried are crap. I had a friend bring me some Polish sausage from Costco which are good. Cooking at home if you don't eat spicy food or rice is the best option. Eating Farang food out all the time can get expensive.

[Gaybutton]

Cooking at home . . . is the best option.

You might not say that if you ever ate some of the food I cook!

 

"My wife - what a lousy cook. She can't cook. At my house we pray after we eat. She's so bad, in the back the flies chipped in to fix the screen door. I've got the only dog that begs for Alka Seltzer."

- Rodney Dangerfield

[Guest painai]

I happen to be one of those Farangs who likes Thai food spicy. One of BIG pet peeves is when I order spicy and it comes back bland or spicy "nit-noi". I ask why and get "because you Farang". When I get that answer, they don't get my business again.

[Bob]

I happen to be one of those Farangs who likes Thai food spicy. One of BIG pet peeves is when I order spicy and it comes back bland or spicy "nit-noi". I ask why and get "because you Farang". When I get that answer, they don't get my business again.

 

I think they're just trying to be accommodating because of prior experiences with most falang. So maybe it'd help you to not be disappointing by making it clear up front that you like it spicy ("Ao ahaan pet" or "Pom chawp ahaan pet" might do it for you).

[Gaybutton]

When I get that answer, they don't get my business again.

Why not? I think it's perfectly understandable they would assume that farang typically don't want their food spiced up to the extent that the Thais like. They probably hear that from farang customers all the time. If you like your food spiced to that extent, I would make sure they understand that at the time you order. After that, if they still don't give you what you want, that's when I would decide not to go back.

[Guest kjun12]

I really love the Thai spicy foods. Hot to the point of burning a bit but not so that it is really painful.

 

Durian is food for the Gods. The best fruit I have ever eaten. Sapodilla or Lamoud is another favorite.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

You might not say that if you ever ate some of the food I cook!

 

I maintain that anyone who can read and follow directions can cook if using a well written recipe.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Why not? I think it's perfectly understandable they would assume that farang typically don't want their food spiced up to the extent that the Thais like.

Painai said he order the food to be spicy. I have discussed here before the problem of not being able to get fried eggs cooked as I like them. I have explained in detail how I like my eggs, but rarely get them how I order them. I stop going to restaurants where they can't cook an egg that has the white fully cooked and the yolk soft and runny.

[KhorTose]

If you ever come to Northern Thailand, I really recommend the Sai Oua sausage. You can eat it as a hors d'oeuvre with ketchup or your favorite sauce. Add it to eggs in the morning or put it on top of a good salad. It has an after bite, but it is delicious. Ask your Thai friends who travel and they will tell you about how good it is.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

You can easily make your own Sai Oua.

 

1 pound ground pork

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh coriander/cilantro leaves, chopped

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 tbsp very finely chopped lemongrass

1 tsp galangal powder

1 tbsp shallot, chopped

1 tbsp shrimp paste

1 tbsp finely chopped Thai chilies (prik kee nu/bird chilies) or to taste

 

Make sure the lemongrass is very finely chopped (put it through a food processor or grind it in a mortar and pestle). Combine all the ingredients and stuff into sausage casing and form 4 inch sausages or form into patties or meatballs. Fry or broil until cooked through.

[Gaybutton]

I maintain that anyone who can read and follow directions can cook if using a well written recipe.

Make that almost anyone . . .