Thai Food Tips
Gai Pad King (Ginger Chicken): Chicken, shredded ginger, mushrooms, onions, small corn, scallions and sometimes sweet pepper (bell pepper). This one is really delicous. They serve it over rice most often.
Pad Thai (Stir Fried thin noodles with oyster sauce, tamarind sauce, scrambled egg, shrimp, scallions - fresh on side)You probably already know about Pad Thai. We get more people going to Joy’s blog to see the Pad Thai recipe than anything else. Apparently this is very popular in America, Canada and the UK. I never had it in the states! I didn’t know it existed. Now that I’ve had it in Thailand if I ever return to the USA I’ll order it a lot. It’s very delicious, so simple, but delicious.
Lab Moo: (Spicy ground pork salad, Isaan style). This is a great dish - especially if you don’t mind spicy. If you don’t want spicy, again, just say, “my ped” and they can make it like that. This comes from Isaan (northeast Thailand) and is one of our favorites. You can have with pork, duck (lab phed), chicken (lab gai), fish (lab pla), beef (lab neu-uh). Originally it has pork skin in it - which I dont’ think you’ll find in restaurants outside Thailand but if you want to make sure you don’t get any you can say, “my sy nung”. It means ‘no skin’. If you want to be polite you can say, “my sy nung kup” if you are a man, and “my sy nung ka” if you are a woman. Women say “ka” after everything to be very polite. Men say “kup” after everything. In reality nobody says it all the time as it is too much. I say as much as I remember - about 60% of the time.
Yum Woon Sen: (Spicy Glass Noodle Salad) This one I was introduced to right before I came to Thailand. I ate this about 5 times per week for the last month before I left for Bangkok and I ate it about the first six months I was here in Thailand. I’ve not had it for about the last year though and Joy decided to make it for lunch for me today since she starts work late today. I’m excited - it’s really good and she makes it so spicy that I cry. That’s good food! Yum woon sen has: Thin glass noodles, tomatoes, scallions, onion, squid (usually, can be shrimp or pork instead), chili peppers of course, lime, and thin ear type mushrooms. This is a wet dish and it can get VERY spicy. You might want to say “my ped” or “ped nid noy” which is a little bit spicy. This dish is hardly ever without any spice since the name of it is “Spicy glass noodle salad”. It wouldn’t be the same without any spice!
Bpoo Pad Pongaree: Stir fried crab with curry powder. This one is really delicious, and not spicy from chili peppers and just a little bit from the curry. I think you’ll love this if you can find it in your Thai food restaurant.
Tom Kha Gai: Chicken in Coconut milk with Galingale. Anything with coconut milk (gati) should not be missed! Yes, it’s fattening - but you’re eating Thai food as a treat, not as part of your diet - right?
Gai Pad Met Mamuang: Chicken and cashew nut stir fry. This also has small corn cobs, shredded carrots… A good choice.
Pad Pak Boong: Stir Fried morning glory. This is a nice side order. They usually make it with fresh garlic and it’s delicious! Eat this along with your rice. Everything gets eaten along with Thai Jasmine rice I guess that goes without saying.
Pad Pak Loo-um: Mixed vegetables stir fry. This is good to get as a side-order with anything. You can specify which vegetables you want or just order like this and they’ll give you a mix of all they have.Kow Niao Mamuang: Sticky rice with sweet mango. MMMMMM. This one is probably my favorite Thai dessert.
Sung Kaya Fuhk Thong: Sweet egg custard with pumpkin. MMMMM. This one is probably my 2nd favorite Thai dessert.
Lawt Chong: Noodles in coconut milk with jackfruit (if they have - or some other fruit as a substitute). This too is an awesome Thai dessert.Gluay Buad Chee: Ripe, uncooked banana in Coconut milk. Again… delicious.
I think that’s a good start to help you choose some new Thai food you might not have tried before. There is so much variety and to me, all of it is good. Literally I loved everything Joy made for the year plus she was cooking everyday. It was like eating in a five-star restaurant for over a year. YES, I gained weight. I’ve since lost it, but if she starts cooking again the smart thing to do is eat it all and pay for it in a little weight-gain. What’s a guy to do?
You should be able to find the foods mentioned here at a Thai food restaurant in your home country. I think you’ll find most or all of these (or some variation) at a nice Thai restaurant. Keep in mind that there are regional differences in Thai cooking. In the north of Thailand the Thai food tends to be sweeter. In the northeast it tends to be spicier in every way, hotness and flavor - they use more chilis, salt, lemon, and herbs. In the south foods tend to be a little more sour and not very spicy, though they have more curries here in the south. Bangkok has a mix of everything.
If you have some time have a look at some of Joy’s Thai food by typing a search word into the box in the upper left hand side. If you like coconut milk - type it in and see what recipes she has that includes it. You might be surprised and find something you haven’t tried and you can ask for the next time you go to a restaurant for Thai food!
Tag : joysthaifood.com