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Top 10 Thai Dishes You Must Try
Thai dishes, with their spices and unusual flavour combinations, make up one of the most varied cuisines in the world. That's also a challenge for visitors: not every dish is equally hot, and the name on the menu rarely tells you what's actually about to arrive. Here are our top 10 Thai dishes, with a spice rating, the main ingredients, and a couple of long-standing myths we've set straight.
At a glance: spice level and ingredients
| Dish | Spice level | Main ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| Pad Kee Mao | hot | wide rice noodles, chilli, holy basil, meat or seafood |
| Khao Kha Mu | mild | pork leg, dark soy sauce, five-spice powder, rice |
| Tom Kha Gai | mild to medium | coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass, chicken |
| Kaeng Khiao Wan (green curry) | medium to hot | green curry paste, coconut milk, meat or seafood, aubergine |
| Pad Thai | mild | rice noodles, tamarind, fish sauce, egg, peanuts |
| Noodle soup (Kuaitiao) | mild, adjustable at the table | rice, wheat or egg noodles, clear broth, meat |
| Pla Sam Rot | medium | deep-fried fish, tamarind sauce, chilli, palm sugar |
| Som Tam Thai | medium to very hot | green papaya, chilli, lime, peanuts |
| Tom Yam (Gung) | hot | prawns, lemongrass, kaffir lime, chilli |
| Massaman curry | mild | massaman curry paste, coconut milk, potatoes, usually chicken |
Spice level in Thailand is always negotiable: if you're unsure, just ask for it "mai phet" (not spicy) or "phet nit noi" (a little spicy) when you order.
10. Pad Kee Mao
Pad Kee Mao ("fried drunken noodles") is a stir-fried noodle dish similar to Pad Thai, but noticeably hotter and more heavily seasoned. It's usually made with wide rice noodles, soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, and meat or seafood. Its distinctive kick comes from chilli, freshly crushed black pepper, and holy basil (bai kaprao).
Where the name really comes from isn't documented - it's a legend, not a historical fact. One popular version claims an origin involving fried rice wine, yet no known traditional Thai recipe actually contains alcohol. Another story has it invented by someone who came home drunk and cooked with whatever was left in the fridge. There's no way to settle which version is true - what is certain is that, in its classic form, Pad Kee Mao is served very hot.
9. Khao Kha Mu
Khao Kha Mu (pork leg on rice) is a popular lunch dish among Thais with Chinese roots, brought over in particular by Teochew immigrants. The pork leg, similar to a pork knuckle, is braised for hours in a dark broth of light and dark soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon and Chinese five-spice powder until the meat is meltingly tender. The "Christmassy" aroma some people describe really does come from those exact spices - cinnamon and star anise remind many Western palates of festive baking, even though this is simply an everyday Chinese-Thai braising liquid, not a festive sauce of any kind.
The sliced meat is served with eggs braised alongside it over steamed rice, often finished with blanched mustard greens, fresh chilli and garlic. Most food stalls also serve a clear soup on the side, plus a dipping sauce of chilli, garlic, salt, lime and vinegar. In terms of flavour, Khao Kha Mu is mild and savoury-sweet - any heat comes only from the dip, if you choose to add it.
8. Tom Kha Gai
Tom Kha Gai is a rich, creamy coconut soup. Its flavour comes from coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, Thai chillies, coriander, straw mushrooms (or shiitake), and galangal, often called "Thai ginger". You'll find it made with chicken, pork, seafood, or entirely vegetarian - the chicken version is by far the best known. The Laotian version swaps coriander for dill, giving it a noticeably different aroma.
Unlike Tom Yam, Tom Kha is mellowed by the coconut milk and stays mild to at most medium-hot - a good way to ease into Thai soups if you're not sure how much heat you can handle.
7. Kaeng Khiao Wan (green curry)
Even though Kaeng Khiao Wan (sweet green curry) was only added to classic Thai cuisine relatively recently, it's now considered a staple. Its green colour comes from fresh green chillies, Thai basil and the other green ingredients in the curry paste. It's made with chicken, pork or seafood depending on preference.
The key difference from Indian curry: Thai "kaeng" dishes aren't built on ground dried spices but on a freshly pounded curry paste, cooked directly in coconut milk rather than fried in oil first as is common in India. It's usually served with red chilli, lime, roasted peanuts and bean sprouts on the side so you can season it further yourself. Among cooks, green curry is often considered hotter than red, since fresh green chillies get pounded straight into the paste - don't underestimate it just because the colour looks inviting.
If you'd like to see how a curry paste like this actually comes together, a cooking class is worth it: you pound your own paste in a mortar, cook several dishes, and take the recipes home with you.
from 1,750 THBUnique Activity Thai cooking class 4 hours Koh Samui4.88 from 52 reviews
6. Pad Thai
Pad Thai is a stir-fried rice noodle dish served at practically every street stall in Thailand. It's made from dried rice noodles fried with egg, chopped firm tofu, tamarind pulp, fish sauce, dried shrimp, garlic or shallots, red chilli and palm sugar. It comes with chicken, pork, prawns, crab or squid, finished with lime wedges and roasted peanuts. You'll also find versions with soybean sprouts, pickled radish and raw banana blossom.
In its standard form, Pad Thai is on the mild, sweet-and-sour side - chilli flakes, sugar, fish sauce and vinegar are usually left on the table so you can adjust it to taste.
5. Noodle soup (Kuaitiao)
Noodle soups are common right across East and Southeast Asia, and in Thailand the Chinese-style versions in particular turn up everywhere - street stalls, canteens, restaurants. They're made with rice, wheat or egg noodles in a light chicken or pork broth with vegetables, topped with pieces of meat, meatballs or wontons.
The best part: you set the heat yourself. Small jars of sugar, nam pla (fish sauce), dried chilli and chilli in vinegar sit on the table so you can season your kuaitiao exactly how you like it. It's eaten with chopsticks, a clear sign of the Chinese influence. You can also ask for a "dry" version (kuaitiao haeng), where the broth is served in a separate bowl.
4. Pla Sam Rot
Pla Sam Rot ("three-flavour fish") is a crispy deep-fried fish, usually a snapper, topped with a sweet, tangy and sour tamarind sauce. The sauce is built up with garlic, medium-hot chillies, coriander root, palm sugar and sea salt; some restaurants serve the fish on a bed of vegetables.
Served with plain rice, it's sized for one person or for sharing, depending on the fish. On the spice scale it sits in the middle - sweet and sour lead, with chilli adding a kick without overwhelming the dish.
3. Som Tam Thai
Som Tam Thai is a salad made from unripe green papaya. The shredded papaya is pounded in a mortar together with small tomatoes, long beans, garlic, palm sugar, peanuts and fresh or dried chillies so the flavours combine properly.
That pounding is exactly what makes the salad hot, salty and sour all at once - and the heat varies a lot from one stall to the next. In Thailand's northeast (Isaan), Som Tam is traditionally made noticeably hotter and saltier than in central Thailand, often with fermented fish sauce that can take some getting used to for visitors. The "Thai" version, usually served with grilled chicken and sticky rice, is the milder and easier-going option compared with the more traditional Som Tam Pu made with pounded crab. When in doubt, just ask how spicy it is before you order.
2. Tom Yam (Gung)
Tom Yam is a hot and sour soup, classically made with prawns ("gung"), though you'll also find versions with pork or chicken. The name comes from the Thai words "tom" (to boil) and "yam" (a spicy, sour salad). Its unmistakable aroma comes from lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce and crushed red chillies.
Tom Yam is one of the hotter dishes on this list, though the intensity varies by kitchen - some serve a milder "Tom Yam Nam Sai" (clear broth), others the richer "Tom Yam Nam Khon" made with coconut or evaporated milk, which tastes a bit milder and creamier.
1. Massaman curry
Massaman curry rounds out our list - and it's anything but an afterthought: in not one but two CNN Travel reader polls ("World's 50 Best Foods", 2011 and 2017), it was voted the single best dish in the world. It's an aromatic, comparatively mild Thai curry with Muslim-Persian origins, which is why it's traditionally made most often with chicken, though you'll also find duck, beef, occasionally pork, and vegetarian or vegan versions with tofu.
Its distinctive flavour comes from spices rarely used in other Thai curries, such as cardamom, cloves and cinnamon - which is why it tastes rounder and less fiery than green or red curry. These days you'll often find it made with potatoes as an alternative to serving it purely over rice.
Where to eat these dishes on Koh Samui
The most relaxed way to work through this list is at the island's night markets, where many of these dishes are sold side by side at different stalls, freshly cooked and usually cheaper than at a restaurant. For which markets run on which day and what to expect, see our Top 10 night markets on Koh Samui. If you'd rather cook them yourself, the cooking class linked above is a great way to take the recipes home with you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the national dish of Thailand?
There's no officially designated national dish. Pad Thai is the one most commonly given that title, tracing back to a government campaign in the 1930s and 40s that promoted noodles over rice during a rice shortage. Other lists instead point to Tom Yam Gung or green curry as most representative of the cuisine. Massaman curry, meanwhile, was voted the best dish in the world twice in CNN Travel reader polls - a different accolade from "national dish". In short, there isn't one single correct answer, just several well-documented candidates.
Which Thai dishes are especially spicy?
Tom Yam, Pad Kee Mao and Som Tam are classically the hottest, though Som Tam varies a lot by region and stall. Khao Kha Mu, Massaman curry and most noodle soups are on the milder end, and with noodle soups you control the heat yourself at the table. If you're unsure, "mai phet" (not spicy) or "phet nit noi" (a little spicy) will get you a gentler version.
What are good Thai dishes for beginners?
Pad Thai, Massaman curry and Tom Kha Gai are good starting points - mild to at most medium-hot, while still showing off the sweet, salty, sour and coconut-creamy flavours typical of Thai cooking. From there you can work your way up to hotter dishes like Tom Yam or Som Tam.
Where's the best place to eat Thai food on Koh Samui?
The widest selection at the lowest prices is at the island's night markets, where many of the dishes on this list are cooked fresh in front of you. For a deeper understanding of the cuisine, a cooking class is a great addition - you'll learn how the dishes are actually made rather than just ordering them.
For more on food and culture on Koh Samui, see our Top 10 night markets on Koh Samui and our article on the Top 10 fruits in Thailand.
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