Moving Your Taste Buds....Thai Street Food
Forget About Relocation Services and Visa Applications—Let’s Talk About Thai Street Food and Imagine How It Tastes!
When people think of moving to a new country, the usual first things that come into mind are relocation services, visa applications, and a place to stay. However, there is a much more interesting aspect of your new life once you have crossed all those bureaucratic hurdles: the local cuisine. Well, in Thailand, that is a headlong dive into the colorful and flavorful world of street food. The paperwork aside, let us just transport ourselves to the exclusiveness in taste and odor of Thai street food.
Welcome to Thailand’s Culinary Paradise
Thailand is known as the “rice bowl” of Southeast Asia—and for a reason. With a country so rich and diverse in its culinary traditions, it would be an understatement to say that such diversity simply reflects global trends. While rice and noodles may dominate, Thai cuisine is essentially a tapestry of light, aromatic dishes with a spicy kick. Street food in Thailand is nothing less than legendary, and at every corner it seems there is a different array of dishes ready and waiting. From the heaving streets of Bangkok to a quiet provincial town, views abound of food being prepared and eaten with sights, sounds, and smells.
Imagine walking along the bustling streets of Bangkok. First, it is the aroma: pungency, aromatic, intoxicating—an intense mix of pungency from garlic, chilies, lemongrass, and smoky meat grilling. As one weaves through crowded streets, clattering spatulas in woks and the rhythmic pounding of pestles and mortars fill the air. Those were street vendors preparing some of the most-loved dishes in Thai cuisine.
The Explosion of Flavors
The real magic of Thai street food, though, is in its flavor. A Thai meal is an exercise in balance between four basic tastes: salty, sour, sweet, and spicy. Every dish is an intricate dance of these tastes normally with an aromatic herbal undertone that adds depth and interest. The result is a culinary experience as bold and vibrant as the country itself.
Let’s get to some of the quintessential dishes you’ll find on the streets of Thailand:
Som Tam (Spicy Papaya Salad)
Som Tam is a dish that epitomizes the very essence of Thai street food. This blend of shredded green papaya, tomatoes, green beans, peanuts, and dried shrimp—all pounded together in a mortar with lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and chilies—Som Tam is a symphony of flavors. The crunch of the papaya and peanuts, but also with the tangy lime, salty fish sauce, and fiery kick from the chilies, will make this dish both refreshing and powerfully flavorful. This is a salad unlike any other and should be a must-try for newcomers to Thai food.
Gai Yang (Grilled Chicken)
Gai Yang, or grilled chicken, is one of the sights that becomes part of the daily scenes on the streets of Thailand. Grilled chicken is marinated in a mixture of garlic, cilantro, fish sauce, and soy sauce and then grilled over an open flame to tender, smoky goodness. This will yield a juicy, flavorful chicken dish and is most often served with sticky rice, Khao Neow, and accompanied by a spicy dipping sauce like Nam Jim Jaew. This tamarind-based sauce, mixed with lime juice, fish sauce, chili, coriander, and spring onion, adds such a taste of sour and spicy kick that takes the grilled chicken all to a totally new level.
Pad Thai
No mention of Thai street food would be complete without Pad Thai, which may well be the most famous Thai dish in the world. This Thai noodle stir-fry is made with rice noodles, eggs, tofu, shrimp, or chicken, and a mix of vegetables, all wok-cooked in a sweet and sour tamarind-based sauce with fish sauce and palm sugar. The dish is topped by a sprinkle of crushed peanuts, fresh lime, and chili flakes. It’s the mix of textures and flavors—soft noodles, crunchy peanuts, and tangy sauce—that has cemented Pad Thai as so much more than a simple stir-fry into an adored staple both in Thailand and internationally.
Gaeng Keow Wan (Green Curry)
Another iconic dish is Gaeng Keow Wan, or green curry. Green curry gets its striking green color from its base ingredients of fresh green chilies and herbs such as Thai basil and cilantro. It is most commonly prepared with chicken or beef, eggplant, and bamboo shoots in a base rich in creamy coconut milk. It comes out spicy, sweet, fragrant, and full of depth in the flavors—comforting and exciting in equal measure. A Green curry served over steaming hot jasmine rice truly goes direct to the heart to warm the soul and satisfy the taste buds.
Tom Yum Goong (Spicy Shrimp Soup)
This Tom Yum Goong is a very hot and sour soup originating from Thailand, full of flavor. With shrimp, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, and chilies, Tom Yum is really packed with bold and zesty flavors. The broth is light but very aromatic, with a perfect balance of the heat, sour taste, and umami from the shrimp. This soup epitomizes how rich and deep Thai cuisine is, and it’s just what will get your taste buds dancing.
The Ultimate Thai Food Experience
Part of the beauty of life in Thailand is easy access to great food. Whether you’re grabbing a quick bite from a street vendor or sitting down to a meal in one of the local eateries, it seems like you are never far away from an unforgettable culinary experience. The beauty of Thai street food lies not only in the flavors but in the entire experience: the busy-ness of the streets, the sizzle of food on the grill, the colors, and the mingling aromas that fill the air.
As you begin to experience Thai food, so much of it will make sense in your journey through Thai culture—in fact, the sharing of a meal is a social event. It’s not just the food that is important but the act of eating together. Whether that’s a casual meal with some newfound friends or participating in an authentic Thai feast, there’s food to bring people together in order to share experiences and forge lasting memories.
Beyond the Basics: Thai Fruits and Desserts
Having had enough of the street food delights, it is time to sample Thai cuisine’s sweet side. There are plenty of lush, tropical fruits in Thailand, with a good number of them likely to be quite unfamiliar to newbies. From durian, reportedly the “king of fruits”—the pungent one—to sweet, juicy mangoes, Thai fruits delicately round up any meal.
Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Neow Mamuang)
Very famous among Thai desserts is Mango with Sticky Rice. This is something very plain but heavenly, a simple mix of ripe slices of mango served with sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and topped with a drizzle of sweet coconut sauce. This dessert is loved by locals and visitors alike for the contrasting flavors of sweetness of the juicy mango and the creamy, slightly salty rice.
Durian
This is a fruit that polarizes—some love it, some hate it. Known for its pungent smell and creamy texture, durian is a delicacy in Thailand. If you’re feeling adventurous, do try this different fruit; its rich custard-like flesh tastes like nothing else on earth—it’s truly memorable.
Cha Yen (Thai Iced Tea)
Wash it all down with a glass of Thai iced tea. Brewed strongly from black tea, sweetened with condensed milk, and served on ice, this creamy drink is just the thing to cool off after a spicy meal, ubiquitously served at Thai street food stalls.
Conclusion
Moving to Thailand doesn’t mean only moving into a new address; it’s all about immersing yourself in a totally new culture. One of the best ways to do that is through food. With Thai street food, you’ll be going on a sensory journey that goes beyond just filling your belly. It’s a taste adventure full of flavor and a celebration of local ingredients—a gateway to the heart of Thai culture. So, you know, maybe you had to spend hours dealing with relocation services and visa applications, but it’s all so worth it when you know each street has a culinary treat waiting for you.
Ready to taste all this? Contact Asian Tigers Group. We’ll help you get moving to Thailand so that you can hit the streets ASAP and dig into the street food scene.
