A Tour of Thailand, Plate by Plate (with Recipes)

Tom Yam Goong

This hot-and-sour shrimp soup is among Thailand's most popular recipes. In a bright lemongrass-and-galangal-laced broth float plump prawns and mushrooms. Season to your taste with a squeeze of fresh lime—perfect in hot or cold weather.

Find the recipe here, courtesy of the amazing Amita Thai Cooking School.

Gai Hor Bai Toey

I absolutely love the prep on these wrapped appetizers. Chicken is marinated and folded into shiny pandanus leaves like little Baby Bjorns. (Vegetarians can substitute portobello mushrooms.)

Find the recipe here, courtesy of Amita Thai Cooking School.

Phat Kra Pow Moo Sab

This classic wok-fried dish can be made with chicken, pork, or soy crumbles (to make it veg-friendly, sub out the fish and oyster sauces). The most important component is the fried holy basil, which is literally sacred in Hindu culture (and unlike the sweet basil you have at home). You may be able to find it at your local Asian grocery.

Find the recipe here, courtesy of Amita Thai Cooking School.

Kanom Krok

These little sweet fritters are undeniably good. A simple batter encases coconut, corn, or (somewhat strangely) green onions. Many Thai desserts are slightly savory and definitely worth a try.

Flowers and Fish

Bangkok's flower market doesn't just have flowers—it has food, too. At one stall, I saw row after endless row and bucket after brimming bucket of dried and fresh fish.

So Much to Try

I was utterly fascinated by whatever is bobbing in this steaming pot. I didn't try this particular dish, but I did sample four or five other stalls as I wandered through the flower market—the options are nearly endless.

Thai Iced Coffee

This vendor at Bangkok's flower market was selling Thai iced coffee for about $0.50. Rich and sweet with condensed milk and cardamom, it's the perfect pick-me-up on a sweltering morning.

Find a pretty similar recipe from Williams-Sonoma.

Khanom Buang

I found these sweet little confections at the flower market. A crepe-like coconut shell surrounds a meringue topped with a mound of shredded egg yolk. It's an excellent pairing for the aforementioned iced coffee.

Street Eats

This vendor was slinging something that smelled delicious, with small piles of crab and fresh fruit in his cart. There are dozens of food vendors around every corner, and because it's so cheap, you can sample just about everything.

Teatime

These are the mignardises that accompany teatime or dessert in Thailand. Like the flowers that literally spill out of temples and homes, Thai sweets come in a riot of colors.

Bak Kut Teh

We tried this herbal soup in Nakhon Si Thammarat, a region known for its Malaysian and Chinese roots. The broth was extremely fragrant, with notes of cinnamon, anise, clove, and cardamom.

Breakfast in Nakhon

A steamed dessert bun sits alongside different rice options. Breakfast in Nakhon is rarely sweet; instead, rich soups and stir-fries make for hearty morning meals.

Truly Cheap Eats

At a popular roadside restaurant in Nakhon, I found this whole fried fish. It was crispy, moist, and fresh—and heart-stoppingly cheap at about $5. Throughout the rural parts of Thailand, family-owned restaurants like this one are the best bets for inexpensive, delicious, and authentic food.

Prawn Curry

This beautifully bright curry was perhaps my favorite in Thailand. Similar to a massaman curry but without peanuts, this is a spicy dish fragrant with garlic and turmeric (which gives the sauce its sunshine-yellow hue).

Dim Sum

For many travelers, Trang is just a point on the way to Thailand's beautiful southeastern islands. But this spread of dim sum proves there are plenty of reasons to stay awhile—and one of them is a fascinating culinary culture largely influenced by Chinese immigrants.

Steamed Buns

Trang's Chinese roots are obvious when it comes to breakfast. At Laytrang, a dim sum restaurant downtown, steamed buns are a specialty. They come filled with pork, red bean paste, and … chocolate!

This was the first time I tried a truly sweet bun. Cut into it and a flood of rich melted chocolate spills out onto your plate. Use the bun to wipe up the excess—or just dive in with a spoon.

Shrimp Pancakes

Scallion pancakes are played out. These crisp pancakes are stuffed with sweet shrimp and dipped into a mouth-searingly spicy chili sauce. (I made the mistake of trying a whole spoonful. The heat of the sauce was so relentless, I cried. A tiny bit.)

Soup at Every Meal

A clear broth bearing all sorts of goodies: mushrooms, bamboo, vegetables, and egg tofu, a silken and slippery tofu unlike any I've ever had. Like many other ingredients used in the cuisine of Trang, egg tofu is Chinese in origin.

More Dim Sum

Here is our spread of dim sum. It took very little time to eat it all.

That's my tour of Thailand, folks. Anything I missed?

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