Fresh Spring Rolls (Paw Pia Sot)

ThaiSpringRolls

Although fresh spring rolls are more commonly associated with Vietnam or China, they do feature as appetizers in a number of restaurants in Thailand. Fresh spring rolls (known as paw pia sot in Thai) can be found at some hawker stalls and many vegetarian restaurants will also have them on the menu. The spring roll [...]

Thai Fried Rice – Khao Phat

Thai fried rice with chicken (khao phat gai)

Khao phat is a simple one-plate dish which is ideal for those who don’t enjoy some of the spicier Thai food, but it’s also a dish commonly eaten by Thai people too so there’s no need to think you are not being adventurous by ordering it. The word khao means rice and phat refers to [...]

Afternoon Tea at The Chedi, Chiang Mai

Afternoon tea at The Chedi hotel, Chiang Mai

I’ve got a secret I need to confess. Last month I transgressed. It was just an afternoon fling, I promise. Am I ashamed? No. It was fantastic. In fact, it was so good I’m looking forward to doing it again. The thing is, I’m a man of simple tastes. Give me a lunchtime plate of [...]

Pad Krapao Gai (Stir Fried Chicken with Holy Basil)

crispy chicken, holy basil and heart-shaped rice for 35 Baht!

Pad krapao gai is an extremely popular one-plate dish served at many roadside stalls and restaurants throughout Thailand. The main ingredient is usually chicken (gai), but pork (moo) or shrimps (kung) are also common alternatives to chicken. Using the example of pad krapao gai, the chicken is stir-fried in oyster and soy sauce with a [...]

Tom Yam Kung (Spicy Shrimp Soup)

Tom Yum Kung - spicy Thai shrimp soup

Arguably Thailand’s most famous dish, tom yam kung (also written as tom yum goong/gung) has a reputation for being universally loved by Thais as well as overseas visitors to Thailand. The classic spicy shrimp soup can vary in terms of spiciness and the thickness of the broth which can range in colour from clear to [...]

Cooking with Poo

Cooking with Poo, Thai cookery book

The title of this Thai cookery book caused a bit of a stir online earlier this year when it was awarded a prize for the ‘Oddest Book Title of the Year’. The author of the book, Saiyuud Diwong, is a Thai chef whose nickname in her native language happens to be ‘Poo’, the Thai word [...]

Crap Food

Thai menu with 'crap' food

I know I shouldn’t be so easily amused by little things like this, but my lunchtime menu today did make me smile. The rice soup with shrimp or fish sounded good, but the fried rice wasn’t as tempting. Even though I was given the choice of a big crap or a small crap, I opted [...]

Coconuts (maphrao)

coconuts for sale in Bangkok

Available year-round in Thailand, coconuts (maphrao) are a versatile fruit and are used in a number of different ways. On the street, you’ll see young coconuts being sold by vendors and at hawker stalls. The vendor will chop off the top for you before placing the coconut into a plastic bag with a straw. If [...]

Food Courts in Thailand

Magic food court at Bangkok airport

In Thailand, food is never far away although some overseas visitors are reluctant to eat street food or buy from hawker stalls because of concerns that the food may be unhygienic. That’s a bit of a shame, but at the same time I remember it was something I was concerned about myself when I first [...]

Nam Keng in Your Beer

LeoBeerThaizer

Like many people around the world, some Thai people are partial to a beer or two. But unlike most other countries that I’ve visited, in Thailand the beer will often be accompanied by ice (in Thai, ice is ‘nam keng‘). For visitors from a different culture it might seem a strange way to drink your [...]