Cuisine · Thailand

Thai cooking

Sour, salty, sweet, spicy — never three in a row. Balance is the whole game. Curries pounded in a mortar, stir-fries that take 90 seconds.

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Khao Soi (Northern Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup) with egg noodles, coconut milk and chicken — Thailand recipe

🇹🇭ThailandAdvanced

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Khao Soi (Northern Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)

Northern Thai egg noodle soup with a rich, golden coconut curry broth, braised chicken, and — the defining detail — a nest of deep-fried crispy noodles floating on top of the same egg noodles in the bowl. Khao soi (ข้าวซอย) is the signature dish of Chiang Mai and the Lanna region of Northern Thailand, though its origins trace the old trade routes connecting Thailand, Myanmar, and Yunnan. The broth is distinct from Bangkok-style curries: turmeric-forward, slightly spiced, coconut-rich, and not particularly hot. The condiments served alongside — pickled mustard greens, raw shallots, lime wedges, and chilli oil — are not optional. They complete the dish by adding sharp, sour, fresh notes that cut through the richness of the coconut broth. This is one of the great noodle soups of the world.

50 min640 kcal4 serves

🌶️Spicy

Larb with chicken, lime and mint — Thailand recipe

🇹🇭ThailandMedium

Salads

Larb

Thai minced meat salad dressed with lime juice, fish sauce and toasted rice powder. Explosively fresh, herby and spicy — one of the most vibrant dishes in Southeast Asian cuisine.

35 min220 kcal2 serves

🌶️Spicy💪High protein🌾Gluten-free

Mango Pudding (Thai Style) with mango, gelatin and heavy cream — Thailand recipe

🇹🇭ThailandEasy

Sweet Dishes

Mango Pudding (Thai Style)

A light, silky chilled pudding bursting with the flavor of ripe mango. Made with fresh mango purée, cream, and gelatin, it sets into a smooth, gently sweet dessert. Lemon juice keeps the color vivid. Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve cold.

20 min160 kcal4 serves

🌿Vegetarian⚡Quick🌾Gluten-free

Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang) with glutinous rice, coconut milk and ripe mangoes — Thailand recipe

🇹🇭ThailandAdvanced

Sweet Dishes

Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang)

Khao niao mamuang pairs warm glutinous rice with sweet coconut milk, ripe mango and a lightly salted coconut sauce. The rice must be steamed, not boiled: the grains stay separate and chewy, then drink in the coconut mixture while they are still hot. Toasted split mung beans add the small crunch that keeps each spoonful from tasting flat.

300 min485 kcal4 serves

🌿Vegetarian🌾Gluten-free

Massaman Curry with beef, potato and peanuts — Thailand recipe

🇹🇭ThailandMedium

Meat Dishes

Massaman Curry

Thailand’s mildest and most complex curry — slow-braised beef with potato and roasted peanuts in a rich coconut milk sauce spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin. Voted the world’s best dish by CNN Travel in 2011. Not spicy — deep, sweet, and profoundly satisfying.

50 min380 kcal2 serves

🌾Gluten-free🌶️Spicy💪High protein

Pad Kra Pao (Thai Basil Chicken) with chicken, basil and garlic — Thailand recipe

🇹🇭ThailandMedium

Meat Dishes

Pad Kra Pao (Thai Basil Chicken)

Thailand’s most popular everyday street food — minced chicken stir-fried with garlic, fresh chili, and holy basil in a savory oyster-fish sauce glaze. Finished with a crispy fried egg on top and a drizzle of runny yolk over jasmine rice. Ready in under 15 minutes.

25 min300 kcal2 serves

🌶️Spicy💪High protein⚡Quick

Pad See Ew with wide rice noodles, dark soy sauce and Chinese broccoli — Thailand recipe

🇹🇭ThailandMedium

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Pad See Ew

The Thai stir-fry of wide rice noodles seared in a hot wok with chicken, egg, and Chinese broccoli, coated in a sweet-savoury sauce of dark and light soy. It's the mild, smoky counterpart to pad thai — no tamarind, no peanuts, no chili heat built in — and it lives on the char that only a screaming-hot pan can give.

25 min600 kcal2 serves

⚡Quick💪High protein🌶️Spicy

Pad Thai with rice noodles, eggs and bean sprouts — Thailand recipe

🇹🇭ThailandMedium

Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Pad Thai

Stir-fried rice noodles with egg, bean sprouts, peanuts, and your choice of protein — shrimp, chicken, or tofu — in a sauce built on tamarind, fish sauce, and palm sugar. The three-part balance of sour, salty, and sweet is what makes Pad Thai distinct from any other noodle dish in the world. It is one of Thailand's most iconic street foods, eaten at vendors across Bangkok and virtually every Thai restaurant globally. The sauce is the whole recipe — get the sauce right and the rest is quick. Two rules matter most: cook in small batches so the wok stays hot enough to caramelize the sauce, and never overcook the noodles.

25 min580 kcal2 serves

🌾Gluten-free⚡Quick🌶️Spicy

Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad) with green papaya, lime and peanuts — Thailand recipe

🇹🇭ThailandMedium

Salads

Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad)

Thailand's most iconic salad — shredded green papaya pounded in a mortar with tomatoes, green beans, garlic, chili, lime juice, and fish sauce. Crunchy, spicy, tangy, and refreshing all at once. Served cold with sticky rice and grilled chicken.

20 min140 kcal2 serves

🌶️Spicy⚡Quick🌾Gluten-free

Thai Green Curry (Gaeng Keow Wan) with chicken thighs or protein, coconut milk and green curry paste — Thailand recipe

🇹🇭ThailandMedium

Meat Dishes

Thai Green Curry (Gaeng Keow Wan)

Gaeng keow wan (แกงเขียวหวาน) — literally 'sweet green curry' — is the most popular curry in Thailand, served everywhere from street stalls to fine restaurants. The green color comes from fresh green chillies in the paste; the 'sweet' in the name refers not to sugar but to the soft pastel shade of green. A quick-fried green curry paste forms the base, bloomed in the thick cream from coconut milk before the liquid is added. The balance is non-negotiable: spicy from the paste, rich from the coconut, salty from fish sauce, and a back note of sweetness from palm sugar. Thai basil and kaffir lime leaves are the aromatics that make it unmistakably Thai. Serve with jasmine rice and nothing else.

35 min420 kcal4 serves

🌾Gluten-free🌶️Spicy💪High protein

Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen) with Thai tea mix, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk — Thailand recipe

🇹🇭ThailandEasy

Beverages

Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen)

Cha yen is the Thai street tea built on condensed milk. Strong tea is sweetened while hot, chilled, poured over a glass packed with ice and finished with a float of evaporated milk. Sweet, strong and layered: orange below, cream on top.

20 min170 kcal4 serves

🌿Vegetarian⚡Quick🌾Gluten-free

Thai Red Curry (Gaeng Phet) with chicken thighs or beef, red curry paste and coconut milk — Thailand recipe

🇹🇭ThailandMedium

Meat Dishes

Thai Red Curry (Gaeng Phet)

Gaeng Phet (แกงเผ็ด) — 'spicy curry' — is Thailand's most ubiquitous curry, found on every restaurant menu and in every home. Where green curry uses fresh chillies for a herbal brightness, red curry uses dried red chillies for a deeper, earthier, and more complex heat. The color comes from dried chilli skins; the richness comes from full-fat coconut milk with the cream reduced first to separate the oil before the paste is added — the authentic Thai technique that concentrates the aromatics. Popular with chicken, beef, pork, duck, or prawns. Thai eggplant and bamboo shoots are the classic vegetables; bell peppers and pumpkin are common additions.

30 min440 kcal4 serves

⚡Quick🌾Gluten-free🌶️Spicy

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Four kitchens with overlapping ingredients and similar rhythms to Thai cooking.

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