There's just something about Thai food that easily became my favorite. It always tastes fresh, sour, spicy, and each time I take a bite it always leaves me wanting more. When I was younger I didn't like to eat spicy food. As time passed by, my dislike for spicy food waned since my boyfriend really enjoys eating them, so I have to literally force myself to enjoy spicy food. It turns out that I spontaneously liked to eat spicy food over time, and eventually preferred it over the overly salty or oily types of cuisines. I have eaten in several Thai restaurants and if it's your first time to dine out for Thai cuisine, here are the Top 4 Thai foods that I highly recommend.
At first, I was hesitant because I'm not a fan of chicken unless they're KFC, adobo, or roasted. However, the moment that they served these little chicken nugget-like pieces wrapped in pandan leaves and skewered in toothpicks, it tasted like heaven! The chicken was tender, moist and it did not taste 'fake' at all. I would have expected something like chicken balls inside the pandan leaves but they tasted really great with the soy-sesame sauce. Think of the indian kebab, only it was more tastier and juicy at the same time. When my friend and I ate this dish, I couldn't get enough. Chicken pandan is a great, safe choice without becoming too exotic. I ordered this in My Thai restaurant.
I was curious because when they served this dish to us, there were four elements: sliced green mangoes, chili, onions, minced meat, sliced omelette, garlic and rice mixed with bagoong (fish/seafood paste). I did not expect it to taste too spectacular because in the Philippines, fish paste is pretty common as well as all the other ingredients in this type of rice serving. Boy, was I wrong! The combination of all the ingredients in this dish was amazing. It was tangy, sour, salty, spicy, all the right proportions of all the various tastes were there. And I didn't get too nauseated eating too much of it because it wasn't oily and all the ingredients were fresh. Double thumbs up for Thai Seafood Paste (Bagoong Rice)! I ordered this in My Thai restaurant.
3.. Tom Yum Goong (seafood)
You haven't tried real Thai cuisine if you haven't tasted Tom Yum. Tom Yum is a dish made of meat or seafood boiled with vegetables such as eggplant, string beans, cabbage, lemongrass and chili. The dominant taste of this dish would be sour, salty and spicy. I think the main ingredient that gives Tom Yum its distinct flavor is the lemongrass with chili. It's such a nice and fresh combination to eat especially with plain steamed rice. I ordered this in Jatujak Thai Restaurant.
I ordered this Mixed dumpling Thai noodle from our local Thai noodle restaurant, Sen Lek Thai Noodle. I think, again, the main ingredient which gives these noodles that distinct fresh taste is the lemongrass and spring onions. The noodles were firm to bite, the squid balls tasting really authentic and not too starchy, plus the soup is light and not filled with meat oils so I was able to finish it. The fresh mongo sprouts were also a plus because it added extra flavor and freshness to the dish. Highly recommended!
You're probably wondering why I did not include Pad Thai in my must-try dishes, one of the most popular aside from Tom Yum. It's also a noodle dish, without soup, sauteed with various vegetables and meat. Sadly, the first time I tried Pad Thai, I really didn't like it because it tasted a tad bit sweet and saucy for me. I'm more into sour, tangy and fresh types of Thai cuisine. I have never been to Thailand, but because I love their food so much, I do have plans on travelling there someday and exploring the Thai culture, as well as their food. I look forward to that day.
How about you? What other Thai cuisines do you recommend? Do you love Thai food as much as I do?
If you're not much into exploring and dining out, I recommend these great Thai cuisine books from Amazon.
This book contains 70 common recipes from Thai cuisine that are hassle free and ingredients are easily available. I recommend this book for those who want to include some Thai food in their everyday meals without having to spend to much time in preparation and scouting for ingredients. 
I love this because because not only does it tackle Thai recipes but it also gives us a rich cultural context of that certain Thai cuisine. David Thompson went to Thailand by mistake but he ended up loving the culture and the food. I do not need to go to Thailand by mistake to love their food (and hopefully their culture), but I sure do love to have some insights from someone who had first hand experience.
The food looks awesome!! x
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thank you! it also tastes awesome as well :)
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