Bangkok Street Food
Bangkok Street Food is a melting pot of Southeast Asian flavours, and as part of the overall cuisine of Thailand, is one of the most iconic and well-known cuisines worldwide. Thai cuisine has an emphasis on lightly cooked ingredients with strong aromatic fragrances, and a complex blend of the 4 fundamental tastes of sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. The key in Thailand cuisine is not simplicity, but a good balance of these 4 tastes. Bangkok Street Food exemplifies this balance.
Food in Bangkok can be found in pushcarts along the streets, in cafes, mid-range eateries or fine restaurants. Meals typically consist of white rice, several dipping sauces and condiments, along with other complementary dishes served together, and shared amongst diners. Food is consumed with hands, or with a fork and spoon, and chopsticks are rarely used by Thai people. Bangkok Street Food is noted for its spiciness, and for its use of fresh herbs and spices. Common herbs include cilantro, lemongrass, Thai basil and mint. Other common flavors in Thailand food come from ginger, tamarind, garlic, kaffir lime, chili and fish sauce.
Breakfast in Bangkok is rather light, and very similar to dishes in Chinese cuisine, such as porridge or soy milk. Individual one-plate dishes often include rice or noodles, along with 1 type of meat or seafood. There is a large variety of desserts in Thai cuisine, although many people in Bangkok typically also consume fresh fruit as a dessert. Deep-fried insects are an exotic snack in Bangkok Street Food, and while fairly bland on their own, are often flavoured with herbs and spices to enhance their taste.
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Chang Beer is a pale lager, produced by Thai Beverage / ThaiBev, the largest brewery in Thailand. The name Chang Beer refers to elephants, and important animal in Thai culture. It has a complex aroma of floral and fruity notes, with a rich, sweet and smooth taste.
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| Beer Chang / Chang Beer |
A dark liquid produced by fermenting fish with sea salt, Fish Sauce is a key ingredient in Thailand cuisine, used in many dishes for its salty, savoury, umami tastes. Beyond its use as an ingredient, Fish Sauce is also used as a base for dipping sauce condiments.
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| Fish Sauce |
A poetically named dish (all 3 words rhyme), Gai Sai Takrai / Lemongrass Chicken consists of stir fried sliced chicken with lemongrass, garlic, kaffir lime leaf, galangal, shallots, garlic chives, onions, chilli, fish sauce and chicken stock. Gai Sai Takrai / Lemongrass Chicken has a fragrant, spicy aroma.
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| Gai Sai Takrai / Lemongrass Chicken |
Kaeng Khiao Wan Gai / Green Curry Chicken is a sweet, thick, mildly spicy curry that is made with fresh Thai basil, green chili, coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce, eggplant, shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, coriander root, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, peppercorn, shrimp paste, salt, pea eggplant and sliced chicken. Sometimes, other types of meat is used instead of chicken, such as sliced beef, sliced pork, or fish balls. Kaeng Khiao Wan Gai / Green Curry Chicken is eaten with steamed white rice.
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| Kaeng Khiao Wan Gai / Green Curry Chicken |
Kaeng Phet Pet Yang / Red Curry Duck is a sour, thick, very spicy curry dish, made with cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorn, salt, red chili, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, coriander root, shallots, garlic, shrimp paste, coconut milk, sliced pineapple, cherry tomatoes, red grapes, Thai basil, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, pea eggplant and sliced roast duck. Sometimes, other types of meat is used instead of duck, such as sliced beef or sliced chicken. Kaeng Phet Pet Yang / Red Curry Duck is eaten with steamed white rice.
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| Kaeng Phet Pet Yang / Red Curry Duck |
Khanom Chun / Layered Gelatin Jelly is a traditional Thailand dessert, popular in Bangkok. Khanom Chun / Layered Gelatin Jelly has a sticky and soft consistency, and is rather sweet. It is often served during celebrations.
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| Khanom Chun / Layered Gelatin Jelly |
Often sold along the streets of Bangkok, but rarely sold in Thailand restaurants, Khao Niao Mamuang / Mango Sticky Rice is a traditional Thai dessert. Khao Niao Mamuang / Mango Sticky Rice is made with glutinous rice soaked in coconut milk, sugar, sliced ripe mangoes, coconut cream and salt, then garnished with toasted mung beans. This is probably the most well-known Thai dessert worldwide.
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| Khao Niao Mamuang / Mango Sticky Rice |
Khao Tom Mat Sai Kluai / Banana Sticky Rice is a traditional steamed dessert, made with glutinous rice soaked in coconut milk, sugar, salt, fresh sliced red banana, dried black beans / dried red beans and a small amount of water flavoured with pandan leaves. Khao Tom Mat Sai Kluai / Banana Sticky Rice is simple to prepare, and very popular.
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| Khao Tom Mat Sai Kluai / Banana Sticky Rice |
Larb or Laab, is a type of salad derived from Laos cuisine, and features 1 type of minced or sliced meat, mixed with cilantro, onions, chili, shallots, fish sauce, sugar, kaffir lime leaf and pepper. Meat used in Larb or Laab is often pork, chicken, beef or duck.
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| Larb Moo Pork Salad |
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| Larb Gai Chicken Salad |
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| Larb Neua Beef Salad |
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| Larb Ped Duck Salad |
A sweet Thai dessert that is also visually pleasing, Met Khanun / Egg Yolk Coated Mung Bean Flour is made with fried mung bean flour coated with chicken / duck egg yolk. The egg is often wisped on the top, making it look light and airy.
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| Met Khanun / Egg Yolk Coated Mung Bean Flour |
Nam Chim / Dipping Sauce refers to a variety of dipping sauces, though most embody the 4 fundamental Thai tastes of sour, salty, bitter and sweet. The most basic and generic Nam Chim / Dipping Sauce is typically a mix of chili with sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, vinegar and garlic, often served with grilled or steamed food.
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| Nam Chim / Dipping Sauce |
Despite looking and tasting like a dessert, Nam Tao Hoo / Soy Milk is actually a traditional breakfast dish in Thailand. Nam Tao Hoo / Soy Milk is served hot, and consists of soy bean milk and sugar with a variety of ingredients such as gelatin jelly, sago seeds, grass jelly, nata de coco, cereal, red beans, black beans, and more.
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| Nam Tao Hoo / Soy Milk |
The most well-known and popular noodle dish in Thailand, Pad Thai consists of flat rice noodles stir fried with chicken eggs, chinese firm dry tofu, tamarind pulp, fish sauce, dried shrimp, garlic, shallots, sugar, chili, bean sprouts, garlic chives, coriander, pickled turnip, fresh shrimp and sliced chicken, then garnished with lime wedges and roasted ground peanuts. Pad Thai is commonly served along the street in Bangkok.
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| Pad Thai |
Pandan Spread And Bread is very similar to Kaya (Pandan Egg Jam), except that eggs have been left out of this version. This makes Pandan Spread And Bread a slightly thiner, but no less flavourful spread, with the pandan taste being a lot stronger, and the texture less sticky.
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| Pandan Spread And Bread |
Phat Kaphrao / Basil Minced Pork is a popular Thai street food, made by stir frying minced pork in garlic, chili, Thai holy basil, onions, sugar, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaf, shallots, soy sauce and lime juice. Instead of minced pork, minced chicken, minced beef, or minced duck may sometimes also be used. Phat Kaphrao / Basil Minced Pork is served with steamed white rice, and a fried egg.
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| Phat Kaphrao / Basil Minced Pork |
Pineapple Fried Rice is usually prepared with Thai jasmine rice, which results in an aromatic fragrance. The rice is stir fried with several types of meat / seafood, including prawns, chicken and crab, together with eggs, onions, garlic, pineapple, sugar, salt, chili, fish sauce, lime juice, raisins, peanuts and garnished with cucumber and coriander. Pineapple Fried Rice is almost always served in a hollowed out pineapple.
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| Pineapple Fried Rice |
Commonly sold by pushcarts along the streets of Bangkok, Poh Pia Tod / Fried Spring Roll is a deep-fried dish often consumed as a snack or appetizer. Because Poh Pia Tod / Fried Spring Roll is so simple to prepare, recipes for this dish vary widely, although most versions include glass vermicelli noodles, bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms and cilantro. Poh Pia Tod / Fried Spring Roll is often served with a Thai sweet chili sauce for dipping.
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| Poh Pia Tod / Fried Spring Roll |
Considered to be an iconic Thai salad, Som Tam / Thai Green Papaya Salad is made with julienne unripe papaya mixed and pounded in a mortar with chili, sugar, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, dried shrimp and shrimp paste, then garnished with cherry tomatoes, string beans / yardlong beans, pea eggplant and toasted ground peanuts. Som Tam / Thai Green Papaya Salad may sometimes also include salted crab, fresh squid, fresh prawns, cucumbers or carrots. Instead of julienne unripe papaya, a variation uses julienne unripe mango, and this version is called Som Tum Mamuang / Thai Green Mango Salad.
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| Som Tam / Thai Green Papaya Salad |
Thai Iced Tea is a chilled black tea with sugar and condensed milk, which is very sweet and rich. Thai Iced Tea is a typical drink found on the menu in many Thai restaurants.
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| Thai Iced Tea |
A traditional Thai dessert served during weddings / auspicious celebrations, Thong Yod / Golden Egg Tear Drop consists of wheat flour, rice flour, sugar, water and egg yolks. Thong Yod / Golden Egg Tear Drop is difficult to make, due to the skill required to create the teardrop shape with the fingers, and has a soft texture, a golden and glossy look, and a sweet taste. Thong Yod / Golden Egg Tear Drop is supposed to bring good fortune and wealth to those who eat it.
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| Thong Yod / Golden Egg Tear Drop |
Thot Man Pla / Thai Fish Cake is a classic street food eaten as a snack or appetizer. Thot Man Pla / Thai Fish Cake is made with minced fish paste, egg whites, long beans, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorn, salt, red chili, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, coriander root, shallots, garlic and shrimp paste. Everything is pounded / blended together until it forms a paste, which is then shaped into circles and deep fried. Thot Man Pla / Thai Fish Cake is served with Thai sweet chili and a cucumber relish.
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| Thot Man Pla / Thai Fish Cake |
Tom Kha Gai is a thin, milky soup / broth / curry, that consists of coconut milk, chicken, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, straw mushrooms, button mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, chili and coriander leaves. Tom Kha Gai has an intense aroma, a smooth, creamy taste and is served with steamed white rice as a main dish.
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| Tom Kha Gai |
Tom Yum Goong is a sour and spicy soup / broth, made with chili, cilantro, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, lime juice, water, galangal and shrimp stock. Fresh prawns, straw mushrooms and oyster mushrooms are added to garnish the finished dish of Tom Yum Goong. Other variations may include sliced chicken, fish, squid or clams. Thai chili jam (Nam Phrik) is used to turn Tom Yum Goong from a clear soup, to a red / orange soup. Tom Yum Goong is the most popular form of Tom Yum, and is considered an iconic dish of Thailand cuisine.
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| Tom Yum Goong |
Yam Thale / Seafood Salad can be made with a wide variety of ingredients, but will nearly always contain sliced fresh shallots, onions, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, coriander and chilli. Seafood used in Yam Thale / Seafood Salad may include fresh prawns, squid, mussels, clams, fish or crab.
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| Yam Thale / Seafood Salad |
Yam Wun Sen / Glass Noodle Seafood Salad consists of glass vermicelli noodles, shallots, bean sprouts, chili, garlic, onions, fish sauce, lime juice, dried shrimp, coriander, sugar, fresh prawns, minced pork and tomatoes. Yam Wun Sen / Glass Noodle Seafood Salad is served cold / chilled, and eaten as an appetizer.
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| Yam Wun Sen / Glass Noodle Seafood Salad |
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