Thai Fired Bananas - © thai-food-online.co.uk

Street Food Discoveries: Thailand Runs On Street Food!

Thailand might well be called the heart of Southeast Asia. It’s smack in the middle of Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma) and Malaysia, and people have been living there continuously for at least 20,000 years. That’s plenty of time to develop a rich street food culture…

Pad See Eiw - © thewoksoflife.comClassic Thai Fried Noodles with thinly-sliced Meat. Available
in a range of spiciness with heat levels to suit everyone.

As with most cultures that have been exposed to the global influences of modern travel and communications, Thailand – as ancient as it is – has imported the best of what the rest of the world has to offer in food. But Thailand is so iconic an influence itself that it has, on balance, exported much more food culture than it has absorbed from outside.

Street food is an ancient tradition in the country, too, and its 76 provinces, spanning mountains, plains and seashores, have all contributed generously to a menu that numbers hundreds of different delicacies.

Cutting to the chase

We will once again be bypassing the stuff that is shared with other cultures – whether it originated in Thailand of elsewhere. That includes Spring Rolls, Fried Rice, Roti, Fried Chicken, Curries, Grilled Meat Skewers, Pork Sausages, Noodle Soups and their ilk. We want to concentrate on what’s distinctively, traditionally Thai, and there’s no shortage of amazing dishes to choose from!

On our menu today

Pad See Eiw: Fat Noodles Fried in Soy Sauce. There’s also chicken, beef or pork, and veggies – either Chinese Broccoli or Cabbage. Quick and easy to make and traditionally mild on the spice scale, though it can be amped up as high as you want to go with extra chilis.

Pad Kra Pao: Pork or Chicken Scramble. Minced Pork or Chicken fried with peppery Thai Basil and Red Chilis.

Pad Kra Pao - © inquiringchef.com

Served over steamed rice with a fried egg on top, in the classic Thai presentation.

Khao Kha Moo: Stewed Pork. Pork Legs are stewed low and slow with soy sauce, sugar, and spices. The dish is usually served over rice with a hard boiled egg on the side. You can order it with or without skin.

Som Tam: Papaya Salad. This fairly complex dish is a blend of green papaya, tomatoes, carrots, peanuts, dried shrimp, string beans, sugar, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, chilies (a little or a lot, depending on your taste).

Som Tam - © theakyra.com

The unique aspect of this rich, zesty bite is that all the ingredients are mashed together in a mortar and pestle, creating a bold, unique flavour. One of the most popular Thai street dishes.

Kluay Tod: Deep-fried Mini Bananas (see photo, top of page). They’re crusted with shredded coconut and sesame seeds and fried until the interior is creamy soft and the outside is crispy and golden. A favourite sweet snack.

Kai Jeow: Thai Omelet. Eaten any time of day, it’s a special street treat everybody loves, and a departure from other popular Thai street foods.

Thai Omelet - © Om Paramapoonya - delishably.com

The beaten eggs are dosed with fish sauce and chilis, and fried in a wok until the inside is light and fluffy and the outside is crispy and golden. It’s usually topped with Thai Chili Sauce.

Khao Niew Ma Muang: Mango and Sticky Rice. Another sweet treat, simply concocted of sliced fresh mangoes, sticky rice and coconut cream syrup. Irresistable to your sweet tooth!

A world of street treats to explore…

As similar to other Southeast Asian street food traditions as it is in some ways, Thailand’a offers a whole host of unique and distinctly Thai dishes. We’ve looked at just a representative few today; Google ‘Thai street food’ to open the book on a whole world of exotic treats, many of which you can make at home in a jiffy!

~ Maggie J.