FOUR MUST TRY SOUTH EAST ASIAN STREET FOOD DISHES
- Wandering Guitar Girl
- Nov 26, 2017
- 4 min read
For newcomers, Thailand is filled with undiscovered and delicious foods, treats and drinks. You can be assured that you may either love many or dislike some these cuisines, but, I highly suggest being adventurous and seeing what your taste buds favour. I have tried many dishes and some I have had to swallow with a forced smile as not to offend the gesture of kindness, and, others I just cannot get enough of.
I absolutely recommend trying the many bugs and creepy-crawlies which you will find in places like Bangkok - Khaosan, Pattaya - Walking Street and many other interesting places; you cannot knock it till you have tried it. However, for those of you who dare not, I have decided to share my four favourite must try Thai street foods and their tongue twisting tantalising names.
For a Westerner, Thailand is all about new experiences, companionship, good food, music, drinking and laughter among friends who soon become family. For me, the idea of a perfect evening is sitting out on a roof top garden around a table of Thai food, Thai dessert, Thai rum and playing my guitar while I hear the laughter and banter of my friends dancing through the neon Bangkok night skies.
1 - SOM TAM THAI (FERMENTED UNRIPE PAPAYA SALAD)
Som Tam combines the five main tastes of the local cuisine: sour lime, hot chili, salty, savory fish sauce, and sweetness added by palm sugar. The ingredients are mixed and pounded in a mortar. As the name tam som suggests, sourness is a dominant taste.
When I was first offered a taste of this dish I was eager to wrap my taste buds around the unknown carnival of flavours, that was until I had to calmly absorb the strong fishy flavour with I delightful expression on my face. I later discovered that there are a variety of Som Tam dishes. The one offered to me is known as "Som Tam Pla Rah" and the version that I cannot get enough of is Som Tam Thai, basically the same dish but without thestrong fishy flavour and smell.
Som Tam is also known for being very spicy because of the heaps of chill that are pounded and mixed up with all the other delightful flavours. Personally I love spicy food and seem to be increasing my spicy tolerance as the days go by. However, for those to who do not like spicy food, you can simply ask for not spicy.
Unfortunately not every Thai street vendor and restaurant offers Som Tam as it takes some prep work and elbow grease. So you may need to track this dish down, it is worth the hunt. This dish makes for a nice table salad that can be shared, as often done among the locals.
SPICY LEVEL :
8/10
AVERAGE PRICE:
80 - 150 THB
ORIGIN:
Lao
2 - KHOW SUEY (COCONUT NOODLE SOUP)
From Burma, Khow suey is a noodle dish that comes from the Shan State. It is a soup dish made of egg noodles and curried beef or chicken with coconut milk, served with a various condiments.
It has a destinct lime, coconut and mild to hot spicy flavour. I first tasted this dish in Chiang Mai, slightly North West of Thailand and I say can this is by far my favourite dish, unfortunately not commonly available in the South of Thailand, once again definitely worth hunting for this dish. You will not regret it and addiction to it's flavour is almost guaranteed depending on your level of fussiness. It's standard spicy is mild but you can add more chilli freely available, pair that with the onion and pickle condiments and you have a winning meal.
SPICY LEVEL :
6/10
AVERAGE PRICE:
50 - 150 THB
ORIGIN:
Burma
3 - YAM WOON SEN (THAI GLASS NOODLE SALAD)
I was fortunate enough to be invited out to a ESAN (South East Asian) restaurant with my friend Pom and her husband, Wong. They treated to an array of Thai dishes and desserts. I can tell you my experience with Thai food and etiquette had never before been so informativeness and that night I discovered so many more treasure of Thailand cuisine and culture.
Yam Woon Sen can be made with a wide variety of ingredients as its main ingredient and nearly any type of protein, vegetable, fruit, herb, spice, and noodle, or combinations thereof, is possible.
The main ingredients can be raw, pickled, fermented, sun-dried, smoked, steamed, parboiled, boiled, grilled, baked, stir-fried or deep-fried, or combinations thereof.
Yam Woon Sen salad is a popular dish in both inside and outside . I find the flavour of this dish is subtly sweet, with nutty, seasoning and spicy flavours. The flavourless noodles absorb the other ingredients and real bring the flavours to life leaving you wanting more. This is a nice light, healthy and quick to order dish, once again the level of spiciness is dependent on your preference. I highly recommend Yum Woon Sen and it vastly available at many Thai restaurants and reasonably priced.
You can order this dish with either chicken, pork or shrimp and the celery crunchiness really makes this a memorable dish.
SPICY LEVEL :
5/10
AVERAGE PRICE:
40 - 150 THB
ORIGIN:
North East Thailand ( ESAN)
4 - TOM YUM SOUP
When I still lived in South Africa - Johannesburg, my first experience with Thai food was Tom Yum and it is now evident that only the Thai locals know how to prep this dish expertly!
Tom Yum is a widely available dish and most certainly will leave you wanting more. You can have it either with chicken, pork, shrimp but I recommend trying it with fish, it is simply delicious; the flavours truly sink deep into the taste buds and the alluring aroma is enough to make your mouth water. It's flavour is unique and definitely addictive.
The essential ingredients of Tom yum are herbs such as lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves. Other ingredients are also important especially Thai chilies, mushroom, coriander leaf, tomatoes, sweet white onions, lime juice, sugar, and fish sauce.
Make sure you give this dish a try when you visit Thailand!
SPICY LEVEL :
9/10
AVERAGE PRICE:
40 - 150 THB
ORIGIN:
Lao and Central Thailand
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