Crash course on Thai food.

I need one!

So I am going to Thailand and I don%26#39;t know jack about Thai Food. I stayed away from it because the two times I had it (YEARS AGO) , I didn%26#39;t like it. Once I had something with a ton of peanuts, and I%26#39;m not too fond of peanuts. The other time, it was some ';Lo mien'; looking stuff that almost took my face off. That%26#39;s how hot it was.

However, I am pretty adventurous when it comes to food. I have enjoyed Latin American, Indian, Mediterranean, Middle eastern and even some west African . As long as the food is not super too hot, I eat it.

So what can you guys and gals tell me about Thai food and what should I look for or stay away from?

Thanks!

Crash course on Thai food.

Well, much of Thai cooking IS extremely hot, or ';spicy'; as they say, to non-acclimated westerners.

If you open yourself up to the chili and other typical over-the-top flavours (like galangal, lemon grass, lime leaves, coriander, garlic), you%26#39;ll gradually become accustomed to the heat. If you insist on western-style heat levels, you%26#39;ll be served a dumbed-down version of one of the world%26#39;s great cuisines, and that would be a shame.

Basically, Thai cooking boils down to dishes meant to be eaten with rice on the side, and noodle dishes such as pad Thai. For the rice dishes, the three different sorts of curries are popular with beginners: green curry, with coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, mini aubergines and chicken (spicy but can be toned down), red curry with lots of red chile, and yellow curry which is not so spicy, since it has more coconut cream. All these can be served with chicken, pork, fish or beef. Other popular dishes found throughout Thailand: Tom Yum Gung, a spicy, sour limey soup with shrimp, usually eaten over rice, and Som Tam, green pappaya salad, garlic, lime, chile, fish sauce all pounded in a mortar. This can be toned down, but in its purest form it%26#39;s super-spicey - and delicious.

Thais eat noodle soup like Americans used to eat hamburgers, and there are street noodle stands everywhere. Do try some of the many versions of this dish, which typically costs 25 baht. Many stands offer mounds of fresh greenery to dunk into the soup.

And of course, there are noodle dishes like pad thai, pad see ew, and pad kee mao, which are excellent and not spicey. Tourists also tend to go for stir-fried chicken and cashew nuts, another classic dish.

Here%26#39;s more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_cuisine

Crash course on Thai food.

I%26#39;ve never had a non-spicy pad kee mow.

Most soups will be a ';spice-it-yourself'; proposition.

There will be many grilled meat-on-a-stick carts around. Some of the grilled sausages can be a bit spicy, but most whole meats are not.

When in doubt, ask ';phet mai?'; (pet-my, with a rising, ';questioning';, tone on the end) If they answer ';phet'; or ';chai';, it%26#39;s hot. ';Mai'; will mean no.

When you are hungry and don%26#39;t know what to order it is hard to go wrong with good old fried rice! In all of the countries in Asia when I need something to eat I start with fried rice!

Take a look at some of the food courts in malls, usually you can find something you can identify - like chicken and pork dishes - of course with the ever available rice!

Supermarkets in some places have in store restaurants. In these places you can get a good introduction to some common Thai dishes as well as Western foods too! Foodland Supermarket is one place I stop at pretty often (Soi 5, Sukhumvit Road.)

Noodle venders selling hot chicken soup and your choice of noodles aren%26#39;t too bad. But you pick the pieces of chicken that go in the pot unless you want chicken feet, heads or butts ends!

Good luck.

Great info so far.

How about fried foods? Is it popular in Bangkok?

Some of these street vendors, do they offer fried food?

HI

go to web site enjoythaifood.com

great site to learn about real Thai street food.

I only eat street food.

You%26#39;ll find some deep fried offerings. Fried bananas are common as are corn fritters.

Fried bread is a common breakfast item, along with little puffs that resemble beniets. There are like ';street donuts';.

Curt, what%26#39;s fried bread? You mean like Croque monsieur?

i%26#39;m afraid it%26#39;s Pa-Thong-Ko

importfood.com/recipes/thai_donuts.html

Oh it%26#39;s fried crullers.

Try some of the fried bugs too! Choose a cricket, pull off the little feet and anything sticking out - munch away! The only thing you taste is the oil it was cooked in.

Some places you will find little street vendors selling fried chicken, fish and other pieces of mystery meat.

If you sit at a lunch counter in a Foodland or similar lunch counter take a look at what some of the other customers are eating - you might find something that appeals to you.

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