Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (2024)

  • Thai Food

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Darlene Schmidt

Darlene Schmidt

Darlene Schmidt is a cookbook author and culinary teacher who specializes in Thai cuisine.

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Updated on 02/15/24

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Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (1)

If you're ready to try your hand at cooking homemade Thai food, these recipes will get you started. Explore Thai soups, appetizers, main course dishes and a dessert.

  • 01 of 15

    Thai Chicken Satay

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (2)

    If you've never had the real stuff, then you'll fall in love with this special Thai chicken satay recipe. Strips of chicken or beef are marinated in a special Thai paste, then skewered and grilled or broiled. It is then served with homemade peanut sauce for a memorable taste.

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  • 02 of 15

    Thai Fillet of Fish Baked in Banana Leaf

    You can use nearly any type of fish fillets for this recipe, including salmon, snapper, cod, or tilapia. You'll slather them in a fragrant coconut sauce and bake them in banana leaves, tin foil, or parchment paper. Serve it withcoconut rice, plain rice,or potatoes.

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  • 03 of 15

    Thai Mini Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (4)

    Each mini wrap provides a burst of Thai flavors that hit different parts of the palate all at once. It's based on the traditional Thai appetizer miang kum. It will be the hit of the party or you can make a platter to enjoy as a meal.

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  • 04 of 15

    Thai Grilled Whole Fish With Coriander-Chili Sauce

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (5)

    This traditional Thai fish recipe can be made outdoors on the barbecue or you can pan-fry the fish indoors. Any whole white-fleshed fish can be used, and you'll love it teamed with the sauce.

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    Continue to 5 of 15 below.

  • 05 of 15

    Steamed Thai Sticky Rice

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (6)

    Steamed sticky rice is a foundational Thai recipe. While the process requires time and attention, the reward is perfectly steamed, chewy, glossy sticky rice. There's no substitute for the real thing.

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  • 06 of 15

    Tom Yum Soup With Coconut Milk (Tom Khaa)

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (7)

    This delicious soup might even be good for what ails you. It's a version of Tom Yum Goong, which is basically Tom Yum soup but with a little coconut milk added for thickness and flavor.

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  • 07 of 15

    Larb Gai Thai Chicken Salad

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (8)

    Larb Gai is a classic, traditional Thai dish that is made with pork in Thailand, but this recipe uses chicken. Fresh mint is a key ingredient. Enjoy it hot over cold greens or on rice.

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  • 08 of 15

    Thai Waterfall Beef Salad

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (9)

    It's called waterfall beef because of the splashing sound of juices on the hot grill. The beef is sliced thinly and served with a mixture of salad greens andfresh papayaalong with a special Thai dressing.

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    Continue to 9 of 15 below.

  • 09 of 15

    Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (10)

    This is the most popular salad in Thailand, perhaps because it's low in calories but packed with flavor and crunch. Cooked shrimp, crab meat, or cashews can be added, or enjoy it with a bowl of sticky rice.

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  • 10 of 15

    Thai Weeping Tiger Beef

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (11)

    The tiger is crying either from the chilies or because a hunter killed his cow. For this dish, you'll marinate the beef and quickly broil it to medium-rare before slicing and serving it with a side sauce. Enjoy it with rice or in a salad.

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  • 11 of 15

    Thai Green Curry

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (12)

    Chunks of tender chicken are simmered in a homemade green curry sauce along with your choice of vegetables in this gourmet-style recipe. This dish is very aromatic and beautiful to serve to guests.

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  • 12 of 15

    Thai Panang Curry

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (13)

    Panang curry features warm, rich flavors from Malaysia, Burma, and even India.It's a beautiful red curry usually made with chicken. While there are a lot of ingredients, you'll be processing them together and they will give it the complex flavor.

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    Continue to 13 of 15 below.

  • 13 of 15

    Bangkok-style Drunken Noodles

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (14)

    This spicy noodle dish helps hungry late-night revelers in Bangkok find their way home. You can tone down the chilies if you prefer a milder version. It can be made vegetarian as in this recipe or with shrimp or chicken, according to your taste.

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  • 14 of 15

    Thai Mango Sticky Rice Dessert (Khao Niaow Ma Muang)

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (15)

    This dish is the most famous of all Thai desserts. You'll need sticky rice, also known as sweet rice. Place some fresh mango slices over the sticky rice and smother with the easy coconut sauce for a heavenly dessert.

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  • 15 of 15

    Black Sticky Rice Pudding

    Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (16)

    Black sticky rice (or blackglutinous rice) is a naturally sweet, dark rice that's more of a dark purple than black. It has both fiber and loads of antioxidants—which only makes this baked rice pudding extra enjoyable to eat.

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Explore 15 Classic Thai Recipes To Make At Home (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular Thai dish in the world? ›

Pad Thai is one of Thailand's most recognized dishes. Fistfuls of small, thin or wide noodles, along with crunchy beansprouts, onion, and egg are stir-fried in a searing hot wok. The dish is also flavored with condiments such as fish sauce, dried shrimp, garlic or shallots, red chilli, and palm sugar.

What is the most basic Thai food? ›

Steamed sticky rice is a foundational Thai recipe. While the process requires time and attention, the reward is perfectly steamed, chewy, glossy sticky rice.

What are the 4 types of food normally served at a Thai food meal? ›

Traditional Thai cuisine loosely falls into four categories: tom (boiled dishes), yam (spicy salads), tam (pounded foods), and kaeng (curries).

What is Thailand's national dish? ›

Pad thai is a national dish of Thailand loved so much worldwide that has made it into the online Oxford Dictionary since 2022, gaining the same international status as the words “sushi” and “pizza.” Under the category Food C2 the website Oxford Learner's Dictionaries defines “pad thai” as “A dish from Thailand made ...

What is Thai people favorite food? ›

Khao Soi Noodles (Northen Thai Coconut Curry Noodles)

Thai people love to eat noodles and it does not matter whether it is a sunny or chilly day (hey, 70 is chilly in Thailand!), noodle dishes bring comfort to all the tummies of Thailand.

What is the best Thai food for weight loss? ›

10 of Our Favorite Healthy Thai Dishes, According to a Dietitian
  • Papaya salad.
  • Pomelo salad.
  • Spring rolls.
  • Clear spicy Thai soup.
  • Hainanese chicken with rice.
  • Steamed fish.
  • Coconut lemongrass clams.
  • Garlic stir-fried vegetables.
Aug 19, 2022

What is the least fattening Thai dish? ›

Now, let's explore some of the lowest-calorie Thai dishes that you can enjoy while keeping your caloric intake in check:
  1. Tom Yum Soup. ...
  2. Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad) ...
  3. Gai Pad Krapow (Basil Chicken) ...
  4. Yum Woon Sen (Glass Noodle Salad) ...
  5. Pla Neung Manaow (Steamed Fish with Lime) ...
  6. Pad Phak (Stir-Fried Vegetables)

What pairs well with Thai food? ›

Champagne or sparkling wine also works well with Thai food, especially the deep fried dishes. The bubbles cut through the grease and refresh the palate. It can also go with the milder curries such as the Mussaman or Yellow curries.

What are some do's and don ts when eating in Thailand? ›

Eat sticky rice by compressing with your right-hand fingers and using it to scoop up food and sauces.
  • Don't ask for chopsticks.
  • Hold the spoon in your right hand and fork in the left.
  • Eat with the spoon. ...
  • Use the fork to push food onto the spoon.
  • Eat sticky rice with your fingers; stick to using your right hand.
Feb 26, 2020

What are the 4 pillars of Thai cooking? ›

The four essential flavours of Thai cuisine
  • SALTY: fish sauce, shrimp paste.
  • SPICY: chillies, pepper.
  • SOUR: lime, tamarind.
  • SWEET: palm sugar, fruits.
  • Every dish in Thai cuisine incorporates at least two of these – sometimes all four. One flavour may be dominant, but the others will be there too, like notes in a chord.
Apr 24, 2017

What is the most popular Thai noodle dish? ›

Pad Thai. As one of the most popular noodle dishes in Thailand, pad thai is a household name when it comes to authentic cuisine. Made with thin rice stick noodles, chefs stir fry egg, scallions, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts with shrimp to deliver an unforgettable blend of flavors!

What is the most popular Thai curry dish? ›

Green curry is considered the most popular curry in Thai cuisine. The green color of Thai green curry sauce has become more vibrant over the years with the addition of fresh coriander (cilantro), makrut lime leaf and peel, and basil.

Why is pad thai so popular? ›

What makes Pad Thai the most popular of all Thai dishes could be attributed to taste, ease of preparation, low cost, and high availability as street food. It is a dish that hits all the flavorful notes – sour, sweet, bitter, salty and umami.

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