Five great Asian dishes you can try across Thailand

[webfact]

As expats we are spoilt for choice living in SE Asia.

You can still get your Western style hamburgers or roast beef dinners however Asian food is hard to resist.

If you live in one of the major Asian cities like Bangkok, you can try a variety of Asian dishes whether from a street cart or a fancy air-conditioned restaurant.

If you are new in the region here are five favorites that you might like to try when ordering your next Asian meal in Thailand.

1. Som Tam — Green Papaya Salad — Thailand

 

Photo: Takeaway, Creative Commons

 

The Thais are dedicated to exploring all the components of flavor in each dish, and they don’t skimp when it comes to their salads. This salad also isn’t your typical lettuce-based “rabbit food” The base of som tam is shredded unripe papaya. Despite this fruity base, the papaya really acts as a stand-in for lettuce — it’s not packing a load of flavor. What is packing in that flavor? The dressing — what else? Fish sauce and shrimp paste are giving you briny savory flavors, chili brings the heat, lime loads up tartness, and a little palm sugar tempers all of it with some sweetness. In Thailand, you can request a spice level that you’re comfortable with, so go big or go home.

2. Chili Crab — Whole Crab in Chili-Tomato Sauce — Singapore

 

Photo: megawatts86, Creative Commons

 

Despite its name, this Singaporean dish isn’t usually packing intense heat. The base of the sauce is tomato and chili, but just how much fire you’ll be getting depends on the restaurant and how you order. No matter where you go, one thing is certain: It’s going to get messy. Chili crab is whole mud crab (read: uncracked) drenched in a tomato-ginger-garlic-chili concoction so generous it’s almost like soup. You’ll reach in, crack your crab, and end up with fingers covered in the stuff. Fortunately, this sauce is so good that it’s served with loads of steamed Chinese buns to soak it all up. Note: It is perfectly acceptable to lick your fingers when the buns run out.

 

3. Crispy Pata — Deep-Fried Pork Knuckle — The Philippines

 

If there is one Asian country that really knows how to cook a pig, it’s the Philippines. Another characteristic of Filipino food? They waste nothing. Every part of an animal is used, from its innards to its blood — just Google the street food Betamax. Fortunately, crispy pata is one of the more tantalizing variations of this resourcefulness: a deep-fried pork knuckle. It’s buttery goodness and crackly skin is complemented with an uber-Filipino soy-vinegar dip that sends the whole concoction rocketing into the stratosphere of deliciousness.

 

4. Bahn Mi — Pork and Paté Sandwich — Vietnam

 

 

This beautiful mashup of French and Vietnamese cuisines results in nothing but wins for your tastebuds. Start with a pillowy, fresh-baked baguette, cut in half. Slather some rich, buttery paté generously on one side of the bread. Pile on plenty of juicy, smoky barbecued pork. Top this with fresh julienned carrots, daikon, cucumber, and cilantro. Then pop on a healthy amount of diced red chilies, sandwich it together, and get ready to get your mind blown. There are several variations of this throughout Vietnam, with chicken, egg, cheese, and more. But sometimes you just can’t beat the original. The best part? They’re cheap as chips — perfect for a budget traveler!

5. Beef Rendang — Caramelized Dry Beef Curry — Indonesia or Malaysia

 

Photo: su-lin, Creative Commons

 

The ingredients list for Rendang is half a mile long, and it shows in the complex all-star Indonesian curry. The inclusion of exotic spices like cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon really bring a new level of depth to Indonesian all-stars like ginger, garlic, chili, and lemongrass. Ever-present coconut milk is generously heaped in with the spice paste. All these flavors are stewed down until they are completely absorbed by the beef – a process that takes hours. After the liquid evaporates, the exterior of the beef is caramelized, bringing the perfect smoky back note to the dish. You will never be happier to be a carnivore than when you take a bite of this one.

OK this is just a brief list, and we are sure many of you will wish to add your personal favourite Asian dish too.

Enjoy.

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-08-25

 

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[Kwasaki]

I like Som tam, price has increased over the years 25 to 30, some places 40.

[Tarteso]

(The “Magic” inclusion of exotic spices like cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon really bring a new level of depth to Indonesian all-stars like ginger, garlic, chili, and lemongrass).

 

The best imo… number 5 ????

Edited August 25, 2022 by Tarteso

[2009]

Papaya salad is actually Laotian.

[Burma Bill]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

we are sure many of you will wish to add your personal favourite Asian dish too.

Cambodian (Khmer) Fish Amok:-

 

[Kwasaki]

Ma & Pop shop noodle soup pack 20 baht. 

Green curry with rice, chicken or pork or shimps 50 baht. 

[zzaa09]

On 8/25/2022 at 1:04 AM, 2009 said:

Papaya salad is actually Laotian.

Lao and Khmer, as is most of the broader cuisine. 

All of which has been hybrid to be Thai. 

[Kwasaki]

Too much TMI here many roadside stools and cooks at home to sell street invent many food items.

[KannikaP]

My favourite Asian dish is most of the Indian <deleted> you get both here and in UK.

[josephbloggs]

On 8/25/2022 at 5:59 PM, Burma Bill said:

Cambodian (Khmer) Fish Amok:-

 

Looks like Thai Hor Mok.

[josephbloggs]

Would be nice if the article mentioned where to get them.  Haven't found a good Bahn Mi here yet.  I do like Vietnamese food.

Chili crab is way over rated.  Every time I go to Singapore the people from our office want to take me for chilli crab.  "Be careful, it's spicy, are you sure you can eat it?".  We eat way spicier stuff here.  It is not even slightly spicy, it is just messy, too sweet, and not particularly tasty.  A nice fresh Thai poo neung with nam jim is a million times tastier.

And Filipino food is generally disgusting, oily and bland.

A good rendang is delicious.

[2009]

On 8/25/2022 at 11:56 AM, Kwasaki said:

I like Som tam, price has increased over the years 25 to 30, some places 40.

Yeah, it's a joke.

 

I could get a good amount chicken or pork for that.

 

A whole papaya is like 15 baht. Lol.

 

If they gave a good portion it would be okay, but often the papaya salad is really small.