Joy’s Thai Food Recipe & Dessert Blog!

You probably love Thai food but you order the same things all the time because you don’t know what to get that you might like. I’ll offer some suggestions here by covering some popular Thai foods that you might enjoy…

I think there are many people that don’t know what to eat when they go to a Thai food restaurant. Before I came to Thailand I usually ordered the same things over and over. If I ate with someone that ordered something different – I tried it and almost always loved it. Thai food is so diverse, so delicious in all its different forms… I won’t lie, Thailand’s food had a lot to do with what country I chose when I left the USA. I looked at India, Thailand and Viet Nam. In the end Thailand’s safe environment won me over. But, I’ve been loving the Thai food for more than three years here.

I wondered, is it possible for me, an American to eat Thai food full time? It was a tough question because I usually only ate two or three things at a Thai restaurant in the US. Typically I would have Gai Pad King (ginger chicken) and an appetizer that wasn’t even Thai – but it was in the Thai restaurant. I had “Crab Rangoon”. It was a fried crab dessert that was really delicious at the Thai restaurant in Tampa, Florida called “Jasmine Thai”. I’ve asked many restaurants and friends here in Thailand if they ever heard of Crab Rangoon – or anything similar. Nobody has. Hmm, go figure.

So this is about what you can order in a Thai food restaurant in your home city. First off – if you haven’t, you might want to have a look at our list of Thai restaurants in the USA. We put together a large list that covers 49 states (I don’t know which one we’re missing!) and lists Thai food restaurants by city. You might find one that you didn’t know existed. Or, you might find one that doesn’t exist anymore! If you find one that is no longer valid – would you please send us a note and let us know? (Trythaifood**at**gmail**com). 

Ok, so here are some foods I think you might like. Keep in mind that there are MANY ways not only to say the Thai food dishes listed here – but different ways to spell them. For me, this was part of the problem in the states since I would see something called “Tom Yum Pla Meuk” at one restaurant and at a different restaurant it would say “Spicy & Sour Tomyum bpla muk” or “Thai spicy sour soup”.

There is little agreement on how to spell things. In Joy’s Thai food blog you’ll see too that her spelling of things is probably different than what you might see online somewhere else. It differs from cookbooks and Thai restaurant menus in your home town too. Try to figure out the major sounds and you’ll have an easier time than if you study the spellings!

Here are some variations in spelling for common Thai foods…

Rice: Kow, kowl, cow, cowl
Sticky Rice: Kow Niao, kowl niao, kow neeow, kowl neow
Steamed Rice: Kow niao nung, kowl neow neung
Black Sticky Rice: Kow niao dum, kowl neeow dum

Thin glass (clear) Rice Noodles: Sen mee, sen me
Thick Rice Noodles: Sen yai, sen yi, sen yay

Pork: Moo, mu, muu, mew
Beef: New-uh, neu-uh, noo-uh, noouh
Chicken: Gai, gy, guy, kai, ky, kuy, gi
Squid: Pla Meuk, bpla meuk, bpla muk, pla muk, pla muhk, bpla muhk
Shrimp: Goong, gung, guung, koong, kung, kuung
Fish: Pla, bla, bpla, blah

Salad: Salad, salat
Spicy Salad: Yum
Fermented Fish Sauce (not sure you’ll find this in USA): Bla rah, pla ra, bpla ra, bla la, blah lah, bpla rah
Curry: Gang, gaeng, geng, gehng

Milk: Nam nom, nom, nome, noam
Coconut Milk: Gati, gadi, gadhi
Coconut: Mapraw, ma prow, mah praw
Ginger: King
Egg: Ky, kai, gy, kye
Morning Glory: Boong, bung, boohng, buung
Chili Peppers: Prig, prik, prihg, prigk
Bean sprouts: Tua ngoh, dtua ngaw, too-uh goh
Mushroom: Hed, head, het
Onion: Hom, hawm
Corn: Kowl pod, kow pod, pood
Carrot:
Mango: Mamuang, ma muang, ma mooung, ma moouhng
Orange: Som, Sawm
Apple: Appun, Apun, Apon
Banana: Gluay, glooay, glooai
Papaya: Ma lagaw, malaga
Pineapple: Sapparad, sapparat
Lemon/Lime: Minao, minow

Dessert: Khanom, kanom, kanawm

Sweet: Wan, Waan, Wahn, Won, Wohn
Sour: Prio, priow, preeow, pri-ow, pree-ow, preow
Bitter: Kom, Kohm
Salty: Kem, Kehm
Spicy (hot, chili pepper spicy): pet, ped, pedt, phet, phed
Really Spicy: Ped-Ped
Spicy so much that you go into a coma: Ped Silop Silai (ped silop si ly). If you say this they might look shocked, but it’s a funny phrase here!

Cold: Yen
Hot: Ron, lon
Ice: Nam Kaang, Nam Kang
Sugar: Nam taan, Num Tan
Water: Nam, Naam, Nom

Skin (of pork, chicken, whatever…): Nung, nuhng
Fat: Mun

I hope that list helps you figure some things out. Print it and take it to the restaurant, don’t be shy! Especially in a place where the waitresses (and nobody) speaks English well enough to help you decide what is good to eat. I have been in a few of those restaurants and usually I just resort to my default Tom Yum soup which is always good, though sometimes spicy spicy! (Pet-pet).

Here are some typical Thai dishes that you might find in America or in your home country. Try them!

Tom Yum: Spicy and sour soup. Can be with shrimp (tom yum goong); with chicken (tom yum gai); with squid (tom yum pla muk); seafood (tom yum talay); or with fish (tom yum pla). Tom yum is a really nice soup. There are usually tomatoes, straw mushrooms, and onions to eat along with shrimp or whatever type you ordered. Thais eat it with their rice, mixing it on the same spoon or eating separately. Thais LOVE tom yum soup. (me too)  For some reason Thai food is the hottest when the food you’re eating it with is really wet. Soup is wet. Tom yum soup can be blistering hot – and that’s the way we like it here – but you may find it overwhelming. If you don’t want it spicy tell the waitress / waiter: “Mai Ped” (my ped) It means, ‘not spicy’. Still, the soup might be a little spicy because they make tom yum all at once in some restaurants. They make it a minimum level of spicy – but once the peppers are in the soup – can’t take the spice out. Tip for spicy food – eat lots of rice with it – it takes away the hotness from your mouth. So does cucumber and other vegetables. If you can stand it, the best way to stop your hot mouth from erupting is by drinking as hot as you can stand – water, tea, coffee. It will hurt a LOT, but then the spice goes away. Really!

Gai Pad King (Ginger Chicken): Chicken, shredded ginger, mushrooms, onions, small corn, scallions and sometimes sweet pepper (bell pepper). This one is really delicous. They serve it over rice most often.

Pad Thai (Stir Fried thin noodles with oyster sauce, tamarind sauce, scrambled egg, shrimp, scallions – fresh on side)
You probably already know about Pad Thai. We get more people going to Joy’s blog to see the Pad Thai recipe than anything else. Apparently this is very popular in America, Canada and the UK. I never had it in the states! I didn’t know it existed. Now that I’ve had it in Thailand if I ever return to the USA I’ll order it a lot. It’s very delicious, so simple, but delicious.

Lab Moo: (Spicy ground pork salad, Isaan style). This is a great dish – especially if you don’t mind spicy. If you don’t want spicy, again, just say, “my ped” and they can make it like that. This comes from Isaan (northeast Thailand) and is one of our favorites. You can have with pork, duck (lab phed), chicken (lab gai), fish (lab pla), beef (lab neu-uh). Originally it has pork skin in it – which I dont’ think you’ll find in restaurants outside Thailand  but if you want to make sure you don’t get any you can say, “my sy nung”. It means ‘no skin’. If you want to be polite you can say, “my sy nung kup” if you are a man, and “my sy nung ka” if you are a woman. Women say “ka” after everything to be very polite. Men say “kup” after everything. In reality nobody says it all the time as it is too much. I say as much as I remember – about 60% of the time.

Yum Woon Sen: (Spicy Glass Noodle Salad)  This one I was introduced to right before I came to Thailand. I ate this about 5 times per week for the last month before I left for Bangkok and I ate it about the first six months I was here in Thailand. I’ve not had it for about the last year though and Joy decided to make it for lunch for me today since she starts work late today. I’m excited – it’s really good and she makes it so spicy that I cry. That’s good food!  Yum woon sen has: Thin glass noodles, tomatoes, scallions, onion, squid (usually, can be shrimp or pork instead), chili peppers of course, lime, and thin ear type mushrooms. This is a wet dish and it can get VERY spicy. You might want to say “my ped” or “ped nid noy” which is a little bit spicy. This dish is hardly ever without any spice since the name of it is “Spicy glass noodle salad”. It wouldn’t be the same without any spice!

Bpoo Pad Pongaree: Stir fried crab with curry powder. This one is really delicious, and not spicy from chili peppers and just a little bit from the curry. I think you’ll love this if you can find it in your Thai food restaurant.

Tom Kha Gai: Chicken in Coconut milk with Galingale. Anything with coconut milk (gati) should not be missed! Yes, it’s fattening – but you’re eating Thai food as a treat, not as part of your diet – right?

Gai Pad Met Mamuang: Chicken and cashew nut stir fry. This also has small corn cobs, shredded carrots… A good choice.

Pad Pak Boong: Stir Fried morning glory. This is a nice side order. They usually make it with fresh garlic and it’s delicious! Eat this along with your rice. Everything gets eaten along with Thai Jasmine rice I guess that goes without saying.

Pad Pak Loo-um: Mixed vegetables stir fry. This is good to get as a side-order with anything. You can specify which vegetables you want or just order like this and they’ll give you a mix of all they have.

Kow Niao Mamuang: Sticky rice with sweet mango. MMMMMM. This one is probably my favorite Thai dessert.

Sung Kaya Fuhk Thong: Sweet egg custard with pumpkin. MMMMM. This one is probably my 2nd favorite Thai dessert.

Lawt Chong: Noodles in coconut milk with jackfruit (if they have – or some other fruit as a substitute). This too is an awesome Thai dessert.

Gluay Buad Chee: Ripe, uncooked banana in Coconut milk. Again… delicious.

I think that’s a good start to help you choose some new Thai food you might not have tried before. There is so much variety and to me, all of it is good. Literally I loved everything Joy made for the year plus she was cooking everyday. It was like eating in a five-star restaurant for over a year. YES, I gained weight. I’ve since lost it, but if she starts cooking again the smart thing to do is eat it all and pay for it in a little weight-gain. What’s a guy to do?

You should be able to find the foods mentioned here at a Thai food restaurant in your home country. I think you’ll find most or all of these (or some variation) at a nice Thai restaurant. Keep in mind that there are regional differences in Thai cooking. In the north of Thailand the Thai food tends to be sweeter. In the northeast it tends to be spicier in every way, hotness and flavor – they use more chilis, salt, lemon, and herbs. In the south foods tend to be a little more sour and not very spicy, though they have more curries here in the south. Bangkok has a mix of everything.

If you have some time have a look at some of Joy’s Thai food by typing a search word into the box in the upper left hand side. If you like coconut milk – type it in and see what recipes she has that includes it. You might be surprised and find something you haven’t tried and you can ask for the next time you go to a restaurant for Thai food!

Sawasdee Krup,

Vern

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ผัดเปรี้ยวหวาน Pad Priao Wan

(Sour and Sweet Stir Fry)

ผัดเปรี้ยวหวาน
Pad Priao Wan
(Sour and Sweet Stir-Fry)

Prepare:

5 tomatoes (cut 4 times each one)
10 big shrimps (peeled, de-veined, cleaned and cooked)
1/4 cup cut onion
1/4 cup cut sweet peppers (yellow, green and red)
1/4 cup sliced pineapple
10-12 partridge eggs (boiled and peeled)
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. oyster sauce
3 tbsp. ketchup (or as much as you like)
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. Thai pepper powder
1 tbsp. olive oil

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat the pan and add olive oil.

2. When the pan is hot, add minced garlic and fry until it has aromatic smell.

3. Put sweet peppers, tomatoes, onion and then stir for 2 minutes.

4. After that, add shrimps, pineapple, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, ketchup and thai pepper powder.

5. Add water if the sauce gets too thick.

6. The taste should be sweet, sour and a salty.

7. If you like the partridge eggs, add it in the pan and mix well before you turn off the fire.

8. Serve with jasmine rice.

Pad Priao Wan (Sour and Sweet Stir-Fry) is another colorful Thai food recipe for the children and everyone that loves sweet and sour food. It is also good for any of you who is on diet program. Just skip the shrimps and add less oil in the food. Broccoli and carrot can be added if you love more vegetables. I love to put a lot of fresh tomatoes in my Pad Priao Wan because it helps provide me a nice, fresh, radiant and smooth skin!!

In Thai restaurants you may find this food but they would cook it with crispy fried fish.

Joy^^

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ขนมหม้อแกง Kha-nom Mo Gaeng (Egg Custard Pudding)

Prepare:

2 cups coconut cream
6 duck’s eggs
1 tbsp. wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 and 1/4 cup palm sugar
1 cup fried onion (slice onion thinly and fried until it turn brown)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Well mix the coconut cream, palm sugar and wheat flour.

2. In a different bowl, beat duck’s eggs and then add salt.

3. Mix number 1 and 2 altogether in a pot. Then, cook it with medium heat for 5 minutes.

4. Next, move it from the pot into a bowl.

5. Put the bowl in cooking oven with 350F for 35 minutes or until the surface turn to brown.

6. Top with fried onion.

 Kha-nom Mo Gaeng is one of our famous Thai dessert. Maybe you have a question why Thai people choose palm sugar for all kind of food, especially when we cook Thai dessert. Palm sugar has a nice color and odor, and of course its unique taste with high cholesterol. No wonder I am getting fat!!

Joy^^

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กล้วยบวชชี Gluay Buad Chee (Banana Dessert)

Prepare:

10 Pisang Awak banana (half ripe) if you get the one that is too ripe, the result you get will be too soft ( I like it like that though)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 thickest coconut cream

3 cup coconut milk

Cooking Instructions:

1. Peel and cut the bananas into 4 pieces.

2. Put coconut milk in a pot. Wait until it’s boiling, then add babana pieces. Cook for 7 minutes.

3. Now, add sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

4. After that, add thick coconut cream. Turn off the fire.

5. You can serve it hot or cold as you like. We store it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to make it cold.

Gluay Buad Chee or Banana Dessert, which means whole bananas boiled in coconut cream, is my favorite dessert since I was young. I like the banana not too soft so when I cook it I usually use bananas that only turn ripe for about 10%. However, to use 70-80% ripe banana will give you a naturally sweetness from itself and 90% ripe will make the food too soft.

We can also apply this menu with pumpkin and taro.

I love them all!!

Ps. Watch my video in youtube of how to make this recipe but with pumpkin.

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ฉู่ฉี่ปลาทู Chuu Chee Pla too (Mackerel Curry)

Prepare:

1 fresh mackerel

3 cups coconut milk

3 tbsp. fish sauce

2 tbsp. palm sugar (or regular sugar)

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

3 kaffir lime leaves (sliced)

1/2 cup sweet basil

Making paste:

5 dried red chili peppers

6 red onions (sliced)

8 small cloves garlic (4 big cloves garlic)

1 galingale (finely cut)

1 lemongrass (finely cut)

1 tbsp. sliced kaffir lime skin

1 tbsp. minced coriander roots

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. shrimp paste

Cooking instructions:

1. Ground all the paste ingredients together.

2. Put vegetable oil in a hot pan. Use meduim heat. Fry the paste from number one until it smells aromatic.

3. Gradually add the first half coconut milk and mix it for about 5 minutes. Then add the other half and wait until it’s boiling.

4. Now, add the fish. Cook for 10 minutes.

5. During the fish is being cooked, add fish sauce, sugar. Taste it the way you like.

6. When the fish is done, add sweet basil and kaffir lime leaves.

7. Serve with jasmine rice.

Put less chili peppers, if you don’t like it spicy. Chuu Chee Pla too makes me hungry now. I have to go eat.

Joy^^

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Thai Food Recipe: กุ้งสะตอผัดกะปิ Goong Sator Pad Gapi

(Shrimp and Sator Stir Fry)

กุ้งสะตอผัดกะปิ

Goong Sator Pad Gapi
(Shrimps and Sator Stir-Fry with Shrimp Paste Sauce)

Prepare:

1 cup shrimp (peeled, de-veined, cooked)
1 cup sator
3 cloves garlic
5 red chili peppers
1 tbsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup cut scallion
2 tsp. shrimp paste
2 tbsp. dried shrimp (optional)
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. olive oil

Cooking Instructions:

1. Ground garlic, red chili peppers and dried shrimp together. Mix it with shrimp paste, sugar, fish sauce, lemon juice.

2. Heat the pan and put olive oil. When the pan is hot, add minced garlic. Fry it until the garlic smells aromatic.

3. Pour the sauce from number one on the pan. Use medium heat. When it smells nice, usually take 1 minute, put shrimp, sator and scallion. Mix well.

4. Add some small amount of water if the food is too thick. If you like it juicy, you can add more water.

Goong Sator Pad Gapi is a Southern Thailand food recipe. We serve it with hot jasmine rice. Especially with sator (Fava beans), it has a really good taste.

Joy

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Thai Food Recipe: ปลากะพงนึ่งมะนาว Plakapong Nueng Manao

(Steamed Whole Snapper Dressed with Lemon Juice Sauce)

ปลากะพงนึ่งมะนาว
Plakapong Nueng Manao
(Steamed Whole Snapper Dressed with Lemon Juice Sauce)

Prepare:

1 medium size snapper (scraped, cleaned)
1 group coriander
3 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. minced red chili peppers (more or less as you prefer)
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar (optional)
1 turnip
1/4 cup mint
1/4 cup stock

Cooking Instructions:

1. First we will do the fish, cut the fin, open the stomach and throw away the stuffing. Now, clean it very well with water.

2. Add coriander inside the stmach.

3. Then, prepare the sauce. Mix fish sauce, lemon juice, garlic, red chili peppers, and sugar together.

4. To make the sauce smell aromatic, add minced coriander root.

5. Place the turnip leaves on a big plate. Then, put snapper over top.

6. After that, dress half of the sauce on the snapper.

7. Steam it on boiling water for 15 minutes (or use microwave on high for 6 minutes)

8. When the fish is done, dress with the other half sauce and top with mint.

Tip:
To steam the fish by the stove, you should use maximum heat and wait until the water is boiling. Then, place the fish into a double boiler. Cooking “Plakapong Nueng Manao” like this is one of the ways to get rid of the fishy smell.

Oh! Add stock later to make it juicy.

Joy^^

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Steamed Big Shrimps Dressed with Lemon Juice Sauce,

Thai: Goong Raad Prig Manow
Steamed Big Shrimps Dressed with Lemon Juice Sauce
กุ้งราดพริกมะนาว
Goong Raad Prig Manow

Prepare:

1 cup big shrimps (cleaned, peeled, and de-veined)
1 bitter gourd
2 tbsp. minced old ginger
15 small red chili peppers
1 tbsp. minced coriander root
1 tbsp. minced red onion
20 cloves (small size) if you have big size garlic, just use about 10 (minced)
3 pickled garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp. sugar
3 tbsp. fish sauce
5 tbsp. lemon juice

Cooking Instructions:

1. Cut the bitter gourd long ways, take out the inside part and clean very well.

2. Then, slice the end and throw it away. Continue to slice, make the pices abput 1 cm. long.

3. Soft-boil the sliced bitter gourd, then leave it drain.

4. Put the shrimps nicely on the dish. Put ginger over top and steamed in boiling water for 5 minutes.

5. When you finish, dress bitter gourd around the dish.

6. Next, mix red chili peppers, red onion, garlic, pickle garlic, coriander root, sugar, fish sauce and lemon juice.

7. Put the sauce over the steamed shrimps.

You may add lettuce, slice tomato, cucumber or pickled ginger. That will make it looks appetizing. Oh! one more thing! You can use this Thai cooking instrutions with lobster too!
Enjoy your Thai food!

Joy!

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ปลาราดซอสตะไคร ้Pla Raad Sauce Takrai

(Baked Whole Fish Dressed with Lemongrass Sauce)

ปลาราดซอสตะไคร้
Pla Raad Sauce Dtakrai
(Baked Whole Fish Dressed with Lemongrass Sauce)

Prepare:

1 whole fish (meduim size of any kind)
1/2 cup sliced lemongrass
20 red chili peppers (more or less as you prefer)
5 Thai white peppers
3 coriander roots (sliced)
5 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. oyster sauce
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup stock
1 tbsp. olive oil

Cooking Instructions:

1. Clean the fish. Wipe the fish with paper towels.

2. Ground coriander roots, 2 cloves garlic, Thai white pepper, and salt altogether.

3. Spread it all over the fish. Leave the fish in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

4. Bake the fish at 350F for about 15 minutes.

5. Ground red chili peppers, lemongrass and 3 cloves garlic together.

6. Heat the pan and put olive oil. When the pan is hot, add paste from number 5 then stir-fry until it smells aromatic.

7. Add stock, fish sauce, oyster sauce. Mix well.

8. Now, dress the sauce over the baked fish. Serve with jasmine rice.

After you clean the fish very well, why is the fishy smell still there? I suggest that you should spread lemon juice all over the fish.Then, the fishy smell will go away.

Anyway, don’t put too much.

Many Thai food recipes use a lot of lemongrass because of its aromatic citrus flavor and health benefits. Especially Thai food: fish recipes, grill, bake or boil, lemongrass will help with fishy smells. It also helps cut down cholesterol and uric acid in the body which is better for your health. More than that, lemongrass has antibacterial and antifungal properties!

Thai food recipes have all kinds of herb ingredients in them. I will tell you more next time!

Joy!

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