Southeast Asia rewards eaters like nowhere else — Thai curries, Vietnamese rice rolls and Filipino grills within a single trip. From khao soi (northern thai curry noodles) to pancit (filipino rice noodles), here are the dishes worth seeking out across Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
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Khao soi (Northern Thai curry noodles)
A bowl of khao soi, a golden coconut-curry noodle soup topped with crispy fried noodles and served with pickled greens. It is the signature dish of Chiang Mai and northern Thailand.
Khao soi is the signature dish of Chiang Mai and northern Thailand — a coconut-curry noodle soup crowned with crispy fried noodles. Its roots trace to the Burmese and Yunnanese-Muslim trading caravans that once crossed the region, and you'll find close cousins in Myanmar and Laos.
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Tom yum goong (spicy prawn soup)
A creamy bowl of tom yum goong crowned with a whole river prawn, fragrant with lemongrass, chili and herbs. This hot-and-sour soup is one of Thailand's most iconic dishes.
Tom yum is Thailand's most famous soup — 'tom' to boil, 'yum' a spicy-sour dressing. Built on lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime and chili, the 'goong' (prawn) version is the classic, and it's long been prized in Thai folk medicine as a cold-fighting tonic.
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Bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls)
Bánh cuốn are delicate steamed rice-flour crêpes rolled around minced pork and wood-ear mushrooms, topped with fried shallots and served with nuoc cham.
A northern Vietnamese breakfast staple from the Red River Delta, bánh cuốn are paper-thin rice crêpes steamed over cloth stretched across boiling water, then rolled around minced pork and wood-ear mushroom. They're served with nuoc cham and often a slice of chả (pork sausage).
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Chicken inasal
Chicken inasal is the Philippines' beloved grilled chicken, marinated in calamansi, lemongrass, and annatto for a smoky, tangy flavor. It comes with garlic rice and a fiery dipping sauce, a staple of Filipino roadside eateries.
Chicken inasal is the pride of Bacolod in the Philippines' Visayas — marinated in calamansi, lemongrass, garlic and annatto, then grilled over coals and basted with annatto oil for its golden color. It's eaten with garlic rice and a dip of soy, vinegar and calamansi.
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Pancit (Filipino rice noodles)
Pancit — stir-fried rice noodles tossed with vegetables, a little meat or shrimp and a squeeze of calamansi — is the everyday Filipino noodle dish.
Pancit — from the Hokkien 'pian e sit,' meaning 'convenient food' — arrived with Chinese traders and became a Filipino fiesta staple. The long noodles are eaten on birthdays to symbolize long life, and nearly every region has its own version, from pancit canton to palabok.
