# What to Eat in Thailand: Must-Try Thai Dishes

> Thailand's must-eat dishes: tom kha, pad kra pao, tom yum goong, and khao soi — the northern Thai curry noodle soup worth planning a trip around.

- Source: https://clevertourists.com/guides/food-thailand
- Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from a 526-day trip across 20 countries)
- Published: 2025-06-04

Thailand is worth the trip for the food alone. From tom kha / red curry noodle soup to stir-fried vegetables with rice, here are the dishes to seek out across Thailand.

## Dishes

### Tom kha / red curry noodle soup

This rich coconut-based curry soup is layered with tender meat, a soft-boiled egg and aromatic herbs. The balance of creamy, spicy and tangy flavors is the hallmark of Thai cooking.

Tom kha gai — 'boiled galangal chicken' — is the milder, coconut-rich cousin of tom yum, soothing where tom yum is fiery. Thai curries take their color from their paste, pounded fresh in a stone mortar, a technique still central to home cooking.

### Pad kra pao (holy basil pork)

Pad kra pao — minced pork stir-fried with holy basil, chili and garlic over rice and usually crowned with a crispy fried egg — is Thailand's go-to comfort plate. Fast, fiery and savory.

Pad kra pao is arguably Thailand's most-ordered everyday dish: minced meat stir-fried hard and fast with holy basil, chili and garlic, served over rice with a crispy fried egg. Holy basil (kra pao) is peppery and clove-like — quite distinct from the sweet Thai basil used in curries.

### 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 the hot-and-sour soul of Thai cooking, balancing the four pillars — spicy, sour, salty, sweet — in a single bowl. Both the clear version (nam sai) and the creamy nam khon, enriched with evaporated milk, have devoted followings.

### 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.

A specialty of Chiang Mai, khao soi layers soft egg noodles in coconut curry beneath a tangle of crisp fried noodles, with pickled mustard greens, shallots and lime to cut the richness. It's a delicious legacy of the Yunnanese-Muslim trade routes that shaped Lanna cuisine.

### Stir-fried vegetables with rice

A plate of stir-fried bitter melon and greens with pork, served alongside steamed rice. The simple, savory dish is everyday Thai home-style cooking.

The stir-fry is the backbone of everyday Thai eating — pad pak boong, morning glory flash-fried with garlic and oyster sauce, is a classic. Wok hei, the smoky char thrown off by a screaming-hot wok, is what separates a great Thai stir-fry from a forgettable one.