Thai cooking is full of bright, fresh dishes with intense flavors. Pungent fish sauce and fiery chiles are staples in this vibrant cuisine. From papaya salad to grilled squid to iced coffee, we've rounded up our favorite Thai and Thai-inspired recipes.
Som tum, or papaya salad, is an iconic Thai dish. Our version of this spicy, refreshing green papaya dish is flavored with dried shrimp, fish sauce, tamarind juice, and dried chiles. Tomatoes add sweetness and roasted peanuts add crunch. For an interesting variation, replace the standard green papaya with tart green mango.
Rich curries are popular across Thailand. These dishes, generally creamy with coconut milk, are flavored by elaborate pastes full of aromatic ingredients. You can buy curry paste at Asian supermarkets, but making your own is worth the effort. Our yellow curry with beef and potatoes and green curry chicken use ingredients like shrimp paste, turmeric, coriander, Thai chiles, shallots, and cilantro for a serious kick.
In northeast Thailand you'll find a mincemeat salad called laab. To make it, ground meat is lightly poached in broth, then dressed with chiles, fresh herbs, and roasted rice powder, and eaten with sticky rice. Try our version with pork, Chinese five-spice powder, mint, scallions, and cilantro.
Satay, skewered grilled meats, is a common dish across Southeast Asia. Muu satay is a distinctly Thai version—pork subtly sweetened with coconut milk and flavored with lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, coriander, and more.
Find all these dishes and more in our collection of Thai recipes.
Thai Charred Squid (Pla Muek Yang)
This grilled squid dish, covered in a tangy sauce and topped with peanuts and cilantro, is a Thai roadside treat. Get the recipe for Thai Charred Squid (Pla Muek Yang) »
Spicy Thai-Style Zucchini Carrot Salad
Matchstick ribbons of zucchini and carrot mingle with grassy, fresh herbs, and roasted peanuts in this salad inspired by the flavors of Thailand. A pungent, savory, tart dressing brings the dish together. Get the recipe for Spicy Thai-Style Zucchini Carrot Salad »
Thai Minced Pork Salad (Laab)
In northeast Thailand and Laos, laab is made of minced meat lightly poached in broth, dressed with chiles, fresh herbs, and roasted rice powder, and eaten with sticky rice. Get the Thai Minced Pork Salad (Laab) recipe »
Thai Pomelo Salad (Dtam Som Oo)
Sweet pomelo pairs beautifully with chiles, peanuts, and mint in this recipe for a classic Thai salad from Talde in Brooklyn, New York. Get the recipe for Thai Pomelo Salad (Dtam Som Oo) »
Charred Cabbage Slaw
In this offbeat slaw from chef Chris Shepherd of Underbelly in Houston, raw red cabbage adds a textural contrast to the grilled green cabbage, and a zippy, spicy-sweet-salty dressing goes well with the charred bits. Get the recipe for Charred Cabbage Slaw »
Watermelon, Feta, and Jalapeño Salad
For a Southeast Asian spin, add fish sauce, chile, and Thai basil to the classic combination of watermelon and feta. Get the recipe for Watermelon, Feta, and Jalapeño Salad »
Thai Pork Satay (Muu Satay)
Coconut milk imbues this pork satay with a subtle sweetness. Get the recipe for Thai Pork Satay (Muu Satay) »
Green Curry Chicken
You can buy the green curry paste to make this Thai classic at any Asian market, but it’s so easy to make, and the results are so fragrant and flavorful, that it’s more than worth making from scratch.
Steamed Thai Fish Custard
Typically steamed in intricately folded banana leaves, these Thai fish custards are baked in leaf-lined ramekins set in a water bath. Get the recipe for Steamed Thai Fish Custard »
Steep it for Killer Custard and Ice Cream
Often used in southeast Asian curries and Indian rice dishes, pandan leaf lends a subtly exotic savory note to this coconut ice cream.
The now-essential ingredient of sweetened condensed milk was first incorporated into this potent summer cooler in the mid-twentieth century, when the commissaries of American military bases in Thailand were selling the thick, concentrated treat. Locals quickly embraced it, adding the stuff to both iced coffee and tea, making them luxuriously sweet.
Pod Thai
Cardamom-lemongrass syrup lends a bit of Thai spice to a fresh cocktail made with rum and coconut.
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