Thailand recipes
Recipes from Thailand: home cooking with cultural background, ingredient substitutes and step-by-step instructions.
Gaeng Hang Le: Northern Thai Pork Curry with Ginger and Tamarind
A recipe for gaeng hang le, the pork curry of northern Thailand, made in a home kitchen. No coconut milk: ginger, tamarind, fermented shrimp paste, and toasted spices build sourness and aroma. Covers the differences between Chiang Mai and Chiang Saen, ingredient substitutes, how to judge tender pork, storage, and next-day ideas.
Gaeng Phet: Thai Red Curry with Chicken, Eggplant and Basil
How to make gaeng phet as a Thai home dish: waking store-bought red curry paste in coconut oil, cooking chicken and eggplant through, using makrut lime leaves and basil, adjusting heat, substitutes, storage, what to buy and reheating the next day, set out for a home kitchen.
Gaeng Som: Southern Thailand's Sour and Spicy Fish Curry
How to make southern Thai gaeng som (แกงส้ม, also called gaeng leuang) with fish and green papaya. Built on the yellow of turmeric, the sourness of tamarind and the umami of shrimp paste, with ingredient substitutes, heat control that keeps the fish intact, adjusting the spice, the southern Thai table and storage for a home kitchen.
Kai Yang: Thai Isan Grilled Chicken with Lemongrass and Cilantro Root
How to make kai yang, the grilled chicken of Isan in northeastern Thailand: a lemongrass, cilantro root and fish sauce marinade, charcoal and oven methods, internal temperature, why it scorches, nam jim jaew, serving with sticky rice, and refrigerator storage and reheating for a home kitchen.
Khanom Tan Recipe: Thai Steamed Palm Cakes
A recipe for Thai khanom tan (ขนมตาล) in a home kitchen: substitutes for ripe palmyra palm pulp, resting the rice-flour batter, steaming time, and storage.
Khao Man Gai: Thai Street-Stall Chicken and Rice
How to make khao man gai, explained from the way it is eaten at Thai street stalls: poached chicken, chicken-fat jasmine rice, ginger sauce with tao jiew and radish soup in a home kitchen. How it differs from Hainanese chicken rice, substitutes, safe internal temperature, storage, reheating the next day, menus and a first shopping list.
How to Make Khao Niao Mamuang: Thai Mango Sticky Rice
A recipe for khao niao mamuang, the Thai hot-season dessert, for a home kitchen: soaking and steaming glutinous rice, the richness of the coconut sauce, choosing mangoes, substitutes, how to recover when things go wrong, storage, and the background at the Thai table. A formula that works even the first time.
Khao Soi Recipe: Chiang Mai's Rich Coconut Curry Noodles
How to make khao soi, explained through the food culture of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand: coconut curry, egg noodles, fried noodles, the role of pickles, boosting store-bought paste, cooking the chicken, substitutes, adjusting heat with condiments, fixes, storage, reheating and shopping.
Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles): Thai Street-Style Spicy Stir-Fried Noodles
Pad kee mao, the Thai street-style spicy stir-fried noodle dish, for a home kitchen. Covers soaking wide rice noodles, tips for using dried pho noodles, balancing dark soy sauce and fish sauce, stir-frying over high heat to drive off moisture, holy basil substitutes, adjusting heat, storage, what goes wrong and building a menu.
Pad See Ew: Thai Wide Rice Noodles Stir-Fried Until Smoky
How to make pad see ew (ผัดซีอิ๊ว) with wide sen yai noodles, Chinese broccoli, egg and beef. Dried versus fresh noodles, the axis of dark soy sauce and fish sauce, the order that gives a smoky result in a home skillet, substitutes, storage, how to recover from mistakes, and the street stalls and regional differences.
Pad Kra Pao (Gapao Rice): Thai Holy Basil Stir-Fry over Rice
Gapao is a Thai one-plate dish of coarsely crushed garlic and chiles, chicken mince stir-fried over high heat, and holy basil added at the very end. Covers how holy basil differs from sweet basil, choosing fish sauce, crispy fried eggs, and adjusting heat and storage, with amounts and cues to keep the aroma in a home kitchen.
Khanom Chan: Thai Nine-Layer Steamed Coconut Pandan Dessert
A home recipe for khanom chan (ขนมชั้น), the auspicious Thai layered dessert, steamed in nine green and white layers in an 18 cm pan. Covers pandan substitutes, why tapioca starch matters, how to tell each layer is set, fixing cracks and drip marks, and storage.
Khanom Krok: Thai Street-Stall Coconut Rice Cakes
Thailand's street sweet khanom krok, reworked in amounts that also fit a takoyaki pan. Layers a rice flour base with a lightly salted coconut batter, with the heat for a thin, crisp edge, choosing toppings, when a dedicated pan is worth buying, storage and how to fix failures, organized for a home kitchen. Helps you decide what to buy and what to skip.
Khanom Thuai: Thai Two-Layer Steamed Coconut Cups
Khanom thuai, the Thai sweet steamed twice in tiny cups, scaled to 16 cups for a home kitchen: the sweet bottom and salty coconut top, how to tell when each layer is set, flour and cup substitutes, storage, and how to keep the layers from blending.
Khao Tom Mat: Thai Banana Sticky Rice Wrapped in Banana Leaf
A recipe for Thai khao tom mat made with sticky rice, coconut milk, banana and black beans: wrapping so the leaf aroma stays, telling when half-cooked rice has steamed through, regional shapes, substitutes, storage and fixes, and how it is eaten at festivals.
Massaman Curry: Southern Thailand's Sweet-Savory Coconut Stew
Massaman curry explained through the food culture of southern Thailand: chicken, potato, coconut, tamarind and fish sauce, heat control that keeps the paste from scorching, a simmer that doesn't split, storage and menus, and how to choose store-bought paste and substitutes.
Mi Krop: Thai Crispy Rice Noodles in Sweet-Sour Tamarind Sauce
How to make Thai mi krop (หมี่กรอบ): frying dry rice noodles, reducing the tamarind sauce, easy-to-find substitutions, keeping the noodles from going soggy, folding in tofu, shrimp and herbs, plus storage and menu ideas.
Pad Thai: Thai Street-Style Fried Noodles That Aren't Soggy
How to make pad thai from 2–3 mm rice noodles, a tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar sauce, and home-stove heat control. Covers soaking noodles without making them watery, frying one portion at a time, regional differences in Thailand, substitutes, storage and shopping decisions.
Som Tam Recipe: Thai Green Papaya Salad from Isan, Pounded in a Mortar
A detailed home recipe for som tam, the green papaya salad from Isan in northeastern Thailand: how to pound with a mortar, balance the five flavors, swap in daikon or cucumber for green papaya, plus regional variations, storage and serving ideas.
Khao Kha Mu: Thai Street-Stall Braised Pork Leg over Rice
How to make khao kha mu (ข้าวขาหมู), Thai braised pork leg over rice: blanching the trotters, braising with star anise and dark soy, the eggs and pickled mustard greens on the side, easy cuts to substitute, heat control, storage, the vinegar-chile sauce and how it's eaten at Thai stalls.
Khao Kluk Kapi: Thai Shrimp-Paste Rice with Sweet Pork
Khao kluk kapi is Thai rice fried with fermented shrimp paste, served with sweet pork, shredded omelet and sour green mango and mixed at the table. How much kapi to use, the Central Thai table and regional differences, substitutes, a recipe for 4, fixes, and storage.