By Rachel Wilson
Thai people love their food and love sharing it. As most people who’ve traveled to Thailand know, the street food is one of the best parts of the trip. It’s not only delicious, but you can find an abundance of it on almost any corner for cheap. Thai street food brings a wide variety of different foods that you can try throughout the day. It is sold every day along sidewalks near shopping areas and marketplaces, bus stations, business offices, and busy neighborhood centers—pretty much everywhere. Food vendors set up clusters of stalls and transform street corners, empty lots, and alleys into lively food markets. Many are mobile fixtures attached to tricycles or wooden carts, able to move from one area to another pushing these mini-kitchens around. Some are even dealers on foot with baskets filled with goodies on a wooden yoke. Sellers also paddle their mini-shops from home to home along the canals and waterways, offering their “boat noodles,” which are curries over rice and an assortment of sweet meats and snack foods.
Experience the vibrant character of the street food, the people, the displays and set-ups, festive environment, colors, sounds, and aromas. The personal touches are what really delights visitors, especially with the on-the-spot cooking demonstrations. Enjoy the crispy golden crepes, coconut hotcakes, hot-and-sour soup noodles, chicken, pork, and satays barbecuing on charcoal stoves, fishcakes, jackfruit, banana leaves, and sweet treats. Anything you can imagine is available for passersby to try and delight their senses.
Snacking on street food is an inexpensive way to dine out in Thailand. You can fill yourself up with an authentic lunch for a dollar or less. But don’t let the low price fool you—this street cuisine may be some of the best food you’ll encounter in your travels. Many of these street snacks are traditional delicacies that are complicated to make and labor intensive. These street vendors are experts at cooking their specialties and are usually well known in their area of the city. Many Thai people will travel far distances to specific street corners to find some of their favorites. Because of the sophisticated taste of these Thai people, word of good food spreads fast. There are many amazing chefs on the corners of Thailand, so next time you find yourself wandering the streets, treat yourself to some of this great cuisine. Take in all of the fabulous smells, colors, textures, and tastes of the amazing street food. You’ll find that the mouthwatering smells and friendly smiles of the servers will be some of your most unforgettable memories.
One popular street dish you can find in Thailand is pork satay, Thai barbeque in a curry marinade. The herbal aroma of the dish alone is enough to make your stomach growl. Satay sellers put tiny curls of meat on the skewer, and to eat you dunk the pork in a rich peanut sauce and put the whole piece in your mouth. Thai people also enjoy their satay with cucumber salad and lightly toasted bread.
Fish cakes are also a delicious Thai dish you can find on some street corners. The texture of these Thai fish cakes is dense and slightly chewy, somewhat like meatballs. The main ingredients include ground fish meat, red curry paste, eggs, chopped string beans, and shredded kaffir lime leaves. To balance the robust taste of the fish and curry, they are usually served with a sweetish refreshing sauce, made from vinegar, sugar, and chopped shallots, chilies, fresh cucumber slices and crushed roasted peanuts. On the streets of Thailand you will see many vendors frying fish cakes along with meatballs and sausages.
Pad Thai is a dish made with sen lek (thin rice noodles) and usually has many different versions of the dish on the streets. The most affordable type is cooked with tofu and tiny dried shrimp. The most deluxe version of Pad Thai is prepared with fresh mixed seafood and wrapped in a golden net of extra thin omelet. Thai people believe seafood and Pad Thai are the perfect combination. Sprinkle some crushed roasted peanuts and fresh bean sprouts on top to really enjoy this noodle dish.
Another renowned Thai street food is Boat Noodles, which used to be sold on little boats in the canals and rivers. This type of noodle soup is usually made with either beef or pork and chopped morning glory. Crispy pork rinds and fresh bean sprouts are extras. This boat noodle soup is delicious and a must-have when on the streets of Thailand. All of these street dishes and more are found everyday in Thailand, so be sure to indulge fully when traveling here.
