Most Thais love eating but prefer someone else do the cooking for them. That’s why just about everyone in Thailand eats a few meals a week (or more!) at a street stall. Street stalls in Thailand sell dirt cheap food, that’s authentic and delicious and, with just about any kind of food available, you can’t go wrong eating at a Thai street stall.
If you’re a Thai food stall virgin, there are some typical Thai foods you shouldn’t miss trying.
Jok– The Thai word for rice porridge, jok is eaten throughout the daily but especially at breakfast time. It’s served steaming hot and topped with some kind of meat, chives, ginger and a raw egg, which will cook in the heat of the jok.
Som Tam (Papaya Pok Pok)– Som Tam is the name for spicy papaya salad. Made from shredded green papaya, green beans, peanuts, tomatoes, shrimp paste and hot chilis, everything is thrown into a pestle and bashed half to death with a pestle. It’s then served cold and so delicious. Som Tam is served all over Thailand with some street stall sellers making it incredibly spicy and others making a more mild version.
Gwiteow (Noodles) – Probably the most popular dish in Thailand is gwiteow or Thai noodles. Noodles can be eaten dry or wet (without or with broth) and are topped with meat, liver, fish balls, vegetables, bean sprouts, onions, garlic and more. Also add the typical four Thai condiments that go with noodles – sugar, fish sauce, vinegar and soy sauce – mix it up and eat while hot.
Chicken Satay – Chicken (or pork) satay can be bought from tiny grills on most streets in Thailand. The meat is threaded onto a stick then grilled over a coal fire for 2-3 minutes and served hot with a sticky peanut sauce and a little baggy of cucumbers, onions and sugar marinated in vinegar. Just about my favorite snack in Thailand, you can eat a bag of five sticks for around 75 cents.
Don’t forget, when you first start out eating at Thai food stalls, be adventurous. Try things you wouldn’t normally eat, as you’d be surprised what tastes incredible. Plus, street stall food in Thailand is so cheap, if you don’t like it, you’ve only wasted 50 cents.