Recipes

Authentic Thai Pad See Ew Recipe

April 27, 2023 by Pailin Chongchitnant 68 Comments

Pad thai may have all the fame, but Thai food lovers know that pad see ew is where real noodle bliss is at. This recipe has been a Hot Thai Kitchen classic for over a decade. It is tried and true, and I promise it'll rival anything you've had in restaurants! It's a quick and simple dish, but you need to know some tricks to achieve perfectly seasoned, not-broken rice noodles with that smokey wok char. Let's dive in!

a plate of pad see ew — Pad see ew, Thai stir fried fresh rice noodles with Chinese broccoli, served with its classic accompaniment, chili vinegar or *prik nam som.*

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What is Pad See Ew?

In Thai, pad means to stir fry and see ew means soy sauce, so...soy sauce stir fry? The unspoken word is guay tiew or "noodles," so it's full name is guay tiew pad see ew. It's a popular Thai stir-fried noodles that you can find all over Thailand, but it has its roots in Chinese cuisine which came to Thailand with the millions of Chinese immigrants.

It's a homey dish of fresh rice noodles seasoned primarily with soy sauce, and stir fried in a hot wok along with slices of meat and Chinese broccoli. In Thailand, pad see ew is a quick solo lunch, so you often find it sold at food courts and by street vendors. They're kind of like the sandwiches of Thai cuisine!

Ingredients

Pad see ew ingredients are short and simple, but using the right noodles and the right sauces are key.

Fresh wide rice noodles. These tender chewy rice noodles are what make dishes like pad see ew and drunken noodles (pad kee mao) so lovable. These are called sen yai in Thai, but they are also often referred to by their Cantonese name, ho fun. You can buy these at some Asian grocery stores, usually in big cities, in the refrigerated section.
If you can't find them, don't worry, homemade rice noodles are better anyway! Dried wide rice noodles do exist and can be used if necessary, but they are quite different and not nearly as good as the fresh ones.
Protein of your choice, thinly sliced. This can be chicken, pork, beef, tofu, or seafood such as shrimp. In Thailand, pork is the most common.
Soy sauce for marinating the meat, omit if using shrimp which do not need to be marinated.
Vegetable oil or another neutral oil of your choice
Garlic, chopped
Eggs
Chinese broccoli, also known as gai lan. Choose smaller stalks if you can as they are more tender and are less likely to be bitter. If you cannot find gai lan, broccolini is a good substitute. I don't suggest using bok choy as it is much more watery and lacks the crunchiness of gai lan stems.
Sugar. White sugar is fine, but brown sugar will also work.
Ground white pepper, to taste. This is a common condiment to pad see ew, and the aroma of ground white pepper on top of pad see ew is truly iconic!
Prik nam som, Thai-style chili vinegar that is a classic condiment that I highly recommend. Pad see ew is sweet and salty, and drizzling a little spicy vinegar really brightens the dish and makes a more balanced flavour. It can be as simple as blending chilies and vinegar, but there are variations which I talk about in my prik nam som recipe here.

Pad See Ew Sauce Ingredients

A good sauce it key to great pad see ew flavour, so I suggest measuring ingredients properly and not eyeballing this one!

Oyster sauce. Check out my post for how to choose a good oyster sauce. To make a vegan version, use "vegetarian stir fry sauce" or another vegan oyster sauce option.
Soy sauce. Use Thai soy sauce (Healthy Boy Brand) if you can for the right flavour, but otherwise regular soy sauce such as kikkoman, or Chinese light soy sauce will also do.
Fish sauce. See this post on choosing a good fish sauce.
Golden Mountain Sauce. This is a type of Thai soy sauce with a flavour that is slightly richer than the Thai soy sauce. Maggi Seasoning would be a good substitute that tastes similar to Golden Mountain. You can also substitute an equal amount of regular soy sauce.
Thai black soy sauce. This gives pad see ew its characteristic dark brown colour and a rich flavour. Thai black soy sauce isn't very salty and tends to be a little sweet. If not available, you can sub Chinese dark soy sauce, but because Chinese dark soy is much saltier, you'll need to reduce other sources of salt. The easiest way, in my opinion, is to simply omit the Golden Mountain Sauce.

Watch The Video Tutorial

All my recipes come with video tutorial to ensure success. If you've never made pad see ew before, I highly recommend watching the video first as this dish goes fast, and you'll need to know exactly what to do once the heat is on!

How to Make Pad See Ew

If it's your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success. The cooking goes fast, so it's good to know exactly what you need to do before you turn the heat on.

Most important tip: Cook 1 portion at a time to prevent mushy, broken noodles, and to maximize noodle charring. There's a reason street vendors do it this way! (The meat, however, can be cooked all together.)

Process shots for making pad see ew, steps 1-4

If using chicken, pork, or beef, marinate the meat with soy sauce and a bit of sugar. If your meat is lean, like chicken breast of pork loin, you can add about 2 teaspoons of water to give it extra juiciness. Stir to mix well and let sit while you prep other things.
Combine all sauce ingredients together and stir to mix.
Cut thicker part of the stems of chinese broccoli into thin slices on a diagonal. Roughly chop thinner stems and leaves.
Heat the oil in a well-seasoned wok or a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Once very hot, add all of the protein and spread it out into a single layer as much as possible. Let the protein sear without moving until the underside is browned and the meat is at least halfway cooked.

Process shots for making pad see ew, steps 5-8

Once the meat is browned, toss until the meat is fully cooked. Remove from pan and set aside. If there is meat juices left in the wok, wipe it with a paper towel.
From this step onward, I recommend cooking 1 portion at a time for best results, so before cooking, divide up your ingredients into single portions. Heat the wok over medium high heat then add a little oil and 1 portion of the garlic; sauté until the smallest bits of garlic starts to turn golden.
Add 1 egg and scramble briefly.
Add 1 portion of the Chinese broccoli and toss to coat it evenly in the oil, about 10–15 seconds.

Process shots for making pad see ew, steps 9-13

Add 1 portion of the noodles (8oz/225g), 1 portion of the sauce (2 tablespoon + 1 tsp/35 ml) , and 2 teaspoon (10 ml) of sugar. Turn the heat up to high and toss to coat the noodles evenly in the sauce.
Spread the noodles out and let them sit without stirring for about 15-30 seconds until some of the noodles have charred on the underside.
Flip or toss the noodles and let them sit again to further toast the noodles. Repeat the tossing and toasting 1-2 more times.
Add 1 portion of the cooked protein back in without adding any meat juices that has accumulated in the bowl, and toss briefly to mix. Plate and enjoy with white pepper and chili vinegar.

Common Pad See Ew Problems and How to Avoid Them

After many years of teaching this recipe, I've noticed there are a few things that commonly trip people up. Read these carefully to avoid the same problem!

Broken noodles. Assuming you're cooking 1 portion at a time as recommended, you're likely stirring too aggressively. Fresh noodles are very delicate, so you want to flip and toss gently, pushing noodles around from the edges rather than haphazardly stirring. Also avoid metal spatula as they can cut noodles more easily.
Mushy noodles. You might be crowding the pan and trapping too much moisture, which overcooks the noodles and/or your heat is too low. I stress that you should cook one portion at a time to prevent trapping too much moisture under a big pile of noodles. Remember these noodles are already fully cooked, so it doesn't take much additional moisture for them to become over cooked and mushy!
They don't taste right. Did you eyeball ingredients? Did you measure everything? Pad see ew is one of those dishes where the ratio between sauce and noodles is everything. Unlike meat-and-veggie stir fries, these noodles absorb ALL of the sauce you give them, so if there's too much, it'll be too salty, and if there's too little, it'll be bland...so measuring is crucial!
Noodles stuck to the pan. Fresh rice noodles love to stick. Make sure your wok or skillet is well seasoned. You can use a nonstick pan but those typically should not be heated over high heat so the noodles may not get a good char.
There is no wok hei. Wok hei is that smoky wok flavour that many people consider a key ingredient of a good pad see ew. To get wok hei, you need a carbon steel wok on very high heat so the noodles can char and the oil can smoke. Not crowding the pan is also key. Sometimes, this just isn't possible to create given our home equipment, but I think it's still good without it!

How to Use Dry Rice Noodles Instead

a plate of pad see ew with bottles of soy sauce on the side — Pad see ew I made using dried rice noodles for the New York Times. Photo: Alana Paterson

I'll be honest...pad see ew made with dried noodles is not nearly as good as fresh. They have a totally different texture and flavour. I much prefer fresh, and once you experience the wonderfulness of fresh rice noodles... you kinda can't go back.

With that caveat, I understand that in desperate times, sometimes you just gotta get some kind of pad see ew on the table. So if needed: Don't follow package instructions for cooking the noodles, those can be unreliable. Here's what to do:

Soak the noodles in hot off the boil water for 15 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water. The noodles are now partially cooked and ready to go into the wok, and they will finish cooking in the wok. You will need about 10 oz (280 g) of dried noodles to get 1 lb (450 g) of soaked noodles, but do weigh the noodles again after soaking just to make sure.

When cooking, I suggest tasting the noodles when you think they're done, and if they're still a little too firm, add a splash of water and keep cooking for another minute.

The best way to keep leftover pad see ew is...to freeze??

Yes! But first let me say that pad see ew, like all rice noodle dishes, is best consumed fresh off the stove. That is how you will get the best soft-chewy noodle texture with crunchy veg. So the best thing to do is to not make anymore than you can eat in one meal.

However, sometimes leftovers are inevitable, and you might be surprised that the best way to store pad see ew is to FREEZE it. Yes! This is because if you refrigerate them, the noodles will continue to absorb moisture from the meat and veggies, and eventually become soft and mushy. One day in the fridge, reheated pad see ew noodles will be noticeably less chewy, but 2 days in the fridge and they're basically inedible by my standard.

When you freeze them, however, this moisture absorption does not happen, so when you reheat, the noodles will still maintain their chewiness to a surprising degree, albeit slightly less so than when fresh. And of course the veggie stems will no longer be crunchy, but that's the price you have to pay.

How to Freeze and Reheat Pad See Ew

Freeze pad see ew in a microwaveable container in single portions, so you can reheat it directly. It will not be possible to divide the noodles while it is frozen. I keep mine in a glass food storage container.

Microwave it uncovered or loosely covered so the noodles don't steam, on full power, and do not stir it until most of the noodles have become hot and soft. When noodles are partially thawed they are brittle, so if you try to stir it mid-way you may break the noodles. Once most of them are soft, you can gently toss and bring the middle part out to the edges to get more even heating. Keep microwaving until the noodles are fully heated through and are piping hot. They will not regain their texture until they're piping hot again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I substitute other noodles for pad see ew?

Yes! While I do believe that the best version is this classic one made with fresh rice noodles, In Thailand we actually make pad see ew with a couple other different noodles. A common one is sen mee pad see ew made with rice vermicelli. In Southern Thailand I grew up eating pad see ew with egg noodles which is also very good.

Some have asked if pad thai noodles can be used instead, and while it is not done in Thailand, and the result will taste quite different, you can certainly try. Follow the soaking instructions in my pad thai recipe, and you'll need to add about 2 tablespoon of water per portion when cooking.

How can I make a vegan pad see ew?

You can use tofu instead of meat. Use firm or extra firm tofu and fry them first until golden to firm up the surface. Then add them to the noodles at the end. You can use vegetarian oyster sauce instead of oyster sauce (read more about vegetarian oyster sauce here) and substitute soy sauce for the fish sauce.

More Thai Stir-Fried Noodle Recipes

Once you've mastered pad see ew, here are a few other Thai recipes to satisfy your noodle cravings:

Pad kee mao or "drunken noodles". If you love pad see ew and you love spicy, this is a must try. You can think of this as the spicy sister of pad see ew, or a noodle version of pad gaprao.
Rad na sometimes spelled as lad na, this is one of the most underrated Thai noodle dishes! The same fresh wide rice noodles are charred in a wok, and served with a pork gravy over them.
Pad See Ew with Vermicelli. If wide noodles are not available, try going the other extreme and make PSE with the thinnest of noodles! It's also a very quick and easy dish!

Thai BBQ Pork Skewers - The Ultimate Street Food (moo ping)

May 30, 2014 by Pailin Chongchitnant 17 Comments

There is perhaps no other food that represents Thai street food culture better than these. These flavourful marinated pork skewers, served alongside sticky rice, can be seen all over the country, any time of day. They're very easy to make, so you can bring the streets of Thailand into your backyard with this recipe

What is Moo Ping หมูปิ้ง?

Moo means pork, and ping means to grill, so the name simple means "grilled pork." But there is much more to it than that. The pork is marinated in a slightly sweet mixture of umami sauces, herbs, and coconut milk. They're then skewered and grilled, and always served with sticky rice.

In Thailand, you can find these sold by street carts outdoors, or inside malls where there are also plenty of food stalls. Nowadays, many of these vendors do not make their own moo ping, and instead buy them from a large supplier. In my opinion, the quality of the average moo ping in Thailand has gotten worse since this started happening. Mass produced moo ping are made from finely chopped pork, they use evaporated milk instead of coconut milk, and they always taste too sweet. So this is definitely one recipe I now prefer to make myself, so I can make them like the good old days!

Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

Bamboo skewers, soak these for at least an hour before grilling, and up to overnight, to prevent them from burning on the grill. Though if you forget, you can use my other trick of placing a strip of foil down on the grill and making sure the exposed skewers rest on the foil to insulate them.
Pork collar butt roast, or pork shoulder. You want to use a fatty cut for this for maximum juiciness.
Garlic
Cilantro roots or chopped cilantro stems
Oyster sauce
Soy sauce
Black soy sauce to add a dark colour. You can sub Chinese dark soy, but you have to reduce the amount of regular soy sauce as Chinese dark soy is much saltier than Thai soy sauce.
Palm sugar, or light brown sugar.
Neutral flavoured oil
Coconut milk
Water, this is added to create a brine to make the pork juicier.
White and black peppercorns, though you can use one or the other if you only have one.
Corn starch
Sticky rice for serving

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

How to Make Thai BBQ Pork Skewers

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

Process shots for making moo ping, steps 1-4

For the marinade: Pound garlic, cilantro roots, peppercorns in a mortar until fine. Add palm sugar and pound until dissolved.
Add all remaining marinade ingredients, except cornstarch, and stir to mix.
If you see any silver skin on the pork, remove it, then cut pork into thin, bit-sized pieces. If you start with a roast, first cut the roast into long "cylinders" along the grain, about 1.5" wide by 1" tall.
Then slice each cylinder into 5 mm (¼ inch) thick pieces against the grain. See the video tutorial for a demo. Slicing thinly against the grain ensure that the muscle fibers are shortest, producing the most tender pork.

Process shots for making moo ping, steps 5-8

Pour the marinade over the pork and mix well. Let marinate overnight (8 hours) or at least 3 hours if you're in a rush.
After marinating, sprinkle cornstarch over the marinated pork and mix well.
Skewer the pork by simply poking through the middle of the piece, then lay them flat on a tray so that the pork pieces are laying flat, shingled on top of each other. Pack them tightly and neatly on top of each other and it'll help shape the skewers. If you have time, let the pork sit in the fridge on the skewers for another hour or longer to set the shape of the skewers, and the pork will not flop around as much when you grill.
Grill over medium to medium high heat, 1.5 - 2 minutes per side. I like to place a folded strip of foil on the grill under the exposed skewers; this prevents the skewers from burning, especially important if you did not soak the skewers. Serve with sticky rice!

Thai-Chinese BBQ Pork Rice (Kao Moo Dang)

March 12, 2021 by Pailin Chongchitnant 11 Comments

This dish is the epitome of "Thai street food". If you wanted kao moo dang you can walk into any food court and you're guaranteed to find a vendor. At the basic level it's just Chinese BBQ pork (char siu) on rice, but what makes this dish unique to Thailand is the savoury-sweet gravy studded with roasted sesame seeds.

a plate of kao moo dang with a side of cucumber and boiled eggs and a bowl of dark soy sauce — "Kao Moo Dang" literally means "red pork with rice" in Thai. "Red pork" is what we call Chinese BBQ pork (char siu).

Will Any Char Siu Recipe Work?

Yes. The recipe I show you here is the closest to what a Thai street vendor would make, and it is also a bit simpler. But if you already have your own trusted char siu recipe, or you've made my super popular authentic Cantonese style char siu recipe, each will work just as well. All of these styles have the same flavour profile, just slightly different ingredients.

Choosing Pork for Kao Moo Dang

Chinese style char siu typically uses port butt or pork shoulder, which works fine for this, however the Thai style is leaner and we like to use pork loin. This works because there's gravy to keep the dish moist even though the meat is lean.

Buy a pork loin roast (pic shown in the video), then cut it lengthwise with the grain into long strips about 2"x1" in diameter. Try to cut it in such a way that each piece has a bit of fat on it, because this fat will help keep everything moist and tender.

If you can, get the fatty end. When I went to get my pork from the specialty butcher, he was cutting my roast from a whole piece and asked if I wanted the "lean and pretty end" or the "fatty end". Turns out the two sides of a pork loin are different! Either will work depending on whether you like fatty or lean meat, but it's nice to have the option! I got the fatty end, naturally.

How about pork chops? If you can't find pork loin roast, pork chops will work but you want to make sure they are at least 1-inch thick. The pork needs time to brown and char slightly without overcooking the inside.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe and important notes about them. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

Thai-Style BBQ Pork (Moo Dang)

Pork loin roast, you can also use tenderloin if you prefer that.
Soy sauce
Golden Mountain Sauce. This is a type of soy sauce with a different flavour. You can also use Maggi Seasoning which has a similar flavour, or simply sub more soy sauce.
Black soy sauce. This is added for a dark, rich colour. You can sub Chinese dark soy sauce, but because it is saltier you should reduce the amount of regular soy sauce slightly.
Five spice powder, store bought or see my homemade recipe
Honey
Toasted sesame oil
Garlic
Ground white pepper
Red food colouring (optional). In Thailand the pork is typically dyed bright red. If you're not going for the classic look, it can be omitted.

Gravy:

Pork or chicken stock, unsalted or low sodium. See my homemade pork stock recipe here.
Pork marinade from above
White sesame seeds, toasted
Tao jiew fermented soybean paste. This is basically the Thai version of miso, but it is runnier and comes in a glass bottle. You can substitute equal amount doenjang or miso.
Chopped palm sugar or light brown sugar
Black soy sauce (optional) to adjust colour as needed. Chinese dark soy can also be used.
Cornstarch or tapioca starch to thicken the gravy.

Dark Soy Chili Vinegar (optional):

This is a condiment typically served with kao moo dang, it adds bright spicy acidity which works nicely with the dish. But it is optional as not everyone uses it.

Sweet soy sauce or packed brown sugar
White vinegar
Soy sauce
Thai black soy sauce or sub Chinese dark soy sauce and omit the regular soy sauce
Chopped chilies, to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Here are some ingredients you may not have and how to substitute. You can also watch my video where I explain all the different sauces used in Thai cooking.

Thai seasoning sauce (Golden Mountain Sauce is a brand most commonly available). This is a type of soy sauce with a different flavour from our regular soy sauce. Maggi Seasoning or Bragg's Liquid Amino will work fine.
Tao Jiew or Thai fermented soybean paste. This is the Thai version of miso, except the consistency is runny and the soybeans are whole. It's very salty and comes in a glass jar; typically Healthy Boy Brand is the one most commonly available. You can substitute Japanese miso paste or Korean doenjang paste although they do taste slightly different; use them in equal amounts.
Five Spice Powder is a Chinese blend of spices that is absolutely key to the identity of this dish and is not substitutable. You can buy it, but if you have a lot of spices in your cabinet you can probably just make it. It's as simple as blitzing them in a coffee grinder. I prefer to make it from whole spices because the flavours are so much fresher than pre-ground spices. Check out my recipe for homemade five-spice powder here.
Thai black soy sauce is what we use to add dark, delicious-looking colour to various dishes like pad see ew. It's not very salty and has a molasses-y, slightly sweet flavour. You can substitute Chinese dark soy sauce, but because the Chinese one is much saltier, you have to be careful how much you add, and you may need to reduce the amount of the regular soy sauce a bit. You can also omit it altogether if you don't care about the colour.
Sweet soy sauce. Think brown sugar syrup + soy sauce. Indonesian sweet soy sauce will work just as well as the Thai one. As the name suggests it is mostly sweet and is very thick. In this case you can use dark brown sugar instead.

How to Make Chinese BBQ Pork & Rice (Kao Moo Dang)

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

Cut pork loin into long strips, about 1" x 2" wide (see video to get a better idea of what this looks like). You can then cut each strip in half if you wish.
Place them in a large zip-top bag or a dish that's just big enough to contain the pork in one, even layer.
Combine all marinade ingredients together and stir to dissolve the honey then pour over the pork, mixing well to ensure all surfaces of the pork are coated.
Marinade for 24 - 48 hours, flipping the bag or turning the pork over half-way through to ensure even marinating.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with the rack set in the middle. Allow it to preheat for at least 30 mins.
While the oven preheats, pull the pork from the fridge so that it has time to come to room temp a bit before roasting. Also now is a good time to get the rice going and prep any other garnishes you're serving.
Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and put a rack on it. Remove the pork strips from the marinade (don't throw away the marinade!), shaking off as much excess as possible, and place them on the roasting rack. If your pork is quite lean, it's a good idea to brush with some vegetable oil.
Roast for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 155°F for well-done but still juicy pork. If you want medium doneness, pull them at 145°F.
While the pork is roasting, make the gravy: In a small pot, add the stock and the pork marinade and bring to a boil.
While you wait for it to boil, in a mortar and pestle crush the toasted white sesame seeds briefly just until they're broken but still look mostly whole. You should be able to smell the aroma once they're sufficiently broken. Remove from the mortar.
Add the Thai fermented soybean paste to the mortar and crush until there are no more chunks of soybeans; if using doenjang or miso you don't need to do this.
Once the stock is boiling there will be a lot of congealed scum floating on top; this is just cooked pork juice, and you can skim it off with a fine mesh skimmer and discard.
Add the tao jiew, white sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon of the palm sugar, and just enough of the black or dark soy sauce to get a nice rich brown colour (if using Chinese dark soy sauce, add a little at a time as it can become too salty.) Allow the gravy to simmer gently for about 5 minutes then taste and adjust seasoning with more soy sauce or sugar as needed.
Mix the cornstarch with a splash of water and stir to dissolve, then pour the slurry into the gravy while stirring. Bring the gravy to a boil, stirring constantly, until it's thickened.

For the dark soy chili vinegar

Combine all ingredients together and stir. This can be made well in advance and any leftovers will last in the fridge for several weeks.

Assembly:

Once the pork is done, allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. The pork can even be served room temp if the gravy and rice are hot.
While the pork rests, slice the cucumber, cut the boiled eggs in half, and prep any other sides you're serving.
Slice pork into thin pieces and place on top of the hot rice, ladle some gravy on top and serve with the eggs, cucumber slices, and Chinese sausages, if using.

Thai Chili Paste (Chili Jam) - Nam Prik Pao

August 28, 2015 by Pailin Chongchitnant 32 Comments

There are several sauces and pastes that are very important to Thai cuisine, and Thai chili paste or nam prik pao, is one of them. Nam prik pao is a savoury and sweet paste with a uniquely rich flavour. It's versatile and essential in many of Thailand's most popular dishes, such as the famous tom yum goong soup. It can be hard to find, but thankfully it's not at all difficult to make at home, and the homemade version always tastes better!

Thai chili paste in a bowl and in a glass jar.

What is Nam Prik Pao?

Nam prik pao น้ำพริกเผา is an extremely versatile ingredient and a staple in any Thai kitchen. It is a paste made primarily from dried chilies, shallots, garlic, and dried shrimp, all of which are ground into a paste, then seasoned and cooked in oil until thick and shiny. Though it is a savoury ingredient, nam prik pao is quite sweet.

The flavour profile of nam prik pao is quite unique, with robustness coming from toasted dried chilies and garlic and shallots that cook down until jammy. When it is added to a dish, it is usually an important part of the dish's identity, and you really can't substitute it with another ingredient.

In Thai cuisine, nam prik pao is used in many different ways, most commonly in soups, stir fries, and salads. More on different ways to use it below.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe and important notes about them. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

Dried mild chilies. Nam prik pao is not supposed to be very spicy, so stick with large mild chilies such as guajillo or puya peppers. In Thailand, we use dried spur chilies. If you want to make it spicy, however, that's totally fine, in which case feel free to add spicy dried chilies to the paste in addition to the mild.
Dried shrimp. These add loads of umami to the paste. You can find dried shrimp at any Asian grocery stores in the fridge, and I would choose medium size ones for this recipe.
Garlic, peel but leave the cloves whole
Shallots, peeled and cut into large chunks
Tamarind paste, also labelled as "tamarind concentrate". Make sure it is a product of Thailand which should come as a brown liquid. Indian "tamarind concentrates," which are a sticky, black paste, are much more concentrated and the same amount cannot be used for this recipe. You can also make your own tamarind paste from pulp.
Salt
Fish sauce
Palm sugar, finely chopped, packed. If palm sugar is not available, you can substitute light brown sugar.
Shrimp paste, optional. Fermented shrimp paste or gapi adds extra umami that's different from the dried shrimp, but it can be omitted.
Neutral flavoured oil. Quite a lot of oil is added to the paste in order to achieve a luscious, spreadable consistency. In commercial versions of this paste, more oil is used to the point where there is always a thick layer of oil that it on top of the paste, but at home you just need to add enough for the right consistency.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

How to Make Thai Chili Paste/Chili Jam - Nam Prik Pao

Here's the bird's eye view of the process, the full instructions are in the recipe card below. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

Process shots for making thai chili paste steps 1-4

Toast the dried chilies in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they are charred in some spots and smell smoky. Remove from the pan and set aside. (See alternate broiler method for toasting chilies below)
In the same pan, add garlic and shallots and toast over high heat, stirring constantly, until they are charred. Remove from the pan. (See alternate broiler method below)
In a coffee grinder, grind dried chilies into a powder.
Add dried shrimp and grind until fine.

Process shots for making thai chili paste steps 5-8

In a food processor or a blender, add all ingredients except the oil.
Grind into a fine paste, adding more oil as needed for the paste to grind effectively. Scrape the sides down occasionally.
Transfer the chili paste into a pot or a wok along with any remaining oil. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly to cook the herbs and thicken the paste to a spread consistency. If you are making a large batch, it will take more time to cook.
Once the paste is dark and thick, with the oil sizzling out of the paste, it is ready to be used or stored.

Alternate Method for Charring Chilies, Garlic and Shallots: Broiler

Traditionally the chilies, garlic and shallots are toasted in a wok or skillet because Thai people don't use ovens. But charring them under the broiler works just as well, and you may find it more convenient as it is more hands-off. This is what I would suggest you do if making a large amount.

For the chilies: Place the dried chilies on a foil-lined baking sheet, and place them under the broiler about 6-8 inches away from the element. Watch them constantly, and pull them out once charred spots form and they smell smokey - this can take less than 1 minute on some broilers.

For the garlic and shallots: On the same baking sheet you used for the chilies, place whole garlic cloves with the skin on on one side of the pan, and the shallots on the other. Broil them on the top rack, as close the element as possible, until some charred spots form on the shallots, about 5 minutes. Flip and broil the other side until more charred spots form, about 3 more minutes. Remove and peel the garlic.

Continue with the recipe as usual.

How to use Thai chili paste

Nam prik pao can be used in just about anything - soups, stir fries, salads, or even as a spread! The most famous use for nam prik pao is probably our tom yum goong soup.

In stir fries, simply add it in addition to your other seasonings, but remember that it is quite sweet. See my cashew chicken recipe as an example for how to use it in stir fries. We also love it in fried rice, such as in this 3-chili Thai basil fried rice.

I also love adding Thai chili paste to salads, like in this wing bean salad to make a richer dressing. And for a non-traditional use, you can spread it on toast or crostini as a snack, or use it instead of mayo for your burgers. When I was a kid, my mom used to make tuna sandwiches using nam prik pao as a spread on the bread!

Should you make or buy Thai chili paste?

The truth is that most Thai people buy nam prik pao, and it's a very common ingredient in any supermarket in Thailand. But overseas, it can be hard to find, so if you cannot find it, your only option is to make it yourself because there really isn't a good substitute. Thankfully, making it isn't hard at all!

If you're lucky enough to have it available, or if you're willing to buy online, my recommended brand that is available overseas is Maepranom. Pantai brand is a little sweet for my taste but it is totally fine to use; it seems to be the most commonly available exported brand, and indeed it is the only one that I can get here in Vancouver.

Storage

You can keep Thai chili paste in a sealed jar in the fridge and it'll last several months. You can also freeze it indefinitely.

Universal Stir Fry Sauce: Stir Fry Anything!

February 26, 2021 by Pailin Chongchitnant 30 Comments

A Stolen Secret From Thai Restaurants. During my years working in Thai restaurants, I learned that most of them have a pre-mixed sauce which they call "stir-fry sauce." And they put this sauce in nearly EVERYTHING! This is how restaurants are able to cook your dishes so quickly, and no, all your dishes won't taste the same as I explain below. Keep this sauce in your fridge and it's totally game changing for weeknight meals!

One sauce for all of your stir fries: meat, veggies, fried rice, noodles, and even marinade!

How to Use Universal Stir Fry Sauce

To give you an idea of how versatile this sauce is, here are different ways you can use it:

The most straightforward use is in a stir fry, such as this mixed vegetable stir-fry. But you can stir fry absolutely anything with this sauce.
You can use it to make a noodle stir fry like pad see ew or drunken noodles.
It works wonderfully in fried rice, like this chicken fried rice.
You can also use it as a base sauce to which you can add other ingredients to make it unique. For example, you can add some Thai chili paste, and you'll get a flavour much like my cashew chicken.
You can use it as a marinade! Use it on steaks, chicken, pork chops, whatever you want!

Be sure to watch the video tutorial where I demo how to use this sauce in a basic meat-and-veggie stir fry, with lots of stir frying tips. It's like stir frying 101!

No, All Your Dishes Won't Taste the Same

You might think, wait, doesn't that mean all my stir fries will taste the same? No! The sauce isn't everything. All the veggies, herbs, meat, spices that you add contribute more flavour than you think.

Yes, the sauce has its own delicious taste, but because it is a salty sauce, its other primary function is to be "the salt" in the dish. In all dishes, salt is there to enhance flavours of all the other ingredients.

Think of it like this: if you eat mashed potato that's properly salted, you don't think, "mmm, this is salty mashed potato." But you DO think, "this is delicious mashed potato!" Salt brings out more of the potato flavour for you to enjoy. This stir-fry sauce does the same thing.

One Sauce, Many Possibilities

If you want to "jazz up" the sauce with other ingredients, here are some ideas. I would add these to individual dishes when you cook; not to the base sauce itself:

Thai chili paste or nam prik pao. This is a thick sweet-and-savoury, jam-like paste with an intense flavour. Check out this homemade Thai chili paste recipe to see what goes into it. I would add at least 1 tablespoon of chili paste per serving. Check out this recipe for Shrimp and Chili Paste Stir-Fry as an idea.
Thai fermented soybean paste or tao jiew. This can be described as the Thai miso, but with a runnier consistency. We often pair it with fish, or use it in a vegetable stir fry like this popular Water Spinach Stir Fry recipe.
Sugar. I always add a little bit of sugar to stir fries, not to make them sweet, but to balance the saltiness of the base sauce. It will give a more "well-rounded" flavour. Different dishes require different amounts of sweetness, which is why I don't add the sugar to the universal sauce, but you can absolutely can if you want maximum simplicity when cooking; instructions for adding sugar are included in the recipe below. Instead of sugar you can also substitute sweet soy sauce or other sweeteners.
Curry paste. While generally when we use curry pastes in stir-fries we only add fish sauce, it's certainly possible for you to use this base sauce instead. Check out this recipe for Cauliflower Stir Fry with Yellow Curry as an idea.
Sriracha or another hot sauce. This will add heat and also tartness because most hot sauces have vinegar. Check out this sweet and sour stir fry as an idea.
Black soy sauce or dark soy sauce. This will add a delicious-looking dark colour to your stir-fry, like in the iconic Pad See Ew. If used in large enough amounts it will also add a deep molasses-like flavour. Don't add too much though, as it can be a bit bitter and tastes funny. You can also add a little bit right into your base sauce if you always want it a little darker. Note: If using Thai black soy sauce it is not very salty, so you can add as much as needed, but if using Chinese dark soy sauce, it is quite salty, so you may need to use less of the base sauce if you're adding a lot into the dish.

Storing Universal Stir Fry Sauce

Kept in the fridge, this will last indefinitely. The sauces are very salty, which means bacteria do not grow well in it. You still want to keep it refrigerated though because oyster sauce is the one ingredient in this mix that can get moldy at room temp.

How to Make a Vegan Version

Instead of oyster sauce, look for something called "Vegetarian Stir Fry Sauce." This is available in many big Asian grocery stores, and it will have a consistency similar to oyster sauce.

Instead of fish sauce, you can buy a vegetarian fish sauce substitute, but I've found that they're not always good. So unless you've found a brand you like, I recommend just using more soy sauce.

Use more than 1 type of soy sauce. If you're not using fish sauce, I recommend using both soy sauce and Thai seasoning sauce (like Golden Mountain Sauce) so you can achieve a more complex flavour. You can also use Maggi Seasoning or Bragg's Liquid Amino as well.

Other Useful Tips

You can also use this sauce as a marinade! Marinade chicken thighs for the oven, or slices of meat on skewers for the grill ... anything!
Still season your meat separately. If you're making a stir fry with meat, such as chicken, pork, or beef, I'd still add a little bit of soy sauce or fish sauce to the meat separately so that the seasoning is in the meat, not just in the sauce! I demo how to do this in the video.

Questions about Thai Sauces?

Got questions about any of the sauces I used? Check these out and all your questions will be answered!

Stir fry sauce in a mason jar with a spoon pouring sauce into it. With a plate of a veggie stir fry in the background

UNIVERSAL Stir Fry Sauce

By: Pailin Chongchitnant

The one sauce you need to make hundreds of Thai stir fries, fried rice and fried noodles. This is the secret sauce that allows Thai restaurants to have so many things on the menu. Make a big batch and keep in the fridge for easy weeknight meals!

4.92 from 12 votes

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Cook Time 5

Course Sauces

Cuisine Thai

Servings servings

Ingredients

▢ ¼ cup oyster sauce
▢ 2 tablespoon soy sauce
▢ 1 tablespoon fish sauce
▢ 1 tablespoon Golden Mountain Sauce or Maggi Seasoning, see note 1
▢ 2 teaspoon sugar, optional, see note 2

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Notes

Golden Mountain Sauce is a type of Thai soy sauce; it tastes similar to Maggi Seasoning. If not available, sub an equal amount of regular soy sauce.
I personally don't add sugar to my stir fry sauce because I find different recipes require different amounts of sweetness, so I like to add it when cooking. However, if you're not too picky about sweetness, you can add it to the sauce for maximum convenience.

FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL

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Instructions

Combine all ingredients except sugar in a glass jar or another well-sealing container.
¼ cup oyster sauce, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon Golden Mountain Sauce or Maggi Seasoning
If adding sugar, place the sugar into a small heat proof bowl, then add a splash (~2 teaspoons) of hot water to it and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add this syrup to the sauce and stir to mix. Store the sauce in the fridge until ready to use.
2 teaspoon sugar
When using, you need about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of sauce per 1 serving of stir-fry. This is a rough estimate, so be sure to taste and adjust every time. If you did not add sugar to the sauce, you may want to add ¼ - ½ teaspoons of sugar per serving to help balance the salt.

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Thai Mango Sticky Rice Cocktail

December 23, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant Leave a Comment

Everyone's favorite Thai dessert is mango and sticky rice, and now you can have it in a festive cocktail! I came up with this recipe for the live cooking class which I hosted with my Sabai Talk Podcast co-host, chef Hong Thaimee. I wanted to make a Thai flavoured cocktail with a flavour combination that I know would be a guaranteed hit, and this was it. The secret is the clever technique called "rice washing" which makes for an exceptionally smooth cocktail

mango sticky rice cocktail in a coupe glass with a pandan leaf garnish and a small disco ball in the background.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the the full recipe card below.

Mango juice. Get the best mango juice you can as the flavour of the cocktail relies heavily on the quality of the juice. It's hard to find pure mango juice, so a blend is fine, as long as it still tastes distinctly of mango. You can also blend mango pieces and make your own juice, more on that below.
Vodka. I tested this cocktail with various alcohol, including gin, rum, even mezcal! They all actually tasted great, but I decided to stick with the neutral tasting vodka to preserve the flavour profile of mango sticky rice. Other alcohols altered the flavour of the drink too much, but you can certainly experiment.
Coconut milk. Since this isn't going to be cooked, and it's one of two main flavours of the drink, a good quality coconut milk is important. I use Aroy D brand in UHT paper carton (not can). You can also read my article all about coconut milk to find out how to choose the best one.
Pandan leaf. Pandan is to Thai dessert what vanilla is to Western desserts. It has a lovely floral aroma that goes very well with coconut milk. Look for it wherever you buy your Thai groceries, and you can use fresh or frozen leaves. If you can't find it, it is fine to omit. If you have pandan extract, you can add it a drop at a time until a scent comes through, but don't overdo it as it can taste chemically when overdone.
Uncooked white rice. This is optional, but it will help make your cocktail smoother due to the "rice washing" technique (more details below). You can use any kind of white rice since we just need the starch, but I used Thai glutinous rice (sticky rice) because it is the starchiest, and it keeps with the mango-sticky-rice theme :).
Ice cubes.

How to Make Mango Sticky Rice Cocktail

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. The full instructions are in the recipe card below. Please excuse the low quality images as these are screenshots taken from the live cooking class which I encourage you to watch!

Grind the pandan leaves with a splash of the vodka until the leaves are bruised and broken down slightly. You can also use a cocktail muddler.
Add the remaining vodka and stir or swirl to mix.
Strain the vodka out, discarding the pandan leaves.
In a shaker, combine the mango juice, pandan vodka, coconut milk, rice and ice cubes and shake until fully chilled. Pour into a serving glass through a strainer. You can serve the cocktail with ice in a rocks glass, or without ice in a martini glass.

What is "rice washing" in cocktail making?

I first learned about this technique from Cook's Illustrated, and basically, shaking the alcohol with raw white rice ends up producing a smoother cocktail! How does it work? The starch that comes out of the raw rice during the shaking (the same stuff that make the water cloudy when you wash rice before cooking) captures some of the volatile compounds in alcohol that gives it the bitterness.

So you can use any kind of rice, but it needs to be white because brown rice contains the bran that keeps the starch enclosed. Oh, and it needs to be uncooked as the starch in cooked rice has all been, well, cooked :).

Before you start, if this is your first time, be sure to watch the video tutorial to ensure success!

Like this recipe? You'd also love these!

Mango Sticky Rice Cocktail

A popular Thai dessert mango sticky rice, now in the form of a delicious festive cocktail! Rice washing technique produces an exceptionally smooth drink.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 2

Course Drinks

Servings

Equipment

mortar and pestle or cocktail muddler

Ingredients

▢ 8 inches pandan leaf, cut in 1-inch pieces
▢ 3 oz good mango juice
▢ 2 oz vodka, or less if you prefer
▢ 1 oz coconut milk, see note 1
▢ 1 Tablespoon raw white rice, see note 2
▢ Ice cubes

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Notes

I recommend Aroy D brand in the UHT paper carton for best flavour. If not available, Aroy D in cans are fine. Do not use light coconut milk.
You won’t taste the rice added to the cocktail, but “rice washing” cocktail is a trick to help smooth out the bitterness of the alcohol.

FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL

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Instructions

*The video tutorial for this recipe is part of a livestream. The mango sticky rice cocktail starts at minute 54:05.
In a mortar and pestle, add the pandan leaf pieces and a small splash of vodka and grind in a circular motion to bruise and breakdown the leaves. Add the remaining vodka and give it a quick grind, then strain it into a mixing glass or cocktail shaker.
8 inches pandan leaf, 2 oz vodka
Add the mango juice, coconut milk, rice and ice cubes. Shake or stir vigorously until well chilled, and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a chilled serving martini glass or a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a pandan leaf tip, if desired, cheers!
3 oz good mango juice, 1 oz coconut milk, 1 Tablespoon raw white rice, Ice cubes

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Vegan Pad Thai Recipe (pad mee korat)

February 20, 2025 by Pailin Chongchitnant 27 Comments

Though I am calling this vegan pad thai, this isn't just a veganized version that I made up. It's a real Thai dish that I grew up eating called pad mee korat, and when I was thinking about a vegan version of pad thai, it dawned on me that pad mee korat was basically it, with just a few tweaks!

What is pad mee korat?

I have always thought of pad mee korat as the sister of pad thai given their similar flavours and ingredients. It's a rice noodle stir fry that is the local specialty of my mom's hometown, Korat, in the northeast of Thailand. This is why it's a dish my grandmother makes regularly!

While pad thai necessarily contains fish sauce and eggs, pad mee korat doesn't need either of those. But both dishes use the same rice noodles, bean sprouts, garlic chives, and has that same sweet-salty-sour profile.

Though my grandma usually makes pad mee korat with thinly sliced pork, it's not essential to the dish and you can substitute with the tofu used in pad thai, or simply omit it. I couldn't have asked for a better starting point for a vegan pad thai recipe!

Traditional vs Vegan Pad Thai

How is this vegan pad thai different from the traditional pad thai recipe? There are a few things we substituted:

Fish sauce. Fish sauce is the main flavour of pad thai, and the reason you will rarely find vegan pad thai offered in Thai restaurants. Because to make a vegan version they would have to make another batch of pad thai sauce, which most places would not do. For this vegan version we use tao jiew instead, which is a fermented soybean paste similar to miso. You can also use miso instead.
Dried shrimp. These are chewy little umami bits, and here I used shiitake mushrooms instead which work wonderfully. FYI, many Thai restaurants overseas don't add them anyway, so if that's what you're used to, you won't miss it.
Eggs. We simply omit them, but if vegetarian pad thai is what you're going for, then feel free to add them.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need. For the amounts and instructions, see the recipe card below!

Sauce Ingredients

Soy sauce. Thai soy sauce is best but it's not necessary. Confused by different types of soy sauces? See this soy sauce explainer post here!
Tao jiew. This is Thai fermented soybean paste that is essentially the Thai version of miso. It's sold in glass bottles (Healthy Boy Brand) at Asian grocery stores that sell a lot of Thai ingredients, though it is harder to find. You can substitute equal amount of miso or doenjang.
Tamarind paste. If buying pre-made tamarind paste, always buy ones from Thailand to make sure you have the right product. These are often labeled as tamarind concentrate (see pic below). You can also make your own tamarind paste from pulp and it's what I do. Never buy tamarind products from India as they are not the same!
**Tamarind sourness varies from brand to brand, so if it's your first time, start out with a little less and you can add more later if needed.**
Chili flakes, optional, only if you want to make it spicy. Store bought is fine, or you can easily make your own using my roasted chili flakes recipe. You can also leave it out of the sauce and let people add their own at the table.

a tub of tamarind concentrate held in hand

Pad Thai Ingredients

Dry rice noodles, medium size (2-3 mm wide). You need to soak them in room temp water for 1 hour, so don't forget to do this ahead of time! You can soak them the day before, drain, then keep them in the fridge until ready to use. If you did not plan ahead, you can do an emergency soak in hot off the boil water and for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse immediately under cold water.
*If you have previously had trouble working with rice noodles, be sure to check out this ultimate guide to mastering rice noodles.
Neutral oil, this can be any neutral flavoured cooking oil you normally use. I use avocado oil or canola oil
Pressed tofu. Pressed tofu is the firmest tofu you can buy. It has a nice chew and will not fall apart in the wok. It's also the tofu that's traditionally used in pad thai. Sometimes they are labeled as "bean curd". If not available, use extra firm tofu or fried tofu.
Fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced. If stems are thick and hard, remove them. If they're small and tender you can leave them on.
Shallots, chopped
Garlic, chopped
Palm sugar. Light brown sugar can be used instead.
Garlic chives, cut into 2-inch pieces. If not available you can substitute green onions (though they don't taste the same), but chop green onions smaller and use less as they are more intense in flavour than garlic chives.
Bean sprouts. Be sure to get mung bean sprouts, not soybean sprouts.
Roasted peanuts, optional, roughly crushed or chopped. Peanuts are not typically added to pad mee korat, so feel free to skip them, but I add them here to get it closer to a traditional pad thai.
Lime wedges, optional. I find a squeeze of fresh lime can add a nice burst of freshness.

How to Make Vegan Pad Thai

Here's a bird's eye view of all the steps so you know what's involved, for full instructions see the recipe card below!

Soak your noodles for 1 hour in room temp water. Meanwhile, make the sauce by adding tao jiew to a small bowl and mash with a fork to break up the soybeans, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients and stir to mix.
In a wok or a large nonstick skillet, sear the mushrooms and tofu in a little bit of oil until golden brown and the mushrooms are cooked through. Remove from the pan.
To the same pan, add the oil, garlic, shallots, palm sugar and cook, stirring frequently until the sugar caramelizes into a deep brown colour.
Deglaze with the sauce mixture and stir to mix.

Add the soaked rice noodles along with the mushrooms and tofu.
Toss until all the sauce has been absorbed. Taste the noodles, and if it is still undercooked, add a splash of water and keep it cooking longer.
Turn off the heat, add bean sprouts and garlic chives and toss to mix.
Once mixed, you can taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Plate and sprinkle with roasted peanuts and serve with a wedge of lime.

Tips for Advance Prep

If you have all your ingredients ready, the cooking will take literally 5 minutes. So prepare ingredients as per these suggestions to enjoy weeknight pad thai!

Make the sauce in advance (you can make a big batch!) and keep in the fridge. Saute the garlic, shallots, and sugar as per the recipe, then once you've added the liquid seasonings to the caramelized sugar, take it off heat and transfer it to a glass jar. That's your sauce! Keep it in a sealed container in the fridge. This sauce will keep for a long time.
*If keeping multiple batches of sauce in one container, remember to measure and note how much sauce you need per batch!
Soak the noodles up to a week in advance, drain well then rest them briefly on a towel to ensure no excess water will pool in the container. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
Chop all your vegetables and keep them in an airtight container and they will last for a week!

Storing Leftovers and Reheating

I get asked all the time how leftover pad thai should be stored and heated, and to be frank, rice noodles do not keep well, so ideally, you don't want to have leftovers. If you want to have it again later in the week, it's better to prep all the ingredients (see tips above) and cook a fresh batch because the cooking takes only a few minutes!

But sometimes you just can't help it and you end up with extras. In that case, keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for ideally no more than 1 day. The longer you keep it, the more mushy the noodles become.

When you reheat, you can simply microwave it, however, it's crucial that the noodles are reheated until steaming hot, and not just warm. Rice noodles harden in the fridge, and they need to be fully heated in order to regain their softness.

Authentic Thai Massaman Curry with Chicken

March 4, 2013 by Pailin Chongchitnant 58 Comments

For many people, massaman is their favourite of all Thai curries because of the tender braised meats and aromatic spices. It's so popular that CNNGo once voted it to be "the most delicious food in the world!" This chicken massaman curry recipe is one that I've been making since I was a teenager in Thailand, and I promise it'll beat anything you get at a Thai restaurant!

What is Massaman Curry?

In the context of Thai cuisine, massaman curry is unique in that it is thicker and richer than others like green curry or red curry. It also uses a lot of warm spices, making its flavour more reminiscent of Indian curries. It's believed to have come to Thailand via southern Thailand via the Malay people who are Muslims, which is why in Thailand massaman curry is considered a Muslim-Thai food.

Because of that, you will find massaman curries in Thailand made with chicken, beef, or even goat, but never pork. This is despite pork being the most popular meat in Thailand!

Massaman is typically a mild curry, so it is also one that's perfect for kids or those with low spice tolerance. For another mild Thai curry, try this Thai yellow curry recipe.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

Just an FYI that the recipe has been updated after the release of this video (which is very old!), so some of the steps and amounts in the recipe card may differ slightly. But it is still good to watch to get the idea of the process!

Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or drumsticks. If you want to substitute beef, check out this luxurious massaman beef recipe here that uses short ribs, or this Instant Pot massaman curry which uses chuck. Pork is not typically used for massaman curry because it is a dish of Muslim origin.
Coconut milk. See my post here on how to choose the best coconut milk.
Massaman curry paste. Store-bought curry paste is perfectly fine to use, Mae Ploy and Maesri both make massaman curry paste. However, because it's not considered a "basic" curry like red, green or even yellow curry, so many stores will not carry it, especially if it's not an Asian grocery store. Fortunately, you can make a semi-homemade massaman paste by adding some spices to store bought red curry paste. If you like to DIY you can also make homemade massaman curry paste from scratch.
Palm sugar, or substitute light brown sugar or granulated sugar
Fish sauce, see my post for how to choose the best fish sauce
Tamarind paste, you can use pre-made tamarind paste (also labeled as tamarind concentrate) or make you own from pulp. Be sure to use tamarind from Thailand and not India to ensure it is the right product. If you're unfamiliar, read more about what tamarind is and how we use it in Thai cooking. If you can't find it, a touch of Worcestershire sauce or lime juice is fine.
Potato, a starchy potato such as russet is fine but they overcook easily so you have to be careful. A waxier potato such as Yukon Gold or new potatoes will be a little more forgiving so it's generally my preference. You can also use yellow sweet potatoes (but not the orange ones as they are too soft and watery).
Yellow onion, cut into 1 cm strips.
Roasted whole peanuts
Jasmine rice for serving. But feel free to serve it with brown rice as well!

How to Make Massaman Curry มัสมั่นไก่

Here's a bird's eye view of this recipe, when you're ready to make, please see the full recipe card below!

Before you cook: Like all stews, this dish is better the next day after the flavors have had time to mingle. So if you can, make it a day in advanced!

In a heavy bottom pot, reduce ½ cup of the coconut milk until it “breaks,” i.e. the coconut oil starts to separate. If the coconut has been reduced until very thick and this doesn't happen, that's fine, go ahead and proceed. (Some coconut milk has been processed in a way that prevents separation of fat).
Add the curry paste to the reduced coconut milk and sauté for a few minutes on medium heat until aromatic.
Add the remaining coconut milk, with the palm sugar and 2 tablespoon of the fish sauce and 2 tablespoon of the tamarind paste. Add the chicken and simmer gently for 35 minutes.
Add the potatoes, onions and peanuts, and if needed, add enough water to keep everything barely submerged. Let simmer gently for another 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked.
When the cooking is done, do a final seasoning check of the sauce. Adjust by adding more fish sauce (for salty), tamarind (for acid), and sugar (for sweet). Serve with jasmine rice.

Important Note: The reason I don't add all of the fish sauce and tamarind at once is because of variability in products. Curry pastes vary greatly in their saltiness, so adding everything at once may result in a dish that is too salty. Tamarind paste also varies greatly in acidity!

Modifications

Massaman curry can be adapted for a pressure cooker. Check out my Instant Pot massaman curry recipe here.
It can also be cooked in a slow cooker. I don't have a recipe specifically for it, but you can use my recipe for the massaman curry sauce, and then follow instructions for another slow cooker recipe for the protein of your choice.
Vegetarian massaman curry. You can omit the chicken and use vegetarian proteins such as tofu and other vegetables, keeping in mind that this is a rich curry, so you will need hearty veggies to stand up to the flavour. Eggplant, mushrooms, and root vegetables are all good choices. Adjust cooking time accordingly. Use soy sauce instead of fish sauce, and make sure that the curry paste does not contain shrimp paste.

Storage

Massaman curry keeps VERY well. In fact, I recommend making it one day in advance for even better flavour. But when you reheat, be careful not to overcook the potatoes! In the fridge, in an airtight container, the curry will keep for up to a week.

If you want to make this recipe a part of your regular rotation, I suggest making the massaman curry sauce in advance and freeze it!

Other Thai Curry Recipes to Try

If you're a fan of Thai curries, check out these other popular and equally easy recipes.

Green curry is a classic, and there's a really good vegan green curry, too!
Red curry is what I consider the most basic of all curries so it's a good one to start, and just about any Asian market sells red curry paste! Here's a chicken red curry with squash, and a red pineapple curry with shrimp.
Yellow curry is something else to try if you want to stick to the stewy, rich curry similar to massaman. I have both yellow curry chicken and yellow curry with beef.

Authentic Thai Red Curry with Chicken

May 22, 2015 by Pailin Chongchitnant 47 Comments

Red curry is the first curry I recommend people make if they are new to Thai cooking. The process is quick, and it is so simple it is essentially fail-proof, but the flavours are so complex and very representative of the spirit of Thai cuisine. It's always a crowd pleaser! Using store bought curry paste is totally find and makes this a quick weeknight meal, but if you love to DIY, I also have a homemade red curry paste recipe for you!

a bowl of red curry with kabocha with thai basil in the background — Thai red curry with chicken and kabocha squash.

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Ingredients and Notes

Here are ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

Red curry paste - Using store bought red curry paste is fine, most Thai people do! BUT it's important to choose a good brand as that can make or break your curry. I recommend Maeploy, Aroy-D, or Namjai in that order, and you can see my full review of red curry paste here. If you're feeling ambitious, you can absolutely make your own! Here's my homemade Thai red curry paste recipe.
Coconut milk - This is what makes the curry rich and creamy, and it's important to use good quality, full-fat coconut milk. See this post on how to choose the best coconut milk.
Chicken thigh - I highly recommend using chicken thighs over breast so that it can have time to braise in the liquid so it will become tender and load the curry sauce with more chicken flavour.
Chicken stock - you can theoretically use water, but for maximum flavour, go with chicken stock. You can use store bought or homemade stock, but make sure it's unsalted or at the very least low-sodium because the curry paste and fish sauce are both quite salty already.
Fish sauce - fish sauce is the key seasoning for all Thai curries! If you're allergic to fish, soy sauce can be used instead. It's important to choose good quality fish sauce, and you can read more about how to choose good fish sauce here.
Palm sugar - it is traditional to use palm sugar, but light brown sugar or granulated sugar are fine substitutes in this case because the curry is strongly flavoured, so it won't much much difference.
Kabocha squash - I love using kabocha squash for red curry as the creamy sweetness pairs so well with the curry. However, feel free to substitute other vegetables - Thai eggplant and bamboo shoots are common vegetables for Thai curries.
Thai basil - If you don't have it, regular Italian basil will do.
Red pepper - this is added just for some colour. Red bell pepper will do, or anything mild.

How to Make Thai Red Curry Chicken

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. For full instructions, see the recipe card below, and I also recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

Process shots for making red curry chicken steps 1-4

Wash the kabocha squash and slice off any woody blemishes off the skin, but otherwise the skin can be left on. Remove the seeds and cut into bite-sized cubes. (If you have leftover squash, try using it in this stir-fry recipe.)
Bring ½ cup of coconut milk to a boil, add curry paste and stir to break up lumps.
Continue cooking and reducing over medium high heat until it is very thick and the coconut oil starts separating from the curry paste.
Add the chicken and toss to mix with the paste and add the remaining coconut milk.

process shots for making red curry chicken, steps 5-6

Add the chicken stock, half of the fish sauce, and the palm sugar, then simmer for about 8 minutes.
Add the squash, then simmer on low heat for another 6-8 minutes or until the squash is cooked through.
Taste the sauce and add more fish sauce as needed. Be sure the make it strong-tasting as it'll be served over plain rice.
Turn off the heat and stir in Thai basil and red peppers, if using. Enjoy!

Substituting Other Proteins

Anything and everything, but make sure you change the cooking time to match your protein of choice! Everything works with red curry - pork, beef, seafood, you name it.

You can check out my pineapple red curry recipe and a vegan red curry with tofu here as examples. While other curries in Thailand have common meat pairings, for example massaman is usually paired with chicken or beef, the basic a Thai red curry can take any and all proteins.

This is because the flavours of red curry is "basic" relative to other curries, meaning it doesn't have a lot of spices (compared to Thai massaman curry, for example), so the flavours can go with anything from delicate fish to gamey beef.

Substituting Other Vegetables

I like using kabocha squash because creamy squash and red curry is one of my absolute favourite flavour pairings.

While you can use a different kind of squash or whatever vegetables are available to you, here are a few common pairings in Thailand: Thai eggplant, pineapple, winter melon, and bamboo shoots (see the green curry recipe for how to deal with bamboo shoots).

IMPORTANT: Before you change the protein and veggies...

If you're going to use different proteins or vegetables, make sure you adjust the cooking time accordingly. Some cuts of beef takes hours to braise, but shrimp and chicken breast only want to be cooked for 1-2 minutes. The instructions in this recipe only works with chicken thigh!

Some vegetables take a long time to cook, others take 30 seconds. You will have to use your judgement here, or check out my other curry recipes to see how different ingredients are handled!

Is it better to make the curry paste from scratch?

Homemade red curry paste can taste better, but not necessarily. I want to get this misconception out of the way because it hinders many people from making Thai food. You do not have to make the curry paste in order to make "legit" curry, and most Thai people do not make their own curry paste.

Growing up in Thailand my family always bought curry pastes, with the exception of very simple curries such as the sour curry or gaeng som. Go to any markets in Thailand and you'll see mounds of curry pastes people but in bulk.

Making curry paste from scratch is not something I'd do on a weeknight. Even if you're using a power tool to help as shown in my red curry paste recipe, gathering ingredients is no small feat. And just because you made the curry paste from scratch, does not mean you'll end up with a better curry! There are some very good curry pastes on the market that can rival homemade ones.

So when I make curry paste, I do it more for the experience of it. It connects me to the dish and the cuisine in a deeper way, it's a labour of love, and I love it when I can really taste the difference between mine and the store bought one. Or sometimes I make it because it's not available to buy, such as the paste for kao soi.

Which Brand of Curry Paste is the Best?

While I haven't tried all of the brands out there, these are the few Thai brands that I have tried and like: Maeploy (my go-to, but it's heavy on the salt), Aroy-D (vegan), and Namjai. See my full review of red curry paste here. Blue Elephant, available in the UK, is also pretty good.

I do not recommend Thai Kitchen as it is very weak. I would use it only if you're cooking for kids or people who cannot handle spice at all (cuz it is not spicy at all), and I would use double the amount the recipe calls for.

Authentic Thai Beef Massaman Curry

February 18, 2025 by Pailin Chongchitnant 25 Comments

Massaman curry is one of Thailand's most famous dishes, and for a good reason—it is one of the most delicious curries and many people's favorite Thai dish! This version uses melt-in-your-mouth braised beef short ribs that will be a stunner at any dinner.

What is Massaman Curry?

Massaman curry with beef is known in Thai as gaeng massaman neua แกงมัสมั่นเนื้อ. It's one of the two most popular types of massaman curries, the other one being massaman curry with chicken. It's a Thai-Muslim dish, which is why it is never made with pork in Thailand!

Massaman curry is different from other Thai curries in some significant ways. First, the curry paste. In addition to the standard Thai curry paste herbs like garlic, shallots and chilies, massaman paste also has a lot of dry spices such as cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg and cloves. By contrast, many other Thai curries such as green, red, or sour curries use mostly fresh herbs in the curry pastes. This is because of massaman's origins, which is believed to have been either influenced by Persian cuisine, or it may have come via the Malay people south of Thailand.

Massaman is also unique in that it is necessarily a braise. This means that it involves slowly and gently cooking large pieces of meat until fork tender and flavourful. Other Thai curries, though they can be a braise, more commonly involve quick-cooking proteins like bite-size pieces of meat or seafood.

The final point about massaman's uniqueness which I find very interesting is that it's a dish most people don't "mess" with. Meaning, for most other Thai curries, like green curry and red curry, people freely change up the proteins and vegetables and make all sorts of variations. But with massaman, people mostly stick to the classic components of braised meat, sweet or regular potatoes, onions, and peanuts!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you need for massaman beef and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

Beef short ribs. Though a bit of a splurge, short ribs are my absolute favourite cut for braising because the marbling in it keeps the meat moist and tender after hours of cooking. For something less expensive, you can also go with chuck. Try to go with something that is not too lean or your beef will be dry at the end.
Coconut milk.
Massaman curry paste. Store bought is totally fine, I recommend Aroy-D or Maeploy brands. You can also make your own massaman curry paste. If you cannot find store bought massaman paste but have red curry paste, you can make a "semi-homemade massaman paste" buy adding spices to store bought red curry paste. See the recipe for the semi-homemade paste in my Instant Pot massaman curry recipe as well as in my cookbook Sabai.
Fish sauce.
Palm sugar, chopped. Light brown sugar or granulated sugar also works. Read more about palm sugar here.
Tamarind paste. You can buy premade tamarind paste in a tub, sometimes labelled as "tamarind concentrate," but make sure it is from Thailand. Or make your own using tamarind pulp following this DIY tamarind paste recipe.
Yellow sweet potato or regular potato. If using sweet potatoes, yellow ones are denser and starchier than orange ones, so they work better in this curry. If using regular potatoes, you can use waxy or starchy ones, though I prefer waxy because they are less prone to falling apart if overcooked.
White or yellow onion.
Roasted peanuts, can omit if allergic.
Jasmine rice for serving

How to Make Beef Massaman Curry

Here's a bird's eye view of the steps. If it's your first time I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success. For the full instructions, see the recipe card below.

Process shots for making massaman beef curry steps 1-4

If using beef short ribs with bones, separate the bones from the meat but keep the bones.
Optional step: In the pot you'll use the make the curry, sear the beef in oil until browned on 2 sides. You'll need to do this in batches. Once done, pour out any excess oil and put the beef back into the pot along with the bones.
Add ½ cup of the coconut milk, 1 tablespoon of the curry paste, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and top it up with just enough water to submerge. Simmer for 2 - 2.5 hours until fork tender. While you wait you can move on and make the curry sauce.
Once the beef is done, remove it from the cooking liquid. Discard the bones but keep the cooking liquid.

Process shots for making massaman beef curry steps 5-8

Bring ¾ cup of coconut milk to a boil then add the curry paste and stir to dissolve the paste.
Keep stirring over medium heat until the coconut oil starts sizzling out of the paste.
Add some of the remaining coconut milk and stir to dissolve the paste, then add the rest.
Add the cooked beef into the curry sauce.

Process shots for making massaman beef curry steps 9-12

Add the potatoes, onions, sugar, tamarind, fish sauce, and then top it up with just enough of the beef cooking liquid to keep everything submerged. (The remaining liquid you did not use you can use as a base for a tasty beef soup!)
Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Add the peanuts, if using.
Enjoy your super tender beef with jasmine rice!

Advance Prep Tips and Storage

Since massaman beef takes a few hours, there are lots of different ways to spread out the work to make serving day much easier! Here are a few other things you can do to spread out the work:

Braise the beef up to a few days ahead, then make the curry sauce and finish the curry on serving day. You can also cut up the onions and potatoes ahead of time so they're ready to go.
You can finish the whole curry ahead of time and simply reheat when ready to eat, and in fact it'll taste even better that way! However, be careful not to reheat for too long as the potatoes may over cook during the reheat.
If making your own curry paste, it can be made any time in advance and frozen until ready to use. You can add it to the pot directly from frozen.

Storage: Massaman curry will last in the fridge for one week. It's a great dish for meal prep!

FAQ

What can I use in massaman instead of beef?

The other popular protein is chicken thighs and/or drumsticks, bone in, see my massaman curry chicken recipe. You can also use lamb or any other stew-friendly beef. Though not typically done as it's a Muslim dish, you can theoretically use pork shoulder.

Can I make this vegetarian?

You can simply make the massaman curry sauce and substitute any vegetarian protein of your choice for the beef, or opt for a mushroom version. Use soy sauce instead of fish sauce. I also recommend trying frozen tofu as it as great ability to absorb flavour from the curry.

How spicy is massaman curry?

Massaman is not supposed to be a spicy curry, but it has a bit of a kick. In Thailand this dish can usually be enjoyed by kids. If using store bought curry paste, it should be quite mild, but if using store bought red curry paste to make a semi-homemade paste, it would be a little spicier as red curry paste tends to be spicier than massman.

How can I prep massaman curry in advance?

See above section for advance prep tips and storage.

Watch The Video Tutorial!

Tom Yum Fried Rice

October 16, 2015 by Pailin Chongchitnant 9 Comments

If you love the famous Thai soup Tom Yum Goong, you are going to LOVE tom yum fried rice. All the beloved flavours of lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaves are infused into this satisfying fried rice, and made perfect by a Thai-style fried egg on top.

a plate of tom yum fried rice with a shrimp on top

What is Tom Yum Fried Rice?

Tom yum fried rice is called kao pad tom yum ข้าวผัดต้มยำ in Thai. It's a modern dish born out of Thai people's love for tom yum goong, which is a spicy and sour shrimp soup infused with lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaves. We take all of the herbs and seasonings of tom yum soup and fold it into fried rice!

In Thailand we love the flavor of tom yum so much that we try to get it into all kinds of food. Aside from fried rice we also make tom yum spaghetti and even "dry" tom yum. Walk into a pizza chain in Thailand and you'll find tom yum pizza on the menu!

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

Tom Yum Paste

This is the sauce for the fried rice, but it also works as a general tom yum paste which you can use to add tom yum flavours into other things. Try adding it to stir fries or even pasta dishes!

Galangal. First thinly slice it into rounds, then chop each round finely so it'll be easier to turn into a paste.
Lemongrass, thinly sliced. We only need the bottom half of the lemongrass which is where the flavour is most concentrated.
Makrut lime leaves, aka kaffir lime leaves, very thinly julienned. If the center ribs are thick you can remove them.
Thai chilies, to taste. Add as few or as many as you can tolerate. You can also omit it altogether if you don't want it spicy at all.
Thai chili paste. This is called nam prik pao and it's a versatile and frequently used ingredient in a Thai kitchen. It's a sweet and savoury paste that is very mild, so no worries if you don't eat very spicy! Pantai and Maepranom are brands commonly available at Asian markets. My preference is for Maepranom, but Pantai is totally fine. You can also make your own Thai chili paste and it's not hard at all!
Fish sauce.
Soy sauce. Typically soy sauce isn't used in tom yum, but it is always used in fried rice so I'm keeping it here to give it that fried rice flavour.
Sugar.
Lime juice

The Fried Rice

Eggs for frying. This is optional but highly recommended!
Shrimp, peeled and deveined. I prefer medium to large ones. You can also use chicken instead, simply cut in bite-size pieces and marinate it a bit of fish sauce to give it some flavour.
Diced onion.
Chinese broccoli, stems thinly sliced, leaves roughly chopped
Cooked jasmine rice. It is very important that your rice is quite dry to begin with because there is a lot of sauce in this recipe. Day-old, refrigerated rice definitely helps, but the best thing to do is cook it with less water than normal. I recommend cooking jasmine rice using a ratio of 1 part rice to 1 part water, which will make rice that's a little drier than usual, but it will hydrate perfectly with the sauce.
Tomato, if it's super juicy I would remove the seeds to prevent the rice from becoming too wet. If the seeds are not super watery, you can leave them in.
Chopped Green onion and/or cilantro for garnish.

How to Make Tom Yum Fried Rice

Here's the bird's eye view of all the steps. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success, and the full instructions and ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.

Process shots for making tom yum fried rice steps 1-4

In a mortar and pestle, pound the lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, and Thai chilies until fine.
Stir in all remaining tom yum paste ingredients.
Make fried eggs, if you wish. For Thai style fried eggs use plenty of oil and add the egg while the oil is very hot so you get browned crispy edges. You can fry eggs in the same wok you'll use to cook the rice, but if making many fried eggs it's best to use a skillet so you can fry multiple eggs at once.
In a wok, add enough oil to coat the bottom and sear the shrimp until they're halfway cooked. Flip and sear the other side until fully cooked. Remove from the wok.

Process shots for making tom yum fried rice steps 5-8

In the same wok over high heat, add more oil if needed, then add onion and saute until translucent. Add Chinese broccoli and toss briefly until the leaves are wilted slightly and turn bright green.
Add the rice and toss briefly to mix with the veggies, then pour the sauce over and toss until all grains are coated evenly in the sauce and the rice is dry.
Add the tomato and cooked shrimp, toss briefly just to mix, then turn off the heat and stir in green onions and/or cilantro.
Plate the fried rice, sprinkle with more green onion and/or cilantro if desired, and top with fried egg.

Pandan Palm Sugar Dumplings (Kanom Ko)

December 13, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant 1 Comment

I grew up in Hat Yai, a small but bustling city in Southern Thailand with a rich food culture. While living there, my #1 favourite snack was something I have never seen anywhere else in Thailand. It was called kanom ko, a soft and chewy pandan infused dumplings, filled with a single piece of crunchy, caramelly palm sugar and tossed in grated coconut.

It always bought me so much joy, and after missing them for 30 years, I finally tried making them at home with surprising ease. I'm happy to share this rare part of Thai food culture with you - and by the way they're also naturally gluten free and vegan!

What is Kanom Ko ขนมโค?

A hand holding up one piece of kanom ko cut open to show the palm sugar filling inside.

Kanom ko ขนมโค are soft and chewy little marble-size dumplings made from glutinous rice flour flavoured with fresh pandan juice. They're filled with a crunchy piece of palm sugar, and tossed with salted grated coconut. If that sounds incredibly delicious, it's because they are!

Sometimes crunchy toasted mung beans are mixed in with the coconut for an extra crunch, but the one I grew up with did not have them. While they're quite rare in Thailand, a similar dessert exists in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia called ondeh ondeh or klepon.

During my search for these long lost childhood treats, I discovered that in Thailand it seems they are found only in Hat Yai. In fact, my searches led to only ONE vendor - an auntie who has been selling them for 40 years. (Though she doesn't seem like the same lady I bought from when I was a kid.)

They are always sold fresh, immediately after cooking as they're best eaten while still warm. Watching the vendor make these dumplings with impressive speed, while inhaling pandan-scented steam is such a joy.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. As you can see it's a very simple dessert! For amounts, see the the full recipe card below.

Glutinous rice flour. Use glutinous rice flour from Thailand, and make sure the bag says "GLUTINOUS", as regular rice flour is completely different and cannot be substituted. Glutinous rice flour is made from sticky rice and it's what gives the dumplings a chewy, stretchy, mochi-like texture.
Pandan leaves. A key flavour of kanom ko. You can use fresh or frozen pandan leaves. Worst case, you can use pandan extract but the aroma won't be as good.
Palm sugar. You will need solid pucks of palm sugar as you will need to chop them into cubes. If the palm sugar you have has been open in your cupboard for a while, I recommend getting a fresh bag because fresher palm sugar are softer and easier to chop. Older palm sugar that has dried out can be very hard, and nearly impossible to cut.
Shredded coconut, unsweetened. In Thailand, we use freshly grated coconut, but if you can only find dried, you can simply rehydrate it with water.
Salt.

How to Make Sugar Dumplings (Kanom Ko)

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. The full instructions are in the recipe card below, and if this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

Blend pandan leaves with water until there are no more big chunks - do not over blend.
Strain the pandan juice through a fine mesh strainer, then discard the fibers.
Add the pandan juice to the glutinous rice flour, little by little, kneading the liquid in each time.
Once the dough starts to come together, switch to using a teaspoon to add the pandan juice to prevent adding too much liquid by accident.

Once all the dry flour has been kneaded in, add more pandan juice, ½ - 1 teaspoon at a time to create a softer dough - the goal is to get the dough to be as soft as possible while still being able to hold its shape. This should require roughly half of the pandan juice. If you've accidentally made it too wet, simply add more glutinous rice flour to bring it back.
Wrap or cover the dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes while you prep other things.
Cut the palm sugar into cubes. Start by chopping it into big chunks, letting whatever flakes off flake off, then take the chunks and cut/shave them down into roughly ¼-inch cubes (best to watch the video tutorial for this part).
You need to have about 50 pieces of sugar for this recipe, so I recommend lining them up in rows of 5 for easy counting.

Prepare the coconut by dissolving the salt in the hot water, then drizzle the salt water over the coconut until all has been absorbed. Spread it onto a plate with a bit of depth; such as a pie plate.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and meanwhile wrap the dumplings. Pinch off about a 4-g piece of dough (¾ teaspoon by volume) and press it down to flatten slightly. Place a piece of palm sugar onto it.
Bring the dough up around the sugar and seal the sugar completely.
Roll the dough between your hands briefly to make a ball.

Add half of the dumplings into the water, one at a time, and let them cook until they float; about 2 minutes.
Scoop them out with a wire skimmer and place them onto the coconut.
Roll/toss them in the coconut to fully coat. Take them out and repeat with the other half.
If all goes according to plan, the palm sugar should still be solid and crunchy in the middle. Enjoy while still warm!

3 Tips for The Best Kanom Ko Possible

These are quite easy and forgiving; so easy that Thai people even get kids involved for a family activity! But there are a couple of things to keep in mind for the best possible results.

Use a fresh bag of palm sugar for the easiest cutting. Palm sugar, like brown sugar, dries out after it's been open for a while. The drier the sugar, the harder it is to chop, till eventually it'll be impossible to chop.
Cook the dumplings as soon as you're done wrapping. Once the sugar comes into contact with the moist dough, the sugar will pull moisture from the dough and starts to dissolve. Let it dissolve long enough and you'll lose the crunchiness, and some liquid sugar may even leak out from between the seams.
So the wrapping isn't something you want to do ahead of time. In Thailand, vendors wrap each one and immediately throw it into the boiling water!
You want to eat the dumplings while warm, or within 2 hours of cooking. The best kanom ko is one that is warm, soft, and with the palm sugar still distinctly crunchy. While they are still really good after cooling to room temp, if you let them sit long enough, for the same reason as the point above, the sugar will dissolve and eventually lose the crunch. So eat them ASAP, but without burning your mouth 😉.
Make sure the sugar is completely sealed. The wrapping of kanom ko is very simple, and the only thing you need to make sure is that the sugar is not poking through the dough. When you cut the sugar, keeping it cube-shaped without any pointy ends will help prevent this. When you wrap, ensure the thickness of the dough is even all around so there are no thin points where the sugar can break through.

Advance Prep & Storage

As mentioned above, you want to wrap, cook and eat the dumplings all in one go for the best results. If serving these at a party, prep all the components ahead of time as per the tips below, and invite your friends to a dumpling wrapping party while you digest dinner! It's so much more fun when people participate in their meal!

Here's how you can prep the components in advance:

The palm sugar can be cut several days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
The dough can be made several hours ahead. You don't want to refrigerate the dough as that makes it stiff and harder to work with, but you can make it anytime on serving day, and let it sit at room temp until ready to use.
Rehydrate the coconut a few days ahead and keep in the fridge. Let it come to room temp before using.
Freezing dumplings: You can potentially wrap the dumplings and freeze them right away, without letting them touch so they don't stick together, then cook them directly from frozen. I have not personally tried this but I don't see why it would not work. Let me know if you try this!

Before you start, if this is your first time, be sure to watch the video tutorial to ensure success!

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Pandan Sugar Dumplings (Kanom Ko)

By: Pailin Chongchitnant

An incredibly delicious, rare dessert from Southern Thailand. Chewy, mochi-like dumplings filled with crunchy palm sugar and tossed in coconut.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 10

Course Dessert

Cuisine Thai

Servings servings

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup chopped pandan leaves
▢ 1 cup water
▢ 1 cup GLUTINOUS rice flour, NOT regular rice flour
▢ ¾ cup dried shredded coconut, unsweetened
▢ ¼ cup hot water
▢ ¼ teaspoon table salt
▢ 7 oz palm sugar pucks, you won’t use nearly this much, but you need to start out with more to get enough nice cubes from it

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Instructions

Make pandan juice by blending the pandan leaves with water just until there are no more large pieces - do not overblend or it'll be bitter. Then strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the fibers. You will need only about half of the pandan juice, but it’s hard to effectively blend an amount less than this, so you can freeze the rest for next time.
1 cup chopped pandan leaves, 1 cup water
To make the dough, place the glutinous rice flour into a mixing bowl. Gradually add the pandan juice little by little, mixing with your hand after each addition, until you have a smooth and soft dough that doesn’t stick to your hands and no dry flour is left - you should need about half of the juice.
Once all the dry flour is gone, knead in a bit more pandan juice ½ - 1 teaspoon at a time to increase the moisture content for maximally soft dumplings. The goal is to have the softest possible dough that can still hold its shape. If you’ve accidentally made it too wet, simply knead in more glutinous rice flour to bring it back.
Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes, covered or wrapped so it doesn’t dry out. Meanwhile, prep the coconut and palm sugar.
1 cup GLUTINOUS rice flour
For the coconut: Dissolve the salt in the hot water. Place the shredded coconut in a small bowl, then drizzle the salt water over and mix well until all the water has been absorbed. Spread the coconut onto a pie plate or a plate with a bit of depth; you’ll be placing the cooked dumplings on here.
¼ cup hot water, ¼ teaspoon table salt, ¾ cup dried shredded coconut
Cut the palm sugar (best to see video tutorial for this part): Use a sturdy chef’s knife to chop the palm sugar first into big chunks, then take the chunks and cut them down into roughly ¼-inch cube-ish pieces. Much of the palm sugar will flake off into small bits that you can’t use; this is fine, just save them for your cooking. You need to end up with about 50 pieces of palm sugar cubes for this recipe.
Tip: While the sugar pieces don’t need to be perfect cubes, you want to trim off any long, sharp points that stick out as this can poke through the dough.
7 oz palm sugar pucks
Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you wrap the dumplings.
To wrap the dumplings (also best to see the video for this part), pinch off about ¾ teaspoon worth of dough (4 g) and press it down to flatten with your fingers so it’s between ⅛ - ¼ inch thick. Place one palm sugar cube inside and bring the dough up to wrap the sugar. Once the sugar is completely sealed, roll the dumpling between your palms briefly to make little balls. Make sure the palm sugar isn’t poking out through the dough. Place finished dumplings on a plate.
Once the water is boiling, add about half of the dumplings, one at a time, into the boiling water (adding 1 at a time ensures they don’t stick together). Let the dumplings cook until they float to the surface; about 2 minutes.
Once they float, use a wire skimmer to fish them out, shake off the excess water and place them directly onto the coconut. Roll the dumplings around in the coconut and/or toss with a spoon to coat them, then take them out onto a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
Ideally you want to serve these while warm, or at least within 2 hours of making them. If you let them sit for a long time the palm sugar inside will dissolve into liquid, and you won't have that crunchiness that I think is the highlight of this treat. Do not refrigerate. See more in the Tips section in the blog post.

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The Best Thai Red Curry Paste - A Review

January 6, 2023 by Pailin Chongchitnant 35 Comments

After over a decade of teaching Thai cooking, one question comes up again and again: "What is the best brand of Thai curry paste?" Because let's face it, most of us, Thai people and restaurants included, are not going to make it from scratch. PS. If you DO want to make your own, I have several recipes on this site.

While my go-to store-bought paste has been Mae Ploy for years, and I have used many other brands in the past, I've never really compared them side by side or paid close attention to the subtle differences. So, to really find out what is the best brand (at least according to me), a blind taste test is called for.

More of a video person? Watch the Curry Paste Tasting Video here, complete with my live reaction!

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How I Chose the Brands for Review

I chose red curry paste for our test because it's the most basic, it's the most commonly available, and it's used in the majority of Thai dishes that use curry paste on my site. More importantly, every brand has a version of red curry paste.

There are a large variety of brands out there, and it’s impossible for me to taste test them all, so I had to narrow it down to a manageable number and here’s how I made the choice.

I chose only brands that are commonly available outside of Thailand; so nothing obscure, local, or specific to Thailand, the US or Canada.
I chose only brands that have been around for a long time and have a good reputation; so they’re all coming in with a certain amount of cred. New brands are popping up all the time, but I wanted ones that have at least passed the test of time.
I chose ones that have all the expected ingredients for a red curry paste. I also checked that they don't have any chemical additives, because a good curry paste should just be a mix of real food ingredients.

Our 5 Contenders

With the above guidelines, I arrived at these 5:

Most common brands of Thai red curry paste on the market.

Maeploy - my current go-to brand. It does contain shrimp paste, which is traditional, but if you’re vegan this one is out by default.
Aroy-D - another brand that I use quite often cuz it’s widely available; and if Mae Ploy isn't available this is the one I get. They also make my go-to coconut milk.
Maesri - the only brand that comes in a can, and also the only one with sugar in the ingredient list.
Namjai - another one in our lineup that contains shrimp paste.
Thai Kitchen - not a brand I often see at Asian grocery stores, but by far the most common one available in the “international aisle” at non-Asian grocery stores worldwide. So on this list, it's probably the one that the largest number of people have access to. (Sidenote: It is a McKormick brand, but it is made in Thailand.)

Where to buy these curry pastes in your city? Your local Asian grocer will surely have at least one of these, check out our map of Asian grocery stores to locate one near you!

A little background on Thai curry paste

At the basic level, Thai curry paste is simply a mixture of ground herbs and spices - and there are tons of varieties: red, green, yellow, massaman, panang, etc. They're also used in many dishes beyond Thai curries, such as this cauliflower stir fry and Thai fish cakes.

For each type of paste, there’s a basic expectation of what it should taste like; but like any recipe, everyone has their own specific formula, hence all these brands.

If you want to learn more about curry pastes, I highly suggest watching my curry paste 101 video where I go more in depth into what it is, and how to use, store, etc. Also, to explore other ways to use curry paste, here are 5 ways to use curry paste beside making a curry.

But what is a Thai curry paste anyway?

Thai curry pastes are basically a mix of ground fresh herbs and spices. The most common curry paste ingredients are: chiles, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, cilantro root (coriander root), kaffir lime zest, white peppercorns. Shrimp paste is always added to curry paste in Thailand, though many exported brands omit this to make it vegan and allergy friendly.

The above are included in most curry pastes, and then other ingredients are added depending on the type of curry. For example: yellow curry paste contains curry powder and turmeric, panang curry paste has cumin seeds and coriander seeds, massaman curry paste has a whole truckload of dry spices, and green curry paste uses fresh green chiles.

Curry Paste Tasting Video - Live Reaction

The results are written out below, but for the full experience watch the video for my live reaction and detailed review!

And the best Thai red curry paste is...

Our first test involves making a basic Thai curry sauce following the exact same recipe. The process is shown in the video above, but ingredients added include coconut milk, water, and just a little sugar. I’m not seasoning them with fish sauce for this because most curry pastes already come with quite a bit of salt, and without any meat or veggies any fish sauce added would make at least some of these unpalatably salty.

5 bowls of red curry sauce — 5 curry sauces to be blind tasted and ranked.

The Ranking

Mae Ploy: Came out on top. It has a strong flavour, good level of spice, and has the most umami.
Namjai: A near-tie to Mae Ploy. It has a redder colour (if that matters to you) and a slightly milder shrimp paste flavor.
Aroy-D: By far the best of all 3 vegan options. Also a very close runner up to my top 2. *The Aroy-D curry paste I get contains no shrimp paste, however, a viewer has commented that he has seen a version that lists "shrimp powder" on the ingredient list. I don't know if that's an old formula, but it's worth double checking before buying if you don't eat shrimp.
Maesri: Significantly weaker flavour than the top 3, but has good flavour. It is also less salty which may be a positive for those watching your salt intake. If using this brand, I would use more of it than the 3 above.
Thai Kitchen: The weakest flavour in the group by a long shot. It is not spicy at all (so kid friendly). In this standardized test the curry sauce was too diluted to even determine how good the flavour was.

Test #2: Is the worst at least workable?

So the bad news is that the most widely available paste is also our worst performing one. But in real life, we don't use a standardized recipe and we can do more with our dishes. So if I do everything I can to make it reach its full potential - use more paste, add more seasonings - can the worst come close to our best curry paste?

So I took our top and bottom picks, Mae Ploy and Thai Kitchen, and made a full curry. It's a basic red curry recipe with bamboo shoots, chicken breast, and Thai basil. I doubled up the paste for Thai Kitchen, and had to add significantly more fish sauce than Mae Ploy to bring it up to the optimal seasoning level.

PS. This happens to be a great "quick curry" recipe, and you can even add makrut (kaffir) lime leaves and bell peppers for a little more pizazz. Here it is: Quick red curry chicken recipe.

I then tasted the two curries with jasmine rice, because Thai curry is always served with rice. And here are the results:

Mae Ploy is still better. It delivers good flavour and a good level of spiciness that I would call a "crowd pleaser level" - not too hot, but not disappointing for Thai food. Thai Kitchen, with double the amount of paste, has a thicker curry sauce, but still delivers weaker flavours. There is essentially NO spiciness to speak of, and indeed this would be great for kids or your meat-and-potatoes-only friends.

Does Thai Kitchen make a curry I would enjoy? As a Thai person, I find it a little unsatisfying, but I wouldn't call it a bad meal. For kids, people sensitive to spice, or someone completely uninitiated to spicy cuisines, this might be a great first step. And you know what, that's probably the audience they're making this paste for.

The Takeaways

The main takeaway is that there is a huge range between brands of store-bought curry paste. When following recipes, unless you copy the brand that was used by the recipe writer, you cannot assume that you will get a result that is even close to what they got. So you have to use your judgment and be prepared to adjust as needed, (which is something you should do whenever you cook anything anyway.)

For my recipes, I'm either using Mae Ploy or Aroy-D in my tests, both of which are very similar. If you're using Namjai it will also be similar enough that no adjustments should be necessary.

My Final Recommendations

For most people, I recommend going with one of the top 3: Mae Ploy, Namjai or Aroy-D. They came close enough that you can't go wrong with any of them. But if you're vegan or allergic to shrimp, then Aroy-D would be your only good option.

Maesri is a paste with a good flavour base, but it is significantly weaker than the top 3, and would require a larger amount of paste. If you're sensitive to salt and can handle just a little spice, this is what I would use so that you have room to add more paste without fearing that it would become too salty or spicy.

Thai Kitchen I would use only if this were my only choice. I would also add more chilies, more shrimp paste, and would use a LOT of it, like...the whole jar for a 4-serving curry (which makes it also the most expensive one in this lineup). If I'm cooking for kids or people who cannot handle any spiciness at all, then Thai Kitchen would be a safe choice.

What About Other Kinds of Curry Paste?

Though we did not test other kinds of curry pastes (yellow, green, etc.), I have used them in the past and I am quite certain that the results would not be all that different. The top 3 might switch positions a bit (and it's worth noting that Mae Ploy yellow curry paste doesn't contain shrimp paste), but I highly doubt that the bottom 2 would be different.

This is because the main difference is not in the subtle flavours, but rather the potency of the paste, which I'm assuming should be consistent within each brand.

Ready to Cook? Here are some Thai curry recipes to get you started

Gai Lan Oyster Sauce Stir-Fry

February 3, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant 40 Comments

Could greens really be this good?? Every time I eat this gai lan stir fry I am surprised how much I am enjoying a plate of green vegetables considering I am not really a vegetable person to start. The combination of gai lan (aka Chinese broccoli) and savoury oyster sauce is a match made in heaven and a classic for a reason. This is a go-to veggie dish in my house because it is fast, simple, uses simple ingredients, and it goes well with just about any meal, Thai or not!

What is Gai Lan Oyster Sauce Stir Fry?

You might be familiar with a Chinese restaurant dish with long stems of steamed gai lan on a plate with oyster sauce drizzled on top, and this is a similar idea except BETTER! It's all cut up so you don't have to try to eat whole stems of gai lan while trying to be graceful about it (which is not possible anyway).

And because it's stir-fried, the flavours of the sauce are absorbed into the vegetables making them extra flavourful. Not the mention the soft, chunky garlic pieces, those are the cherry on the sundae!

In Thai this dish is called kana pad namman hoi คะน้าผัดน้ำมันหอย and it's a very common vegetable side dish people cook at home because it is so easy and delicious.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you need with important notes about them. For amounts, see the recipe card below.

Chinese broccoli aka gai lan. If you have a choice, choose smaller gai lan for this recipe. Large, mature gai lan tend are tougher and more bitter while younger ones are more tender and not bitter. Some Chinese grocery stores offer both larger and smaller ones so be sure to look carerfully. If not available, you can substitute broccolini instead. If using broccolini, cut into 2-inch pieces, and to ensure tenderness you may want to peel the bottom half of the stems.
Garlic
Thai chilies, optional. Only if you want to make it spicy.
Oyster sauce. Use good quality oyster sauce for this if you can as it is the main ingredient. See my post here on how to choose good oyster sauce.
Soy sauce. I use Thai soy sauce for this, but any kind of soy sauce will work. See types of sauce sauce explained.
Sugar. Just a little bit to balance the saltiness.
Ground white or black pepper, or to taste
Jasmine rice for serving, as is typical for a Thai meal, though this would make a good side veg for just about any meal!

How to Make Gai Lan Oyster Sauce Stir Fry

Here's a bird's eye view of all the steps. If this is your first time, I recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

Slice thicker gai lan stems on a sharp diagonal. For thinner stems, cut into 1-2 inch pieces.
Cut the leaves into roughly 2" chunks, dividing wider leaves in half if needed, keep the leaves and stems separated.
Combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, water and sugar; stir to dissolve the sugar completely.
Pound the garlic until broken into chunks, alternately smash them with the side of your knife and roughly chop.

In a wok, cook the garlic over medium low heat until smallest bits turn golden.
Add the stems and cook for about a minute.
Add the leaves, the sauce mixture and the white pepper and turn the heat up to high. Toss for about 30 seconds or just until the leaves are wilted.
Once the leaves look wilted but not totally collapsed, turn off the heat and plate immediately. Do not overcook as the leaves can become chewy; you want the leaves to still have some freshness and volume to them when you turn off the heat as they will continue to wilt on the plate.

Pro tip: Preventing Chewy Gai Lan

Chinese broccoli, especially older ones, can be chewy, but this isn't a problem if you know how to deal with them. As shown in the video, you want to make sure you slice any thick stems thinly (on a diagonal so you still get nice large pieces) and then you won't need to peel the stems as some people do to avoid the toughness.

For the leaves, make sure you only cook them until they're wilted but have not totally collapsed; they should still have some volume and freshness to them. Once this happens, remove them from the pan immediately. Cooking gai lan for a long time can make leaves clumpy and chewy.

Also, remember to choose smaller, younger gai lan when you're at the store if possible!

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

Thai Steamed Red Curry (haw mok)

January 18, 2025 by Pailin Chongchitnant 20 Comments

Haw Mok ห่อหมก is a cross between a curry and a custard. If this sounds strange, trust me, it is phenomenal. It's one of my favourite ways to eat curry (might even be my actual fave). The texture is silky and creamy, but has all the beloved flavours of Thai red curry. This unusual combination is a classic, traditional Thai dish that's one of my mom's favourite meals!

What is Haw Mok ห่อหมก?

In Thailand, haw mok (sometimes also spelled as hor mok) is a very popular dish you can find all over the country. You can find haw mok served in fancy sit-down restaurants, sold by street food vendors, or even in the supermarkets' ready-to-eat food section. you can find at many kinds of restaurants

It's a savoury custard (think quiche) that is made primarily of coconut milk, red curry paste, and eggs, and it most commonly uses fish as the protein, although other kinds of seafood can also be used. While you can use chicken or other meats, in Thailand they are usually made from fish and seafood only. The custard is added to a banana leaf cup or wrapped entirely in banana leaves packages and then steamed. They can also be grilled, in which case it is called haw mok yang (grilled haw mok).

Since making banana leaf cups is a pain, for my recipe I've made a hack by lining ramekins with banana leaves, so you can get the traditional aroma of steamed banana leaves without the hassle. You can also omit the banana leaves completely and the flavour of the haw mok will be mostly intact as the banana leaf aromas is quite mild.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the recipe card below.

Thai red curry paste. I recommend Maeploy or Aroy D brands as they have the strongest flavours and this recipe is made using these pastes. Other brands can also be used, but you may need to adjust the amount of the paste and saltiness. See my thorough review of common red curry paste brands here.
Coconut milk. See my post on how to choose good coconut milk here.
Palm sugar, finely chopped or grated. You can also substitute equal amount of light brown sugar for this recipe.
Fish sauce
Eggs, large.
Makrut lime leaves, finely julienned. If you don't have them you can omit.
Any kind of fish filet or seafood. The most common choice is white fish such as bass or tilapia, but salmon would also work. You can also use shrimp, squid, or shellfish (without the shells). If you don't eat seafood: You can sub bite-sized pieces of chicken, preferably dark meat but breast would be okay too. I don't recommend pork or beef or anything that would become tough if overcooked because you won't be able to control precisely how long the meat cooks in the custard.
Shredded cabbage or other sturdy leafy veg. The veggies are added at the bottom of the custard for texture, so you want to use sturdy veggies such as cabbage, kale or Chinese broccoli leaves.
Thai basil
Banana leaves, optional. You can buy banana leaves frozen at many Asian grocery stores.
Jasmine rice, for serving. Like a regular curry, haw mok is always eating with jasmine rice!

Garnish

Garnishes by default are optional, but without them it can definitely look a bit plain. Haw mok come with a standard set of garnishes to add some colour to the top:

Coconut milk
Cornstarch, this is to thicken the coconut milk so it stays put on the custard. It can be replaced with any other thickening starches such as rice flour or all-purpose flour.
Sliced red chilies or julienned red bell pepper
Cilantro or another green herb you've got on hand. To keep it simple you can julienne extra makrut lime leaves and use that as a garnish. You can also use Thai basil for garnish, but be sure to serve it right away as basil turns dark once it comes into contact with hot food for a while.

How to Make Haw Mok - Step by Step

Here's a bird's eye view of the steps to give you an idea of what's involved. For the complete instructions, see the recipe card below. If this is your first time, I recommend watching the video tutorial in the recipe card to ensure success.

Add a splash of coconut milk to the curry paste and stir to loosen the paste. Once the paste is loose, add the remaining coconut milk and stir until the paste is dissolved.
Add the eggs, fish sauce, sugar, makrut lime leaves and stir to combine.
Add the fish and stir to mix.
Line the ramekins with strips of banana leaves if desired, then line the bottom with steamed cabbage and/or kale and Thai basil.

Process shots for how to make haw mok steps 5-8

Distribute the pieces of fish evenly among the cups.
Ladle the custard over the fish, leaving at least ½ inch of headroom to allow for some puffing.
Steam on medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until set.
Garnish with thickened coconut milk, chilies and cilantro or more julienned makrut lime leaves.

Advance Prep and Storage

This is a great dish to make in advance of a dinner party or just for meal prep. There are a few ways to do it.

You can steam the whole thing in advance, then re-steam to reheat before serving. Leave the garnish until just before serving.
The custard mixture can be made ahead of time, without the fish, and kept in the fridge for a few days. Add the fish the day you're cooking.
If using banana leaves, I recommending cutting and cleaning them ahead of time. I find this part a bit of a hassle cuz it gets messy with all the banana leaf trimmings everywhere, so doing it on a separate day helps. Once cleaned and cut, store in a well-sealed container in the fridge to keep it from drying.

Any leftover haw mok can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. The best way to reheat is to steam, but you can microwave it as well. To microwave, I would use no more than 50% power to ensure the custard is evenly heated through and prevent it from exploding as eggs tend to do in the microwave...so cover it with something!

Haw Mok Modifications

This is a very flexible dish that you can exercise your creativity on. Here are some things to try:

Change the curry paste. Use green curry paste instead of red curry paste! You can also try other curry pastes as well but green would be the best pairing with seafood.
Change the protein. Instead of fish, try making haw mok talay which uses a mix of fish, squid, shrimp and sometimes mussels. You can do crab for a luxury version. You can even use chicken or pork, or opt for a no-meat version!
Change the size. You can make tiny little cups which are always cute and would cook quickly, just make sure you cut the fish down smaller. You can also do one large one in a big dish, which I have done and it ends up looking very impressive, but cooking time will increasing to about 50 minutes so be patient!
Add different veggies. In this recipe I use cabbage and/or kale, but you can definitely try other things that won't become too watery or mushy.

Ultimate Guide to Essential Thai Ingredients

January 24, 2025 by Pailin Chongchitnant 19 Comments

There is nothing more important to Thai cooking than a solid understanding of Thai ingredients. After all, ingredients are the foundational building blocks of Thai cuisine! I always say that Thai cooking is not hard, it only feels hard because the ingredients are unfamiliar. And that's an easy problem to fix!

a group of Thai ingredients — Essential Thai ingredients

This article and the accompanying video will give you an overview of the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine. For many of these ingredients there are also dedicated posts that dive further into the minute details; but this post should provide plenty of information for you to start cooking Thai food with more confidence.

Video: The Minimum Thai Pantry - 10 Essential Thai Ingredients (+5 Bonus!)

The list of ingredients below may seem like a lot, but you don't need to stock everything here to be able to cook Thai food regularly! This video goes over the list of what 10 most frequently used Thai ingredients that you can keep in your pantry, and why I have chosen them. I also included 5 bonus ingredients at the end if you want to expand the repertoire of your Thai dishes. With these ingredients in your pantry, you can cook most of my recipes!

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I've divided the ingredients into functional categories: salty, sour, sweet, herbs and spices, and dry goods.

The Salty

Thai cuisine employs a number of different salty sauces in our cooking. Here they are listed roughly in order of how often they are used for the average Thai person.

FISH SAUCE | NAM PLA | น้ำปลา

a row of 5 fish sauce bottles with small bowls of fish sauce in front of them — I tasted 5 different fish sauces on the market.

Fish sauce is a must-have in any Thai home. Made from fermented anchovies and salt, this pungent amber liquid adds a sharp saltiness and a punch of umami that is an iconic characteristic of many Thai dishes, such as salads, curries, stir fries, and if you want to cook pad thai, fish sauce is necessary!

I have a detailed post about how to choose a good fish sauce and recommended brands in my Ultimate Fish Sauce Guide, but briefly, look for brands only contains anchovies, salt, and sugar (though sugar is not a required). Squid and Megachef are classic, good-quality Thai fish sauce brands that are inexpensive, easy to find, and perfect for everyday cooking.

STORAGE: Fish sauce will not spoil at room temp even after opening because it's so salty. However, the flavour deteriorates over time, so unless you're a daily user like Thai people, keeping it in the fridge will preserve the flavour for longer.

SUBSTITUTIONS: If you’re vegetarian, the easiest thing (and what I do for vegan friends) is substitute soy sauce in equal amounts, or sometimes I do a combination of soy sauce and Golden Mountain Sauce (see below). Larger Asian markets do sell vegan fish sauce, but some of them can be rather awful.

Having said that, I have sampled a decent version labeled “premium pineapple-made vegetarian fish sauce” from Vietnam. Also check online sources from time to time, as there are a few new products on the market that have had some good reviews.

OYSTER SAUCE | NAM MUN HOI | น้ำมันหอย

Oyster sauce is the queen of stir-fry sauces. Imagine a combination of the briny flavors of oysters, the umami of soy sauce, and a subtle sweetness—that’s the flavor of oyster sauce. A common Thai brand is Maekrua, but the widely available Lee Kum Kee is also great for Thai cooking. If you're on a budget, Panda Brand, which is also a Lee Kum Kee brand, is cheaper and is what most takeout restaurants use.

Oyster sauce quality varies significantly though, with the better ones containing more “oyster extract” (which is the oyster poaching liquid). Better ones also tend to be more expensive. For a deep dive, see my post What is Oyster Sauce and Which is The Best One? where I tasted the four oyster sauces in the pic above.

STORAGE: Keep open oyster sauce in the fridge as it can get moldy at room temp over time.

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can find vegetarian oyster sauce at Asian markets, but it won't say "vegetarian oyster sauce" on the label. Look for vegetarian stir fry sauce by Lee Kum Kee.

SOY SAUCE | SEE EW KAO | ซีอิ๊วขาว

Thai Healthy Boy Brand regular soy sauce is labeled as "thin soy sauce". You might also see Healthy Boy Brand Mushroom Soy Sauce which can also be used as a regular soy sauce.

You probably have Japanese or Chinese soy sauce in your kitchen already, and they can be used for Thai cooking, but Thai soy sauce does taste different. Compared to Chinese or Japanese soy sauces, ours is a little lighter in both color and body and has a distinctly different aroma and flavor.

Healthy Boy is a classic brand available at many Asian markets; look for a bottle labeled “thin soy sauce” (yellow label) or “mushroom soy sauce” (brown label); these are two varieties of Thai soy sauce. The mushroom version is the one I prefer, though either will work in your recipes just fine. For a deep dive, see Types of Soy Sauces Explained.

STORAGE: Soy sauce will not spoil at room temp, but keeping it in the fridge once opened, will preserve the flavour for longer.

SUBSTITUTIONS: If you cannot find Thai soy sauce, you can use your favourite Japanese soy sauce. A 1:1 substitution will still result in a tasty dish.

GOLDEN MOUNTAIN SAUCE (Thai Seasoning Sauce) | SAUCE PROONG ROHT | ซอสปรุงรส

Yes, these are all seasoning sauces technically, but there is a specific type of sauce that we literally call “seasoning sauce.” I commonly refer to this as Golden Mountain Sauce because it is the most common brand available outside of Thailand.

It is actually a type of soy sauce, but with a different character; it is a bit richer and darker than Thai soy sauce and has a very similar flavour to Maggi Seasoning. We usually use Golden Mountain in combination with soy sauce in order to create a more complex flavour than soy sauce alone. We also love to drizzle it on eggs!

STORAGE: Because this is a type of soy sauce, you can store it in the same way. It will not spoil at room temp, but keeping it in the fridge once opened, will preserve the flavour for longer.

SUBSTITUTIONS: This is not an essential ingredient to stock, and wherever it is called for you can use an equal amount of soy sauce instead. However, if you have Maggi Seasoning or Bragg Liquid Aminos, they do taste quite similar, and these will be your best option.

BLACK SOY SAUCE | SEE EW DUM | ซีอิ๊วดำ

Two popular brands of Thai black soy sauce.

Black soy sauce is a nice-to-have ingredient but not essential because it’s not usually integral to the dish. Think soy sauce mixed with molasses - it’s thick, mildly salty, a little sweet, and very dark. It’s used mainly to add a dark brown color and a touch of richer flavor. Whenever you see a Thai dish with a very dark color, such as some dark soup broths or stir-fries, it’s probably see ew dum in action.

Black soy sauce brands vary significantly in terms of how dark they are, so in my recipes I always give a range and you should always start with the smaller amount. Healthy Boy brand and Dragonfly brand (my preference) are two popular Thai black soy sauces, but Healthy Boy is much darker and less is required for the same colour.

For a deeper dive, see Types of Soy Sauces Explained.

STORAGE: Though I haven't personally seen black soy sauce gone bad at room temp, because it is not as salty as fish sauce or soy sauce, I like to keep it in the fridge just in case it gets mold.

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can substitute Chinese dark soy sauce, which will give you the dark color, but it tends to be saltier; so if using more than ½ teaspoon or so in the recipe, you want to cut back on other salty ingredients you’re adding.

FERMENTED SOYBEAN PASTE | TAO JIEW | เต้าเจี้ยว

Tao jiew is the Thai version of miso, but with a pourable consistency and some whole soybeans are still visible. It’s very salty, with an edge of acidity, and its aroma is slightly different from that of Japanese miso. It’s not used often, but when it is, it is important to the character of that dish. Healthy Boy soybean paste is the most popular brand of tao jiew outside Thailand.

STORAGE: Once open, keep in the fridge.

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can substitute Japanese miso or Korean doenjang in roughly equal amounts, then thin it out with a bit of water to achieve a similar consistency. Be prepared to taste and adjust for saltiness.

FERMENTED SHRIMP PASTE | GAPI | กะปิ

a jar of Thai shrimp paste, open and closed

This salty, purplish-gray paste made from fermented small shrimp (or sometimes krill) is the epitome of "funky" and is used all over Southeast Asia. It’s one of those things that tastes better than it smells. It has lovers and haters. I am a proud lover of shrimp paste.

You may have eaten shrimp paste without knowing it, because most Thai curry pastes contain it in small amounts. You can buy Thai shrimp paste in a plastic tub, or the Malaysian type in a plastic-wrapped brick called belacan.

STORAGE: Refrigerate after opening, but keep it tightly sealed and maybe even in a bag to prevent the smell from "perfuming" your fridge!

SUBSTITUTIONS: Where shrimp paste is used in small amounts, such as in curry pastes, you can omit it and add extra fish sauce instead. If omitting because you are vegan, substitute an equal amount of miso paste.

Note: Do not confuse this with a product called "shrimp paste in soybean oil" which is an orange paste in a glass jar. That is made from shrimp tomalley cooked with herbs and seasonings. It’s delicious added to fried rice and stir-fries, but it is not fermented and cannot be used as a substitute for gapi.

The Sour

Sour is an extremely important component in Thai cuisine. Every cuisine uses acids in their cooking in some manner, but I can't think of any other cuisine that uses it to the extent that we do. Here are two main acidic ingredients of Thai cuisine.

LIMES | MANAO | มะนาว

Limes are used when we want a bright, fresh-tasting acidity, such as in salads. Freshly squeezed lime juice has the best flavor, though I have found that crystallized lime powder (True Lime brand) is a great substitute in a pinch.

Do not use bottled, shelf-stable lime juice, especially in Thai salads where it is a main dressing ingredient, as it can be slightly bitter and doesn’t have as much of the lovely citrus flavor. Choose limes that have smooth, shiny skins, which indicate a juicy lime.

TAMARIND PASTE | NAM MAKAAM PIAK | น้ำมะขามเปียก

Compared to lime, tamarind has a richer, sweeter flavour, is less sour and is usually used in hot cooked dishes. I have a detailed post all about tamarind that you can read if you're interested about what the fruit is and how we use it in Thailand.

The tamarind that we use in Thai cooking, what I call "tamarind paste," is the pulp mixed with water until it has a pourable consistency. I do prefer making tamarind paste myself from pulp, and here's a tutorial for how to make your own tamarind paste and it is pretty easy. But you can buy prepared Thai tamarind paste in plastic tubs or glass jars, often labeled “tamarind concentrate”.

a block of tamarind pulp — Tamarind pulp that you can use to make your own homemade tamarind paste

Note: ALWAYS use tamarind from Thailand when you are making Thai recipes. Do not get Indian tamarind products for my recipes as it is a very different, and much more potent product. It is extremely thick, sticky, and much more sour than what we use in Thailand.

STORAGE: Liquid tamarind paste will last in the fridge for a few months after opening, but you can also freeze it in ice cubes if you don't use often. Tamarind pulp lasts indefinitely in the fridge.

SUBSTITUTIONS: It really depends on what you're using it in. If it's added in small quantities just as an acid to brighten up the flavour of a dish, you can substitute lime or lemon juice. But if it is the main flavour of the dish, such as in pad thai or tamarind shrimp, there really is no good substitute for it that won't change the flavour significantly.

The Sweet

Sweetness is an important part of Thai cuisine because it is used to balance the salty, acidic, and spicy elements of our dishes. Many Thai restaurants overseas overly sweeten their foods in the attempt to please the Western palate, so don't use that as a guide. Your Thai food should never be cloyingly sweet!

PALM SUGAR | NAM TAAN PEEP | น้ำตาลปี๊ป

A puck of palm sugar with some already chopped

Palm sugar is the traditional Thai sweetener, used before granulated sugar became available. To be clear, nowadays we use good old white granulated sugar A LOT in Thai cuisine. So don't feel like you always need to use palm sugar, especially in recipes where it is used in small amounts. But there are times when the flavour of palm sugar is important to the dish.

Palm sugar is made by reducing and caramelizing the nectar from the flowers of either the coconut palm or the toddy palm. It has a gorgeous butterscotch flavor that is tasty enough to be candy. "Coconut sugar" is a type of palm sugar, but granulated coconut sugar that's sold in non-Asian stores undergo different processing and does not taste the same as Thai palm sugar.

Palm sugar from different countries also don't taste the same as Thai palm sugar due to different processing, so use palm sugar from Thailand to ensure the right flavour. For a palm sugar deep dive, see my ultimate guide to palm sugar.

If your palm sugar comes in a solid puck, shave it with a large chef's knife, then finely chop the shavings. If your palm sugar comes in a tub and is a soft paste, you can simply spoon it out. If your soft palm sugar has hardened, heat it up in the microwave briefly to soften, and then spoon it out while still warm.

Measuring palm sugar for my recipes: My recipes are tested using solid pucks of palm sugar that have been finely chopped and then tightly packed into measuring spoons. One tablespoon of finely chopped, packed palm sugar weighs about 12-13 g, so if using soft paste type palm sugar, use the weight measurement as it t packs a measuring spoon more fully than chopped palm sugar.

Note: All palm sugar sold outside Thailand is mixed with granulated sugar, so the key is to find one that has the least amount of granulated sugar added because it'll have the most flavour. The only way to know is to taste, unfortunately, the labels will usually claim it is 100% palm sugar (100% not true) or it won't indicate the ratio.

Herbs & Spices

Here's a list of some of our core herbs and spices, some of which you may not be familiar with. There are obviously more than I'm showing here, but these are the most important and most commonly used ones.

GALANGAL | KHA | ข่า

The key ingredient of the iconic soup tom kha gai, galangal is a firm rhizome whose aroma is very much like that of a lush pine forest. It’s cooling, calming, and refreshing. Although it looks like ginger, and many people will say that you can use ginger as a substitute, I insist that you don’t do this. Not if you expect it to have a similar flavor, anyway!

There are two common uses of galangal: pounded into curry pastes, and sliced into rounds for infusing into soups such as tom yum soup. While not done as often, it can also be finely chopped and added to salads or stir fries.

Galangal freezes very well. Slice it into thin rounds and freeze in a single layer on a tray lined with plastic wrap before storing in a freezer bag.

For a deeper dive see my ultimate guide to galangal.

SUBSTITUTIONS: If you can't find fresh galangal, try looking first for frozen which will work just as well. Your second choice would be dried pieces of galangal which can work in soups, but not ideal if you're trying to grind it into a curry paste as it's very tough. I don't suggest using powdered galangal.

LEMONGRASS | TAKRAI | ตะไคร้

lemongrass stalks and some cut up pieces

Lemongrass has a citrusy aroma but without the sour taste. It’s as core to Thai cuisine as garlic is to Italian cuisine. Lemongrass can be bruised and infused into soups, like a cinnamon stick might be, or finely chopped and added to salads, dips, or stir-fries. It’s also a key ingredient in many curry pastes.

I use only the bottom half of lemongrass because the flavor gets weaker at the top. I freeze the tops for making stock, or if making soup such as tom yum soup or tom kha gai where the lemongrass is added to infuse and is then discarded, there is no harm in also adding the tops as some bonus flavour. You don't want to cook only with the top half. For a deeper dive see my ultimate guide to lemongrass.

STORAGE: Lemongrass freezes well. I cut it into 2- to 3-inch long pieces before freezing for ease of use. You can also buy stalks of lemongrass already frozen.

SUBSTITUTIONS: If you can't find fresh lemongrass, try looking first for frozen. Your second choice would be dried pieces of lemongrass which can work in soups, but not ideal if you're trying to grind it into a curry paste as they're very tough. I don't suggest using powdered lemongrass.

MAKRUT LIME LEAVES | BAI MAGROOD | ใบมะกรูด

Makrut limes and makrut lime leaves — Makrut lime leaves and makrut limes. The leaves are used often in Thai cooking, and the lime zest is sometimes used to make curry paste, but the lime juice is never used because there is not much of it and it can be bitter.

Previously called kaffir lime leaves, these thick, sturdy leaves smell like the grassier sister of lime zest. It’s all aroma, though, as makrut lime leaves don’t impart any of the sour taste you might expect from something with such a citrusy fragrance.

Makrut lime leaves are extremely versatile. They can be roughly torn and infused into soups and broths, or finely julienned and added to just about anything you can imagine. Make sure those juliennes are really fine though, as these leaves are tough, and too-big juliennes can leave you feeling like you’ve got a piece of hay stuck in your teeth.

We do not generally use the juice of makrut limes, of which there isn’t much anyway, though the zest is often used in curry pastes. Look for frozen leaves if you can’t find fresh; if not available, look for dried. For a deeper dive, see my ultimate guide to makrut lime leaves.

STORAGE: Makrut lime leaves freeze like a dream. Simply put them into a freezer bag and press as much air out as possible.

SUBSTITUTIONS: If you can't find fresh makrut lime leaves, try looking first for frozen which will work just as well. Your second choice would be dried whole leaves which can work in soups and curries where it'll have a chance to rehydrate in the dish.

THAI BASIL | HORAPA | โหระพา

Fragrant and floral, Thai basil adds so much complexity to stir-fries and curries. It is quite widely available these days in Asian markets; and if not, it is also quite easy to grow in N. America in the summertime.

STORAGE: I keep my basil stems in a glass of water, loosely covered with a plastic bag on the counter. Remove the bag to air out excess moisture and change out the water every day, ideally, or as often as you remember. If you find that your basil stems have rooted in the water, you can plant them once the roots are at least an inch long.

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use Italian basil instead.

HOLY BASIL | GAPRAO | กะเพรา

Holy basil is technically pronounced ga-prao, but it is very commonly mispronounced by Thai people, so you often see it written in various ways with the R in the first syllable: gra pao, kra pao, or krapow.

A little more peppery than the sweet scent of Thai basil, holy basil goes well with dishes that are intensely spicy and is the star of the popular pad kra pao. It is very difficult to find outside of Thailand, even for me, and I no longer have convenient access to it. So don't be surprised if it's not available to you.

It is also notoriously difficult to grow in N. America because it requires hot temperatures to thrive, and few places have such a climate both day AND night, for a long enough time.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Most Thai restaurants use Thai basil instead, but I find that Italian basil better approximates the flavour of holy basil and is my substitute of choice.

FRESH CHILIES | PRIK | พริก

To add spiciness in our dishes, we most often use small and super-spicy bird’s eye chilies, or prik kee noo. In North America, you can find these sold as “Thai chilies,” and they can be found red (ripe) or green (underripe).

We also use larger, milder chilies to add color and chili flavor without heat, and for this we turn to spur chilies, or prik chee fa. These are not easy to find, but you can substitute any other mild red pepper you can find; even red bell pepper will do in a pinch.

STORAGE: All chilies can be frozen and they'll last basically forever. Freeze them whole in a freezer bag and use them without thawing or they will turn mushy and become harder to chop.

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use any kind of hot peppers that are available to you to replace the heat of Thai chilies. If large, mild fresh chilies are called for, you can also use any type that's available to you; worst case, red bell pepper will be fine.

DRIED CHILIES | PRIK HAENG | พริกแห้ง

We use two major types of dried chilies: small (spicy) and large (mild). Don’t get too hung up on which specific varieties you need, because fortunately most dried chilies have a similar-enough flavor that they can be substituted for one another in Thai recipes, but you do want to be aware of the heat levels, which vary greatly.

Spicy, small dried chilies are used to add heat to curry pastes, and we also roast and grind them up into chili flakes, which can be added to just about anything. In Thailand we use dried bird's eye chilies. In the West, the generic no-name dried chilies you can usually find at Chinese grocery stores, as well as Mexican chiles de árbol, are great for this purpose, and they are not too hot.

Large, mild dried chilies are most often used in curry paste because we want to maximize the bright red color and chili flavor without making the curry too spicy. The Thai variety, prik chee fa, is essentially impossible to source, but dried guajillo or puya peppers are perfect substitutes. You can find them anywhere Latin American groceries are sold. You can also use Korean gochugaru pepper flakes instead.

STORAGE: Keep dried chilies in a cool dry place. If you live in a warm, humid place, I recommend freezing dried chilies to prevent mold.

PANDAN LEAF | BAI TOEY | ใบเตย

This aromatic, long, blade-shaped leaf is the star of Thai desserts because its floral aroma pairs fantastically with coconut. Most commonly, we simmer the leaf in liquid to infuse its fragrance, though it can be blended with water and strained when its natural green color is also desired. In stores, they can sometimes be labelled as screwpine leaves or lá dứa in Vietnamese.

STORAGE: I cut my pandan leaves into 5-6 inch pieces and freeze in a freezer bag.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Fresh pandan leaves are harder to find, though frozen ones are perfectly fine to use. In fact, if I buy them fresh, I end up freezing them anyway. Pandan extract, though not ideal, can be used instead - but be sure to add a little at a time as it can be intense and easy to overdo.

Dry Goods

COCONUT MILK | GATI | กะทิ

Coconut milk is our only source of creaminess because we do not traditionally use dairy in Thai cooking. And when it comes to Thai dessert, coconut milk is as essential to us as butter is to Western pastries.

A caveat: Some modern cooks have started using evaporated milk in a few dishes such as creamy tom yum and curry crab, but it is not a traditional ingredient.

Coconut milk quality varies a great deal and it's important that you know how to choose a good one. In my ultimate guide to coconut milk I talk about how to choose a good one out of all the brands that line store shelves, and I highly recommend you check that out. But in short, my recommended brand is Aroy-D in the UHT paper carton. But Chaokoh in the paper carton is good too.

Do not use coconut cream when recipes call for coconut milk. Coconut cream is higher in fat than coconut milk, but different brands vary greatly in how much fat it actually contains. Traditional Thai cooking is based in the use of freshly squeezed coconut milk, which is not nearly as fatty as some commercial coconut cream can be, which is why I never call for it. Of course you can use coconut cream if your intention is to utilize the higher fat content, I just want to stress that it cannot be used interchangeably with coconut milk.

STORAGE: You can keep open coconut milk in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. It can also be frozen, however, when thawed it will be curdled, so you'll just need to heat it up until hot and it will be smooth again.

Want to know how coconut milk is made? Watch my short documentary! How Coconut Milk is Made: From Farm to Cans.

COOKING OIL | NAM MUN | น้ำมัน

You can use any neutral-flavored, high-heat-resistant oil for Thai cooking. I personally use avocado oil because it is a healthier option, but because that’s pricey, I use canola when I deep-fry.

You may think we use coconut oil a lot in Thai cuisine, but we actually mostly use coconut milk and rarely the oil. If you want to use coconut oil, choose refined coconut oil, which does not have the coconut flavor. Using virgin coconut oil will make everything taste like coconut!

CURRY PASTES | PRIK GAENG | พริกแกง

a bowl of red curry paste with ingredients in the background

If you want to make your own curry pastes and keep them in the freezer, great! I have recipes for just about everything: green curry paste, red curry paste, yellow curry paste, you name it. But I want to assure you that there is no shame in buying prepared pastes, as most Thai people do not make their own because it is time consuming.

I kind of draw the analogy that it's like making your own bread. Most people who make bread do so because they enjoy the process, not because it's the only way to get good bread.

BUT, curry paste quality varies A LOT and it's important to know how to identify a good one. So before buy your next one, please see my curry paste review of all the options that are commonly available, including the pros and cons of each. The review in this case is for red curry paste, but in my experience the results apply to other types of curry pastes as well.

In short though, you want to choose one that is made in Thailand and doesn't have a lot of additives; it should only contain herbs, spices, and basic seasonings like salt and shrimp paste.

My go-to brand is Maeploy, but it may or may not be the right choice for you depending on your heat tolerance and other things; so again, my review above will be very helpful for choosing the best one for you.

THAI CHILI PASTE | NAM PRIK PAO | น้ำพริกเผา

Thai chili paste, also called Thai chili jam, is not used that often, but when it is, it is a key flavour that makes all the difference and can't really be replaced with anything else.

It's a sweet, umami, and mildly spicy paste made primarily from dried chilies, dried shrimp, shallots, and garlic. You will recognize its flavours in famous dishes such as tom yum goong and cashew chicken.

At Asian grocery stores it is labeled either as "chili paste with soya bean oil" or "Thai chili paste" or "roasted red chili paste," depending on the brand. If you can't find it, you can make it yourself and it's not that hard! Here's my Thai chili paste recipe.

SUBSTITUTION: As I mentioned, you can't really substitute it with anything because it has such a unique flavour. So your only option here is to make it yourself, or here are a couple of listings on Amazon: Mae Pranom Brand and Thai Kitchen Brand.

DRIED SHRIMP | GOONG HANG | กุ้งแห้ง

Basically, goong hang are shrimp jerky. Little shrimp are salted and dried in the sun, and in that process they develop a robust, savory flavor. You can buy these in the refrigerated section at Asian grocery stores. I stick with medium-sized ones, which are most versatile. Freeze them and they will last indefinitely.

SUBSTITUTION: Depending on the recipe, you may be able to just omit dried shrimp altogether, as in the case of pad thai. In salads however, I like to substitute Japanese bonito flakes.

GLASS NOODLES | WOONSEN | วุ้นเส้น

cooked glass noodles held up by chopsticks

These clear, thin noodles are also called bean threads or bean vermicelli because they are made from mung bean starch. My grandma always has glass noodles in the pantry, as everyone loves them, they’re quick to cook, and they’re extremely versatile.

They’re delicious in salads, soups, stir-fries, are very important in spring rolls, and they’re a staple for hot pots. They are also often used to bulk up meat-based fillings and stuffing such as in these glass noodle meatballs! I've even made fresh glass noodles using mung bean starch at home!

Look for glass noodles that are made from 100% mung bean starch, such as Pine Brand, with no other starches mixed in because they have the best texture.

SUBSTITUTIONS: There are no other noodles that have quite the same texture, but if you are subbing another type of noodles in a glass noodle recipe, you HAVE to change the cooking method to suit the noodles you are using. The methods for cooking glass noodles will not apply. Some people use Korean glass noodles (made from sweet potato starch) instead, which works fine in stir fry recipes, but they are much chewier than the Thai glass noodles.

RICE NOODLES | SEN GUAY TIEW | เส้นก๋วยเตี๋ยว

A pile of different kinds of rice noodles

If you're not experienced with rice noodles, or if you find yourself often having trouble cooking them well, I highly recommend watching my video on How to Cook Rice Noodles Properly.

Dry rice noodles are a great thing to keep in your pantry because they are versatile and last seemingly forever. Choose brands from Thailand if possible, as Vietnamese ones can sometimes have tapioca starch mixed in and will have a slightly different texture.

They come in many sizes and shapes, but the thin ones are the most convenient for weeknight cooking because they don’t take long to soak and cook.

The Minimal Thai Pantry

If all of this looks overwhelming, not to worry! If you want to go for the "minimal pantry" here are 10 that I suggest you stock, some of which you may already have. I also included a list of 5 bonus ones that will allow you to make even more dishes. I also talk through them in the video above if you want a visual!

10 Essential Thai Ingredients

If you keep these 10, you will be able to cook the majority of recipes on my website!

Fish sauce
Soy sauce
Oyster sauce
Coconut milk
Curry paste, whichever is your favourite. But I recommend stocking red curry paste at minimum because it is the most versatile and can be turned into other pastes easily, such as massaman and panang curry. Once open, keep it in the freezer.
Palm sugar or light brown sugar
Tamarind paste, store bought or homemade
Dried and/or fresh chilies.
Jasmine rice
Your favourite rice noodles and/or glass noodles.

5 Bonus Ingredients to Stock for Even More Thai Cooking

If you have room for 5 more, you will be able to cook nearly all recipes I have here!

Thai chili paste (nam prik pao)
Black soy sauce
Lemongrass
Makrut (kaffir) lime leaves
Galangal

Thai Viral Saucy Tossed Noodles

December 27, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant 10 Comments

I discovered these tossed noodles recently and I'm obsessed. Egg noodles tossed in an umami-packed sauce, garlic oil, roasted peanuts, and the usual Thai noodle soup fixings. It is incredibly tasty and easy to make! Most of the components can also be made in advance, and comes dinner time all you have to do is heat everything up, cook the noodles, and toss away!

Chopsticks holding up tossed noodles in a bowl.

What are "tossed noodles" in Thai cuisine?

A bowl of tossed noodles with chopsticks and spoon on the side.

When it comes to Thai noodles, most of them would be classified either as noodle stir fries, noodle soups, or noodles with sauce poured on top. But tossed noodles, or guay tiew klook ก๋วยเตี๋ยวคลุก in Thai, are relatively new on the Thai culinary scene, but they have taken social media by the storm because the process of making them just looks mouthwatering.

They're a variation of our noodle soups, in a sense that the ingredients involved are similar to a classic Thai tom yum noodles, but instead of broth, all the components are tossed in a flavourful sauce.

Since it's a new dish, there's no "traditional" way to go about it. People are just taking the idea and coming up with their own sauce concoctions. So this recipe is my version that I think is bomb. Feel free to come up with your own sauce, too!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need, and important notes about them. Amounts and full instructions are in the recipe card below!

Garlic, chopped. This recipe calls for fried garlic, so try to chop them evenly for even frying, and aim for the pieces to be about ⅛-inch wide, but you don't need to be precise.
Neutral oil for making garlic oil. I use avocado oil but any neutral-flavour oil is fine.
Roasted peanuts, coarsely ground. I pound the peanuts in a mortar and pestle, but you can blitz them in a small food processor or finely chop them with a knife.
Fresh wonton noodles (egg noodles). You can find these in the refrigerated section at most Asian grocery stores. They are fresh and tossed in flour and are usually labelled as "wonton noodles". You can also sub any other kind of egg/wheat noodles, such as ramen noodles. Rice noodles, such as those used for pad thai, will also work. See my post here for all about how to cook different kinds of rice noodles.
Ground pork. Or sub ground chicken or turkey.
Asian meatballs or fish balls, cut into bite sized pieces if large. Other types of cooked protein will also work, such as cooked shrimp or sliced meats of any kind. Pro tip: while at the Asian supermarket, you can grab some Chinese BBQ pork (char siu), which would be fantastic in this!
Bean sprouts.
Green onion, chopped.
Cilantro, chopped. If you don't like cilantro, just green onion alone is fine.
Juicy limes, cut into wedges. When choosing limes, go with ones with smooth, tight-looking skin that gives into a bit of pressure when squeezed - these are the juicy ones!
Chili flakes, to taste. Any hot chili flakes or powder will do for an extra kick, but if you want to DIY, here is an easy recipe for Thai style roasted chili flakes.

Sauce Ingredients

Soy sauce. I use Healthy Boy Brand Thai soy sauce, but any regular soy sauce will do.
Golden Mountain Sauce. This is another kind of soy sauce that tastes similar to Maggi Seasoning (which you can use instead). You can also just sub with more regular soy sauce.
Fish sauce. See my post about choosing a good quality fish sauce.
Thai Black soy sauce. I prefer Healthy Boy Brand Black Soy Sauce for this because it gives an intense dark colour. Dragonfly brand comes out quite light and it doesn’t look as tasty, but it’s still okay to use flavour-wise. You can also try using Chinese dark soy sauce, but since it is much saltier than Thai black soy sauce, I would omit the Golden Mountain Sauce altogether and then taste and adjust.
Sriracha-style hot sauce. Doesn't have to be the famous rooster brand, any brand is fine.
Brown sugar, dark is preferred but light is fine.

How to Make Thai Tossed Noodles

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. Many of the components can be made in advance if you want to have it for a weeknight. See more advance prep tips below. Also if this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

Process shots for making tossed noodles, steps 1-4.

Fry the garlic in neutral oil over low heat until golden and the bubbling has subsided.
Strain and keep the oil and garlic separate. Set aside.
Add a splash of water to a pot over high heat, once the water boils, add the ground pork and stir just until it's fully cooked. Set aside.
Combine all the sauce ingredients and add about a tablespoon of the pork juice to the sauce then stir until the sugar is dissolved. When ready to cook and serve, heat up the sauce in the microwave or stovetop so it doesn't cool your noodles down too much.

Process shots for making tossed noodles, steps 5-8

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, meanwhile, cut the noodles to shorten and loosen them up, making sure they're not sticking together.
Boil the meatballs in the water just until hot, then fish them out and set aside.
Blanch the bean sprouts in the water for 3 seconds, fish them out, shake off all excess water and add to a large mixing bowl.
When the water boils again, cook the noodles until fully cooked; timing will vary depending on the size, but mine takes about 3 minutes. Fish them out, shake off all water, and add to the bean sprouts.

Process shots for making tossed noodles, steps 9-12

Add the garlic oil to the noodle bowl and toss to coat.
Add the ground pork (hold back the excess liquid), peanuts, chili flakes, green onions, and the warmed-up sauce.
Toss to mix well.
Divide into serving bowls, top with meatballs, fried garlic, cilantro and a wedge of lime. Remember to squeeze the lime on before eating!

Advance Prep Tips and Storage

As with many Thai noodles, there are a lot of little things to prepare but they're all very simple and quick. I still find, however, that preparing everything all at once can feel like a lot and doing just a few things ahead of time makes serving day seem so much simpler.

Here are somethings you can do ahead of time.

Make the garlic oil and fried garlic. If you only do one thing in advance, this should be it. You can also make a lot and keep it (oil and garlic separated) in the fridge for another use. Fried garlic and garlic oil are incredibly versatile and are used often in Thai cooking.
Mix the sauce up in advance. Keep the sauce in the fridge and it'll last indefinitely. Reheat the sauce in the microwave or stovetop before using. You can also make the sauce in bulk, just remember to measure the total volume of sauce, then divide by the number of batches this makes (or by portion, however you want to do it) so you know how much sauce you need to use each time you cook.
Cook the pork in advance. The pork can be cooked and kept in the fridge for up to 1 week. Simply reheat in the microwave or stovetop when ready to use.
Chop/grind the peanuts in advance. It's a small thing, but it makes a big difference when you can just grab the container and pour without having to do anything with it!

Tips for Using Rice Noodles

If you want to use rice noodles, you absolutely can! Here is how you'll need to prep them.

If you buy rice noodles dry, I recommend small or medium size (like ones used for pho and pad thai). They need to be soaked until fully pliable in room temp water. Medium size takes about 1 hour to soak, small size takes about 30 minutes. If you're in a rush, you can use warm tap water to shorten the time, but be careful not to over-soak. Read more about cooking with rice noodles here.

Once soaked, drain the noodles well, then blanch them in boiling water for about 10 seconds or until cooked through. As rice noodles overcook quickly, it is always safe to err on the side of undercooking them. Take them out using a wire skimmer so the water is still there, then if they're a little too firm, add them back to the pot for another 10 seconds or so.

Where to Eat in Bangkok According to Locals (2025)

April 9, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant 11 Comments

One of the most frequently asked questions I get from followers is, "I'm going to Bangkok, where should I eat?" Despite the fact that I grew up in Bangkok and I go back every year, I don't live there and naturally my experience is limited compared to people who are in the thick of it.

Pailin's family eating around a dinner table at a restaurant

While I can, and will, give you some recommendations of my own, I feel that the most qualified people to recommend restaurants are local foodies who actually live in the city simply because they've tried A LOT of places. So the places they recommend are ones that stand out above many others. Not to mention they're also up-to-date with interesting new places.

Luckily I know a LOT of locals. My family, childhood friends, new friends, most Thai people I know are in Bangkok, and most of them are serious foodies (that's why we're friends!). So I asked them to each recommend a few places, restaurants and/or street food areas, that they think have delicious Thai food they would highly recommend to visitors to Thailand.

How to Navigate This List

The first 3 on the list are street food destinations, hubs of inexpensive eateries where you can walk around and wander into places that entice you. The rest are sit-down restaurants or street side restaurants with seating.

At the very bottom are some additional videos you might want to watch for more ideas on what to eat in Thailand!

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1. Mall Food Courts - Street Food in AC

Let's start with my recommendation: Mall food courts. Yes. If you live in N. America you may be surprised because mall food courts here are basically graveyards of greasy chain takeouts. But in Thailand, it's a different story.

Siam Paragon's food court seating area — Food court at Siam Paragon shopping mall. Image from Google Reviews.

Thai people LOVE shopping malls. We basically LIVE in malls and Bangkok is filled to the brim with malls. Everything you could possibly want can be found in malls, including the bank, your kid's art class, and yes, great places to eat.

Thai mall food courts are made up of eateries who either started out as street food, but have done well enough to get into malls, or popular sit-down restaurants who have expanded into quick service. So you get a great selection of street food without the heat of the actual street, and sit-down restaurant food without the lengthy meals.

Mall food courts will usually have all the staples: khao mun gai, pad see ew, pad thai, boat noodles, papaya salad...so if you have a bucket list of popular street food to try and you don't know where to go to find it, food court is a pretty good start.

NOTE: Not all food courts are cheap. The style of food court depends on the style of the mall. Fancier malls such as Siam Paragon will have fancier food courts (yes, fancy food court is a thing), and less fancy malls such as MBK will have more down-to-earth food courts. And small "community malls" (kinds like strip malls), do not have food courts but still have great restaurants and are also worth exploring.

2. Song Wat Road ถ.ทรงวาด - Street Food and Hip Cafés

This recommendation comes from Banc, my high school bestie who knows all of the trendy spots in Bangkok. He's always the first one to check out any trendy new spot. Song Wat Road is in Chinatown area, but is a few blocks away from the main strip, Yaowarat Road (which is also worth checking out, especially at night).

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While Yaowarat has a lot of the old "institutions," Song Wat is a mix of old and new. You'll find a 100-year-old bao shop, Chinese style braised goose, a hip coffee shop with French pastries, and a cute cafe with traditional Thai desserts and snacks, including these purple flower dumplings.

Song Wat happens to be right next to the Chao Phraya River, so if you go into the right place, such as this beautiful coffee shop, you'll get a river view as well.

Song Wat Road on Google Maps

3. Banthat Thong Road ถ. บรรทัดทอง - Where Young Thais go for Street Food

This one is from my high school buddy and mom-friend, Chalintip. Banthat Thong (pronounced bun-tut-tong) is another street great for walking around and exploring great food. (Side note: If you like lining up for hours to eat at super hyped places, it's also home to Jeh-O Chula tom yum noodles.)

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I went here during my last trip and the Reel embedded above was from that trip. It was a bustling street full of Thais in their 20s and 30s, waiting in line at famous restaurants. For a street like this I was surprised how few tourists there were (and I'm sure it won't last long.)

We had a great dinner at Somboon Seafood which is apparently the inventor of the famous Thai curry crab. For dessert we went to a milk-toast-dip cafe which was super fun, and then brought some pork satay home (which I didn't love, my pork satay recipe is actually better.)

Banthat Thong Road on Google Maps

4. Ruen Mallika เรือนมัลลิการ์ - Royal Thai Food in Thai Costume

This one is my recommendation, and full disclosure, it's my friend's family restaurant. But to be fair my family has been their customers long before we became friends, and the food is reliably good.

Ruen Mallika is one of many restaurants owned by A. Mallika Leeraphante, but this one is particularly suited for travellers because of its central location and because of its unique offering: royal Thai cuisine, complete with gorgeous fruit carvings.

For the complete experience you can even change into traditional Thai outfits and eat with your hands like Thai people used to do back in the day, as per my video above. I filmed a video of my experience several years ago, check it out! Also, if you go here, tell them I sent you 😉.

Ruen Mallika on Google Maps

5. Charmgang ชามแกง - "Fancy Rustic" Thai Food

This place was doubly recommended by two of my friends, so that's a good sign. Charmgang describes itself as a "cozy curry shop," and indeed the food is rustic and homey. However, it uses expensive ingredients and is pricier than what you might imagine a "cozy curry shop" to be.

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For Thai people I think the appeal of Charmgang lies in the nostalgic, familiar dishes that are extremely well executed, plus the use high quality and unique ingredients.

For example, here's an item on the current menu: "Grilled Koji-Aged Picanha (Beef) Skewer with Fermented Fish Chili and Tomato Relish." This is essentially a fancy version of the humble Thai grilled steak with nam jim jeaw. So if innovative, elegant versions of classic dishes are your thing, this is the place for you.

Charmgang on Google Maps

6. Phed Phed เผ็ด เผ็ด - Som Tum and Isaan Food

Isaan food is food from northeastern Thailand, the most famous of which is green papaya salad or som tum and laab. If that's your thing, then this place is for you. They have endless varieties of som tum, most of which you will have never seen at your local Thai place. It's a great place to explore.

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Recommended by my friend Kwang, she said that though it is more expensive than the average som tum place, the portions are huge so it's not unjustified. For visitors, the location in Central Chidlom mall is probably the most convenient, and it's worth noting that different locations have different menu items.

Phed Phed - Central Chidlom Location (there are a total of 8 locations)

7. Yim Yim ยิ้มยิ้ม ภัตตาคาร - Century-Old Teochew Fare

This recommendation comes from someone you might know, YouTubers Chris and Steph from Chinese Cooking Demystified, who have been living in Bangkok for the past few years. And it is apparently...over 100 years old!

They, of course, recommend a Thai-Chinese restaurant:

the front door and sign of yim yim restaurant — Image from Google Reviews user ยิ้มยิ้มภัตตาคาร 笑笑酒樓 (2nd fl. only)

Very old Thai-Chinese restaurant (over 100 years) with very high quality classic Teochew fare. The business seems to rely on catering gigs at this point (unless it's a Chinese holiday, sometimes, like... you're the only table there), which is borderline insane because it's leagues better than any of the tourist-focused restaurants in the area. Touch pricey but well executed and the restaurant itself has a storied history.
Chris, Chinese Cooking Demystified

If you're thinking "I'm not going to Thailand to eat Chinese food," you may want to reconsider. Chinese food in Thailand is not the same as what you've had elsewhere, it has changed to adapt to the Thai palate, and it's also specifically Teochew Chinese. And in my biased opinion, I like it better 😉.

Yim Yim Google Maps Location

8. Baibua ร้านใบบัว - Northern Thai Curry Counter

Another one of Chinese Cooking Demystified's recommendations. If you won't get a chance to go up north for this trip, here's where you can find some northern food in Bangkok.

Curry counter at Bai bua restaurant — Image from Google Reviews, user ไหนดูซิ

A khao soi joint. Maybe I'm crazy - and you can certainly correct me if you like - but I feel like a lot of the Khao Sois in Bangkok are *way* too rich. This restaurant is run by a family originally from Keng Tung and does a very tasty beef Khao Soi
Chris, Chinese Cooking Demystified

Yes, I 100% agree with the too-rich khao soi sentiment, which is why my khao soi recipe is also on the brothy side, so I can endorse this recommendation!

Note: Keng Tung is a town in Burma, close to Northern Thailand and the cuisines are closely tied together. On Google the restaurant describes itself as Cheng Tung (alt spelling of Keng Tung) and Northern Tai Cuisine. That's Tai, not Thai, referring to the ethnic group in Northern Thailand.

Baibua Google Maps Location

9. Steve Cafe & Cuisine - Spicy Thai Food with River View

Okay, I know a Thai restaurant called "Steve" is a hard sell, but this recommendation comes from First, my high school bestie, whose taste in food I trust!

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There are 2 locations, but the one I'd wanna go to is the cute little house right on the Chao Phraya river. First said the flavours are strong (what I like to hear) and the food is spicy, so if your heat tolerance isn't high you have to tell them to make it milder.

It's got a bit of everything: central, southern, and northern Thai food all make an appearance on the menu. So this is a good place to come if you don't have much time to explore all the regions. Reservation is recommended because the place is small.

Steve Cafe & Cuisine - Si Ayutthaya Rd Location

10. White Flower Factory ครัวดอกไม้ขาว - Thai Food for Cake Lovers

If you're like me and you always need something sweet after a meal or it doesn't feel complete, this is the place for you. Another recommendation from my friend First, White Flower Factory has a wide selection of Thai food AND an extensive cake/cheesecake/crepe cake offering. They have a whole display case full of cakes, in fact.

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They also have some Western dishes such as pasta and pizza. While in Canada I am suspicious of places that offer more than 1 cuisine (no Thai & Sushi places for me, thank you), in Thailand Western food offered in Thai restaurants is quite common and can be really good. You might even find some Thai-style pasta dishes, which are totally awesome.

White Flower Factory - Siam Square One Location (there are two other locations called White Flower and White Flower Cafe)

11. Iam Pochana เอี่ยมโภชนา - Street Side Hot Pot and BBQ

My friend Banc who suggested Song Wat Road had another recommendation in the Chinatown area, and this one will make you feel totally immersed in the street food culture because you'll be eating literally on the street, on cheap plastic stools no less.

Tables in front of Iam pochana restaurant — Image from Google Reviews. Sukhum Cheff Truengtrachitkul

Iam Pochana specializes in Thai hot pot and "moo gata" which is a self-cooking BBQ where you cook thin slices of meat on a dome-shaped pan, an experience I highly recommend because you can't find it overseas. The highlight of both these dishes are the delicious dipping sauces (you'll find that Thai people love dipping sauces!).

Iam Pochana Google Maps Location

12. Supanniga Eating Room ห้องทานข้าวสุพรรณิการ์ - Classic Thai Food with Stunning View

This place was double-recommended by both my brother and my cousin, so you really cannot go wrong here! My cousin regularly hosts foreign business guests here and he says it's always a hit.

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The menu has all of the popular classics that are core to central Thai cuisine such as green curry and tom yum goong. If you want to try all the world-famous dishes from Thailand in their home country, this is a great place for that, and you can be sure you're trying "the good version" of those dishes.

Note: They have a few locations, but my cousin says the best one is the one at Tha Tien as it has a stunning view of the Chao Phraya River. It's located very close to Wat Arun and Icon Siam, so you can easily put them on the same day's itinerary.

Supanniga Eating Room - Tha Tien Location

13. Kungthong Seafood กุ้งทอง - A Thai Seafood Experience

This recommendation comes from my cousin Art (not to be confused with my brother Art), a man who appreciates all the fine things in life, including fine food. So when he says this is his favorite seafood place, it becomes mine also even though I haven't been there, lol!

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There are a few food experiences I think you should not miss when in Thailand, and barring any allergies, seafood is one of them. Thai people do seafood SO INCREDIBLY WELL I have yet come across another cuisine that does it better (not at all biased of course).

Being a country with very long coastlines, we take seafood very seriously. So much so that we have thousands of restaurants dedicated to nothing BUT seafood. Entire menus with hundreds of items made with fish, shrimp, crab, and all manners of bivalves, cooked in every way imaginable: soups, salads, curries, stir fries, deep fried, steamed, you name it. It is mind boggling.

I'll throw another one in that my family often goes to, Laem Charoen Seafood which has many locations in Bangkok. Wherever you go, do make sure you go to at least one seafood restaurant in Thailand!

Kungthong Seafood Google Maps Location

14. Thong Smith Boat Noodles

Another recommendation from Cousin Art is a "fancy" boat noodle chain called Thong Smith (pronounced Tong Smit) that you can find in many shopping malls. Boat noodles are incredibly rich, flavourful and unique, and is a must-have for people visiting Bangkok in my books. You can find many boat noodle vendors around the city on the streets or along rivers (hence "boat").

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But if you don't have time to go looking for one out on the streets, you can also find great boat noodles in the comfort of shopping malls, and don't worry, mall restaurants in Thailand are NOT like mall restaurants in America. They can be just as good (or sometimes even better) than street food, so don't let the allure of "rustic hole in the wall places" stop you from trying places in AC!

At Thong Smith you can also get unusual things like wagyu boat noodles and boat noodle hot pot, but of course, the prices are going to be much higher than what you can find on the street.

Thong Smith - Central World Location

15. Methavalai Sorndaeng - Michelin Starred Institution

This recommendation comes from my brother Eddie (the one who got me started on Hot Thai Kitchen actually!). It's a 60-year-old restaurant with one Michelin star, and their longevity is enough reason to visit given the intense competition in Bangkok.

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The decor has a vintage and royal feel, and the same can be said about the food. It's got all the classic Thai dishes you probably know about, and also a few older, harder to find gems, beautifully presented with fruit and vegetable carvings.

Methavalai Google Maps Location

16. Thanying - Royal Thai Cuisine

This recommendation comes from Chef Hong Thaimee, the only Thai woman who has ever competed on Iron Chef America. Though she's based in NYC today, I think we all want to hear her recommendations!

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Thanying serves royal Thai cuisine and is actually owned by a member of the royal family, Khunchai Jack, who brought the cooking traditions of the palace to the public through this restaurant. There's one specific dish Chef Thaimee recommends:

I highly recommend Khao Chae , a summer royal delicacy that showcases chilled jasmine rice in jasmine water with superb Thai condiments such as shrimp paste balls) and stuffed sweet peppers. It's one of a kind experience and the royal court's recipe and tradition is a rare fine.
Chef Hong Thaimee

*Khao chae may be seasonal as it is served usually in the summer.

Thanying Google Maps Location

17. Ruay Mitr - Experience Thai Rice Porridge Culture

Another recommendation from Chef Thaimee is Ruay Mitr, and I've been here myself and can confirm it is delicious. They are a "khao tom gui" restaurant, which means they serve meals that are centered around rice porridge instead of steamed rice. It's a truly unique experience I recommend you try at least once when in Thailand.

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You can experience another part of Thai eating culture at Ruay Mitr, a Thai-Chinese restaurant where tapas-size dishes are shared and enjoyed with boiled rice (khao tom). My recommendations are: steamed savory egg custard with shrimp in a hot pot, Chinese morning glory with crispy pork, and squid wok-fried with salted egg.
Chef Hong Thaimee

Ruay Mitr Google Maps Location

18. Hiso Curry Rice Pa Aew ข้าวแกงไฮโซ ป้าแอ๋ว - Humble Street Stall with Luxurious Seafood

This recommendation comes from a long-time Hot Thai Kitchen fan and Patreon supporter, Simon, who has fallen so in love with Thai food and culture that he moved to Bangkok from England. He regularly sends me photos of dishes from this place that look like they come from high-end seafood restaurants...except they're in plastic bowls from a street stall!

Photo from Google Reviews, user พรุ่งนี้ค่อยลด 2morrowdiet. Top right: Curry Crab, bottom right: frog pad cha, bottom left: crab stir fry.

First, let me explain the type of place this is. This is what we call a raan kao gaeng or a "curry rice restaurant," though it does not mean that they serve only curries. It refers to places with a variety of dishes that are pre-cooked (buffet style), and when you order they will simply spoon the food over your rice. It's the perfect "fast food" since you don't have to wait for your food to be cooked! It's an experience I recommend you try at least once in Thailand.

What's unique about Hiso Curry Rice is the quality and amount of seafood used. Usually, raan kao gaeng are humble places that serve basic, inexpensive dishes. Here, they certainly look humble, but serve giant lumps of crab, enormous prawns, and other luxurious ingredients. But the prices are a fraction compared to what you'd pay for the same thing in a sit-down restaurant!

PS. "Hiso" is the Thai slang for things that are luxurious, it's short for 'high society.' "Pa Aew" is Auntie Aew, the name of the chef/owner, presumably.

Hiso Curry Rice Google Maps Location

Need More Ideas? Watch My Thailand Food Vlogs!

If you're looking for more ideas, here are a few more videos to watch!

Durian and Fruit Buffet. If you're in Thailand during Thailand's peak fruit season, around April-June, you can look for these durian and fruit buffets at various shopping malls. It's a great way to taste Thailand's best fruits all in one place!

All About Thai Desserts. If you have a sweet tooth, watch this video to see what kinds of delicious desserts you should try beyond mango and sticky rice!

How To Order Thai Food Like a Thai. And if you're going to be eating in Thai restaurants, here's an important guide for how to order Thai food like a Thai!

How to Make Tamarind Paste from Pulp

September 13, 2019 by Pailin Chongchitnant 53 Comments

If you've been buying ready-made tamarind paste (a.k.a "tamarind concentrate") for cooking, let me tell you why I stopped using them and what I do now. Growing up in Thailand we always made our own tamarind paste for cooking, but when I arrived in Canada I was delighted by the convenient jars from the store!

But after years of using it, I don't know if the products became worse or my standards became higher, but I eventually I became more and more dissatisfied with the quality of premade pastes.

They started to taste bland and diluted to me. And while this isn't the case with all brands, all the time, it was inconsistent enough, even within the same brand, to warrant another solution. Time to go back to my roots and make my own.

A block of tamarind pulp, a jar of tamarind paste, and a spoon filled with tamarind paste. — Tamarind pulp (in block form) can be turned into homemade jars of delicious tamarind paste, used in many Thai recipes.

What is tamarind?

Simply put, tamarind is a fruit. Its sticky brown flesh ranges from being very sweet to very sour, depending on the variety. The sweet ones are for eating fresh, and the sour ones are for turning into a paste for cooking.

Note: The tamarind liquid that is used for Thai cooking is sometimes referred to as "tamarind water," and some brands of premade ones are labeled "tamarind concentrate." I used to call it "tamarind juice," but I have switched to "tamarind paste" to avoid confusion with tamarind beverages. This is all very confusing, I know!

For everything you need to know about tamarind, check out my Ultimate Guide to Tamarind video. I also show you what tamarind looks like in its original pod!

A pile of tamarind pods, with one cracked open. — Fresh tamarind pods.

Important Tamarind Buying Tip

If you find whole tamarind fruit pods at the store, those are the sweet ones for eating as snacks NOT for cooking. Do not make this mistake as many people have done! Though you should get them anyway as they're delish :).

Cooking tamarind comes either in ready-to-use liquid in a tub or jar, or in a brown block (pictured below) which is what you'll need to make your own tamarind paste at home.

The brown block is simply compacted tamarind fruit pulp. The pulp is seedless (though I've seen some rogue seeds occasionally), but it has lots of fibers that need to be strained out.

How to Make Tamarind Paste

Here's an overview of the process, but be sure to read the recipe card and watch the video tutorial because this is one of those things that's much better understood once you see it in action. I also include more tips I didn't include here in the video!

Process shots for making tamarind paste steps 1-4

Pull apart tamarind pulp into small chunks.
Place the tamarind into a large heatproof bowl and cover with hot off-the-boil water and let it sit until the water is cool enough to handle, at least 20 minutes.
Use your hand to squeeze and scrunch the tamarind pulp so that the flesh is released from the fibers and mixes into the water. If you feel like it's too thick, and more water is needed to loosen things up, go ahead and add it.
Once done, you should have a thick liquid in the bowl and the fibers should have barely any pulp left on them.

Process shots for making tamarind paste steps 5-8

Strain the tamarind paste into a pot through a sieve that is not too fine, using your hand to stir and push the pulp to help it go through. Feel free to add more water if it's too thick to go through the sieve.
Once you're down to just the fibers, rinse the remaining fibers with a little more water to release more tamarind paste.
You can use this right away, or for storage, cook the tamarind paste in a pot until it bubbles, and let it bubble for about 5 minutes to ensure that it is thoroughly heated. Stir it constantly to avoid splattering!
Transfer the tamarind paste into small mason jars, close the let and let cool. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Storing Tamarind Paste

The tamarind paste you make is ready to use right away, but for the rest, you will want to cook it before storing to maximize its shelf life. When cooking tamarind, because it's thick, it'll bubble and look like it's boiling before the entire mixture has reached boiling temperature. So it's important to let it bubble for about 5 minutes to allow it to thoroughly heat through.

If you cook the paste and store it in a mason jar while hot as per my instructions, it will last up to 6 months, unopened in the fridge. Once it's opened, it has lasted me at least 2 months, but always use clean utensils to scoop from the jar.

Because of this, I recommend you putting it in small jars, no larger than 1 cup per jar, to maximize its shelf life. You can also water-bath can the tamarind, like you would with jam, to make it shelf-stable, though I have not personally done this.

You can also freeze tamarind paste. Many of my patreon members report freezing tamarind paste into ice cubes which make it easy to use. It'll also help for you to know the volume of the ice cube so you can take out the appropriate amount the recipe calls for.

Learn More About Thai Ingredients!

Understanding Thai ingredients is incredibly important in helping you cook Thai food successfully. If you want to learn more about other ingredients you'll need in Thai cooking, check out this article: The Ultimate Guide to Essential Thai Ingredients, or browse these posts to find one that interests you.

Recipes with Tamarind

Now that you've got delicious homemade tamarind paste, try using it in these recipes!

Homemade Tamarind Paste

Homemade tamarind paste is much better than anything you can buy, and it is easy to make. For the best pad thai, you gotta use homemade tamarind! Be sure to watch the video tutorial below as the process can be much better understood once you see it, and you can also watch it on YouTube.

4.91 from 10 votes

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Cooling time 20

Course Sauces

Cuisine Thai

Servings cups

Ingredients

▢ ½ lb seedless tamarind pulp (see note)
▢ 2 cups hot water
▢ ½ cup room temp water

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Notes

Note: Buy tamarind pulp that comes in a rectangular block, and it should be a product of Thailand. Do not use tamarind pulp from whole pods, as those are sweet tamarind meant for eating, not for cooking.

FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL

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Instructions

Use your hands to pull apart the tamarind block into small chunks and place it in a large, heat-proof mixing bowl. Pour the hot water over the tamarind and let it sit until it’s cool enough for you to handle, about 20 minutes, though you can let it sit for as long as you need at this point—the longer it sits, the easier the next step will be.
½ lb seedless tamarind pulp (see note), 2 cups hot water
Use clean hands, preferably gloved, to squeeze and scrunch the pulp to loosen it from the fibers. You should end up with something that has a consistency of a smoothie. A little thinner than smoothie is fine, but too thick will make it hard to strain, so if it looks super thick add a little water.
Once you can feel that most of the pulp has been released from the fibers, strain the tamarind mixture, into a pot through a sieve, preferably not fine-mesh as the paste will be thick and it'll hard to push through. Push as much of the liquid through as possible, and scrape the bottom of the sieve occasionally.
Tip: If at any point in the process you're having a hard time because the liquid is too thick, do not be afraid to add more water. Some brands of tamarind pulp are more "pulpy" than others and require more water to loosen.
Gradually pour about ½ cup of room temperature water over the remaining fibers in the sieve while using your hand to mix it around. This will rinse off any last little bit of tamarind still stuck in the fibers.
You can use this right away for cooking, but for storage, cook the tamarind paste over medium high-heat until it boils, stirring constantly, as it is quite thick and can bubble and jump at you if you don’t stir. Allow it to bubble for 4-5 minutes to ensure that it is thoroughly heated through before turning off the heat.
Transfer the hot tamarind paste to clean, small mason jars, no larger than 1 cup capacity. I like using the smaller ones so each jar will not be open for as long. Close the lids while still hot and and allow it to cool at room temperature before moving them to the fridge for storage. As it cools the lids will be sucked in and it will seal very well, like jam, but since this was not properly canned, you still need to store them in the fridge.
You can also freeze them in ice cube trays and store the cubes in freezer bags.

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Essential Thai Condiment: Chili Vinegar (prik nam som)

November 29, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant 6 Comments

If you’ve ever been to Thailand you will notice all kinds of little sauces and sprinkles that often come with our food. One of those sauces is and absolutely essential condiment of Thai cuisine, especially for our noodle dishes: chili vinegar or prik nam som พริกน้ำส้ม.

It adds an acidic zing with a little bit of heat, and when used in the right places, it takes a dish to the next level. And for some dishes, like pad see ew and boat noodles, a dash of prik nam som is absolutely necessary!

a bowl of chili vinegar with chilies and plants in the background.

What is prik nam som?

Prik means chlies and nam som means vinegar, and in its simplest form, that’s all there is: chilies mixed with plain old white vinegar, though you can get a little fancy, and I’ll show you how to do that too.

It’s a spicy, vinegary sauce that we use on any dish that’s heavy or oily, with a flavour profile that's salty and/or sweet because the acid and heat helps cut the grease and balance the sweet and saltiness.

We use it on dishes like pad see ew, pork leg stew with rice (kao ka moo), rad na noodles with gravy and boat noodles. In fact you can use it on any kind of noodle soups, and you can use it wherever you’d want to add a vinegary hot sauce, even if it’s not Thai food!

In Thailand, if you order any of the dishes I mentioned above, there will automatically be prik nam som served with it, if it's not already sitting on the table. In Thai restaurants overseas, however, you will probably have to ask for it, but they may not have it available. Many Thai restaurants omit these condiments to simplify things.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are a few important notes on the ingredients. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

Thai Chilies. I use Thai chilies but any kind of spicy fresh chilies will also work. You can use either red or green, but I personally prefer the flavour of red chilies as they are fruitier.
If you want a milder chili vinegar, you can remove the seeds and pith from the chilies, or use milder chilies (e.g Fresno) to start with.
White vinegar. We only use white vinegar for prik nam som because the idea is to add neutral acidity, not to introduce new flavours. While milder vinegars such as Filipino cane vinegar or rice vinegar will be fine, don't use apple cider vinegar or anything else that has a distinct flavour. NO balsamic!
Garlic. This is totally optional, only if you want to make it a little more complex! Most of the time I just stick with chilies and vinegar.

How to Make Chili Vinegar - 4 Ways

There are several variations of prik nam som in Thailand, and here are the 4 most common ones. I'm showing you how to make them in a mortar and pestle, but for large amounts, you can put everything into a blender.

1. Basic Prik Nam Som

Process shots for making chili vinegar steps 1-2.

Pound chilies in a mortar and pestle until mostly fine.
Add the vinegar and swirl the pestle to mix.

2. Charred Prik Nam Som

This version uses charred chilies which not only adds smokiness but also make it a bit sweeter as the chilies will be cooked. You can char the chilies more than what's shown in the image for extra smokiness.

Process shots for making charred chili vinegar steps 1-2.

Char the chilies on a dry hot pan until they develop charred spots all around.
Pound until fine in a mortar and pestle then add vinegar and mix.

3. Garlic Prik Nam Som

Whether you decide to do the basic or the charred prik nam som, you can also add garlic for a more complex flavour. You can even char the garlic along with the chilies if you're going that route. Notice in the photo above I used seeded chilies, which you can do if you want to tone down the heat.

4. Sliced Prik Nam Som

a bowl of sliced serrano chilies with vinegar being poured into it.

In Thailand you may have seen slices of chilies in clear liquid on the table, that's also a kind of prik nam som. Instead of blending the chilies, they are sliced, resulting in a quick chili pickle. Typically milder chilies are used, such as spur chilies, but you can use any kind of chilies. Pictured are serrano chilies.

Simply let sliced chilies sit in the vinegar for at least 15 minutes before using. You can eat the pieces of chilies if they are mild enough, or drizzle just the chili-infused vinegar onto your food.

FAQ: Adjusting Spice Level

Making prik nam som with Thai chilies will yield a pretty spicy hot sauce, so if your heat tolerance isn't high, there are a couple of things to do:

Remove the seeds and pith from the chilies. This would be my go-to method as it preserves the amount of chili flavour.
Use another type of chilies that is milder, if they are available toy ou. In Thailand this would be spur chilies or prik chee fa. Fresno chilies would also work well.
Increase the ratio of vinegar, though this would result in the least flavourful sauce as there would be less chili flavour.

Storage

Prik nam som can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container indefinitely. It can also be frozen. I would stick with glass containers as over time the chilies can stain plastic. Also, stay away from lids that are made with reactive metal, such as aluminum mason jar lids, as the acid can corrode it.

Thai Chili Vinegar (Prik Nam Som)

An essential condiment in Thai cuisine that adds acidity and heat to brighten any dish.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 3

Course Sauces

Cuisine Thai

Servings cup

Ingredients

▢ 2-3 Thai chilies, see note
▢ 1 clove garlic, optional
▢ ¼ cup white vinegar

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Notes

You can use other types of chilies, even milder ones if your heat tolerance isn't high, but I do prefer the flavour of red or orange (i.e. ripe) chilies than green.

FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL

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Instructions

Optional step: char the chilies and garlic (if using) by placing them on a dry skillet over high heat until charred spots are formed on one side. Roll/flip them over and char the other side.
2-3 Thai chilies, 1 clove garlic
Pound the chilies and garlic in a mortar and pestle into a paste, then add the vinegar and stir to mix.
If making a large batch, blend all ingredients in a blender.
¼ cup white vinegar
Store in the fridge in a sealed container and it should last indefinitely.

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Umami Thai Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum Pla Ra)

October 25, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant 6 Comments

Thai green papaya salad or som tum is one of my most popular recipes, but that recipe is actually a type of papaya salad that we call som tum thai or Thai style papaya salad. There are other types of papaya salad in Thailand, and one that is arguably just as popular is called som tum pla ra or som tum lao (Lao style papaya salad). So if you’re a fan of deeply umami flavour and a bit of funk, this style is the one for you. It is just as easy to make and is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

papaya salad lao style on a plate with a side of crispy pork rind, long beans, rice noodles, dried chilies and sticky rice

But first, to be clear, this recipe is not a Lao papaya salad. It is a Thai papaya salad, but we call it "Lao style" because it uses a fermented fish sauce that's commonly used in Lao papaya salads (more on this below). While there are many overlaps between Lao and Northeastern Thai cuisine, the papaya salads made in Laos can be different from what we have in Thailand.

What is Som Tum? And What is Som Tum Pla Ra?

Som tum is the generic term for pounded salads that are made in a mortar and pestle. You can make som tum using many ingredients, but the original one is made using green papaya, which is simply the underripe version of an orange papaya.

In most Thai restaurants overseas, there is only one type of papaya salad on the menu, and that is typically a Thai style papaya salad or som tum thai. But in Thailand, we have many kinds of papaya salads, and one very popular kind is som tum pla ra - a.k.a. som tum lao. It's so named because it uses pla ra, a fermented fish sauce that is commonly used in Laos, hence its alternate name. You can read a lot more on this ingredient below!

Compared to Thai style papaya salad, som tum pla ra does not use dried shrimp, peanuts, and tends to be less sweet.

Ingredients & Notes

Here are all the ingredients you need and some important notes about them. For amounts see the recipe card below.

Garlic
Thai chilies, fresh or dried. Add as many as you like depending on your heat tolerance. Some people prefer fresh chilies, others prefer dried, so it really doesn’t matter which you choose and you can even do both. Arbol chilies are a great dried chili option for som tum. If you prefer it milder, instead of adding less chilies I recommend removing the seeds and pith so you keep the chili flavour in the salad.
Palm sugar. Finely chop the sugar so that it will dissolve readily, especially if you do not have a mortar and pestle for making the salad. If you don’t have palm sugar, light brown sugar will work as a substitute.
Long beans. These are optional for tum lao though I quite like the flavour and colour that they add. If omitting, you can simply add more papaya or carrots, or you can substitute blanched green beans. Note: Long beans can be eaten raw but green beans cannot, so make sure you give green beans a quick 1-min blanch in boiling water, then shock them in ice water so they remain crisp.
Tomatoes. You can use regular tomatoes cut into wedges, or grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half.
Fresh lime juice. Emphasis on fresh as it makes for the best flavour, and we also need the skin to add some extra aroma!
Tamarind paste this is a sour seasoning that is optional, but I like the complexity that it adds to the salad. If not using, you can substitute more lime juice. You can buy tamarind paste premade, but I prefer making it from pulp. You can read more about tamarind here, and if you want to make your own, here's my homemade tamarind paste recipe.
Pla ra fermented fish sauce. This is the identifying ingredient, without which you cannot make this recipe! More on this below.
MSG (optional), I never call specifically for MSG, but for this style of papaya salad it is usually added. So if you want your salad to taste like it does in northeastern Thailand, then a little pinch is recommended 🙂.
Julienned green papaya. Green papaya is an unripe papaya that has a crisp, firm, and neutral-flavored flesh. Choose the type that is large (not the small Hawaiian ones) sold at many Asian grocery stores. Don’t have papaya? Read about papaya substitutes below.
Julienned carrots. This is optional, but a handful of julienned carrots adds a pop of colour that makes this salad much prettier!
Pumpkin seeds, toasted. I am using these as a sub for kratin seeds, which are seeds of the river tamarind plant. They look similar to pumpkin seeds, and both add a nuttiness to the salad.
For serving:
- Sticky rice is a classic accompaniment.
- Crispy pork rind (store bought) add a nice fatty crunch.
- Vietnamese style rice vermicelli (kanom jeen) is amazing with this. You can serve them on the side or mix a small bundle right into the salad. Note: Vietnamese rice vermicelli are the round, slightly thicker noodles like ones I use in my kanom jeen namya recipe, whereas Thai rice vermicelli are the super thread-thin Thai ones.

How to Make Som Tum With and Without a Mortar and Pestle

The word "tum" in som tum means to pound, which is the technique of pounding ingredients in a mortar and pestle. But don't worry if you don't have a mortar and pestle, or if you only have a small one; below I show you 2 different ways to make som tum, with and without the mortar and pestle.

*If you have a mortar and pestle but it is too small for the salad, simply do everything in your M&P right up until it's time to add the papaya, then transfer into a mixing bowl and switch to the hand method.

But first...you have to julienne the papaya

Here are 3 different ways to julienne green papaya. The julienning techniques are much easier understood by video, so I recommend watching the video tutorial if you've never done it before!

photos of 3 different methods for julienning papaya

Method 1 - Traditional method: use a chef's knife and chop-chop-chop to make many incisions on the papaya, then use the knife to shave off a layer and you should get beautiful uneven sticks.

Method 2 - Julienne peeler. You can buy a Thai julienne peeler at many Asian stores and online (Kiwi brand). This is what I do at home as it's convenient and fast. Note that the first layer you peel off will be stuck together into a sheet, which you simply have to hand-chop into sticks.

Method 3 - Hand chop. If method 1 is too scary, and you don't have a peeler, you can also just hand chop it! It's slow but it will work. Halve the peeled papaya, scrape off the seeds, and thinly slice into sheets, then chop the sheets into sticks.

How to Make Som Tum in a Mortar & Pestle (traditional method)

Process shots for how to make papaya salad using a mortar and pestle steps 1-4

Julienne the papaya and carrot using one of the methods shown above.
In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and chilies until there are no big chunks.
Add the palm sugar and pound until it is melted into a paste.
Add the long beans and pound until they are broken.

Process shots for how to make papaya salad using a mortar and pestle steps 5-8

Add the tomatoes and pound gently to smash and release the tomato juices, then use a large spoon to scrape the sugar off the bottom of the mortar and let it mix in with the juices.
Add the lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind, pla ra and MSG (if using), then use a spoon to stir and mix. If using a mortar that's too small for the papaya, transfer to a mixing bowl and continue to step 7 of the hand massage method below.
Add the julienned papaya and carrots and do the "pound and flip" method - pound a few times, then use the large spoon to flip the papaya to distribute the dressing, then repeat the pounding and flipping a few more rounds until everything is well mixed and the papaya is wilted slightly.
Plate and garnish with pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!

How to Make Som Tum without a Mortar & Pestle (Hand Massage Method)

Process shots for how to make papaya salad without using a mortar and pestle steps 1-4

Combine the finely chopped palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice, then stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. You'll still have some chunks, but leave them for now.
Grate or press the garlic into a mixing bowl. Then finely mince the chilies and add them to the bowl as well.
Use whatever you have to smash the long beans until they're split open, then cut into 2-inch pieces.
Back to the dressing, stir it well, then use the back of a spoon to mash any remaining sugar lumps which should now easily dissolve. Then add the tamarind, pla ra and MSG (if using).

Process shots for how to make papaya salad without using a mortar and pestle steps 5-8

Add the long beans and tomatoes, and use a gloved hand to massage the tomatoes to smash and release the juices.
Add the dressing and mix well.
Add the papaya and carrots and hand-massage everything until well mixed and the papaya is wilted slightly.
Plate and garnish with pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!

What is Pla Ra and Where to Find it?

Pla ra (or padaek in Lao) is a fermented fish sauce. But unlike regular fish sauce (nam pla) which is also fermented, it is made from freshwater fish rather than anchovies. Pla ra can be made from a variety of fish, but gourami is a common one. It is thicker, funkier and absolutely packed with umami.

Unlike regular fish sauce which is a commercial product that most people buy, pla ra is an ingredient many people still make still at home, though nowadays you can also buy it. But because it’s historically a homemade item, the flavour of different pla ra varies greatly depending on the recipe used. Some people add various herbs such as lemongrass and makrut lime leaves, others add pineapple juice or even pandan leaves.

Where to buy pla ra? You can find pla ra wherever you find your Thai ingredients. Most of the time it'll be available at Asian grocery stores that carry a good amount of Southeast Asian ingredients. You can also buy it online; here's the brand I use and like and it is a good beginner pla ra that isn't overly funky and is well seasoned (not sponsored, but the company did send the product for me to try).

When shopping, the labelling can often be confusing as it often is labelled simply as "fish sauce." So make sure the liquid inside is cloudy and thick, and the colour can vary from grey to brown. Ingredients should include fish, salt, and some seasonings, and it may also contain herbs, rice bran or some kind of rice product.

Note: The Vietnamese also have a similar product called mắm nêm, which is available at some Asian markets, and you can use it in place of pla ra *in theory.* However, I don't have much experience with it and don't know the extent to which their flavours can vary between brands. So if possible I would stick to Thai brands to ensure the right flavours.

**Tip for buying pla ra:**

I prefer the more modern Thai brands of pla ra such as Ling Tue Krok (which I use), Zab Mike or E Pim. You can identify these by their more modern branding and a darker brown colour. These are good for pla ra beginners as they are less funky and are well seasoned. The more traditional recipes, which tend to be a lighter grey-ish colour, can be a bit intense if you’re not used to it.

Substituting Green Papaya in Som Tum

Green papaya can be hard to find and in some places they can be expensive. But the good news is you can make som tum using a number of vegetables that are firm, crunchy, and have a relatively neutral flavour. Here are some options:

Kohlrabi. This is probably the best sub in terms of colour, flavour, and ease of use. Simply peel the head and julienne it into sticks. The flavour is similar to broccoli stems.
Broccoli stems. Now you have a reason to buy broccoli with the giant stem attached! Before you julienne, peel off the tougher skin on the bottom part of the stem, but once you get close to the crown the skin is thin enough that it doesn't need to be peeled.
Premade broccoli slaw mix. If you can find bagged julienne broccoli slaw mix, which is made from broccoli stems, this is a convenient option.
Cabbage. The flavour will change, and taste quite distinctly of cabbage, but it is still a delicious salad. I even have a purple cabbage som tum in my cookbook SABAI: Simple Weeknight Thai Recipes.
Cucumber. In Thailand we make tum tang gwa which is som tum made from cucumber and it's super tasty; and I also have a recipe for a corn and cucumber som tum. If working with an English cucumber, you can remove the seeds to make it less watery, but if using smaller cucumbers the seeds can be left in.

Advance Prep Tips

You can actually make som tum up to an hour ahead of serving time and it'll hold up quite well if you wrap and put it in the fridge. If you want to get ahead of the prep, here are things you can do.

Julienne the papaya and carrots up to a few days ahead, and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge.
Make the dressing ahead of time (garlic, chilies, and all the seasonings) and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. When ready to use, pound the long beans and tomatoes, then add in the dressing and the papaya.

Easy Chili Garlic Chicken

November 15, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant 6 Comments

This is a delicious chicken dish that is so simple, you can make it even without a fridge. YES, and I know, because I came up with this recipe during the time that my fridge was broken! So I had been cooking with ingredients that only come from the freezer (thank goodness for the backup freezer) and dry storage. This is how I came up with this absolute winner of a dish: chili garlic chicken - which packs a punch of flavour with just a few ingredients - and no fridge required!

a plate for chili garlic chicken with dried chilies and garlic in the background.

What is Chili Garlic Chicken?

Chili garlic chicken was inspired by my popular chili garlic noodles recipe, but I decided to try it with chicken instead of noodles, and it worked amazingly. It is a simple stir fry with chicken and lots of garlic and dried chilies. It's seasoned with basic Thai seasoning sauces that you probably already have if you've cooked Thai food before, and it's meant to be served with jasmine rice.

Though it is not a traditional Thai dish, it uses ingredients that are staples in any Thai kitchen. I always like to remind people that Thai people don't cook from a list of existing dishes; we also create and innovate using ingredients that we have in our kitchens, and those dishes count as Thai food, too!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need, and some important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

Chicken thighs; boneless, skinless. Dark meat is always my preferred cut for chicken stir fries because it's juicy and essentially overcook-proof in a stir fry. But if you really prefer breasts, or if that's the only thing you have, it will also work in this recipe with no modification needed.
Fish sauce. See my post about how to choose high quality fish sauce.
Oyster sauce. Oyster sauce comes in various qualities, so make sure you are using a good one! See my post here about how to choose good oyster sauce.
Golden Mountain sauce or soy sauce. Golden Mountain Sauce is a type of Thai soy sauce, and the flavour is similar to Maggi Seasoning for those who are familiar with that. I love it in this dish, but whatever soy sauce you've got on hand will work just fine.
Sugar. This will help with flavour and browning of the chicken.
Chili flakes or chili powder; mild to medium. It's important to use mild or medium chili flakes otherwise you won't be able to add a lot, and you'll be giving up on the chili flavour. Generic "red pepper flakes" you find at Western grocers work great for this, as they tend to be quite mild. I used chili flakes from an Indian store, and that got me about medium spiciness. You can also use whole dried chilies and grind them up; guajillo or puya peppers are great milder options.
Garlic.
Optional garnish: chopped green onions, cilantro, or Thai basil add a little freshness and a pop of green that makes the dish look much prettier! If using Thai basil, I like to go easy on it as I don't want the dish to taste overwhelmingly like Thai basil.
Jasmine rice for serving if you want to keep it Thai, or you can serve with another carb of your choice. I've had this in a sandwich and it was great, and it would probably go well with noodles, pasta, even mashed potatoes!

How to Make Chili Garlic Chicken

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. The full instructions are in the recipe card below, and if this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

Marinate the chicken with fish sauce and sugar. Mix well and let it sit while you prep the other things.
Combine oyster sauce, Golden Mountain sauce or soy sauce, sugar and water; stir until the sugar is dissolved.
If your chili flakes are large or you're using whole chilies, blitz them into small flakes.
Heat a wok until very hot, add the chicken and let it sear until brown on the underside; about 2 minutes. Do this in 2 batches if you don't have a powerful stove.

Process shots for how to make chili garlic chicken steps 5-8.

Flip the chicken (you don't need to flip every single one) and let it cook on the other side, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is fully cooked through.
Remove the chicken from the pan, leaving all the juices and oil behind.
To the same pan, add the garlic, and saute on medium heat until golden, adding more oil as needed if the pan looks dry.
Add the chili flakes and saute for about 30 seconds or until they darken slightly and it starts to smell toasty.

Process shots for how to make chili garlic chicken steps 9-12.

Once the chilies are toasted, add the sauce immediately. (Chilies burn fast so move quickly to add the sauce!)
Let the sauce simmer for 20-30 seconds, then add the chicken back in.
Toss the chicken with the sauce until well coated and the sauce has reduced enough so that not much liquid is pooling in the pan.
Top with a little chopped green onions, cilantro, or Thai basil if you wish. Serve with jasmine rice or whatever carb you want!

Modifications - How About Not-Chicken?

No chicken? No problem, here are a few other proteins this recipe would work well with:

Shrimp. Skip the marinade, as frozen shrimp typically come with salt added. Try to use larger shrimp if possible so they can stand up to the sauce; at least size 26/30.
Tofu. Chili garlic tofu just sounds amazing doesn't it? I would use firm tofu and then fry/pan fry/air fry the tofu first to get the exterior firm and chewy so it will hold on to the sauce better. Better yet, try using my frozen tofu trick to get the sauce to penetrate inside the tofu.
Noodles. After all, this whole dish was inspired by chili garlic noodles, so check out that recipe if you want to turn this into a carb dish!

Advance Prep & Storage

This dish is so quick already, but if you like to prep weeknight meals in advance, here are some things you can do:

Marinade the chicken in advance, and up to 2 days ahead as long as your chicken is fresh.
Mix the sauce in advance. If you want to make the dish regularly, mix the sauce in bulk, in advance. It'll keep in the fridge indefinitely. Remember to measure the amount of sauce needed per batch and note it down on the jar so you know how much to use.
Make the whole dish in advance. This is one of those dishes that reheat really well, so if you're cooking a bunch of dishes for a dinner party and you want to get ahead, just make the whole thing (minus the garnishes), and simply reheat it in the microwave when it's time to serve. You can also throw it back into the wok for a quick reheat, though you will need to add a splash of water to the wok to compensate for the additional evaporation during reheating.

Storage: Chili garlic chicken will keep in the fridge for up to a week (great for meal prep!).

Before you start, if this is your first time, be sure to watch the video tutorial to ensure success!

Other Quick Meal Ideas You May Like

7 Ways to Make Thai Sticky Rice

November 6, 2020 by Pailin Chongchitnant 44 Comments

Thai people may eat jasmine rice as our main staple, but we also eat sticky rice regularly. And for some dishes, sticky rice is a necessary accompaniment! But cooking sticky rice isn't nearly as straightforward as cooking regular rice, and it's much less forgiving. But worry not, with this detailed article and video tutorial, you'll be able to make sticky rice like a Thai!

I've put together 7 different ways to cook sticky rice (yes, there are that many!) so no matter your situation, no matter what tools you have, one of these methods will work for you!

I highly suggest watching the video tutorial below, especially if you're not experienced, as it is much easier to understand these methods by seeing them. Note: The water ratio for the microwave method has changed slightly from what's shown in the video, so please see written instructions below for that!

Video: 7 Ways to Make Sticky Rice

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But first, what is sticky rice?

Before you cook, let's make sure you buy the right rice to begin with! Sticky rice, also called sweet rice or glutinous rice, is much chewier and denser than your average white rice. It's an ultra satisfying texture, and we love to pair it with meats such as our grilled steak or BBQ chicken, and use it in desserts such as the famous mango sticky rice.

In Thailand, we use long grain sticky rice which we call khao niew. At the store, it can be labeled as "sweet rice" or "glutinous rice," but to make sure it's the right one, check that it is a product of Thailand. Short grain sticky rice is also available, but it is used in China and Japan, not in Southeast Asia. In this article, I'm discussing how to cook long grain sticky rice, and while in theory you can apply the same methods to short grain sticky rice, I have not personally tried them.

Note that sticky rice is NOT sushi rice. Yes, sushi rice is sticky, and some people confuse the two, but they are very different. When shopping, you should look for grains that are opaque, bright white, and not translucent.

Why Cooking Sticky Rice is (a bit) Tricky

Why are there so many ways to cook sticky rice, and why are none of them just...throwing rice into a pot of water like you do with any other kind of rice? Well, it's because Thai sticky rice is a little bit...sensitive.

Trust me, if you could cook it like regular rice the whole nation of Thailand wouldn't do it any other way. Sticky rice can't absorb much water, which is why it's so dense and chewy, and it is not forgiving at all if you add even a bit too much. So, cooking it in an amount of water that you just eyeballed will not yield good results.

So the wise people of the past discovered that if you soak the rice in water for at least 3 hours until it is completely saturated, and then steam it OUT of water, there is no chance that it can overcook. Brilliant, right?

But not all of us have the time or the equipment to do it traditionally, so here's my roundup of all the ways that I know of that you can cook sticky rice, along with the pros and cons of each method.

The 7 Ways to Cook Sticky Rice

The 7 methods can be divided into 2 categories: soak and steam, and no soak. And under the soak-and-steam methods, you can either do a cold soak or a hot soak. Usually, the results are better using the soak-and-steam methods for the reasons I described above, but if you're short on time, the no soak methods will do in a pinch, but some precision is required.

But first, you need to wash the rice.

Doesn't matter which method you're using, you need to wash the rice! This gets rid of excess loose starch leftover from the milling process, and it will prevent your rice from becoming gummy.

Process shots for how to rinse sticky rice until the water runs clear.

Swish the rice around vigorously in room temperature water, then pour off most of the cloudy water.
Repeat the washing a few more times until the water runs mostly clear.

Methods 1-4: Soak-and-Steam Sticky Rice

These first 4 methods all require 2 major steps: soaking the rice, and then steaming the rice. But each method requires different equipment, so there should be something for everyone here!

Pro Tip: Of all the soak and steam methods, the hot soak (4th method) has become my personal favourite as it is the fastest and yields great results. I show how to do it here, but for more detailed on why I love this method, and some of its cons, read my post on the hot-soak sticky rice method.

1. Bamboo Cone Steamer

This is THE traditional method. If you go to a rural village in northeastern Thailand, this is how they make sticky rice! It is absolutely fail proof, and yields perfect rice every time. It also works with a small or large amount of rice.

The tool we're using here is a bamboo cone steamer set called huad. It's comprised of 2 parts, the bottom pot for water, and the cone-shaped bamboo steamer that sits on top.

After washing the rice (see above), soak the rice in plenty of room temperature water for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably 4 and up to 12 hours, and then drain well.
Fill the pot with no more than 2 inches of water and bring to a boil over high heat, meanwhile soak the bamboo steamer in water otherwise the rice will stick to a dry steamer.
Place the drained rice inside the steamer. Handle soaked rice carefully as they are brittle.
Once the water is boiling, place the steamer on top of the pot and cover with any lid that will fit (any old pot lid is fine). Steam for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, flip the rice ball so the top is facing down by tossing the steamer (see the video tutorial for how to do this). Then continue to steam for another 10 minutes.

Process shots for how to make sticky rice in a bamboo cone steamer

2. Steamer Rack

If you have a basic steamer rack that sits above a pot, such as a dim sum bamboo steamer, this method will work for you. This method is also popular with Thai people and yields great results.

After washing the rice (see above), soak the rice in plenty of room temperature water for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably 4 and up to 12 hours, and then drain well.
Wet a muslin or thin tea towel and squeeze out as much water from it as possible. You want it damp, not wet. Line your steamer rack with the muslin.
Place the soaked rice in the steamer and clear a hole in the middle. This eliminates any "thick part" and the rice will cook faster.
Fold the edges of the muslin up to cover the rice, making sure there is space around the rice for the steam to come up.
Cover and steam over boiling water for 20-30 minutes until cooked through (longer time if making a large batch).

Process shots for how to make sticky rice using a bamboo steamer rack.

3. Metal Sieve

I learned this method from my cousin who lived in Alabama where she didn't have access to much Asian cooking supplies. It's such a useful method because it doesn't require any special equipment, and the result is nearly as good as a bamboo steamer!

You do need to have a METAL sieve that has a similar diameter to a pot so you can set it on top of the pot. Make sure there's enough space at the bottom so the water will not touch the bottom of the rice.

After washing the rice (see above), soak the rice in plenty of room temperature water for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably 4 and up to 12 hours, and then drain well.
Place the sieve on top of the pot, then fill it with 1-2 inches of water, making sure there is at least 1 inch of space between the water and the bottom of the sieve. Remove the sieve and bring the water to a boil.
Place the soaked rice into the sieve but do not fill it completely or you will block the steam! You need some space at the top so steam can come up and surround the rice. Use your finger to clear a hole or an indentation in the middle of the rice to eliminate the "thick part" so the rice will cook faster.
Once the water is boiling, place the sieve over the pot and cover with a lid. Steam for 20-30 minutes until cooked through (longer time if making a large batch).

Tip: You can use this set up to steam vegetables or anything else as well!

Process shots for how to make sticky rice in a sieve

4. The Hot Soak

This is officially my favourite method because it's fast, and it yields a great result. The rice made using the hot soak method will be slightly softer than the cold soak BUT this is actually an asset because the extra moisture will keep it soft after it's cooled down to room temp, unlike cold soak sticky rice which quickly turns dry and hard once it's cooled down.

There are some minor cons to this method, most importantly you do need to be precise with soaking time, and adjustments may be needed if making a large batch. I write more about this method in detail in this post: hot soak sticky rice.

After washing the rice, place it into a heatproof bowl. Cover it with hot-off-the-boil water so the water comes up ½-1 inch above the rice. Give the rice a stir to break up any lumps and let it soak for 20 minutes and NO MORE.
Meanwhile, get your steamer setup ready. You can use any of the steaming set up from methods 1-3 above: the cone steamer, regular steamer rack, or the sieve.
Drain the rice, and rinse it with cold tap water to remove excess starch that has come out during the soaking.
Now the rice is ready to be steamed using any of the methods above.

Hack: If Serving Sticky Rice at Room Temp...

Sticky rice made using the cold soak method needs to be served warm as it quickly turns dry once cooled to room temp. So if you know that your sticky rice won't remain hot for serving (a potluck or a picnic?) here are a few options:

Use the hot soak method (method 4 above).
If you've already soaked the rice in cold water, but decide last minute you want to have it extra soft, drain and do a quick 10-minute hot water soak before steaming.
Do the cold soak and let the rice steam normally, but halfway through drizzle some cold water over the rice, you want just enough water to make sure all the grains are coated. This extra water will cling onto the partially cooked rice grains and gets steamed into the rice. Note: I don't like to do this if the rice is wrapped in cloth because the cloth becomes soggy from the extra water and the bottom of the rice gets mushy.

Methods 5-7: No-Soak Sticky Rice

I'm going to be frank here, no-soak methods are shortcuts for when you need sticky rice but didn't plan ahead. They are not the ideal ways to cook sticky rice because the resulting rice texture is generally not as good (except for method #6, maybe) and because you have to be very precise with the amount of water. But, it's still better than NO sticky rice, so I'll take it :).

*As with all other methods, you will need to wash the rice as mentioned above.

5. Steam The Bowl

With this method, you put the rice and the water together in a bowl, then steam the bowl in any kind of steamer set up you have. This allows the rice to cook gently, and with no risk of burning the bottom so you do not have to be precise with timing.

Drain the washed rice very well, making sure there is absolutely no water left. Place it into a heatproof bowl.
Add water at a ratio of 1 part rice to ⅔ parts water. So for every 1 cup of rice, add ⅔ cups of water OR for 1 ½ cups of rice add 1 cup of water. Measure this, do not eyeball. Stir to break up any clusters of rice.
Cover the bowl with a plate or foil to prevent condensation from dripping into the rice, and steam the bowl over rapidly boiling water for about 30 minutes. You will need more time if making a larger amount.
Remove the rice from the steamer, check that all water has been absorbed, if not, put it back and steam longer.

Tips: If you find that the rice came out too soft, add less water next time. Different brands of rice may require slightly different amount of water.

Process shots for how to make sticky rice using the steam-the-bowl method — In this example I did not cover the bowl when it was steaming, so the top got a little wetter than ideal, but the rest of the rice is still good.

6. Rice Cooker (maybe)

This method is a "maybe" because it doesn't work with all rice cookers, but when it works, it is awesome, and the result can be almost as good as rice cooked the traditional way. What you need your rice cooker to do is cook the sticky rice gently and slowly. So if your rice cooker normally boils the heck out of your rice, it'll likely not work for sticky rice.

If you've got a multi-function rice cooker, such as the Zojirushi, with a "sweet" rice function. That is the function made specifically for sticky rice. Congratulations!

I've also had success with a cheap, simple 1-button rice cooker that is super weak, so it cooks rice slowly and gently, which is perfect for sticky rice! If you have a "brown rice" function, it may be worth a try as brown rice function tends to cook more slowly too.

Wash the rice as per usual and drain very well. Place the rice into the rice cooker pot.
Add water at a ratio of 1 part rice to ⅔ parts water. So for every 1 cup of rice, add ⅔ cups of water OR for 1½ cups of rice add 1 cup of water. Measure this, do not eyeball. Stir to break up any clusters of rice. (If you're using the measuring cup that comes with the rice cooker, you can try using the line for "sweet rice" in the pot which follows roughly the same ratio, and adjust as needed next time.)
Cook the rice using the "sweet" mode and let the rice cooker do its thing!

NOTE: I have found that for the Zojirushi rice cooker, this function does not work as well with larger amounts of sticky rice (3+ cups). The result was a little more uneven than when I made 1-2 cups of rice, but it was still okay.

Process shots for how to make sticky rice in a rice cooker

7. Microwave

Yes you CAN do it in the microwave, though it wouldn't be my go-to if I have other options available to me. It is the most finicky and the least hands-off of all the methods. But when you're in a dorm room and desperate for sticky rice, it'll do the trick!

After a few practice batches and fine-tuning to match your microwave and the amount of rice you typically cook, the result can be surprisingly decent.

IMPORTANT: As every microwave is different, treat the instructions below as a guideline. Also, the more rice you make, the longer it will take to cook. The timing below is based on 1 cup (240 ml) of sticky rice. You may need to adjust the timing, but the idea is that you want to microwave it in bursts, gradually decreasing in duration, and stir it in between for even cooking.

Place the washed and drained rice into a heatproof bowl.
Pour hot off-the-boil water over the rice so it comes up about ½ inch over the rice. Give it a stir to break up any lumps and soak for 15 minutes.
Drain off the soaking water and rinse off excess starch with cold tap water. Drain the rice very, very well, then place it into a round glass or ceramic bowl.
Add cold water to the rice at the ratio of 1 part rice to ½ parts water, the water should come up approximately to the level of the rice.
Cover the bowl with a glass or ceramic plate and microwave on full power for 3 minutes. Take it out (carefully), stir the rice by flipping the bottom up to the top and the edges into the middle to evenly distribute the heating.
Cover and microwave again for another 2 minutes, then repeat the stirring. Then microwave for another 2 minutes and, at this point, all the water should be absorbed and the rice is should be mostly cooked with perhaps some grains still slightly undercooked (uncooked sticky rice will be opaque white in the middle). Give it a final stir then cover and rest for at least 5 minutes, and it should all be cooked through and ready to serve.*If after resting the rice is still undercooked, stir in 1-2 tablespoon (15-30 ml) water and microwave again for another minute or so and repeat the resting process.

*The instructions here are slightly different from one in the video as I have made some adjustments.

How to Store and Reheat Sticky Rice

Short term storage in the fridge: Cooked sticky rice will last in the fridge for 1-2 days, but beyond that the texture will be compromised even when reheated. Be sure to store it in a tightly sealed container as it dries out quickly. For longer storage, freeze the rice.

How to Freeze Sticky Rice

Sticky rice can be frozen for about a month before it starts to dry out to the point where it doesn't reheat well. It won't spoil beyond that, you can still eat it, but it won't have as good of a texture.

Separate the rice into portions before freezing as it's impossible to separate the rice when frozen. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap or foil (foil will prevent freezer burn for longer), then consolidate them into a freezer bag, squeezing as much air out of the bag as possible.

How to Reheat Sticky Rice

To reheat with a microwave: Cover the sticky rice in moist paper towel and microwave until steaming hot. It needs to be fully reheated until piping hot or it will not regain its soft texture. If the rice is really dry, you may want to spray or drizzle a bit of water directly on the rice.

To reheat by steaming: Preheat the steamer so the water is boiling. Wrap the sticky rice in a clean damp muslin, damp tea towel, or damp paper towel, then steam until the rice is until piping hot all the way through.

Recipes Using Sticky Rice

Generally, we love to eat sticky rice with meats. Here are a few classic meat dishes that are often paired with sticky rice:

BBQ Chicken or Thai Fried chicken
BBQ pork skewers
Northeastern Thai food such as laab or green papaya salad are always served with sticky rice.
Or try it with northern Thai food, which is commonly eaten with sticky rice. You can dip it into the thick sauce of Hung Lay curry; or if you like carb-on-carb, it's fantastic with spicy curry glass noodle stir-fry.

We also feature sticky rice prominently in desserts:

A popular classic that's a must-try during mango season: mango sticky rice
For fellow durian lovers, durian sticky rice is absolutely divine.
We eat sticky rice with ice cream! Any ice cream will work, but the classic pairing is this street-style coconut ice cream.

7 Ways to Make Thai Sticky Rice

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Author: Pailin Chongchitnant

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Description

I've summarized all the sticky rice cooking methods here, but I recommend you first watch the video tutorial or read the blog post above for more detailed explanations and important tips!

Ingredients

Thai glutinous rice, aka "Thai sweet rice". I recommend cooking around ⅓ - ½ cup uncooked sticky rice per person.
Water, amount depending on method, see instructions below

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Instructions

SOAK & STEAM METHODS:

Step 1: Wash your rice in room temp water for a few times until the water runs mostly clear. [Video 00:58] This is necessary regardless of which method you choose, otherwise you will end up with gummy rice!

Step 2: Soak your rice in plenty of room temp water for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably 4 (especially if your rice is old), and for up to 12 hours. [Video 01:45]

Step 3: Drain the rice and steam for 20-25 minutes (may take longer if making a lot), using any of the following implements (see video at the time indicated for details):

Bamboo Cone Steamer [Video 02:27].

Bring about 2 inches of water to a boil in the pot, meanwhile soak the bamboo steamer in water.
Place the drained rice into the bamboo steamer, cover with a lid, and steam for 15 minutes.
Toss the steamer to flip the rice ball, then cover and steam for another 10 minutes until fully cooked.

Steamer Rack [Video 04:50]

Bring water for steaming to a boil in a pot that has the same diameter as the steamer rack.
Line the steamer rack with a damp muslin or tea towel, then place the rice in it, clearing a hole in the middle so the rice cooks faster.
Fold the muslin over to cover the rice and steam for 25-30 minutes.

Metal Sieve [Video 06:39]

Add water to a pot you're using to steam, making sure there is at least 1 inch of space between the water and the bottom of the sieve.
Place the rice into the sieve and clear a hole in the middle. Don't completely fill the sieve as you need room for steam to come up.
Cover with a lid and steam for 25-30 minutes.

Hot-Soak Sticky Rice [see this post for video tutorial]

Recommended if you are serving rice at room temp

Soak the washed rice in hot-off-the-boil water for 20 minutes, make sure the water is covering the rice by ½-1 inch.
Drain immediately then rinse with cold water.
Steam as per usual using any of the implements from methods 1-3.

NO SOAK METHODS (cooking rice in water):

Step 1: Wash your rice. [Video 00:58]

Step 2: Drain your rice EXTREMELY WELL. You want to use a sieve, then shake and shake until water is no longer dripping from the rice. As I mentioned above, sticky rice overcooks very easily. So if we're going to cook sticky rice IN water it's important that you do not accidentally use too much water by not draining well enough.

Step 3: Cook the rice using any of the methods below

No Soak - Steam-the-Bowl [Video 10:56]

Place the washed rice into a heat proof bowl and add the water using the ratio of 1 part rice to ⅔ parts water by volume. Cover with a plate and steam the bowl using whatever steamer set up you have for about 30 minutes.

No Soak - Rice Cooker [Video 12:32]

Cook the rice the way you normally would in the rice cooker, but use the water ratio of 1 part rice to ⅔ parts water by volume.. This does not work for every kind of rice cooker, please see details on this in the blog post above.

No Soak - Microwave [Video 14:52, though I have modified this slightly from the method shown in the video]

Every microwave is different, you'll need to adjust the timing accordingly! More details on this in the blog post above.

Place the washed and drained rice into a heatproof bowl.
Pour hot off-the-boil water over the rice so it comes up about ½ inch over the rice. Give it a stir to break up any lumps and soak for 15 minutes.
Drain the soaked rice and rinse off excess starch with cold tap water. Drain very, very well, then place the rice into a glass or ceramic, microwave-safe bowl.
Add cold water to the rice at the ratio of 1 part rice to ½ parts water, the water should come up roughly to the level of the rice.
Cover the bowl with a plate and microwave on full power for 3 minutes. Take it out, stir it, flipping the bottom up to the top, then microwave another 2 minutes. Stir again, then microwave for another 2 minutes, at this point, all the water should've been absorbed and the rice is should be mostly cooked with some grains still have some opacity in the middle. Give it a final stir then cover and rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. *If after all this the rice is still undercooked, add 1-2 tablespoon (15-30 ml) water, stir it in, and microwave again for another minute and repeat the resting process.

Thai Green Papaya Salad ส้มตำไทย (som tum)

June 3, 2016 by Pailin Chongchitnant 110 Comments

Here is a new and improved recipe for the famous northeastern Thai green papaya salad! This time around, I provide you with lots of tricks, tips, and explanations to make sure you can really master this classic, delicious salad. This is also a very healthy dish, so I can really let myself indulge without having to hold back!

Serve it with some sticky rice, and try changing up the vegetables because in Thailand we make hundreds of variations on this salad! Try this apple and chayote salad or corn and cucumber salad for example! Note also that green papaya salad is gluten-free. Enjoy!

a plate of green papaya salad with a wedge of lime and chilies on the side.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success! And if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Authentic Thai Panang Curry - Just Like in Thailand

October 25, 2013 by Pailin Chongchitnant 27 Comments

Panang curry แกงแพนง is one of the most popular curries in Thailand and overseas alike. Growing up in Thailand, it's a curry we made at home a lot because of its simplicity and speed. There's very little prep involved (if you buy the curry paste), and the whole thing is done in minutes.

It's also gluten-free, and can be made vegan (more on this in the FAQ). This panang curry recipe is made with pork, which is the most popular protein in Thailand, but I also have a recipe for panang beef, or you can substitute chicken for this recipe as well.

a bowl of panang curry with julienned makrut lime leaves being sprinkled on.

What is Panang Curry?

Of all the different Thai coconut milk based curries, panang curry is one that is quite unique. Instead of having plenty of liquid like a Thai green curry or red curry, panang curry comes in a small amount of thick, rich sauce. You can make an argument that it's more of a saucy stir fry.

Another defining feature is the generous use of cumin and coriander seeds which distinguishes its flavour from the basic Thai red curry. Makrut lime leaves (aka kaffir lime leaves) are also considered must-have for panang curry. Peanuts are ground into the curry paste, making the resulting sauce thicker and richer, though for commercial panang curry pastes, the peanuts are often omitted or replaced with mung beans to avoid allergies.

You can buy panang curry pastes from some Asian grocery stores that stock a lot of Southeast Asian products, but it's not an easy one to find. So I have included how to make panang curry paste from scratch in this recipe, OR if you're short on time you can also try my shotcut - the semi-homemade panang curry paste - which includes just a few ingredients added to store bought red curry paste.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

Panang curry paste, store bought or homemade (recipe below). This is the heart of the curry and the quality of your curry hangs on the quality of your paste. So if you're going to use store bought, make sure it is good quality. My preference is for Maeploy or Aroy D brands, and if you cannot find store bought panang curry paste, you can also buy red curry paste and add a few ingredients to it to turn it into a panang paste.
Coconut milk. It's important to use good quality coconut milk when it comes to Thai curries, read more about how to choose good coconut milk here.
Fish sauce. More about how to choose good fish sauce here.
Sugar. If you have palm sugar, you can use it, but for this granulated white sugar or light brown sugar will also work just fine.
Pork tenderloin or pork collar butt, sliced thinly (~⅛ inch) or you can substitute chicken breast or thigh, sliced about ½-inch thick.
Makrut lime leaves, also known as kaffir lime leaves. This is an important flavour in panang curry. It adds a citrusy aroma the helps brighten and lighten the otherwise rich curry. If you can't find fresh, frozen is the second best option, and dried would be the last resort.
Mild red chilies for garnish, optional. This is just to give it some colour. Traditionally we use spur chilies or prik chee fa, but any kind of red pepper will do.

Homemade Panang Curry Paste Ingredients

Again, you do NOT have to make it from scratch! It is perfectly acceptable to use store bought, and see my hack for making semi homemade panang curry paste below!

Dried Chilies. Panang is not supposed to be a super spicy curry, so I stick with mild dried chilies such as guajillo or puya chilies. If you want to add some heat, you can add some spicier chilies such as Thai or arbol chilies as well.
Coarse salt. If you're pounding by hand, the coarseness will help add some friction, but if making by machine, any kind of salt is fine.
Cumin seeds, toasted
Coriander seeds, toasted
White peppercorns
Chopped lemongrass, use lemongrass from the bottom half only which is where the flavour is most concentrated. More about lemongrass here.
Chopped galangal. Fresh or frozen galangal will do. More about galangal here.
Makrut lime zest. AKA kaffir lime zest. This is the green part of the skin of the makrut limes, and it is very hard to find so I wouldn't worry so much if you don't have it. It has the same aroma as makrut lime leaves, so you can always just add a few extra leaves into the curry. More about makrut lime leaves here.
Cilantro roots. Simply the roots of the cilantro/coriander plant! This is a common ingredient in Thai cuisine, but outside of Thailand it can be hard to find. Not to worry, you can substitute cilantro stems instead!
Garlic
Shallots
Shrimp paste, called gapi in Thai, this is a fermented shrimp paste, which is an ingredient added to most Thai curries. It is salty and has a funky smell but adds a huge amount of umami. If you don't have it, you can omit it, and you'll just need to add a little more fish sauce to the curry.
Roasted peanuts. This adds richness to the curry, if you're allergic to peanuts you can substitute another nut or seeds that you are not allergic to to mimic the same richness.

Hack: Making a Quick Semi-Homemade Panang Curry Paste

Panang curry paste tends to be hard to find in stores, but red curry pastes are available everywhere. The good news is that the two share many, many ingredients because Thai red curry paste is essentially our "basic" paste upon which other pastes are built.

With this knowledge, we can take the widely available red curry paste and simply add a few extra ingredients that would turn it into panang. Here are the ingredients you'll need.

Store bought red curry paste, I recommend Maeploy, Aroy D or Namjai brands. Blue Elephant is also good for those in the UK. Do NOT use Thai Kitchen as it is very weak.
Toasted cumin seeds
Toasted coriander seeds
Roasted peanuts, if allergic, you can sub another type of nuts or seeds that you can eat.
Fermented shrimp paste, this is optional, and if your red curry paste already contains shrimp paste you don't need to add anymore.

How to Make Panang Curry

Here's a bird's eye view of the process, the full instructions are in the recipe card below, and if it's your first time make sure you watch the video below to ensure success.

Process shots for making panang curry steps 1-4

Reduce some of the coconut milk in a wok or large skillet until very thick.
Add the curry paste and stir to mix.
Keep stirring until coconut oil starts to separate and sizzle around the curry paste.
Add the palm sugar and torm makrut lime leaves and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Process shots for making panang curry steps 5-8

Add the meat and toss to coat in the paste (image shows beef, but it would be the same if using pork or chicken).
Add the remaining coconut milk and stir until the meat is cooked through, then turn off the heat.
Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce if needed, then stir in the red pepper.
Plate and top with julienned makrut lime leaves for garnish.

Watch the Video Tutorial

Here's the video showing how to make panang curry with beef, though the process would be exactly the same if using pork or chicken. (I do have a video that shows how to make panang curry with pork, but I have since updated my process so this one is better 😊). If you enjoy my videos, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Storing Leftover and Advance Prep

Panang curry keeps quite well and is great for meal prep. In the fridge it should last up to a week, just be sure not to overcook the meat when you reheat it. Any leftover curry paste can be frozen.

To make this dish even quicker to pull off on a weeknight, make your curry paste in advance, and you can keep curry paste frozen for several months. You can even make a large amount if you want to come back to this dish regularly!

FAQ

How can panang curry be made vegan or vegetarian?

If you're making the curry paste from scratch, the first thing to do is omit the shrimp paste. If using store-bought curry pastes, check the ingredient list to see if it contains shrimp paste.

You can replace the meat with sliced and pan-fried tofu or your meat substitute of choice. Frozen-then-fried tofu is actually great for this. In my first cookbook, Hot Thai Kitchen, I also have a panang recipe with roasted portobello mushroom, grilled peppers, and roasted eggplant. The fish sauce can be simply replaced with soy sauce.

Simply cook your veg separately, make the curry sauce as per the recipe, then toss the two together.

How is Panang curry different from other Thai curries?

The main difference between panang and most other Thai curries is that panang has a smaller amount of sauce that is thick and rich, whereas most other Thai curries have plenty of liquid that is quite soupy.

Panang also does not involve any vegetables, and uses only one herb, makrut lime leaves, in addition to what's in the curry paste. I have to say, though, that if you order panang curry in a N. American Thai restaurant, it might not be as I just described because I have seen many restaurants make it soupy, with added vegetables, but now you know that that is the "Westernized" way!

In terms of the curry paste itself, the ingredients are all of the usual suspects of Thai curries: lemongrass, galangal, dried chilies, etc., but roasted peanuts are added to thicken the sauce. In commercial pastes, sometimes beans are used instead to avoid allergies.

More Classic Thai Recipes You'll Love

If you're ready to try more dishes, here are some popular classic Thai recipes to check out, complete with video tutorials as always!

Mixed Vegetable Stir-Fry (Pad Pak Ruam)

April 10, 2016 by Pailin Chongchitnant 12 Comments

This recipe will change the way to think about "mixed veg." This isn't some boring old side dish, this quick and easy stir-fry is garlicky, umami, and full of flavour and textures. It's even got a little kick from some Thai chilies if you want it! It's Thai people's go-to whenever we need veggies on the table, and the recipe will work with whatever vegetables you have in the fridge. So, a great fridge cleanup dish!

a plate of mixed veg stir fry with two hands holding it.

What is pad pak ruam?

Pad means "stir-fry," pak means "vegetables," and ruam means "mixed," so it's very straight-forward! Though you often see pad pak ruam on menus of Thai restaurants overseas, in Thailand, this is very much home cooking.

Because Thai people eat family style, every meal is made up of multiple dishes, so no one dish needs to be "complete." So we have a lot of dishes that are mostly meat, and others, like this one, that is mostly veggies, and things balance each other out. Learn more about how Thai people eat here.

The vegetables can be flexible, and indeed I often use this dish as a "fridge cleanout," so the veggies in the recipe are just suggestions. I included several kinds in my version to give you ideas about things that work well, you can make this dish with just 2-3 veggies, no problem!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe and important notes about them. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

Sauce

You can use this sauce to stir fry just about anything, and indeed it's very similar to my universal stir fry sauce recipe!

Oyster sauce. The queen of Thai stir fry sauce. Read more about how to choose good oyster sauce here.
Soy sauce, any kind will do, but best if you have Thai soy sauce and my preference is Healthy Boy Mushroom Soy Sauce.
Golden Mountain sauce, is another kind of soy sauce that has a slightly different flavour. You can substitute Maggi Seasoning or fish sauce instead, or simply use more soy sauce. Here are types of soy sauces explained.
Water
Sugar. Just a wee bit to balance the salt.

The Stir Fry

Again I repeat: these veggies are just suggestions and ideas. You do not need all of these vegetables, just a few kinds will do, but ideally you want a good mix of colours and textures.

Carrots, "roll cut" for some cool shapes (you can see the video for technique), or simply cut them into thin sticks. Don't make them big, remember with stir fries you only have a few minutes in the pan.
Cauliflower, SMALL florets. Again they won't have much time to cook in the wok so these should smaller than what you imagine a "floret" normally is.
Green cabbage, bite-sized pieces. I prefer Asian cabbage (the squat ones) as they're sweeter and more delicate, but regular cabbage is fine.
Chinese broccoli (gai lan), stems thinly sliced on a diagonal, leaves roughly torn into chunks
Sugar snap peas, strings removed, which is done by snapping off the stem-end and pulling downward, and the strings on the sides of the pea should come away (see pic below). I like to then cut them in half on a sharp diagonal as allows the sauce to penetrate the otherwise impenetrable pods, making them more flavourful.
Shiitake mushrooms, fresh, cut into slices. You can use any other kinds of mushrooms here.
Garlic, roughly chopped
Thai chilies, optional, only if you want to make it spicy. Most of the time this dish is done with no chilies in Thailand, but I wanted to include it here to give you the option. I like to just crushed the chilies with the side of a knife just until broken and the heat will gently infuse into the sauce so it's not overwhelmingly spicy.

strings being removed from snap peas, and one snap pea cut in half on the table — How to remove strings on snap peas.

Pro Tip: Choosing Vegetables

When choosing your veg, think about having a good variety of colours and textures. Look at the list above and you'll see that each vegetable contributes something different to the mix.

How to Make Mixed Vegetable Stir-Fry ผัดผักรวม Pad Pak Ruam

Here's a bird's eye view of the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

steps for making mixed vegetable stir fry steps 1-4

Organize your vegetables in order they are added to the pan: Bowl 1 with firm veggies: carrots and cauliflower in this case. Bowl 2 with softer veggies: Cabbage, snap peas, gai lan stems, and mushrooms. Bowl 3 with anything leafy, like gai lan leaves.
In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
In a wok or a large saute pan on medium high heat, add a little vegetable oil, garlic and chilies and saute until small bits of garlic turns golden.
Add the firm veg in bowl 1 and a splash of water, and stir for 1-2 minutes or until they're about halfway cooked. Adding more water as needed.

steps for making mixed vegetable stir fry steps 5-8

Add bowl 2 of vegetables and the sauce and toss until the vegetables are done to your liking, 1-2 minutes.
Add gai lan leaves or anything leafy.
Toss just until the leaves are wilted, 20-30 seconds, and off heat.
Enjoy with jasmine rice!

Best Crispy Spring Rolls I've Ever Had

October 17, 2014 by Pailin Chongchitnant 18 Comments

Crispy spring rolls are a classic appetizer available at most Thai restaurants, but most of the time they're "satisfactory" at best. That is, until I came across this recipe. And for the first time I realized how good the humble spring roll can be.

I first encountered these while working at a Thai restaurant where they would make upwards of 500 of these every week because they were so popular. One auntie would work an 8 hour shift making ONLY these awesome spring rolls. I hung around her and learned all the tricks that I'm going to share with you.

a plate of spring rolls with one cut in half and a bowl of sweet chili sauce on the side and some mint and pansy garnish.

I made some modifications to make them even better. As tasty as these were, being a small restaurant they had to be cost conscious, which reflected in the bulk of the filling being mostly noodles and cabbage. When we make these at home, we can load them up with more of the tasty stuff like shiitake mushrooms, other veggies, and even some meat!

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients and all the important notes you'll need to know for this recipe. For amounts and the complete instructions, check out the full recipe card below.

Glass noodles, rehydrated and cut into 2-inch pieces. They only take 7-10 minutes to rehydrate in room temp water. Look for Thai/Chinese style glass noodles (not Korean) which are sometimes labeled as bean vermicelli or bean threads. The ingredients should ideally be made only of mung bean starch. My favourite brand is Pine Brand glass noodles from Thailand.
Ground pork, optional. Adding meat makes it a little more substantial. You can use ground chicken instead, or even chopped up shrimp, or simply omit the pork and add an equivalent weight of all the other veggies, or you can also check out my vegetarian crispy spring rolls recipe here.
Soy sauce. I use Thai Healthy Boy Mushroom Soy Sauce, which is my go-to soy sauce for Thai cooking, but any soy sauce you have will do.
Ground black pepper
Ground white pepper. This recipe is heavy on the pepper, which is one of the reasons it's so good! But it does have a kick, so if little kids will be eating them you may want to cut down on the white pepper a bit.
Minced garlic
Dried shiitake mushrooms, soak until soft, and finely diced. How long these take to rehydrate will vary depending on the size of the mushrooms. If using hot water, most sizes should rehydrate in 30 minutes, but if you plan ahead, you can simply soak them in room temp water for a few hours.
Julienned green cabbage. Think coleslaw, make it look like that!
Grated carrots
Cilantro stems, finely chopped. Leaves would turn black once cooked and look unappetizing, so we use stems instead which are equally if not even more aromatic!
Salt
Sugar
Spring roll wrappers, I use an 8-inch wrapper (20 cm) but you can make smaller ones if you wish. Do make sure these are not wrappers for egg rolls which are different.
Egg, for sealing the wrapper
Oil for deep frying. I use canola oil, but any neutral flavoured oil that's high heat resistant will work here. Make sure you have enough to get at least 2 inches of depth in the pot that you're using. Yes, you can bake or air-fry these. See FAQ below.
Dipping Sauce: Sweet Chili Sauce. Though these are great even without any sauce, it certainly doesn't hurt to dip it in some sweet chili sauce which you can buy, but it's quite easy to make and it tastes so much better! Use my sweet chili sauce recipe here.

How to Make Crispy Spring Rolls

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

Saute the garlic, black pepper, and white pepper in a wok until the garlic starts to turn slightly golden.
Add the ground pork and stir to break up the lumps until fully cooked.
Add the noodles, cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and all of the seasonings.
Keep tossing over medium high heat until the vegetables are wilted and the noodles are fully cooked. Add a splash of water if needed if the noodles stick to the work, or if the wok is dry but the noodles are still a bit too firm. (Tip: Go easy on any additional water. There should not be any pooling liquid at the bottom of the wok when done, you want to the filling to be dry.)
*Allow the filling to cool to no more than lukewarm before wrapping. While you wait for the filling to cool, carefully peel apart the spring roll wrappers so they are loose from each other because they will be quite stuck together after thawing. Once peeled, keep them in a stack, covered under a slightly moist kitchen towel.

Process shots for how to make crispy spring rolls steps 5-8

To wrap spring rolls: Place a spring roll wrapper with a corner pointing to you. Place a healing ¼ cup of filling onto the wrapper slightly off the centre towards you. Spread the filling out into a log shape, leaving about 1.5-2 inches of space on either side.
Pull the corner of the wrapper over the filling then pull back on the filling slightly to tighten.
Roll forward once, then fold the side corners in towards the middle.
Roll forward a couple of times, then use your finger to paint some beaten egg along the top edges of the wrapper to help seal the roll.

Process shots for how to make crispy spring rolls steps 9-12

Keep rolling until the end, and now you can fry these right away or freeze them for later.
To fry, heat 2 inches of oil to 375°F over medium high heat and fry the spring rolls for about 5 minutes until deeply golden.
Drain on paper towel, and cool slightly before digging in.
If you're cutting these to serve at a party, I recommend cutting on a diagonal for nicer presentation!

Advance Prep Tips

These are the perfect make-ahead freezer appetizers. At the restaurant, we made these once a week and froze them for the week. We fry them directly from frozen and you could never tell they were ever previously frozen!

But there are many ways to prep ahead. Here are all the things you can do:

Wrap the spring rolls then freeze them for up to a few months. Fry them without thawing. They will take 2-3 minutes longer to fry from frozen.
Make the filling up to 2 days ahead and keep in the fridge.
Reheat them for serving: the spring rolls can be fried up to 4 hours ahead, kept at room temp, then when ready to serve, re-fry them for a minute or two or bake them in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes to recrisp.
Wrap the spring rolls a few hours ahead. Uncooked, wrapped spring rolls can be kept in the fridge for a few hours before frying. Don't keep them wrapped for too long or the wrapper may become soggy. If you need to keep them for a long time, freeze them.
The dipping sauce can be made well in advance and kept in the fridge indefinitely.

FAQ

Can crispy spring rolls be cooked in an air fryer?

Yes, they won't brown as much and will be a bit dryer, but they'll still be great. First brush them generously with oil and air fry them at 400°F (200°C) turning halfway through, for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Exact timing will depend on your particular air fryer, so I would check them at 10 minutes to see where they're at, and go from there. Do not crowd the air fryer to allow plenty of air flow around each spring roll.

Can these spring rolls be baked instead of fried?

Yes, you can also bake these. Brush them with oil then bake them on a rack in a 425°F (220 °C) oven, convection if possible, for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. They won't brown nearly as much as deep fried or even air fried ones, so they may look a bit underdone, but they will still be crispy.

Is this spring roll recipe gluten free?

The filling is gluten free if you use gluten free soy sauce, but the spring roll wrappers are made from wheat flour so they are not. You can use this filling and wrap them with rice paper wrappers instead à la Vietnamese fried spring rolls. The rice paper wrappers just need to be briefly dipped into warm water to rehydrate.

How can I make these vegetarian or vegan?

You can simply omit the pork to make these vegetarian/vegan, and then add a little more of the vegetables to make up the volume. To seal the rolls, instead of eggs, you can make a paste from all purpose flour and water. See my recipe for the ultimate vegetarian spring rolls here.

My Other Crispy Spring Rolls Recipes

For a fully vegan recipe, try my ultimate veggie spring rolls.
For something different that will wow your guests, these green curry spring rolls are totally awesome.
If you have more spring roll wrappers and want to try something different, these easy curry puffs are a crowd pleaser!

Panang Curry Beef แพนงเนื้อ

February 15, 2019 by Pailin Chongchitnant 34 Comments

A classic, much loved Thai curry, and a very quick one to cook: panang curry! Instead of being soupy like most other Thai curries, this one is more of a saucy curry with a thick, rich, luscious, flavourful sauce. In this video I also give you a recipe for how to make a "semi-homemade" panang curry paste using store-bought red curry paste as a base.

a bowl of panang beef curry with chilies and lime leaves in the background

What is Panang Curry?

Panang curry is kind of an interesting dish, because it's quite unique compared to other Thai curries. You may have noticed that most dishes that are classified as "curry" of "gaeng" in Thai cuisine are rather soupy. Lots of sauce, thin and runny sauce, some are even water-based and eat very much like brothy soups like this sour curry or this breast milk boosting curry. (If you have my cookbook, I talk about what is curry in there.)

Panang, on the other hand, might be closer to what you imagine when you think of the word "curry"— a thicker, richer sauce, and just enough of it to coat all the stuff and pool a little. We even have a special word for this amount of liquid in a dish, it's called "kluk klik". Panang is also unique in that it is all meat—it never has any vegetables added to it. The meat is always thinly sliced, and at most you'll get some red peppers thrown in as garnish.

Flavour-wise, it is similar to a red curry with a couple of important ingredients added: coriander, cumin, and peanuts. You can check out my Thai red curry recipe to compare!

It's a great weeknight curry because it comes together so fast. The cooking technique is almost more of a stir-fry, which awesome!

How to Ensure Tender Beef

When eating a beef curry or stir-fry, my biggest pet peeve is when the meat is chewy. I hate it. No matter how delicious it is...if the meat it chewy, the dish is ruined in my books. There are a few simple keys to make sure you have tender beef without having to braise it for a long time.

Choose a cut of beef that you would eat as a steak. The assumption being that any beef you will eat as a steak is considered "tender", at least compared to cuts you would need to stew or braise. This is a good rule of thumb for choosing stir-fry beef, which this recipe essentially is. I'm using New York strip in this video (it's a particularly fatty one, which was just a lucky pick at the store!).This does NOT mean it has to be an expensive cut, but if you're choosing the less expensive, leaner steaks, the next two points are very important.
Slice the meat AGAINST THE GRAIN. If the meat is naturally tender (New York, ribeye, or tenderloin), it's not as big of a deal, but for cuts that are borderline chewy....like flank, or lean sirloin tip, it's very important. You want the shortest meat fibers possible because the longer it is, the harder it is to chew. Think of slicing the beef as "pre-chewing"—let the knife do the hard work for you. So pay attention to your steak, look at which direction the meat grain runs, and slice across it. See my video for an example.
Slice meat THINLY. For 2 reasons, one is because the thinner the beef the more tender is it to chew, which is important if you're using leaner, less tender meat. The other reason is that this is a quick-cooking curry, not a long simmering one, so if the meat is thick the flavour will not have time to penetrate the inside. Using meat that is still a little frozen inside makes slicing thinly much easier.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

Beef, very thinly sliced against the grain (see notes about tender beef above)
Fish sauce. More about fish sauce here.
Oil
Coconut milk
Homemade or semi-homemade panang curry paste (recipe follows)
Makrut lime leaves, 7 roughly torn into chunks which we'll add to the curry, and 3 finely julienned which we will use as garnish on top.
Palm sugar, finely chopped, packed. If you don't have it, light brown or even granulated white sugar will be fine as it is a small amount.
A handful mild red pepper, thinly julienned for garnish, optional
Jasmine rice for serving

Semi-Homemade Panang Curry Paste

If you can't find pre-made panang curry paste at the store, you can easily make one using red curry paste as a base.

Store bought red curry paste. I recommend Maeploy, Aroy D, Maesri and Namjai brands. I don't recommend Thai Kitchen. Read my red curry paste review here.
Toasted cumin seeds.
Toasted coriander seeds. Do not use ground coriander as it is often lacking in flavour. Buy whole coriander seeds, widely available at Asian and Indian grocery stores.
Roasted peanuts, if allergic, you can sub another type of nuts or seeds.
Fermented shrimp paste, for some extra umami. This is optional, only if the red curry paste doesn’t already have it.

How to Make Panang Curry Beef

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

For the semi-homemade panang curry paste:

Grind the cumin and coriander seeds until very fine using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder.
Add roasted peanuts and grind until fine.
Mix the red curry paste and shrimp paste into the ground spice mixture.

For the Curry

Add 1½ teaspoon fish sauce and oil to beef and massage it in with your hands, separating the pieces of beef that are stuck together as you mix.
In a saute pan or a wok over medium high heat, reduce ¾ cup coconut milk until thickened and creamy.
Stir in curry paste and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the paste for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until coconut oil separates away from the paste. If the paste sticks to the pan, you can deglaze with a bit of the remaining coconut milk.
Add palm sugar and torn kaffir lime leaves and cook for a minute or so until the sugar is dissolved.
Add beef and quickly toss it with the curry paste, separating the pieces of beef as much as you can. Once the beef is about 50% cooked, add the remaining coconut milk and stir for 30 more seconds or just until the beef is fully cooked. If it looks too dry, you can add a splash of water at this point.
Stir in red peppers, if using, and turn off the heat.
Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce and/or sugar as needed.
Garnish with julienned kaffir lime leaves and more red peppers as desired.
Serve with jasmine rice, enjoy!

Makrut Lime Leaves: Everything You Need to Know (kaffir lime leaves)

June 26, 2019 by Pailin Chongchitnant 15 Comments

Makrut lime leaves, also known as kaffir lime leaves, are an integral part of Thai cuisine. It's a common ingredient that Thai people have in our kitchens, and is crucial in many famous Thai dishes such as tom yum goong, tom kha gai and panang curry. It's also my favourite Thai herb! Its fresh, citrusy aroma is unlike any other citrus fruits, and it can liven up any dish it's added to.

Over the years I've gotten a lot of questions about makrut lime leaves, so in this article I'll cover everything you need to know to cook with them including how to use, choose, store and substitute.

Video: Makrut Lime Leaves 101

If you prefer to watch, everything that's covered in this article is covered in this video, plus you will get to see me demonstrate how to prepare and store them.

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Is it Makrut Lime or Kaffir Lime?

First and most importantly, we need to clarify the name of this herb. Makrut and kaffir limes refer to the same plant. Previously, "kaffir lime" was the most common English name, but because the word "kaffir" happens to sound the same as a racially derogatory term in South Africa, its use has been discouraged in favour of its Thai name makrut. (Note that the plant was not named after the derogatory term; they have different roots. You can read more about in this National Geographic article.)

In my recipe writing, I have switched over to using makrut in the past few years, but older recipes on the website may still have the old name which I try to update as I come across them. But because I am an educator of Thai cooking, it's important for me to educate people on both these names because in most Asian grocery stores today, the leaves and fruits are still being labeled as kaffir, which can cause confusion when people are shopping if they're not aware.

What is a Makrut Lime?

Makrut lime is a type of citrus fruits native to Thailand. It has fruits that are green, about the size of a golf ball, and has bumps on the skin which make them look a bit like a cartoon brain!

The leaves and the zest have very similar aroma to each other, so for Thai cooking, we mostly use just the leaves because they're so much more abundant and easier to use. We do use the zest in situations where we want to incorporate it into a fine paste, such as in red curry paste, because the leaves are tough and much harder to grind down.

Makrut lime juice, on the other hand, is not used much as makrut limes do not have much juice to offer, have lots of seeds (see pic above), and the juice tends to be bitter.

Fun Fact: Makrut Lime for Your Hair

In Thailand, it is believed that makrut lime is good for your hair! You can buy makrut lime shampoo that is supposed to prevent hair loss, whether or not it works I love it because it smells amazing.

My great grandmother and grandmother used to burn makrut limes over fire, squeeze out the juice and the essential oils from the skin, and use that to wash their hair. Apparently my great grandmother had a head full of black hair till her old age, and my grandmother who's now 96 still miraculously have some black hair on her head!

How to Cook with Makrut Lime Leaves

Lime leaves are incredibly versatile, and can be used in just about anything from soups, salads, curries, stir fries, even infused into drinks! Here are a few ways to use makrut lime leaves.

1. Infuse into liquids.

The easiest way to use makrut lime leaves is to simply let them infuse into liquid such as soups, stews, or curreis, such as in tom yum goong in the pic above. Simply grab a few leaves with your hands, and then twist to bruise the leaves to release the aromatic oils, then roughly tear into big chunks and add to your dish. It only takes a few minutes for lime leaves aroma to come out, so this is not something you have to simmer for hours on end.

*Important: In large pieces, makrut lime leaves are for infusion only and are not meant to be eaten as they are very tough. So think of them like bay leaves!

2. Finely julienne

If you do want to actually eat the lime leaves, you have to very finely julienne them, and I mean VERY finely because as I mentioned, the leaves are tough, if you have big ribbons it won't be comfortable to eat. In this form, you can add them to salads, stir fries, or use them as garnish as I do for panang curry and pad prik king. You may also want to remove the center stems if they're quite thick before julienning.

3. Toasting or Frying

Another way you can use these is to toast or fry them until they're crispy. Sometimes I do this when I make toasted rice powder for laab; I add the makrut lime leaves in with the rice, and as the rice toasts, the leaves dry and become crispy. Then I grind the leaves and the rice up together, resulting in an aromatic toasted rice powder.

Deep frying lime leaves is also something many Thai people do to get them crispy, but bewarned, they will splatter A LOT. So dry the leaves COMPLETELY, drop them into the hot oil and back up. They will take just a few seconds, once they stop splattering, they're crispy and can be used as garnishes on anything you wish.

Is that one leaf or 2 leaves?

Makrut lime leaves are what I call "double leaves" (I'm sure there's a botanical term for it), meaning each whole leaf is made of up two smaller leaves connected end to end. So when a recipe called for "1 leaf" people may understandably be confused whether that means the whole double leaf or just the single. I don't know about other recipes, but for my recipes, 1 leaf means 1 single leaf, NOT the double.

I decided on this because often times when people buy lime leaves, the two sections will have already detached from each other and your bag will be full of single loose leaves, especially if they're older or frozen. So it wouldn't make sense if by "1 leaf" I meant that you had to pick up 2 leaves in your package. Not to mention, there is no such thing as too much lime leaves so I'd rather err on the side of you putting double the amount than only half the amount!

Tip: Watch out for those thorns!

If you're lucky enough to find fresh lime leaves on the stems, handle them carefully! Makrut lime stems have many big sharp thorns.

makrut lime leaves on the tree — Can you see the thorns on the stem?

Buying Makrut Lime Leaves - Fresh, Frozen, and Dried

Try to find fresh makrut lime leaves whenever possible, and I recommend first looking wherever you get your other Thai ingredients. You'll have better luck at stores that carry a lot of Southeast Asian products like Vietnamese and Thai, than stores that are primarily Chinese, Japanese or Korean. If you cannot find fresh lime leaves, look in the freezer section as they're often sold frozen which work perfectly well. When I buy fresh, I freeze them at home anyway!

Worst case, you may be able to find dried makrut lime leaves which are fine, but not ideal. Dried lime leaves can work in soups and curries where they'll have time to rehydrate and infuse in the liquid, but obviously you can't julienne them and toss them into salads and they're completely crunchy. If you're using dried, add a few more leaves than the recipe calls for and give them a few extra minutes to simmer and infuse. Or try powderizing them in a coffee grinder, then add to dishes.

How to store makrut lime leaves

If you buy fresh lime leaves, they will last at least a week in your fridge's crisper because they're quite sturdy. But if you don't have any plans for them within the next few days, I recommend freezing them to prolong their freshness.

To freeze makrut lime leaves, wash them first, then lay them out on a towel and let them dry completely. Once dry, gather them into a freezer bag and press out as much air as possible before you seal. If you've got a lot and you think it'll last you a long time, you may want to first wrap them in aluminum foil before putting them into a freezer bag as the foil will prevent freezer burn for longer.

Substitutes for Makrut Lime Leaves

If you cannot find any form of makrut lime leaves (remember to look for frozen and dried first!), regular lime zest is your best substitute. They do not have the same aroma, but at least you'll get the same citrusy feel. You cannot use regular lime leaves or any other kinds of citrus leaves instead as they are not aromatic.

Recipes with Makrut Lime Leaves

Ready to cook with makrut lime leaves? Here are a few recipes to get you started!

Types of Soy Sauce Explained

November 9, 2018 by Pailin Chongchitnant 22 Comments

Have you ever been intimidated by the soy sauce aisle at the Asian grocery store, with hundreds of soy sauce bottles and you don't know which one to choose? It is usually the single biggest section dedicated to one type of product at most Asian supermarkets.

At my local store it's half of the entire aisle, and I've seen so many people stand in front of the aisle and looking entirely overwhelmed. Well, this article is here to help you pick the right soy sauce for the job!

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Video: Soy Sauces Explained

If you prefer to watch rather than read, most of what's covered in this article is also covered in this video!

4 Main Types of Soy Sauces

The best way to attack this beast of a subject is to look at soy sauces by their main function. (FYI This is a system that I came up with to help people understand the different types of soy sauces. It is not an official categorization system).

The easiest way to understand the hundreds of bottles of soy sauce is to divide them into 4 main categories based on their main function:

Regular soy sauce
Dark soy sauce
Sweet soy sauce
Specialty soy sauces

Within these categories, there are various subtypes of course, and this guide will cover everything you need to know to get you cooking, without getting into all the obscure details that you likely won't need. At the end we will also cover soy sauce storage and soy sauce substitutes at the end.

But first, what is soy sauce?

At the basic level, soy sauce is made from 5 main ingredients: soybeans, wheat, salt, water and koji. Koji is a special mold that does the fermentation and is responsible for a few other food products such as miso paste.

Each manufacturer will have their own recipe and processes, and they often also add other ingredients such as MSG and/or other flavours.

Regular Soy Sauce

What it's for:

This is the stuff you'll need when a recipe calls simply for "soy sauce." And by "regular" soy sauce I mean soy sauces whose main function is to add saltiness, umami, and of course soy sauce flavour. By contrast, the main functions of dark and sweet soy sauces are added for colour and sweetness, respectively.

What to buy:

First, decide which cuisine you're cooking, and buy the soy sauce that is from that cuisine. If you're cooking Thai food, try to get Thai soy sauce, if you're cooking Japanese food, get Japanese soy sauce, etc. If you don't want to stock 3 different soy sauces, that's fine and understandable! For the most part you can use the "wrong" country's soy sauce and you will still have a fine-tasting dish, albeit slightly different.

Once you've narrowed down the cuisine, you want to go for the bottles that are simply labeled as soy sauce, light soy sauce (explained below), or in the case of the Thai ones, thin soy sauce. All of these are considered regular soy sauce. Of course if there are generic descriptors such as "premium" or "organic," that doesn't really count.

Low sodium and gluten-free soy sauce:

These are considered variations of regular soy sauce. If sodium and gluten are issues of concern, you can use these in place of regular soy sauce in the same amount. Note: The Japanese tamari is usually gluten free, but always double check as tamari can technically contain gluten.

Soy sauce for Thai cooking:

Since this is a Thai cooking site, let's go deeper on Thai soy sauce! The only brand of Thai soy sauce that I've seen overseas is Healthy Boy Brand, which is great cuz it's my favourite anyway. There are TWO types of Thai regular soy sauces, the "thin soy sauce" which is the original formula with a yellow label. And the "mushroom soy sauce" which is simply a mushroom flavoured version. Both are interchangeable in all recipes, it's just a matter of preference. Because I know you will ask, I use Healthy Boy Brand Mushroom Soy Sauce when I can get it.

*Thai mushroom soy sauce is not to be confused with Chinese mushroom soy sauce, which is much darker and is a different thing altogether.

What's the deal with "light" soy sauce?

You might think light soy sauce is lower in sodium, lighter in colour, or somehow lower in calories... but it doesn't. It's actually just a way some companies label their regular soy sauce.

Some brands use the term "light soy sauce" to label their line of regular soy sauce in order to differentiate it from their dark soy sauce. For example, Lee Kum Kee does not carry anything called "light soy sauce", only "soy sauce." On the other hand, Amoy brand carries "light soy sauce," but they don't have anything that just says "soy sauce."

Dark Soy Sauce/Black Soy Sauce

What it's for:

The main function of dark soy sauce, or black soy sauce as Thais call it, is to give your dish a dark rich brown colour, and also a deeper, molasses-y flavour.

A little bit of this stuff goes a long way so you never need much, so while it is salty, it would not be the main source of saltiness in your dish. In fact, if you put too much it tends to taste a bit bitter because of that molasses flavour.

Most commonly you will find dark soy sauce called for in Chinese and Southeast Asian recipes.

What to buy:

Again, it's always best practice to match your ingredients to the cuisine, but because it is not usually used in large amount, you can be pretty relaxed about cross-country use of dark soy sauce.

Chinese dark soy sauce can be used in place of Thai black soy sauce, though generally the Chinese variety tends to be saltier, so if more than a dash is called for it's wise to hold back on other salting agents a bit just in case.

Black soy sauce for Thai cooking:

Things actually get a little confusing because for reasons beyond my understanding, there are so many formulas for black soy sauce in Thailand. Some are darker, some are lighter, some are sweeter, some are saltier. It's totally unnecessary IMO, but here we are.

My preference is Dragonfly brand black soy sauce (orange lid), which is the classic old-school brand that I like, but it can be hard to find. My second choice is Healthy Boy Brand Black Soy Sauce (formula 1), but it is MUCH darker than Dragonfly, which means I have to use much less of it. Note that Healthy Boy makes multiple formulas of black soy sauce, they're all fine to use.

If you can't find these, not to worry. Because you never use too much of this stuff, and its main purpose is colour not flavour, it's not a big deal if what you're using is different from mine. But it does mean that you have to be cautious and add a little at a time to ensure you don't accidentally over do it.

Sweet Soy Sauce

What it's for:

The main function of sweet soy sauce purpose is as you might expect...to add sweetness! It's a thick, syrupy soy sauce that is not very salty at all despite its name, and it has a deep molasses flavour and a dark colour. It is most commonly used in Indonesian and Malaysian cuisine, and in Thailand we use it very rarely, usually to make dipping sauces.

What to buy: My go-to is the Indonesian ABC brand kecap manis (kecap manis mean sweet soy sauce in Indonesian). It also happens to be the most widely available.

Specialty Soy Sauces

There are other soy sauce-like seasonings, made from fermented soybeans, but are not really considered soy sauce because their flavours are significantly different from soy sauce. For example, Golden Mountain Sauce (aka Thai Seasoning Sauce), Maggi Seasoning, or Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or liquid soy seasoning).

What it's for:

These are usually comparable to regular soy sauce in terms of saltiness, and you can use them instead of soy sauce to change up the flavour. For me, I usually use them in combination with soy sauce to get a more complex flavour, or to add variety to different stir fries that might otherwise taste similar to each other.

What to buy:

It's a cook's playground! These are rarely "core" to a dish's flavour, so buy whichever you're intrigued by and consider these opportunities to explore various soy based seasonings. I

In my recipes I use Golden Mountain Sauce, so if you want to do what I do, that's the one to get. Though Maggi Seasoning is a favourite of people around the world for boosting umami in all sorts of dishes, and in Thailand it's commonly drizzled over fried eggs!

Getting Deeper into Non-Thai Soy Sauces

I wanted this article to give you just enough info to work with without becoming overwhelming, and definitely enough to get you through Thai cooking. But if you're a food nerd and love deep dives into all sorts of minute details, here are some good resources.

Serious Eats has a great guide to soy sauces that go deeper into Japanese, Chinese and Korean soy sauces. I also did not talk much about Korean soy sauces as I know less about it.

How to Store Soy Sauce

Even though most soy sauces are so salty that they won't go bad in your cabinet, I recommend refrigerating all types of soy sauces because the flavour does deteriorate over time. Keeping it in the fridge where is cold and dark will help preserve the flavour of soy sauce longer.

In the fridge soy sauce will last indefinitely, meaning it won't go bad even after years. However, if you find a 4 year old open bottle in the back of your fridge...the flavour isn probably not as good as a fresh bottle.

Soy Sauce Substitutes

If you're looking to avoid soy sauce because you're on a gluten-free diet, there are now many brands of gluten free soy sauces on the market, though there isn't a Thai one that is readily available outside of Thailand yet. Bragg's Liquid Aminos is also gluten free.

If you are allergic to soy, however, it gets a little more complicated. Fish sauce works in many situations, especially in stir fries. Here's my guide to choosing fish sauce.

The other option is coconut aminos, which is made from coconut sap. This is much less salty than soy sauce so you may have to supplement with salt or fish sauce. I have not personally tried it, but people on the internet seems to be in favour of it.

Explore Other Sauces in Thai Cooking

Now that you are well equipped with the soy sauce knowledge, are you ready to get to know other Thai ingredients? Yes? Well, here you are:

Viral Tom Yum Instant Noodles (Mama Jeh O)

July 26, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant 6 Comments

If you follow the Bangkok food scene you may have heard of a restaurant called Jeh O on Banthadthong Street (aka Jeh O Chula) with lines out the door everyday. What are people lining up for? Instant noodles.

Yes, instant noodles! But it is the most deluxe, most delicious bowl of tom yum instant noodles I have ever had, and it was worth the wait. I wanted to try it specifically so that I can recreate it, and I'm happy to report that my recreation was a success! You can see my experience at Jeh O in Bangkok and watch the recreation process in this video!

How Instant Noodles Went Viral and Became Iconic

"Jeh O" is the name of the auntie chef-owner of this a 60-year-old restaurant that was originally known for khao tom ped, a duck version of this Thai rice soup. Around 2015, Jeh-O's son made a tom yum mama noodle soup for himself (Mama being Thailand's favourite instant noodles). But instead of using just the seasoning powder for the soup, he made creamy tom yum soup from scratch and dressed it with a lot of toppings. He posted it on social media and it looked so impressive that his friends asked him to make it for them.

He served it right in the pot, with lots of toppings, and when he plopped it on the table people said, "Oho!" which is Thai for "wow." So he named the dish "Mama Oho."

When Jeh O consulted her son about how to draw in more customers during the quiet late night hours, he suggested putting his Mama Oho on the menu because mama is a popular late night snack for many Thais.

And people went wild for it. After they announced the new item on social media, lines were forming around the block on day 1. Literally overnight an iconic dish was born. It has been many years, and Mama Oho has stood the test of time and people are still lining up for it today, and I was one of them!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need, and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

For the Noodle Soup

Creamy Tom Yum Mama noodles. You can find these at many Asian grocery stores. If this flavour is not available you can also get regular tom yum flavour, but note that creamy tom yum flavour is bigger than other flavours (90 g vs. 55 g), so you'll need to get more packs of the smaller size.
Makrut lime leaves, aka kaffir lime leaves.
Lemongrass, bottom half only as this is the most flavourful part.
Galangal, thinly sliced
Thai chili paste (nam prik pao) aka Thai chili jam. This is an important part of this dish, so there is no substitute! If you can't find it in stores, you can make your own following my Thai chili paste recipe.
Thai chili paste oil. This is the oil that is on top of every jar of Thai chili paste when you buy them. If you're using a half-used jar and there isn't any more oil, you can substitute another chili oil as long as it's doesn't have too-strong flavours of other "irrelevant" spices.
Fish sauce, read about how to choose food fish sauce here.
Fresh lime juice, yes fresh only, no bottled!
Thai chilies, chopped. Put as much or as little as you can tolerate, but the dish as served at Jeh O is about medium spicy.
Pork stock, unsalted (If you're making the meatballs, you can just use the meatball cooking water as your stock). Otherwise see my pork stock recipe here.
Egg whites, which will be mixed into the broth. Keep the yolks for topping.
Evaporated milk. If you can't have dairy, you can substitute coconut milk.

For the Toppings

Mama Oho is not complete without elaborate toppings, this is what makes it WOW! Feel free to pick and choose the toppings here, but I highly recommend the meatballs!

Thai style pork meatballs or what we call moo deng, recipe included beloe.
Crispy pork belly, store bought is fine, or if you're feeling ambitious you can make it using my crispy pork belly recipe
Shrimp, large ones for the same impressive effect. Ideally at least size 21/25.
Squid or crab meat, whichever you prefer, or both!
Sawtooth coriander or cilantro
Lime slices, these are just for show, feel free to omit.
Egg yolks

For the Meatballs (moo deng)

White peppercorns
Garlic
Ground pork, preferably not lean, but lean is fine
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
Sugar
A small ice cube, optional
Food processor, optional. Ideally you'll also need a food processor for the meatballs (small one is fine). If you don't have one, it's ok.

How to Make Mama Tom Yum Noodles - Jeh O Style

Here's a bird's eye view of the process, for the full recipe with complete instructions and ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

Pound the garlic and pepper into a paste (not shown). Add the pork, the garlic paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and a small ice cube into a food processor.
Process the pork into a paste. Without a food processor just knead all ingredients together well with your hand.
Roll them into little balls and cook them in boiling water for about 2 minutes or until cooked through.
Remove the meatballs and, using the same water, blanch the shrimp until fully cooked. If using squid, blanch them in this water too. Keep the water as a base for the soup.

Into a medium pot, add the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice, Thai chilies, chili paste, chili paste oil, and all of the seasoning powder and chili paste packets that came with Mama.
Add the pork stock (or meatball cooking water) and bring to a vigorous boil.
Add the noodles and pour the egg whites on top of the noodles. Keep pushing on the noodles until they start to loosen and try to get all the noodles to be submerged.
Once the noodles are softened (takes only 1 minute) turn off the heat and stir in the evaporated milk. *Noodles are already cooked, they just need to be rehydrated and they'll continue to soften in the hot broth, so do not overcook the noodles!

Immediately pour into a serving bowl and top with toppings. Do this quickly as the noodles will swell up too much if you take too long.
Take a quick photo of this masterpiece, and enjoy immediately!

FAQs

Can I use another brand of instant noodles?

Mama noodles are unlike any other instant noodles, so for the right flavour and texture, you should use Mama Creamy Tom Yum or regular tom yum flavours. If you use other brands, the noodle texture will be very different and you won't have the right seasoning powder, and cooking time will also be different.
However, feel free to take this idea and adapt your own "deluxe" version of your favourite noodles!

Can this be made in advance?

You can make the broth in advance. I would leave out the egg whites, lime juice and evaporated milk, then when ready to serve bring the broth to a boil, cook the noodles and egg whites, and add the lime juice and evaporated milk at the end.

Can leftovers be stored and reheated?

No, the noodles will be all swollen up and gross if you keep them. Don't make anymore than you can eat in one meal. You should also eat them immediately after they're cooked or, again, the noodles will swell.

All-Purpose Thai Salad Dressing: Yum Anything!

October 11, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant Leave a Comment

This is one of the most useful recipes you will ever learn as a Thai food lover: an all-purpose Thai salad dressing, or nam yum in Thai. As you know I am all about teaching you the foundations so that you can cook Thai food on your own without relying on recipes, and this is a great start because once you learn the dressing, you can get creative with the actual salad.

a bowl of Thai salad dressing with a spoon in it, with garlic cilantro and chilies in the background.

With this dressing you can literally make hundreds of kinds of “yum,” and yum is a category of Thai salads that is the most varied because you can yum just about anything; and yes, in Thai yum is a verb :).

So I’m going to show you the basic yum dressing, as well as a few ways to jazz it up so things don't get boring!

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What is a Thai "Yum"?

a bowl of glass noodle salad with shrimp, with a fork and spoon holding up some noodles. — *Yum Woon Sen* is a classic Thai *yum* made from glass noodles.

In Thai cuisine, a yum is a type of Thai salad that uses a dressing made from fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chilies. It's sour and spicy, and well balanced with a little sweetness and a good dose of umami; which is why everyone loves a yum and it's an important part of a Thai meal.

You can make a yum from just about any ingredients, which is why it's the most common type of salad in Thailand, but the dressing remains more or less the same, with a few variations. This makes it easy because with just one dressing, you can make so many salads!

But before you think, wait, doesn't that make all my salads taste the same? Not at all! Unlike Western style salads where the identity of the salad is tied to the dressing (caesar salad = caesar dressing), the identity of Thai salads are in the main ingredients used. The dressing is there to season and give it that bright, fresh flavours that we enjoy as a balancer of richer dishes in a meal. It's kind of like sandwiches, you can keep the same bread and condiments, but by changing the meat, you change the whole sandwich!

Most of the common yum we eat in Thailand are centered around a protein main ingredient, such as this yum neua yang (grilled steak salad) or this yum tuna (tuna salad). However, yum can also be made with noodles or vegetables as the main ingredient, such as this glass noodle salad or wing bean salad.

Imitating a Yum Shop in Thailand

a thai salad being composed in a mixing bowl

This recipe was actually inspired by a video I saw of a raan yum or a yum shop in Thailand. Typically a yum shop is a stall in the market, but it can also be a restaurant, and it’s a bit like a salad bar - they have a bunch of ingredients for you to choose from, you tell them what you want, and they mix it up for you with their yum dressing.

But unlike western salad bars with a ton of different dressings on offer, the yum shop would have just 1 or 2 dressings. Definitely they’ll have The classic yum dressing, and maybe they’ll have 1 or 2 of the jazzed up versions that I'll show you below. Or perhaps they have only the basic dressing but with two different spice levels. But that’s it. This goes to show you the magic of the yum dressing, it works with everything!

Ingredients and Notes

The ingredients you need for a Thai yum salad dressing are super simple. Here are some important notes about them, and for amounts, see the full recipe card below.

Thai red chilies. You'll be hard pressed to find a Thai salad that is not spicy, so chilies are an important component. If your heat tolerance is low though, either use milder chilies if you can find them, or scrape the seeds and pith out of your chilies to reduce the heat instead of using fewer chilies. That way you'll keep the chili flavour!
Garlic. This is actually optional but I find it does add a flavour that I like; and if you love garlic, you'd love it too.
CIlantro roots or stems. Also optional, but if you already have some, I recommend adding it for a more complex flavour.
Fish sauce. It is important to use good quality fish sauce for this as it is a main flavour. See this post for how to choose good quality fish sauce here.
Lime juice. Use freshly squeezed lime juice for the best flavour here, no bottled lime juice!
Palm sugar. Palm sugar adds not only sweetness but a lovely flavour to yum dressing, if you don't have it, light brown sugar can work. You can also try to change it up and use honey or even maple syrup! Learn more about palm sugar here.

How to Make a Basic Thai Salad Dressing

Here's a bird's eye view of the process, for the full instructions, see the recipe card below.

process shots for making Thai salad dressing steps 1-4.

Pound garlic, chilies, and cilantro stems into a paste. (If you don't have a mortar and pestle, alternative methods are in the recipe card.)
Add the palm sugar and pound until it is dissolved into a paste.
Add the fish sauce and lime juice; stir to mix.
It's now ready to use!

Variations: 3 Ways to Jazz Up Your Yum Dressing

Though the basic dressing works on everything, sometimes you might want to try something a little different. Here are 3 common ways we change up the basic dressing:

Jazz #1: Replace some of the palm sugar with Thai chili paste.

Thai chili paste being spooned into a mortar

The basic dressing is quite light, so if you want a richer dressing, adding Thai chili paste is the way to go. Aside from richness, it also adds a lovely and a unique flavour. You can add more or less Thai chili paste, but remember that chili paste is sweet, so the more you add, the less sugar you need. Different brands of chili pastes are not equally sweet, so some tasting and adjusting is needed here.

Jazz #2: In addition to the chili paste, you can also add coconut milk.

This makes for a creamier dressing with a wonderful coconut flavour. Note that coconut milk is typically added in addition to chili paste, although you can try adding only coconut milk to the basic dressing if you wish - I don't think it would be bad!

Jazz #3: For those who loves funky flavours, replace some of the fish sauce with pla ra or shrimp paste.

pla ra being squirted into a mortar with a tub of open shrimp paste on the side.

Pla ra is a type of fermented fish sauce that's different from your regular fish sauce in that it is made from freshwater fish instead of anchovies, and it is much thicker as it has a lot of the fish bits dissolved into the sauce. It has a funky flavour that some people cannot live without, and it's packed with umami. I love a pla ra dressing because it feels more full-bodied. You can add as much or as little as you want depending on the level of funk you desire, but the more you use, the less fish sauce you'll need as they are both salty.

Fermented shrimp paste (gapi) is also a salty, funky ingredient, but it has a very different aroma. I personally prefer a pla ra dressing than one made with shrimp paste, but it is here for you as an option. Though if you've have never had shrimp paste before, putting it into a salad is not how I would suggest trying it the first time! I'd probably go with shrimp paste fried rice as a first.

You can substitute plara for fish sauce at a 1:1 ratio. For shrimp paste, I would add just 1 teaspoon to the basic dressing, and reduce fish sauce to 1 ½ Tablespoons. Tasting and adjusting is important here once again as different brands are not equally salty.

*This is the plara I like (not sponsored) but you can also get this pla ra from Amazon which I've never had but heard good things about it. Rule of thumb for buying pla ra: modern brands with herbs and seasonings added tend to be more beginner-friendly. If the packaging looks old school and very "authentic," and the ingredients look simple, it tends to be quite intense and these must be used with caution!

What To Put into A Thai Salad?

You've got the dressing, now what do you put in the salad? First of all, no salad greens. Thai salads, as you're about to see, are all about protein and noodles, and the veggies play a minor role; and even then, no leafy greens.

Let’s go through some of the most common yum ingredients to give you some ideas of what you can use - and I’ve divided them into 3 categories, the main ingredient, the veggies, and the herbs and toppings.

Main Thai Salad Ingredients

Most Thai salads are centered around a protein. Any kind of protein will work, but here are some options:

a spread of main ingredient options for a thai salad.

Cooked seafood: shrimp, squid, fish, shellfish, you name it. Most of the time these are simply blanched in water until cooked, but you can also pan fry or even deep fry them.
Raw seafood: Raw seafood goes very well with this kind of dressing! Any sashimi grade fish works, but in Thailand we also often eat raw shrimp and raw shellfish. Make sure the seafood you're using is safe to eat raw. Also see my salmon sashimi salad.
Cooked meat - Cooked chicken, thinly sliced steak, pork chops...this is a great way to use up any leftover meats! Rotisserie chicken from the supermarket, shredded up and tossed in a yum dressing is a great inexpensive meal idea!
Processed meats - Asian meatballs, Vietnamese ham, and hot dogs are all commonly added to Thai salads. This is a really convenient option.
Eggs - Crispy fried egg salad or yum kai dao is a classic Thai yum that is to die for. But you can also make boiled eggs salad, or even salted duck eggs salad.
Noodles - Glass noodles, as in yum woon sen, and instant noodles as in yum mama are the most common. But you can also make yum kanom jeen which uses Vietnamese style rice vermicelli
Ground pork or chicken - this is actually more of a supplement protein we like to add when the main ingredient is not meat. So when the main ingredient is eggs, noodles, or even seafood, a little ground pork is nice for that extra flavour and texture. Simply cook ground pork in a dry pan until it's all broken up and cooked through.

Veggies

Veggies play a secondary but important role in a Thai salad. While they're rarely the star, the add freshness and crunch to the salad. Here are some common options:

Onion
Tomatoes
Chinese or regular celery
Carrots
Sweet corn
Cucumber
Chinese broccoli stems, blanched

Sometimes the veggies play a bit more of a major role, but even these situations, protein is usually still added to supplement, such as in the classic wing bean salad.

Herbs and Toppings

Herbs and topping options for thai salads

Herbs and toppings seem like minor flourishes, but they can really add to the flavour and complexity of your salad. Pick any of the following:

Cilantro
Green onions (cilantro and green onions are added to almost all Thai salads as default herbs.)
Lemongrass, thinly sliced
Mint
Shallots
Roasted peanuts
Roasted cashews
Fried Shallots, store bought or use my homemade crispy fried shallots recipe.

Storage and Advance Prep

If you want to have Thai salads regularly, you may want to make a bigger batch of this dressing and keep it for multiple uses. But here's what you need to know:

You can keep the yum dressing in your fridge for up to a week. Beyond one week, it'll still be good to eat because with so much chilies, lime and salt (all have preservative qualities), it would take a long time to spoil. BUT the flavour of the lime juice is best when it is freshly made, so I try not to keep it for too long.

Can you freeze the dressing? Yes, and it will prolong the flavour of the lime juice. But I have to note that though I haven't personally done it, my guess is that it won't freeze solid because of so much salt in the dressing. This is fine, and makes it easier to use even, but just in case you were thinking about making ice cubes out of them...that may not work. But let me know how it goes if you try it!

If you want to make a large batch to freeze, you can also omit the garlic and cilantro stems, as these fresh ingredients also shorten the shelf life of the dressing. You can add them when you make the salad.

Chinese BBQ Pork - Char Siu

October 8, 2018 by Pailin Chongchitnant 18 Comments

Chinese BBQ pork or char siu is loved the world over, and it's actually not hard to make at home! With some key ingredients and a couple of techniques, it might even be better than buying. Actually, it probably will be :). You can have it with rice, noodles, use it in a sandwich or a steamed bun. Or just eat it straight up!

Chinese barbecue pork on a cutting board with several sliced pieces

What is Char Siu?

Char siu, often called Chinese BBQ pork or Chinese roast pork in English, is a Cantonese style of barbecued pork. It has become beloved worldwide, Thailand included, because of its unique sweet and savory flavor, the aroma of five-spice powder, and a distinct red color.

The word "char" means fork, and "siu" means burn, and it refers to the traditional way the pork is skewered with a big fork and roasted over open flames. (Thanks to my Cantonese speaking husband for the info!)

Char siu can be eaten with rice or noodles, and it also gets turned into steamed bun fillings and added to many other things. In Thailand, char siu is called moo dang which literally means "red pork" and we incorporate it into many dishes such as this kao moo dang - BBQ pork rice and street noodles with BBQ pork and wontons.

Ingredients

Here are ingredients for char siu, mostly basic stuff with the exception of the red bean curd.

Pork shoulder roast, boneless. See below for more on choosing the right pork for char siu.
Soy sauce
Hoisin sauce
Red bean curd. You can find Chinese red bean curd in a glass jar at most Chinese grocery stores. More on this below.
Five spice powder, store bought or use my easy homemade five-spice powder recipe.
Honey
White pepper, black pepper is fine if you don't have it
Garlic
Chinese cooking wine, optional
Toasted sesame oil, optional

For the Glaze

Honey
Red bean curd liquid or cooked leftover marinade

What is Red Bean Curd?

Red bean curd, and important ingredient for char siu

You can think of red bean curd as a kind of fermented tofu. They are soft, salty, funky cubes of fermented soybean curds that come submerged in a red liquid. The red colour comes from red yeast rice which is used during fermentation of the bean curd. Thankfully, it's quite widely available at most Chinese grocery stores.

It's the main ingredient for Cantonese char siu and is the source of the iconic red colour. If you don't have it, you can substitute 1½ tablespoons of miso thinned out with a bit of water, plus bit of red food coloring.

Don't know what else to use it for? Try these other recipes that use red bean curd: Thai style hot pot and sukiyaki stir fry.

Choosing The Best Pork for Char Siu

Choosing the right pork is the most important step. Traditionally, Chinese barbecued pork uses pork butt, a.k.a. pork shoulder. It is a flavourful and fatty cut that is perfect for dry roasting.

I go to the butcher and ask for a boneless pork shoulder roast, something that is at least 5 inches long so you have a nice long-ish piece at the end. It'll be at least 4 lb, more than what you need for this recipe, but you can save the rest for a slow braised pork dish like adobo, or make Thai street-style grilled pork skewers.

Preparing the Pork

Pork butt is an irregular piece of meat and it can seem intimidating to deal with, but rest assured that it isn't. The roast is made up of different muscles that look (and taste) slightly different, which I think keeps it interesting. It's also got lots of fat (yum) and some connective tissue running throughout, which means some parts are a bit chewier. The chewiness will be mitigated by slicing thinly when serving.

Despite its irregular shape, breaking it down is simple: Cut it down into log-shaped pieces, going with the grain of the muscles, ignoring any connective tissue or fat that's in your way—just cut right through them. You want to cut each log with the grain so that when you slice them for serving, you'll be slicing against the grain, which will yield more tender pieces.

You can trim off big chunks of fat, but don't trim too much as the fat keeps it juicy. And don't worry if your logs end up oddly shaped; Chinese BBQ pork is supposed to be rustic looking!

How About Something Leaner?

What about pork loin or tenderloin? They're more straightforward to prep, leaner, and easier to find. Are these okay to use?

Yes...BUT. These are not my preferred options because they are very lean, and your char siu will be less flavourful and less juicy. If you overcook them even a little, they become dry quickly. We all have experienced the horror of overcooked, dry pork chops, right? Yeah...we don't want that.

So if you still want to use it, I recommend using a meat thermometer to make sure you don't overcook it. Even better, get a leave-in probe thermometer like this one so you are guaranteed to have perfectly cooked pork. Remove the pork from the oven once internal temperature reaches 150°F (66 °C), let it rest for 10-15 minutes, which should bring the pork to a final temperature of 160°F (71°C).

The Glaze

The glaze is what makes this pork shine and glisten, and yields a sweet caramelized crust. I like to simply mix some honey with a bit of the red bean curd juice, but for an extra oomph of flavour you can take some of the leftover marinade, heat it up to boiling to cook off raw pork juice, and then combine that with the honey to make a glaze. It'll be less red that way, but it'll give you more of the flavours of the spices. You can always boost it with a couple of drops of red food colouring.

How to Make Char Siu

Here's a bird's eye view of the steps, the full instructions are in the recipe card below, and be sure to watch the full video tutorial before starting to ensure success.

process shots for making char siu, steps 1-4

Mash the red bean curds with a fork.
Add all marinade ingredients and stir to mix.
Pour the marinade over the pork and toss to coat well. Marinate the pork for 24-48 hours.
Roast the pork at 400°F (200 °C) on a rack for 15 minutes.

process shots for making char siu, steps 5-8

Meanwhile, combine the glaze ingredients.
Once the pork is out, brush the tops and sides with the glaze and return to the oven for 5-7 minutes until the glaze is dry.
Remove the pork from the oven and apply another layer of glaze, and put it back in for another 5-7 minutes to dry.
Repeat the glazing one more time and roast again for another 5 minutes until internal temp reaches 155°F (68°C). The total cooking time should be about 30 minutes. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Before you start, be sure to watch the video tutorial to ensure success! I always include little tips and tricks not mentioned in the blog post. The video is in the recipe card below, but you can also watch it on YouTube!

Moo Deng Recipe - Thai Bouncy Pork Meatballs

September 29, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant 2 Comments

Who would've thought that one day an adorable Thai baby hippo named Moo Deng would become a global sensation? But here we are. As you may know, moo deng is actually the name of a Thai food, so I thought I'd share my moo deng recipe because it's an easy, tasty and versatile pork meatballs that you can add to so many dishes.

a bowl of moo deng meatballs with 2 chilies and a plant in the background

What is moo deng?

Moo means pork, and deng means bouncy, and it refers to a kind of pork bouncy pork meatballs that we put in various dishes, typically noodle soups, including the viral tom yum instant noodles, pictured below. Sometimes, the pork is formed into patties instead of balls.

Some non-Thai news outlets have been incorrectly reporting that moo deng means "bouncing pig," which I suppose is correct on paper, but not in practice. It's a classic case of "lost in translation" because in Thai, moo means both pork and pig (the same way that "chicken" refers to both the animal and the meat). But moo deng is a food!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are ingredients you'll need for moo deng and some important notes about them. It's super simple! For amounts, see the full recipe card below

White peppercorns
Garlic
Ground pork, preferably not lean for the best texture.
Soy sauce, use Thai soy sauce for the authentic flavour, but without it, other kinds of soy sauce is also fine.
Fish sauce. See this post on choosing good quality fish sauce.
Sugar
A small ice cube, optional.
Food processor. Ideally, you'll also need a food processor for the right texture and to get that bounciness, though a small one is fine. If you don't have one, you can still make it and it'll be tasty, but the texture will be more coarse and it won't be bouncy.

How to Make Moo Deng

Here's a bird's eye view of how to make moo deng. Like any other meatballs, you can make these ahead of time and freeze!

Pound the garlic and pepper into a paste (not shown). Add the pork, the garlic paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and a small ice cube into a food processor.
Process the pork into a smooth-ish paste - the smoother it is the bouncier the meatballs will be. Without a food processor just knead all ingredients well together well with your hand.
Roll them into little balls with gloved hands. Without gloves, wetting your hands will prevent the pork from sticking to your hands.
Cook them in boiling water for about 2 minutes or until cooked through. Fish them out, and they're now ready to be added to any noodle soup or any dish you want, or you can freeze them for another day.

Pro Tip: Save the Cooking Water.

After cooking the meatballs, the cooking water is also going to have lots of flavour in it, and it can be used as a base for many Thai soups, especially noodle soups. So if you're making moo deng for noodle soups, definitely keep this water for your soup. And for more ideas, here are my Thai soup recipes.

Storage and Advance Prep

Moo deng is a great thing to have in your fridge/freezer as they make for easy and delicious protein for a weeknight meal. Here are a few options for prepping moo deng ahead of time.

Cook the moo deng off and then freeze them fully cooked. Then simply boil them for a few minutes to reheat and add to your meal.
Make the pork mixture, roll them into balls, and then freeze them raw. If you don't have time to cook them before freezing, you can freeze them raw, but this is a little more work as you'll need to freeze them on a tray without them touching, then consolidated the frozen meatballs into a container. When ready to cook, you can thaw them first or boil them directly from frozen.
Make the pork mixture in advance and keep in the fridge for a few days. If you don't have time to roll and cook them, but you want to get ahead a little, you can just mix the meat mixture and keep it in the fridge up to 2 days ahead of time (assuming your ground pork is fresh!). You can freeze the meat mixture, but freeze it in a flat disc so it won't take much time to thaw.

What Dishes Can You Put Moo Deng In?

Moo deng is not a standalone dish, as you can probably tell, though to be honest if you cook them up and serve them with nam jim seafood or sweet chili sauce, it would make a fantastic appetizer! But here are a few dishes you can serve moo deng in.

As per the photo, you can make the viral mama tom yum instant noodles.
They're great in gaeng jued, a staple comforting Thai soup that most families make regularly, especially families with kids!
Any clear broth noodle soup, such as this classic Thai street style noodle soup.
Easy congee, the ultimate breakfast in Asia.
You can go rogue and add them to non-Thai dishes - they'd be great in a pasta!

Explore my Thai soup recipes for more ideas, and really, add them to anything you can imagine!

Moo Deng Recipe - Thai Bouncy Pork Meatballs

Moo deng is not just a baby hippo! It refers to Thai bouncy pork meatballs that we typically add to noodle soups, but you can add them to any dish you want. They're super easy and can be frozen.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Course Main Course

Cuisine Thai

Servings servings

Ingredients

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Instructions

Bring a pot of water to a boil for cooking the meatballs. Meanwhile, pound the garlic and peppercorns into a paste in a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, finely grind the pepper and grate or press the garlic into a paste.
¼ teaspoon white peppercorns, 1 clove garlic
Add the ground pork into a food processor and add the pepper and garlic paste, all of the seasonings, and a small ice cube. Blitz until the pork resembles a paste, which should only take 15-20 seconds. It does not have to be super smooth. Scrape down sides as needed.
*If you don't have a food processor, simply knead all meatball ingredients together well with your hand. The texture of the meatball will be rougher, but it'll still be tasty.
9 oz ground pork, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 small ice cube
With gloved hands, roll the pork into balls, about ½-inch in diameter. If you don't have gloves, wet your hands to prevent the pork from sticky to your hands.
Once the water is boiling, add the meatballs into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove with a wire skimmer and it's now ready to be added to all kinds of dishes, especially noodle soups!

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Types of Rice Explained: Jasmine vs Sushi vs Basmati

September 27, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant Leave a Comment

Rice is a foundational ingredient of Thai cuisine, as it is for many other Asian cuisines. And over the years I’ve gotten a lot of questions about different types of rice: jasmine rice, basmati rice, short grain rice. How are they different? When should you use which rice? And do they need to be cooked differently? So in this article I want to demystify all of that and help you make the right rice decision for your next meal!

I’m going to talk about the 3 most common types of rice used in Asia: Japanese short and medium grain rice (aka "sushi rice"), basmati rice, and jasmine rice.

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Video: Sushi, Jasmine and Basmati Rice Explained + How to Cook Them

If you prefer watching to reading, in this video I cover most of what is included in this article, but you may find the visuals of the video more helpful as they more clearly show the differences between the types of rice. The video also includes a demo for how to cook each type properly.

The 3 Types of Rice Most Commonly Eaten in Asia

Let's go through the types of rice we're going to cover here.

First is what most people call "sushi rice." There are many varieties that fall into this category, some are considered short grain and others are considered medium grain. For this article I’ll call it "sushi rice" for simplicity, but know that in addition to Japan, this is also the type of rice that’s also eaten in Korea and parts of China.

raw jasmine rice on a blue tray beside raw sushi rice

Then we have jasmine rice which is the staple rice of Southeast Asia. For our discussion jasmine rice will also represent other varieties of long grain rice that are similar but not technically jasmine. I’ll call these “jasmine adjacents,” which will also include the generic “long grain white rice” that you see in most Western grocery stores.

raw jasmine rice on a blue tray beside raw basmati rice

Finally basmati rice, the longest grain of them all, and this is the rice eaten in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. Like the other two this also represents the many other subtypes of basmati rice that also exist.

Thai People Don't Eat Only Jasmine Rice

There's a misconception that Thai people, and Southeast Asians in general, only eat jasmine rice, but this is not true. Thai jasmine rice or hom mali rice is the best, most prized rice of Thailand, and it is our most popular exported rice. But it is also the most expensive, which is why when you go to Thailand and you're eating at an inexpensive street-side restaurant, they're likely not using jasmine rice, but one of the many other varieties of long grain white rice that we have.

Aside from being more fragrant, Thai hom mali rice also tends to be softer and stickier than other adjacent varieties, making it not ideal for fried rice So many restaurants who make fried rice will choose another variety, such as sao hai rice, which is less soft and sticky. Or they may also do a mix of varieties.

a bag of Kirkland Thai Hom Mali rice on the counter

It is worth noting that the word "jasmine rice" is not regulated. So it may say jasmine rice on the bag, but it may not be the prized jasmine hom mali rice Thailand is known for. So if you want real hom mali rice, look for the green round logo at the top of the bag in the picture above This is the government seal certifying that the rice is genuine hom mali. Now, the logo has also been known to be faked, so go with a reputable brand if you can (Royal Umbrella, Kirkland, or 3 Ladies, for example.)

Appearance, Taste, and Texture Comparison

Sushi Rice

Sushi rice grains are short and chubby when compared to the other two rices, and the key feature here is that when cooked it is quite sticky. So when I try to pick it up with my hand, it sticks to my hand AND the grains stick to each other very well.

This is why it’s great for making sushi or kimbap where you want the rice to stick together - and this is why cultures that eat this kind of rice can eat it with chopsticks.

The texture, when cooked properly, is also a little bit chewy because it’s more dense than long grain rice. It is a very satisfying, toothsome texture.

Basmati Rice

On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve got basmati rice which are not sticky at all. If I pick it up with my fingers they won’t stick to my fingers AND won’t stick to each other.

The grains are very long and skinny, and this becomes even more obvious after you cook them because the grains get significantly longer but not much wider.

The texture is not chewy at all. It is tender, but there’s also a brittleness or a snappiness to it when you bite into the grains. Because they don’t stick together at all, the mouthfeel of basmati rice tends to feel a little bit drier, and this is why it is often cooked with added fat such as butter or oil.

Jasmine Rice

And in between these two extremes is jasmine rice and its adjacents. The grains are shorter and fatter than basmati, but longer and skinnier than sushi rice. It sticks together better than basmati, but not as much as sushi rice. The texture is not chewy, but compared to basmati it is softer and cushier, with a fluffier texture - though some non-jasmine varieties, such as the generic long grain white rice at Western stores, tend to be less soft. The mouthfeel of jasmine rice also feels quite moist compared to basmati and short grain.

Important: Sushi rice is NOT sticky rice.

A lot of people call sushi rice "sticky rice" because, for all intents and purposes, it IS pretty sticky. But it is not true "sticky rice". REAL sticky rice is wayyyyy stickier than this and it is technically called glutinous rice. Glutinous rice comes in both short AND long grain; the short grain is what the Japanese call mochigome or “mochi rice”, and the long grain is what Thai people call khao niew which literally means “chewy rice”.

If you want to dig deeper into sticky rice see my post on sticky rice 101, but for now just know that they cannot be used or cooked in the same way as their non-glutinous counterparts.

Aroma Comparison

There is also big a difference in the way these types of rice smell. Most known for its fragrance is Thai jasmine rice. The reason it is called jasmine rice is because of its beautiful floral aroma similar to jasmine flower. In Thai jasmine rice is called "hom mali" rice which means "fragrant of jasmine flowers." You can smell this scent even before you cook the rice!

Basmati rice is also fragrant, though the aroma is different from jasmine rice. I’d describe it as having a grassier aroma, whereas jasmine is more floral.

Sushi rice is not as fragrant as the other two. It does have that smell you associate with rice in general, but it isn't distinctly aromatic. That was one thing I immediately noticed the first time I cooked sushi rice after a lifetime of cooking jasmine!

What About Brown Rice?

a plate of brown rice with rice on a spoon

So where does brown rice fit into all this? Brown rice is not another type of rice, it's just processed differently. All white rice has a brown version because white rice is simply brown rice with the bran removed.

So brown rice is going to be more fibrous, and chewier than their white counterpart, but the chew is coming from the brown bran on the outside, and not the rice on the inside. You can cook brown rice using the same method as white rice, but you’ll need a little more water and a little more time because it takes more time for the water to penetrate through the bran.

Here’s my hot tip: If you don’t like brown rice because you think it tastes like chewy twigs, try brown Thai jasmine rice; meaning real hom mali rice. It is the best tasting, softest brown rice I’ve had, and the jasmine aroma will counteract any twiggy flavour from the bran.

How to Cook Different Types of Rice

The good news is that even though they are very different, you can actually cook all 3 types of rice using this standard method of cooking rice most common in Asia. It's the simplest, it's the same method that electric rice cookers use, and I think it yields the best results.

BUT you will need different amounts of water to match the rice you're cooking, as outlined below. There are other factors that can affect how much water you need, and we’ll talk more about that in a bit, but the type of rice is by far the biggest determinant.

If you're using a rice cooker, you still need to add the correct amount of water. The rice cooker is not magic, all it's doing is stopping the cooking when all the water has been absorbed, it cannot fix dry or mushy rice. So here is a guideline for how much water you need for each type of rice.

How Much Water Do You Need To Cook Different Types of Rice?

If you're using the standard stovetop method, OR if you're using a rice cooker, here's the amount of water you need:

For sushi rice (Japanese short grain and medium grain, including US grown brands)

You need a ratio of 1 part rice to 1 part water, by volume.

So 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of water. Whatever kind of cup, coffee cup, rice cup, measuring cup, it doesn't matter, it's all about the ratio. This ratio also seems to be quite stable between brands in my experience, but you can adjust according to your preference.

If you have a Japanese rice cooker like a Zojirushi, and you’re using the rice cup that comes with the cooker to measure your rice, you’ll notice that this ratio of water corresponds to the “white rice” line in the rice cooker, so you can go with that line to simplify. By extension, if you're cooking jasmine or basmati rice in a Japanese rice cooker, you cannot use those water lines.

For jasmine rice and its adjacents.

You need a ratio of 1 part rice to 1¼ to 1½ parts water, depending on the variety, brand, and your preference.

If your rice cooker comes from a country that eats primarily jasmine and long grain white rice, including Thailand, Hong Kong, even US and Canada, AND if you’re using the measuring cup that came with the rice cooker to measure, you’ll notice that the water lines in these rice cooker corresponds to a ratio of 1 part rice to 1 ½ parts water.

For basmati rice

You need a ratio of 1 part rice to 1 ¾ - 2 parts water, again depending on the variety, brand and your preference.

Useful Fact: What's the Volume of the "Rice Cup?"

rice cup sitting next to a glass measuring cup with ¾ cup of water in it

The measuring cups that come with every rice cooker are equivalent to 180 ml or ¾ cup. Useful to remember if you ever lose the cup! I'm pretty confident that this is consistent across all brands of rice cookers, because I've used many rice cookers in my life, and I have never seen one with a different size cup. (*The Zojirushi provides an additional green cup that's 10 ml smaller, made specifically for Japanese no-rinse rice.)

The benefit of using this rice cup to measure your rice is that you can use the water lines in the rice cooker to measure the water, but ONLY IF you're using the type of rice that matches the nationality of the rice cooker. Which means...

The water lines in a Japanese rice cookers are made for Japanese rice, so it corresponds to a 1:1 rice to water ratio. And the water lines in most N. American rice cookers are made for long grain white rice (jasmine and adjacents) and it corresponds to a 1:1 ½ rice to water ratio. Do Indian rice cookers have basmati-specific water lines? Probably? Though I've never seen an Indian rice cooker before so I can't say for sure!

Other factors affecting the amount of water needed to cook rice

The ratio of water I provided is just a guideline, as there are other factors that can affect the amount of water needed, beyond the type of rice.

The brand of rice. Even though you’re cooking the same type of rice, the specific plant varieties can be different between brands. AND the processing can most certainly be different. Rice has to be dried before it’s milled and packaged, and how LONG the rice was dried will affect how much water is required to rehydrate it in the cooking process.
So if you’re working with a new brand of rice, be aware that it may require a different amount of water than you're used to.
Evaporation during cooking. How much water you add is one thing, but how much is lost during cooking is another. This depends on how high your heat is, how wide or narrow your pot is, how tight fitting your lid is, etc. Some people leave the pot uncovered in the beginning in order to see if the rice is boiling, so they’ll lose more water that way. All these things are slightly different for everyone.
Your preference. Some people like rice that is firmer and dryer, others prefer it softer. I always find the rice at my parents' house too soft, but that’s how they like it, and that's okay! Also, if you're going to use the rice for fried rice, you may want to add slightly less water.

Does the 1-Knuckle Rule Work?

Some of you might have been taught to cook rice by adding enough water so that it is “1 knuckle” above the rice, specifically the first knuckle of your index finger. Does this method work?

Well, it CAN work, but not always.

If you use the 1-knuckle rule, the rice to water ratio will be roughly equivalent to 1 : 1 ½ IF you're cooking at least 2 rice-cups of rice (1.5 measuring cups). So this is why it generally works for jasmine rice and its long grain white rice adjacents. And if you talk to people who follow the 1-knuckle rule, you’ll find that they are usually cooking this type of rice and cooking enough to feed a family. (I'm looking at you, my East Asian friends.)

And because jasmine rice is generally quite forgiving, meaning you can add a little more or a little less water and still have decent rice, the 1-knuckle rule seems to work for a lot of people despite different finger lengths.

But there are a few situations where the 1-knuckle rule does not work:

If you’re using Japanese short/medium grain rice, basmati rice, or another kind of rice that takes a different ratio of water, it won't work.
Your rice pot is not straight sided. If the pot has sloped or curved sides, like the pot of my Zojirushi rice cooker, it won't work.
If your rice happens to be new crop, the 1-knuckle rule might produce slightly too-wet rice.
If you're cooking a tiny bit of rice, i.e. 1 rice-cup (¾ measuring cup) or less, it will not work. These days I often cook only half a rice-cup at a time because it's the perfect amount for my son's lunch box, and using 1-knuckle would mean way too much water.
This is obvious but it must be said: if you have unusually long or short knuckle!

Which Type of Rice Should You Use For Which Dish?

This is a important aspect of cooking with rice. You could cook the perfect rice, but if it's the wrong rice for the job, it won't be a perfect meal. We now know that there are huge differences between types of rice, so it should go without saying that they are NOT interchangeable.

Here’s my rule of thumb: You should always serve the rice that matches the cuisine. If you’re making japanese food, use Japanese rice. If you’re cooking Thai food, use jasmine rice. Indian food, basmati rice, etc.

Each country’s cuisine has been designed to pair with the rice that is local to their country. The food was not developed independent of the rice.

So if you mix and match, sometimes it might be okay, but other times it’s not. The extreme example is if you try to make sushi using basmati rice. Basmati rice will not hold together. But a more subtle example is if you try to eat a Thai green curry with basmati rice. Thai green curry, and most other Thai curries, are very thin and soupy, and if you poured it over basmati rice which doesn’t stick together at all, the rice will just turn into a soupy mess. But Thai rice with stick together enough.

Come Down the Rice Rabbit Hole!

If you're interested in learning about Thai rice, there is SO much more you can learn. So here are just a few more posts about rice, and if you're ready to get cooking, here are all of my rice-based recipes!

Authentic Thai Drunken Noodles Recipe - Pad Kee Mao

July 16, 2021 by Pailin Chongchitnant 42 Comments

Pad kee mao ผัดขี้เมา or drunken noodles is stir fried rice noodles with holy basil and lots of chilies. It's a cult-favourite Thai street food. The combination of chewy fresh rice noodles, the epic savoury sauce, and the fragrance of holy basil ... there is nothing quite like it and it never gets old.

In this recipe I share 7 secrets to making the perfect, authentic pad kee mao, guaranteed to make this better than take out; and once the prep is done it takes literally 3 minutes to make each portion. You can see the video in the recipe card where I show the cooking in real time!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients for drunken noodles and important notes about them. Ingredient amounts will be in the recipe card below. You can change up the vegetables and I love using carrot and Chinese broccoli, though traditionally baby corn, long beans, and straw mushrooms are often added.

Soy sauce. I use Healthy Boy Brand soy sauce which is a classic Thai brand, but any other kind of regular or light soy sauce can be used.
Golden Mountain Sauce. This is another kind of soy sauce with a slightly more intense flavour, you can substitute Maggi Seasoning which is very similar, or use more soy sauce.
Oyster sauce. See this post for how to choose good oyster sauce.
Fish sauce. See this post for how to choose good fish sauce.
Sugar
Chinese broccoli, also known as gai lan. Choose young, small stems if you can as they are less bitter.
Carrot
Young peppercorns. These are totally optional. They can be found fresh or brined in glass jars at some Southeast Asian stores. They are added whole and still on the stems, and when eating you can pick out the peppers and eat them for extra heat.
Fingerroot (grachai). Also optional but they do add a lovely herbaceous aroma. They can be found fresh or brined in a glass jar at Southeast Asian stores.
Holy basil. Holy basil can be hard to find, you can sub regular Italian basil or Thai basil instead, but I do find Italian basil to have a flavour more similar to holy basil.
Garlic
Thai chilies. Add as many as you want depending on your spice tolerance. If your tolerance isn't high, add just one to start.
Large, mild red chilies such as spur chilies (pic below), anaheim peppers or red bell pepper.
Protein of your choice, I'm using shrimp. If using chicken, pork, or beef, a quick and simple marinade will be helpful. Instructions in the recipe card below.
Fresh rice noodles also known as ho fun noodles. If you buy them from the store they may be cold and stuck together in a block. You'll need to reheat them before separating, following instructions in the recipe card. It is possible to use dried large rice noodles instead but it is not as good, and you will need to cook them first before using.

Why I use 2 types of chilies in this recipe

Pad kee mao uses a lot of chilies, so the chili flavour, not just the heat, is part of the flavour profile. If we only used the fiery Thai chilies, we can only add a few before it becomes too spicy, and not enough chili flavour would come through. So we also use the milder chilies to add more chili flavour without the heat.

In Thailand, prik chee fa, or spur chilies are used, but any mild red pepper such as anaheim peppers or even red bell pepper would work in a pinch.

How to Make Authentic Drunken Noodles

Be sure to check out the detailed recipe and full video tutorial in the recipe card below to ensure success - but here's a bird's eye view of what you'll need to do.

Make a rough paste with chilies and garlic.
Cook off the protein and remove from the pan.
Sauté the chili garlic paste.
Add gai lan stems, carrots, grachai and young peppercorns.

Add the noodles, the sauce, and sugar and toss until the sauce has been absorbed.
Let noodles sit and char slightly before tossing. Then repeat the charring a few times.
Add gai lan leaves and holy basil.
All done!

7 Secrets to Epic Pad Kee Mao

It is not hard to make a decent plate of drunken noodles, but an epic one? Not so simple. There are a few things you need to know:

Do not eyeball the ingredients. Weigh the noodles, and measure all sauce ingredients. There are times when winging it is okay, and using your cook's intuition is romantic. But this is not one of those times. The noodle-to-sauce ratio is extremely important, and there's nothing more disappointing than pad kee mao that's bland, or worse, too salty (which cannot be fixed afterward).
Make a chili and garlic paste. One of the great flavours of drunken noodles come from the garlic and chilies. Adding chopped garlic and chilies can only get you so far, but pounding them into a paste in a mortar allows for more flavour to come out and infuse into the whole dish. Also, adding extra peppers that are not spicy gives more chili flavour without it becoming too spicy.
Cook 1 portion at a time. This is the secret to well-charred noodles that are not broken or soggy. Crowding the pan traps too much moisture and causes you to stir more which breaks the noodles. If you have a large wok and a high BTU burner, you can probably get away with 2 portions at a time. It seems tedious but watch the video below and you will see that once the prep is done, each batch literally takes 3 minutes to cook!
Cook the protein separately, and do a "mini brine". By cooking off the protein first and adding it back in at the end you can control exactly how long it cooks, ensuring perfectly cooked protein every time. Good news is you do not have to cook the protein 1 portion at a time, just cook it all off together in the beginning. Also, if using chicken, pork, or beef, marinate it with seasoning plus a little extra water, like a mini brine, to get extra juicy meat.
Allow noodles to char. Once noodles are mixed with the sauce, allow them to sit and "grill" a bit on the hot pan. This creates a little browning, a little smokiness, and a little extra flavour that makes all the difference.
Use fresh noodles. Yes, dry rice noodles exist; and they will work, but it is not the same and not nearly as good as fresh. Cooked previously-dried rice noodles do not yield the same soft and springy texture of fresh noodles, in the same way that cooked dried pasta is not the same as fresh pasta. I understand you gotta use what you have, but if you can, it's worth either looking around for them or making them yourself.
Use a stick-resistant pan. These fresh rice noodles are notoriously sticky. So it's important you use either a well-seasoned carbon steel wok, a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, or a nonstick wok. BUT if using a nonstick material that cannot be used with high heat, you will have to give up some noodle charring.
*If you only have a stainless steel pan, you can try this: Heat the pan until very hot - until water sprinkled onto the pan beads up into little balls and glides around - then add the oil and begin cooking. This is a trick that turns stainless steel pan nonstick which I've tried with eggs with success, but have not tried with fresh rice noodles.

ALSO IMPORTANT: Make sure you watch the video in the recipe card below! You'll see me cooking pad kee mao in REAL TIME with no cuts. It'll show you how it's done in only 3 minutes, give you an idea of how the process goes and how to organize your prep, and I promise it'll be so helpful for when you cook!

Frequently Asked Questions

I can't find fresh rice noodles, what can I use instead?

You can make them using my recipe here! You can also use dried wide rice noodles, but the results are not nearly as good and you will need to fully cook them before adding to the pan. You can read my post here all about mastering rice noodles to learn more about different types of noodles and how to cook them properly.

I don't eat shrimp, can I substitute other protein?

Yes! Anything works, or even omit the protein altogether. If using chicken, pork, or beef though, I would marinate them following the instructions in the recipe card. That simple marinade yields wonderfully tender meat with the extra bit of water that gets absorbed into the meat.

How can I make these vegetarian or vegan?

You can use vegetarian stir-fry sauce instead of oyster sauce, and use soy sauce instead of fish sauce. You can also do a simplified version and use 2 parts soy sauce to 1 part Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce.

How do I store and reheat leftovers?

These noodles do not keep well, so if at all possible, cook only as much as you can eat. Once refrigerated and reheated, the noodles will not have as good of a texture and can be a bit mushy. Having said that, if you do end up with leftovers, do not keep it for any longer than 1 day. The next day, reheated pad kee mao is still edible, but after a couple of days...I wouldn't eat it.

To reheat, you can microwave it, but stir it halfway through and make sure the noodles are thoroughly heated through or they will not be soft, which is really awful. You can also re-fry it quickly in a nonstick pan, again, making sure the noodles are steaming hot.

Ultimate Guide to Palm Sugar and Coconut Sugar

October 11, 2019 by Pailin Chongchitnant 33 Comments

Palm sugar is a delicious sweetener made from the nectar of the coconut or toddy palm flowers. It's an integral ingredient in Thai and Southeast Asian cooking, especially desserts. It is what I like to call the "original sugar" in traditional Thai cuisine before white granulated sugar became a thing.

However, I get a lot of questions about it and importantly not all palm sugars are created equal. So in this article I will answer all of your questions so you have the confidence to buy the right palm sugar, and know how to use it.

piles of palm sugar blogs in a THai market. — Coconut palm sugar sold at a market in Thailand (50 baht per kg).

What's Covered In This Article?

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Watch The Video: Palm Sugar 101

If you prefer to watch rather than read, most of the information covered in this article is also covered in this video. The one part I encourage you to watch is when I show you the 3 different brands of palm sugar of varying quality, so you can see what to look out for when shopping:

What exactly is palm sugar and coconut sugar?

Palm sugar is sugar that's made from the nectar of the flowers of *either* the coconut tree or the toddy palm tree (sometimes called sugar palm tree, pic below). If it's made from the coconut tree, then it's also called coconut sugar. In other words, coconut sugar is a type of palm sugar. So all coconut sugar is palm sugar, but not all palm sugar is coconut sugar, makes sense? 🙂

toddy palm trees in a field — Toddy palm trees in Thailand are super tall!

And in Thai, the generic term for all types of palm sugar is nam taan peep น้ำตาลปี๊ป or nam taan peuk น้ำตาลปึก. Coconut sugar is called nam taan maprao น้ำตาลมะพร้าว and sugar made from toddy palm is called nam taan tanoad น้ำตาลโตนด.

While the two sugars come from different plants, the flavor, however, are very, very similar. The one time I tasted them side by side I could tell that they were slightly different, but I couldn't identify which was which. So in Thai cooking palm sugar can be used interchangeably with coconut sugar, with some caveats. More on these caveats in the discussion around choosing the right palm sugar below.

Is Palm Sugar, Jaggery and Gula Melaka The Same Thing?

Jaggery is a term that's used to refer to any unrefined chunk of sugar. So yes, palm sugar is a type of jaggery, but you can also have jaggery made from cane juice that's been cooked down. In everyday speak however, we don't refer to Thai palm sugar as jaggery.

Gula melaka is the Malaysian term for palm sugar that is made from coconut nectar. Though the raw material is the same as Thai coconut palm sugar, gula melaka is reduced and caramelized further, as you can see in the pic below, so it is darker and has a different flavour. So the two are generally not interchangeable in recipes, especially if the sugar is added in large enough quantities that the flavour difference will be perceptible. So, you should use Thai palm sugar in Thai recipes, and gula melaka where it is called for specifically.

And to further clarify, palm sugar is also not the same as piloncillo or panela, which is made from sugar cane.

How is Palm Sugar Made?

Palm sugar is quite a labour intensive process. It's done in 4 major steps.

Step 1: Collecting the nectar.

bucket attached to palm flower collecting nectar

The palm sugar farmer first climbs up to the top of the tree to reach the flowers. They then cut the flowers and tie a bucket to it to collect the nectar that drips out. Now, you have to imagine that these are not short trees. Toddy palm trees can be anywhere from 25 to 40 meters tal (see pic above)l!! Coconut trees are not as tall, and this is why toddy palm sugar is less common - because it is much harder and more dangerous to collect their nectar.

The palm nectar starts out as a watery liquid that is aromatic, sweet and insanely delicious. You can get the nectar actually as a drink In Thailand, and it's one of my absolute favourite things to drink ice cold. I always seek out whenever I'm in Thailand.

Step 2: Reducing the sugar.

left: sugar syrup boiling with bamboo basket on the wok. Right: palm sugar syrup in a wok.

The nectar gets transferred to a large wok, and it is reduced over flame to evaporate the water so that you're left with is just the thick, caramelly, tasty syrup. It's a very similar idea to making maple syrup! At this point, non-artisanal makers will also add various amounts of granulated sugar as a filler. More on this below.

During the boiling process, a woven bamboo "cage" is placed in the wok (pic above) to prevent the syrup from boiling over.

Step 3: Whipping the sugar.

The hot syrup is then whipped using a springy whisk, or a machine (think a boat propeller attached to a stick blender). The aeration is so that the sugar will cool down quickly AND evenly. If they let the sugar cool without whipping it, it will cool from the outside in, causing the exterior to harden while the inside is still liquid.

Step 4: Placing the sugar into molds.

Once the sugar is cool enough that it is a thick paste, it'll either be packed into containers such as tubs or jars, or if they are to be sold as hard pucks, they will be placed into molds. The molds are usually round and can be small or large. The molds are lined with cloth to prevent sticking, and once the pucks are cool and hard they are packaged for sale.

Are all palm sugars created equal?

Nope. Not even close. As mentioned in Step 2 above, most producers of palm sugar add in some amount of granulated sugar as a filler, and I saw it with my own eyes during my visit to the palm sugar factory in Thailand.

As you saw, palm sugar is a labour intensive process and fewer and fewer Thai people are choosing this line of work, so there is way more demand for it than there is supply. There would never be enough palm sugar for everyone if it were all pure, and we'd probably all pay a very high price for it!

So the quality is determined by how much white granulated sugar is mixed in. When I spoke to the palm sugar maker during my visit, she said that it could be anywhere from 25% to 75% depending on the brand (the factory made palm sugar for many different brands, many of which are exported).

Essentially ALL Thai palm sugar available on the market, even in Thailand, is not pure. Yes, even if it says 100% palm sugar on the package, that is 100% a lie. Unfortunately there is no palm sugar police that makes sure the packaging is honest.

There is an opportunity to taste pure palm sugar, however, and that is if you visit a place that demonstrates how palm sugar is made traditionally in Thailand. These are usually open to visitors, and are more of an educational/touristy place than an actual sugar producer. What they do produce is a small amount that's sold mostly locally.

How to Choose Good Quality Palm Sugar?

If you're just looking at the sugar, it is quite hard to tell, but there are some signs. I encourage you to watch the video where I taste 3 different qualities of palm sugar so you'll see the differences more clearly that way.

But here's the bottom line: Looks can be deceiving, so the only real way to tell is to taste them side by side. The more palm necar it contains, the more flavourful and aromatic it will be. It will taste like a floral, butterscotch candy, not merely sugar.

Even though looks can be deceiving, it can tell you something. Most importantly, look for palm sugar with a smooth texture. It should not look crystalized, and it should not be very pale. The worst one I've seen is Cock Brand. It's so pale, and you can even see the granulated texture! It has a very faint palm sugar flavour with a crunchy texture that palm sugar should not have. This sugar has a TON of white sugar added. Of course it's the one that says 100% palm sugar on the packaging, which is obviously not true.

While you don't want super pale palm sugar, darker doesn't always mean better. A dark colour can also be imitated by adding brown sugar rather than white sugar. This is not a practice I've seen in palm sugar from Thailand, but I have seen it in palm sugar produced in Vietnam. While I think brown sugar is better than white sugar, cuz at least it has some flavour, colour alone should not be used as an indicator of purity.

Choose the more expensive one. If you have a few brands to choose from, I encourage you to choose the one with a higher price tag. Stores usually price items according to their cost, and if one palm sugar costs more than the other, you've got a higher chance that it is more pure. This is no guarantee of course, but since the difference in price is usually just a few bucks, I think it's worth the gamble.

Choosing Between Hard vs Soft Palm Sugar

palm sugar on green cloth partially chopped, and some more palm sugar in a glass cup — Right: Hard palm sugar which needs to be chopped. Left: Softer palm sugar which can be spooned.

Palm sugar is sold in stores in two major forms, hard solid pucks and a soft paste in a tub or jar. Neither one indicates a better quality, but here's what you need to know:

Palm sugar can be reduced to various degrees, so if they leave enough moisture in the syrup, it will not completely harden once cool. This palm sugar is then packed into tubs, jars or even plastic bags, designed to be spooned out. This is the most common type in Thailand because we use palm sugar a lot, and the soft paste is more convenient to use, and it dissolves more easily.

But in the export market I more often see palm sugar in hard pucks, which is better if you don't cook with palm sugar often. Why? Because like brown sugar, palm sugar dries out over time. And if you've store palm sugar in a tub for a long time, it can completely solidify in the tub, making it a total pain to use. If this happens, check out the "how to use" section below.

So here I always buy the pucks of palm sugar, which can be chopped and then measured in a tablespoon (more on this below).

What Palm Sugar or Coconut Sugar NOT To Buy for Thai Cooking

left: bob's red mill coconut sugar. Right: Roger's coconut sugar

In recent years we've started to see granulated "coconut sugar" in non-Asian stores. Can those be used for Thai cooking? Well yes and no. Generally I encourage you to buy Thai palm sugar because that's how you ensure the right flavour profile, especially when making desserts. But let's go through some other products on the market that may cause confusion.

Some granulated coconut sugar is very dark and has an entirely different flavour, like the Roger's one above. It looks almost like dark brown sugar. And while it is made from the same stuff - coconut nectar - the processing is different resulting in a different tasting product. It's very toasty, almost a little smoky, burnt toast-ish. So this is not a good one to use in Thai recipes that call for palm sugar because the flavour difference is too much.

Some granulated coconut sugar is very light and has a much milder flavour. It CAN be used in Thai recipes because it won't introduce any off flavours like the dark one, but seeing as it is not caramelized at all, it has a lighter flavour than Thai palm sugar. The Bob's Red Mill coconut sugar looks like it's medium-dark, though I haven't personally tasted it so I can't comment on how well it'll work as a Thai palm sugar substitute.

Worth noting that Red Boat sells palm sugar from Cambodia that they claim is pure (and FWIW I believe it). But the processing must be quite different because it is so much darker and more acidic than Thai palm sugar. A little bit in savoury applications would be fine, but I would not to use it in Thai desserts where the intense flavours will be quite prominent.

How to Use Palm Sugar

If your palm sugar comes in a puck, simply chop it with a chef's knife, shaving it thinly with each stroke like you would a block of chocolate. Some people like to use a box grater, but I find it easier to chop.

Important: if your palm sugar is really old, it will have dried out and it will become so hard that chopping it will be nearly impossible without ruining the edge of your knife! So, if you know that you will have the sugar for a long time (say, a year) I would chop it all in advance to prevent such a situation.

If you end up with rock hard pucks of palm sugar, try whacking it in a heavy duty stone mortar and pestle and it'll break into bits.

If you have soft palm sugar from a tub and it's soft enough to spoon, great, spoon away. But if it has hardened, you'll need to heat it up in the microwave, then use a spoon to scoop it out while it is still warm. Work quickly because once it cools down, it'll harden again.

Measuring Palm Sugar For My Recipes

If you are measuring palm sugar by tablespoon or cup, finely chop it and then pack it tightly into the measuring spoon or cup. 1 Tablespoon of finely chopped packed palm sugar weighs about 12 grams.

If your palm sugar is a soft paste, you will need to use the weight measure provided in my recipes because more of it will pack into a measuring spoon. Or if you're willing to wing it, you can also just eyeball a little bit less than the volume called for.

How to store palm sugar

Palm sugar can be stored at room temp indefinitely. It's sugar and it won't go bad, BUT it can dry out. Make sure it's well sealed in an airtight container, and again, if you won't use it often, consider chopping it all in bulk while it's still soft.

Substituting Palm Sugar

What can I use instead of palm sugar? It depends. Generally, light brown sugar is a good all-purpose substitute, and it measures about the same in a tablespoon which is convenient!

If palm sugar is added in a small amount to a recipe with a lot of strong flavours, like a curry, then you can substitute with any other kind of sugar or sweetener you have because the flavour of the sugar won't come through.

But in a recipe where it is also contributing flavour, like in a salad, pad thai, and definitely in desserts, you want to use light brown sugar or perhaps you can try maple syrup, which has obviously a different flavour but might be good nonetheless!

Recipes with Palm Sugar

Want to start cooking with palm sugar? Here are a couple of recipes that really showcase the flavour of palm sugar:

Classic Thai Noodle Soup - Street Style

August 23, 2024 by Pailin Chongchitnant 9 Comments

Noodle soup or guay tiew nam ก๋วยเตี๋ยวน้ำ, is one of the poster children of Thai street food. No matter where you are in the country, you can find a shop selling some type of noodle soup near you. But this one, with clear pork broth and Asian style meatballs, is what I consider the "OG," the basic, the margherita pizza of pizzas. It's the simplest and easiest of noodle soups, and the ultimate comfort food. Make the stock in advance, and it's quick enough to put together for a weeknight meal.

If you're a fan of Vietnamese pho, you're going to love this one!

A bowl of noodle soup with fish cakes with a lime wedge and condiments on the side

What is a "Classic" Thai Noodle Soup?

There are many, many different kinds of noodle soups in Thailand, ranging from the famous and flavourful boat noodles, the unique pink yentafo, and the rich curry noodle soup khao soi. But if you take away all of the particular spices and sauces and toppings used in other more elaborate noodle soups, this classic comforting noodle soup is what we end up with.

In Thai we call this guay tiew look chin, or noodles with meatballs, but usually you'd also specify what kind of meatballs. So here we're using fish balls and fish cakes, so it's guay tiew look chin pla. If using pork balls, another very common version, it is guay tiew look chin moo.

Fish balls and pork balls are the two most common types of meatballs used for this dish in Thailand, but you can definitely use chicken or beef meatballs instead, or sub any other kind of protein, more on this below.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the the full recipe card below. Don't be deterred by the list of ingredients! May of the ones listed are optional but I want to give you the whole range of possiblities, and the basics that you really need are not that many!

ingredients for classic Thai noodle soup with fish cakes

For the Pork Stock (or chicken stock)

There are times when store bought stocks are totally fine, and this is not one of them. The pork stock is the foundation of the soup, and it really needs to be made Thai style to have the right flavour and aromatics. If you don't eat pork, you can substitute chicken bones.

Pork neck bones or back bones, I prefer neck bones because it has more meat which you can either save for another dish of simply top the noodle soup with it. Sub chicken bones if you don’t eat pork.
Daikon. I used to think that daikon was an optional stock aromatic, but after having made stocks with and without daikon, I now believe it is essential. It makes the stock so sweet and flavourful, and is a must have in Thailand for stocks.
Garlic.
Onion. Onion is not actually added to stocks in Thailand, but I love the added sweetness that it gives, and don't we always have an onion around the house anyway? 🙂
Cilantro roots, or cilantro stems, smashed gently to bruise.

For the Broth

Good Thai style pork stock from above.
Soy sauce.
Fish sauce. See my post on how to choose good fish sauce here.
Sugar.
Ground white pepper, to taste

Noodle Soup Components

Noodles of your choice. The noodle soups vendors will always offer several noodle options. You can choose whichever you prefer, and I've listed them all, along with cooking instructions below.
Asian style fish cakes/fish balls, or other types of Asian style meatballs of your choice. You can buy fish cakes at any Asian grocery stores, either fresh in the seafood counter or frozen. There are many flavours, and you can use anything you like, but try to stick with ones with fewer ingredients as they tend to be of higher quality.
Other protein options: Because the soup is quite plain, I encourage you to use protein that is flavourful such as: the meat you picked off from the bones after making the pork stock tossed with some soy sauce and pepper, chopped leftover meats that is flavourful like a good steak or roast chicken, thinly sliced marinated pork or chicken, or ground pork cooked with some soy sauce.
Bean sprouts.
Fried garlic and garlic oil. Really important toppings for Thai noodle soup! You simply need to fry some chopped garlic on low heat until golden, but you can see the full recipe for fried garlic here.
Chopped cilantro and/or green onions for garnish
Optional: "tang chai" preserved cabbage bits. These are little bits of crunchy salted cabbage that we often add to our noodle soups. You can see them at the end of the video, but they are totally optional.

Optional Tableside Condiments:

Thai people always provide extra condiments for noodle soup so people can make it taste exactly how you want it. You can also make it “tom yum style” which is a hot and sour version (more on this below).

Chili vinegar, the basic version is simpley chopped chilies and white vinegar. You can also blend the chilies and the vinegar together. Read more about this on my chili vinegar post.
Fish sauce, if you want to soup to be more salty.
Sugar.
Roasted chili flakes, or any kind of spicy chili powder if you want to make it spicy. this is also needed for the tom yum style. You can buy or easily make your own roasted chili flakes.
Lime, only for tom yum style, more about tom yum style below.

How to Make Classic Thai Noodle Soup

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. The full instructions are in the recipe card below, and if this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

Process shots for making thai noodle soup steps 1-4

Simmer pork neck bones in water for about 30 minutes, then skim off the scum.
Add the daikon, onion, garlic, cilantro roots/stems, and white pepper and simmer for another hour, at minimum.
Remove the pork bones and vegetables; the stock is now ready to use. Once the bones are cool, pick off the meat from the bones and you can season it with some soy sauce and use it to top the noodle soup, or save it for another dish.
If using rice noodles, soak them in room temperature water until they are fully pliable. Timing varies between noodles, more on this below.

Process shots for making thai noodle soup steps

Add soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and white pepper to the broth and bring to a boil.
Add all of the fish cakes and simmer for about 2 minutes or until the fish cakes are hot. Keep covered until ready to use.
Blanch one portion of the noodles and beansprouts in a noodle strainer or sieve for the required amount of time (varies between noodles). Drain and place into a serving bowl.
Top with the hot broth and fish cakes along with all of the garnishes.

a bowl of noodle soup with condiments on the side

Serve immediately with tableside condiments, if desired, or make it tom yum style (see below).

Noodle Options and Cooking Instructions

At most Thai noodle soup vendors, you will have several noodle options and they all need slightly different preparations below. You can learn more about how to cook rice noodles properly in my post on mastering rice noodles.

noodle options for boat noodles on a baking tray

Rice vermicelli (sen mee) - The smallest of noodles and the quickest to prep. Simply soak them in room temp water for 5-15 mins (timing varies between brands) until they are completely limp, then drain. DO NOT OVERSOAK as these overcook very easily.
To cook, blanch them in boiling water, one portion at a time, for 3 seconds.
Small dry rice noodles (sen lek) - The most classic option. These noodles are 1.5 mm wide when dry. Soak in room temp water for 20-30 minutes or until they turn opaque white and are completely limp - they should have lost all of the kinks - and then drain.
To cook, blanch them in boiling water, one portion at a time, for 5 seconds.
Glass noodles (woon sen) - woonsen is thin, delicate, and has a neutral flavour and is delicious in boat noodles. Soak in room temp water for 10 minutes until softened before cooking.
To cook, boil in hot water for 2 minutes. You can cook all of the glass noodles at once since they take a longer time to cook, then separate into portions immediately after draining.
Fresh wide rice noodles (sen yai) - This is the noodles commonly associated with pad see ew. If cold and stuck together, microwave the noodles until they are hot and soft, so they can be peeled apart without breaking. Separate all the noodles before cooking.
To cook, blanch them one portion at a time for literally 1-2 seconds just to heat them up and wash off the oil that's used to coat them. Do not let them linger in hot water for too long because they're already fully cooked and will quickly turn mushy.
Wonton noodles or egg noodles (bamee) - These vary greatly between brands, so you'll have to change the cooking time according to what you've got.
But if you have thin wonton noodles like the one shown in the pic (fresh and coated in flour), loosen the noodles and boil them in hot water for 1 minute. If you're making many portions, you can cook them all at once and separate them immediately after draining.
Mama Instant Noodles (sen mama) - Mama are the Thai instant noodles and they are super tasty in boat noodles! Buy any flavour of mama since you won't need the seasoning packets, but make sure the noodles are the classic wheat fried noodles as shown in the pic.
Boil the noodles in water for about 1 minute, and you can cook all portions together and separate them after draining.
Medium size rice noodles (not pictured): These are 3mm wide rice noodles, but they are actually not offered in Thailand for noodle soups because they are meant for stir fries. But if these are what you have, soak them in room temp water for 1 hour until fully pliable, then blanch in boiling water for 8 seconds.

Pro Tip: Making it Tom Yum Style

In Thailand, when you go to most noodle soup shops you can order your noodle soup "tom yum" style. This is not to be confused with the famous tom yum soup. In the context of noodle soup, this means that they will make your soup hot and sour with the addition of lime juice and roasted chili flakes, and you can have tom yum style for most types of noodle soups that have a clear broth.

The fully loaded tom yum style also has coarsely ground roasted peanuts and ground pork, but the lime and chilies are the most important. I have a recipe for the fully loaded tom yum noodle soup here if you want to give it a go!

Advance Prep & Storage

The only thing that takes time is the pork stock, everything else is super easy to come together. So I would make the pork stock in advance, and that should be all you need to do.

You can also soak rice noodles in advance, drain, and keep them in the fridge. But do not soak rice vermicelli in advance as I find they tend to become mushy as they sit in the fridge and absorb excess moisture around them.

You can store leftover soup in the fridge for up to 1 week, and you can freeze it of course.

Before you start, if this is your first time, be sure to watch the video tutorial to ensure success!

Love Thai street food? You'd also love these!

Khao Soi: Thai Curry Noodle Soup

May 12, 2023 by Pailin Chongchitnant 54 Comments

Regional Thai food isn't very well known, but khao soi ข้าวซอย, with egg noodles in an aromatic curry broth is an exception. Because Northern Thailand is such a popular tourist destination, this Northern Thai curry noodle soup has become popular amongst foreigners.

Some might even say if you visit the North of Thailand and didn't eat khao soi, you didn't really make it there! It's a truly unique dish, and with this recipe you can recreate the experience of Northern Thailand at home.

a bowl of khao soi with chicken drumsticks with condiments on the side.

What is Khao Soi and Where Did it Come From?

Khao soi ข้าวซอย is a northern Thai noodle soup that uses wheat-based egg noodles and is served in a coconut milk curry broth. It's typically made with chicken or beef, and the bowl is topped with crispy deep fried noodles. Although it is sometimes called "Chiang Mai Noodles" in the West, it is not unique to, nor originated from, Chiang Mai.

Khao means rice and soi means to julienne. It's an interesting name because there is no rice involved in the process. Some say this is because the dish used to use rice noodles made by julienning sheets of dough. Others say khao is short for khao salee which means wheat. Yet some think that the word came from a similar Burmese dish called ohn no khao swe, which I think is more likely because the two dishes are really quite similar.

The exact origin of khao soi is debated, but the prevalent theory seems to be that it came into northern Thailand via Chinese-Muslim immigrants from the Yunnan region, which is why khao soi is not usually made with pork; despite the fact that pork is the most common meat in Thailand.

The Yunnanese, or jeen haw in Thai, would've had to travel through Myanmar in order to get to Northern Thailand, so it is possible that they encountered ohn no khao swe there and brought it with them to Thailand, hence the similarity of the two dishes.

Khao soi in Thailand can vary significantly. This is because after khao soi arrived in Thailand, in whatever form that was originally, Thai people in various places started to modify the dish to suit their own palate. So when you're in Northern Thailand, don't just try one khao soi and think you've "been there done that!"

For example, in northern Thailand you can find something called "Yunnanese khao soi" that bares almost no resemblance to this recipe - the broth has no coconut milk, and the noodles are big fat rice noodles. Aside from the fact that they're both noodles in soup, and a few common ingredients...there is very little else alike. This is possibly as close to the "original" khao soi as it gets.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below. There are a number of components to khao soi: the curry paste, the curry, the crispy noodles, and the condiments. Sounds like a lot but many of them are quite simple!

Curry Paste Ingredients

Unfortunately you can't buy store-bought curry paste for khao soi (at least not that I've seen). But the ingredient list for the curry paste isn't long.

Dried chilies. Khao soi is not typically very spicy, so I stick with milder dried chilies such as guajillo or puya. If using spicier chilies, remove all of the seeds and pith to reduce the heat.
Coarse salt, the coarseness of the salt will add friction and helps the curry paste grind more easily.
Ginger, scrub or scrape any loose bits of skin off and trim the woody ends, but there is no need to peel everything off.
Fresh turmeric, wash it well and there is no need to peel it. You can substitute ground turmeric, but I do prefer the flavour of fresh turmeric.
Shallots
Coriander seeds
Black cardamom, this is the spice that will make this curry truly unique. It is not used in all variations of khao soi, but I think it does make it stand out from other kinds of Thai curries. Black cardamom (tsaoko) has an aroma that reminds me of leather, smoke, peaty scotch, and menthol. You can find it at Chinese or Indian grocery stores. If you can't find it, you can try using green cardamom, which is NOT similar, but it'll still taste good and it'll be better than nothing.

Noodle Soup Ingredients

Coconut milk, read about how to choose good coconut milk here.
Chicken drumsticks or drumettes. Drumsticks are the most common in Thailand as the bones make the broth rich and flavourful. If you're short on time, use drumettes and they will cook in half the time of drumsticks. You can substitute boneless chicken with some caveats; see more on this in the FAQ below.
Soy sauce. It might surprise you to see soy sauce used in a Thai curry, but that's because this is a dish of Chinese Muslim origin! See more on the history of khao soi above.
Fish sauce. Optional, I use fish sauce to do my final seasoning adjustment because I like the flavour, but you can also just use more salt or soy sauce.
Palm sugar, finely chopped. But brown or granulated is fine also.
Wheat-based egg noodles, also known as wonton noodles, can be bought fresh in the refrigerated section at Asian markets. Most commonly khao soi uses flat noodles, but sometimes round ones are used, so whatever you prefer is fine. Some of these noodles will be used for frying as crispy noodles on top.
Chopped cilantro for garnish, optional (not pictured).

Condiments for Khao Soi

These four condiments are iconic, and khao soi is not complete if served without them! However, if you don't eat spicy, you can skip the fried chili flakes.

Lime wedges for a little acidity to help brighten the flavour of the broth.
Chopped shallots, or red onion for some freshness. I personally prefer red onions as they are sweeter and less pungent, but shallots are also fine.
Pickled mustard greens. These really make a difference! They are tart and crunchy and help counter the richness of the broth, a component that's very important in Thai cuisine (more on this below). You can buy pickled mustard greens at many Asian grocery stores, just make sure they are a product of Thailand. You can substitute another crunchy sour pickle though such as pickled carrots or cauliflower.
Fried chili flakes. This is optional for those who want to add some heat to their bowl, and it's made simply by sauteing some chili flakes in oil until dark and smokey.

KHAO SOI SHORTCUT: If you don't have time for a homemade curry paste, in my book SABAI: 100 Weeknight Thai Recipes, I have a "cheat" version that uses modified store-bought red curry paste. Doesn't taste the same, but it'll do in a pinch.

How to Make Khao Soi Step-By-Step

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. Since all the components can be made in advance, I recommend you spread the work out over two days to make it easier. See more on advance prep below. Also if this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

For khao soi curry paste

Process shots for making khao soi steps 1-4

Remove the seeds from the black cardamom pods and place the seeds into a medium dry skillet along with the coriander seeds. Toast over medium high heat, moving them constantly, until the coriander seeds darken slightly. Set aside.
In the same skillet over high heat, place the ginger and turmeric slices down and let them sear until they're slightly charred. Then flip and char the other side and remove from the pan.
In the same skillet, add the shallots and let them char; stirring them around to char them more evenly. Remove from the pan.
Cut the chilies into chunks and pour out most of the seeds.

Process shots for making khao soi steps 5-8

In a coffee/spice grinder, grind the chilies, black cardamom and coriander seeds into a powder, remove and set aside.
In a heavy-duty mortar and pestle, pound the ginger and turmeric into a fine paste. (*You can also double the recipe to get more volume and use an immersion blender, as shown in my red curry paste recipe.)
Add the shallots and the coarse salt and pound; and once it starts to get wet and slippery, add some of the ground spices to help absorb moisture and add friction.
Pound into a fine paste, then add any remaining dried spices and pound to mix.

For khao soi broth

Process shots for making khao soi steps 9-12

Add ½ cup (120 ml) of the coconut milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the curry paste and stir for a few minutes until the mixture is very thick and coconut oil starts to sizzle around the edges of the paste.
Add the remaining coconut milk and stir to dissolve the paste. Then add water, soy sauce, black soy sauce, and sugar.
Add the chicken drumsticks and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for 40 minutes or until the drumsticks are fork tender. (Now's a good time to prep condiments and fry the noodles.)
Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more fish sauce if it needs a little more salt.

Process shots for making khao soi steps 13-16

For crispy noodles: Cut the noodles for frying to about 4 inches, then fry them in a 350°F oil, pressing them down to keep them submerged. Once they are golden brown and the bubbling has almost completely stopped, remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel.
When ready to eat: Boil the noodles until they are fully cooked - timing will vary between brands and noodle sizes. Mine take 3 minutes. Drain and divide into serving bowls.
Place 1 or 2 drumsticks into the bowl and ladle the curry on top.
Serve immediately with the condiments.

For The Fried Chili Flakes (optional)

Of the 4 khao soi condiments, this is the only one that needs to be prepped beyond chopping, but it's a snap. It is also optional and only needed if you want to let your guests to make it spicier.

Process shots for making fried chili flakes, steps 1-2

Add the chili flakes and oil to a small pot or skillet - you can make as much as you want here, it keeps indefinitely in the fridge. Then add just enough oil so that the chili flakes look like wet sand.
Turn the heat on medium low and keep stirring until the chilies start to darken and smell smoky. Transfer into a small bowl immediately to stop the cooking.

"Gae Lien" - The Importance of The Condiments

I admit that on my laziest of days I have had khao soi without the condiments, BUT... it's also not as good. The condiments serve a purpose that we call gae lien, a very important concept in Thai cuisine.

Gae lien can be loosely translated as "to counter the richness." Thai cuisine places great importance in having well balanced flavours in a meal, so when we serve something that is rich and fatty, we always make sure there's something tart, light and crunchy to "counter the richness," and prevent things from becoming cloying and reducing your appetite.

This is why we usually include salads or dip platters in a multi-dish meal, as I explained in this video. But since khao soi is meant to be a meal in itself, the pickled mustard greens, shallots, and lime are necessary for gae lien.

Advance Prep Tips

There are several components to khao soi, so unless you're doing this as a weekend project, I suggest you break the work up over a couple of days. Here are the things you can do ahead of time and how to store them.

Make the curry paste in advance. If you do one thing in advance, this should be it. Make the curry paste, and then if you'll be cooking the curry in the next day or two, keep it refrigerated. Beyond that amount of time, you should freeze the curry paste. It can be frozen for a few months so you can make a big batch and freeze the remainder.
Make the curry broth in advance. The broth will keep well in the fridge for up to a week. You can even freeze it in smaller portions if you want to save it for a rainy day. It will actually taste better once it's had time to sit.
Fry the noodles in advance. The noodles can be fried and kept in an airtight container for up to a week. If you're frying them a few days ahead, fry them until all the bubbles are completely gone to make sure there is no moisture left in them. This will ensure they stay crispy for a long time.
Prep the condiments. Getting the condiments together is the kind of fiddly thing that I hate dealing with on the day I'm busy serving guests. So I prep the condiments the day before and put them in little bowls/ramekins, put them on a plate, then wrap the whole thing and refrigerate. Then you just bring the whole plate out when ready to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this recipe using boneless chicken?

Yes. I recommend you to use dark meat, cut into chunky pieces, then let them braise in the broth until they are fork tender. I would then use unsalted or low sodium chicken stock instead of water to make up for the lack of bones. I don't recommend using chicken breast for this.

How can I make khao soi using other kinds of meat?

You can substitute the chicken with any other meats that can be braised. Stew-friendly beef cuts such as beef shank or chuck would work, cut in smaller pieces, but you will need to extend the cooking time accordingly. You can also use pork butt, though khao soi pork is less common in Thailand.

Can I make a vegan khao soi?

Yes. I would substitute the water with a good vegetable stock, then use mushrooms of your choice and tofu and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Frozen tofu would be excellent in this as it can absorb more flavour.

Thai Breakfast Rice Soup with Shrimp (Khao Tom Goong)

December 29, 2017 by Pailin Chongchitnant 20 Comments

We don't have many breakfast-specific dishes in Thailand, but of the few we do have, kao tom (aka khao tom) is an absolute classic. You can think of kao tom as the Thai sister of congee. Instead of being porridge-like with the rice grains broken down, it's more of a brothy soup with the rice still in whole grains. It's one of the most comforting dishes Thailand has to offer, and a staple in Thai breakfast buffets in hotels.

At the basic level it's simply jasmine rice added to a flavourful broth. The components can be prepped ahead, and then comes morning time it takes just a few minutes to come together!

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe and some important notes about them. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

Pork stock or chicken stock, unsalted. In Thailand this would most likely be pork stock, so use that if you want to recreate the exact Thai version, but chicken stock would also be just fine. For the right flavour, homemade Thai style stock is best. Here are my recipes for Thai style pork stock and chicken stock.
Garlic
White peppercorns
Cilantro stems or cilantro roots
Shrimp, cut into small chunks, plus a few extra whole ones for garnish if you so desire.
Fish sauce, see my post on choosing good fish sauce here.
Soy sauce
Cooked jasmine rice, if you have had trouble cooking jasmine rice, see my post here on how to cook perfect rice without a rice cooker. Having said that, this recipe would work perfectly with rice that you might have accidentally overcooked or under cooked, it's a great way to use it up!

Optional Condiments

Fried garlic & garlic oil, this is made simply by frying garlic in oil. It takes less than 10 minutes to make and it keeps well so you just have to make it once. I always keep a stash in my fridge as we use it to finish all kinds of dishes, especially noodle soups. See my fried garlic recipe here. *You can buy fried garlic from Asian stores, but you won't get the garlic oil which is arguably the more flavourful part!
Green onion and/or cilantro, for some greenery 🙂
Chinese preserved cabbage (optional), this is called tang chai in Thai and it is salty, crunchy bits of preserved (salted) cabbage. It is okay to omit this as it's hard to find, it just adds salty bits to the soup which is nice.
Extra ground white pepper, to taste.

How to Make Thai Breakfast Rice Soup with Shrimp (Kao Tom Goong)

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

Process shots for making kao tom goong, steps 1-4.

Pound white peppercorns until fine, then add garlic and cilantro stem/roots and pound until fine.
Add half of the garlic mixture to the small pieces of shrimp and mix well.
Saute the small pieces of shrimp in a pan with a little bit of oil just until it's cooked through.
If you're not using a nonstick pan and there is some bits of herbs stuck to the pan, deglaze the pan with a splash of stock to release the tasty bits of herbs. Then remove from pan and set aside.

Process shots for making kao tom goong, steps 5-8.

If using whole garnish shrimp, sear the whole shrimp over medium high heat until browned and cooked through, set aside.
Bring the stock to a boil in a pot, add the other half of the garlic paste and simmer for one minute. Then season the broth with fish sauce and soy sauce, then taste and adjust seasoning.
When ready to serve, bring the broth to a boil then add the rice and the shrimp. Bring the soup back to a simmer, and immediately turn off the heat (if you let this simmer for a long time the rice will swell up and absorb too much stock).
Serve immediately, if you let this sit, the rice will continue to absorb liquid. Ladle into a bowl, and top with all the condiments as desired. Enjoy!

Advance Prep Tip

If you're not an early bird and need breakfast to be quick, it's totally doable! Once components are prepped, it takes just minutes to get it on the table. You can even prepare it for the week. Here's what to do:

Up to a week ahead, cook the rice, the broth, the shrimp, and the fried garlic and keep them in the fridge (in separate containers). Comes time to eat, bring the broth to a boil, and while you wait you can chop up the cilantro/green onions and set the table.

Once the broth boils, add the rice and the shrimp and let it heat up thoroughly for a few minutes, et voila! Gourmet Thai breakfast in minutes!

Thailand's Favorite Sauce for Meats - Nam Jim Jeaw

October 6, 2023 by Pailin Chongchitnant 16 Comments

Give Thai people a piece of meat and we're going to ask, "Where's the nam jim jeaw?" Nam jim jeaw is Thai people's #1 go-to sauce for all kinds of meats, especially grilled meats. A must-have for any Thai barbecue, but it's also amazing on steaks, roast chicken, or pork chops. It's also easy to make and can be made in advance!

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What is Nam Jim Jeaw?

Nam jim jeaw is the classic Thai dipping sauce for all manner of meats, especially grilled meats. It's made from fish sauce, lime juice and/or tamarind, sugar, dried chilies, toasted rice powder and fresh herbs. The spicy acidity, with toasted rice aroma and fresh herbs, makes it the perfect thing to enhance and balance the richness of meats.

Nam jim means dipping sauce and jeaw also means dipping sauce, but in the Northeastern Thai dialect! This is because the sauce originated in Northeastern Thailand, but it quickly spread to the rest of the country due to its ease, versatility, and deliciousness. So nam jim jeaw essentially means "the dipping sauce from the Northeast"!

Ingredients

There aren't many ingredients for nam jim jeaw, and they're all staples in Thai cuisine!

Fish sauce. See my post here on how to choosing good fish sauce
Tamarind. Store bought tamarind paste (aka tamarind concentrate) is fine, just be sure to buy one from Thailand. If you want to make your own from pulp it is easy! Follow my guide to making homemade tamarind.
Lime juice.
Palm sugar or white sugar. Read all about palm sugar here!
Toasted chili flakes. You can buy store bought chili flakes and toast in a dry pan briefly until smokey, or toast whole chilies (arbol is a good choice) and then grind. The toasting is optional, but adds a nice smokiness.
Shallots.
Toasted rice powder. This is absolutely key to this recipe! Adds an iconic toasty aroma that makes all the difference. It's made simply by toasting raw rice (pictured) in a dry skillet and then grinding it.
Fresh herbs, commonly green onion and cilantro, though mint, sawtooth coriander or even dill can be used.

How to Make Nam Jim Jeaw

Here's a bird's eye view of the process, for amounts and detailed instructions, see the recipe card below!

Process shots for making nam jim jeaw, steps 1-4

If making toasted chili flakes from whole chilies, toast them in a dry skillet over medium high heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until some charred spots form on the chilies. You can also toast store bought chili flakes in this way.
Grind the chilies in a coffee grinder or spice grinder.
Make the toasted rice powder by toasting the rice in a dry pan over high heat, stirring constantly, until dark brown.
Grind into a powder using a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.

Process shots for making nam jim jeaw, steps 5-8

Combine the fish sauce, tamarind, lime juice, and palm sugar or white sugar.
Stir until most of the sugar is dissolved. Any stubborn chunks of palm sugar should dissolve in 5 minutes or so as it sits in the liquid.
Add the shallots, toasted rice powder, chilies, and fresh herbs.
It's now ready to use!

3 Useful Variations of Nam Jim Jeaw

Nam jim jeaw is not a fixed recipe, it's more of a concept. So depending on what is being served, people will change the ratios of ingredients to better pair with the food. Nam jim jeaw from 2 restaurants will rarely be the same!

In the recipe card, I give you 3 different versions:

"Original" All-Purpose Jeaw. When in doubt, this is the one to make. A good balance of salty, sour, and sweet that will go with most thing; especially BBQ chicken, steak, and pork jowl. It has a bit of a thicker body so it will cling well to meats when dipped.
Light Jeaw. Made to be lighter in body with more lime juice, it will cling lightly to meats when dipped, making it perfect for thin, delicate pieces of meat such as in hot pot. It is also less sweet and more tart and salty, which helps it cut the grease of very fatty meat such as pork belly, or meat that is already quite sweet.
Mellower Tomato Jeaw. The original jeaw is very intense, making it easy for those unfamiliar to overdo it. So I came up with a mellower version with the addition of diced tomatoes that people can more generously spoon onto their meat.

What to Serve with Nam Jim Jeaw

Some classic dishes that are always served with nam jim jeaw are:

Thai BBQ chicken (gai yang). This is a staple in my house, and you can bake the chicken instead as well.
Grilled steaks. We love it so much that even some Western steak houses will offer nam jim jeaw alongside gravy because some Thai people (me included) just cannot have meat without it!
Grilled pork jowl.
Northeastern Thai hot pot (aka jim jum or jeaw hon). Since the pieces are delicate, we use the lighter jeaw for this one.
Crispy pork belly, I especially love it with crispy pork belly because the jeaw cuts the fat so well that you'll be able to enjoy it without it feeling overly greasy. I also recommend the light version for this.

But really, any meat, Thai or not, can benefit from nam jim jeaw. Try it on roast beef, roast chicken, or even some firm-flesh fatty fish such as salmon, trout, or mackerel.

Storage and Advance Prep

Storage: You can keep leftover nam jim jeaw in the fridge for up to a week. The herbs will look wilted, of course, and the sauce will thicken slightly because the rice will have absorbed some liquid, but it will still taste fine. So ideally, you don't want to make more than you need. But you can....

Make nam jim jeaw "base" in bulk! If you want quick and easy access to nam jim jeaw you can absolutely make a bunch of the "base" ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. You simply need to omit a couple of things:

Leave out the leafy herbs and add when serving. Otherwise the herbs will look dodgy within a day. If you're lazy you can definitely serve the sauce without the herbs at all.
Leave out the toasted rice powder and add when serving. You can toast the rice ahead of time and keep it whole in a jar. When ready to serve, grind it up and add to the sauce. The aroma of toasted rice is fleeting so you don't want to add it far ahead of time.

Authentic Thai Peanut Dressing (Salad Kaeg)

February 26, 2016 by Pailin Chongchitnant 6 Comments

If you want a Thai peanut dressing that Thai people actually eat in Thailand, and not some peanut buttery concoction you find in hundreds of recipes written by non-Thai people, this is it right here. This dressing is what we use in salad kaeg สลัดแขก, which is is a filling and satisfying salad that is a specialty of Muslim-Thai cuisine.

The dressing is made from freshly ground roasted peanuts, NOT peanut butter (which isn't even a Thai ingredient). It's rich and flavourful, but mildly spiced, though the spiciness is customizable. We serve it with a classic mix of veggies and protein, but free to use it on whatever salad vegetables you like, or use it as a vegetable dip!

A bowl of salad veggies with a boiled egg with a bowl of peanut dressing on the side.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

Thai Peanut Dressing

Large, mild dried chilies, such as puya or guajillo peppers, but anything that's not too spicy will work. You can find these at Latin American stores.
Shallots
Garlic
Ground coriander, I like to grind coriander from seeds because store bought pre-ground coriander tends to be stale and lacks aroma.
Coconut milk, check out the post on how to choose good coconut milk.
Water
Roasted peanuts. It’s best to buy raw peanuts and roast them yourself because the flavour is so much better than using pre-roasted peanuts which can often be stale. I'm including roasting instructions below.
Tamarind paste. You can buy tamarind paste for cooking, also labeled as "tamarind concentrate" but always make sure it is tamarind from Thailand! Indian tamarind paste is different and cannot be used in the same way. You can also make it from pulp using this homemade tamarind paste recipe.
Palm sugar, finely chopped. You can also sub light brown sugar. Read more about palm sugar here.
Salt or fish sauce. If you don't need this to be vegetarian, I recommend using fish sauce for extra umami.

Salad Components

Note: These are all classic components of a salad kaeg, but feel free to change things up! My only tip is that because the dressing is rich, make sure you have some sturdy veggies in the mix as delicate leafy greens will be easily overwhelmed by the dressing.

Greens: any kind you like, but I recommend including sturdy leaves such as iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce. Delicate greens alone will not hold up well under the rich dressing.
Cucumber, sliced
Tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, cut in wedges, or cut cherry tomatoes in half.
Carrots, cut into thin sticks or juliennes. Using a julienne peeler makes easy work out of this
Boiled eggs. The doneness is up to you, but for this I personally like boiling for 9 minutes for large size eggs which will get you doneness as per the photo above.
Fried firm tofu. Deep fried tofu is traditional and it gives them a nice chewy texture, but you don't need to fry the tofu if you prefer then fresh. You can also pan fry them in a little oil just until browned on both sides, or toss the tofu in oil and air fry them at 400°F (200°C) until browned.
Potato chips or fried potato sticks. Totally optional but they add a super nice crunch!
Fried shallots. You can buy fried shallots from Asian grocery stores, but making your own is also an option. I also like to bake store bought fried shallots to refresh them and get them crispier. See more details in my fried shallots recipe here.

How to Make Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

To roast peanuts:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place peanuts on a baking sheet and spread them out into one layer and roast for 15-20 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir the peanuts around. Check them often once they are close to finish, they burn fast!
Remove from oven after they have turned golden brown. Once they are cool, grind them into a coarse meal (not peanut butter!) in a mortar and pestle or a food processor.

Note: If you have extra roasted peanuts, store them in the fridge to prevent them from going rancid. For even longer storage, put them in the freezer.

Make the curry paste:

process shots for making Thai peanut dressing steps 1-4

Cut the dried chilies into chunks with scissors and remove all the seeds.
Add them to a coffee grinder along with the coriander seeds and grind into a powder.
In a mortar and pestle, pound together shallots, garlic, ground chilies and coriander into a paste (does not have to be super fine).
Bring ¼ cup of the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it is reduced and thick.

process shots for making Thai peanut dressing steps 5-8

Once it is thick, continue to cook the paste for one more minute, adding a splash of coconut milk if it is sticking to the bottom.
Add the remaining coconut milk and stir to dissolve the paste.
Add the water, ground roasted peanuts, tamarind, palm sugar, and salt. Simmer the dressing for 20-30 minutes over low heat, until thickened to the desired consistency, scraping the bottom frequently to prevent it from scorching.
I like the dressing to be on the thicker side, but if you prefer a lightly dressed salad you can make it thinner by adding a splash of water. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, making sure it's got a strong flavour since it will be served with lots of veggies. Let it cool a bit before drizzling over your salad!

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