Top 5 Street Food Stuff in Thailand - that your tastebuds deserve!

One of the many reasons I love Thailand is the street food! Other reasons being - the culture, their beach destinations, the ‘variety’ of holidaying that can be done there from beach-jungle-culture-urban-shopping-etc. But more on that later… this post is about why I love the street food .. Welcome to the gastronomic journey!

In Thailand (as in most places in the world), the best food is out there on carts & little restaurants by the roadside – freshly prepared, delicious and rich in local flavours & fragrances. Here’s my list of top 5 favorite street food stuff – you shouldn't leave Thailand without trying one of these:

(Also check out top 'Veggie Treats' and 'Kids will Love' at the end of the post).

1.       Banana Pancakes:

Chopped Bananas stuffed in crepes and fried on butter with a topping of maple syrup & condensed milk – cut into little bite sized pieces. In most touristy towns of Thailand (esp the beach destinations), you will find a Banana Pancake cart every 300 meters. This yummy treat can be eaten as a desert or just as an evening snack… and is a great hit with children of all ages (from age 3 to 70)! Try out the basic version or the variations (chocolate, peanut butter, cinnamon, strawberries, pineapple, egg cheese and a zillion more). Don’t miss to watch how they make it – it’s as appetizing as the snack itself!

The making of a Banana Pancake

2.       Stuffed fish in Sweet & Sour Sauce:

Available at most street joints that serve meals, this dish is a complete meal by itself. Fresh fish, with a variety of stuffing cooked in sweet & sour sauce. Usually served with some salad or the ‘not so thai’ fries/ wedges..  

Stuffed Fish

3.       Fish Cutlets:

These melt in the mouth Fish patties are, well, just melt in the mouth stuff! Minced fish deep fried into little patties served with hot & sweet thai sauce. A sinfully yummy way to eat fish in Thailand. (often has chopped chillies as well – so for kids, you may want to tell the cook to go easy on the chillies).

Deep Fried, sinfully yummy Fish Cutlets

4.       Going Green & Red:

How can I write about Thai street food and not mention the green and red curries! Found just about anywhere in Thailand on little roadside restaurants, these are meals you’ll remember even after you get home! Made in chicken, prawns or fish, the green or red thai curries are served with steamed white rice (plain or sticky rice). The green is spicier than the red curry (kids usually love the red curry). For vegetarians, the vegetable green/ red curries taste great too. (For Vegetarians as per Indian definition: this is one of the best meal option for in Thailand. Make sure you tell the cook what counts as vegetarian for you :-) - that fish & eggs don’t!).

The iconic Thai Green & Red Curries with rice

5.       Crabs Cakes:

Made from minced crab meat and deep fried, these crab cakes are the most hassle free way to eat crab (though my favorite is still to find my way thru crab shells to pull out the meat J). This is not as easily found as the other 4 above – but fairly common and absolutely delicious – served with the iconic thai hot & sweet sauce.

Crab Cakes

Top Veggie Treats:

For the vegetarians reading this, here's my list of top 5 veggies treats on the streets of Thailand:

- Tofu Cakes (Similar to Crab Cakes)
- Papaya Salad
- Tofu Spring Rolls (fried)
- Thai Veg Green and Red Curry with rice
- Banana Pancakes

Kids will love:

- Banana Pancakes (of course!), try flavours like nuttella/ chocolate/ caramel/ etc
- Fish Cutlets (minus the chillies)
- Crab Cakes or Tofu Cakes

Gosh, how I want to hop onto a flight right now to Thailand to get a bite of these! What’s your favorite street food there?