Every country has its own version of comfort food. We’ll look at some of the most popular Thai comfort foods in the different regions of the country, from the mountains in the north to the sunny beach areas of the south.
What is Comfort Food?
Everyone has memories of a special, comforting food that was served to them throughout their childhood. The common worldwide characteristic of comfort food is that it is simple to prepare with hearty, nutritional ingredients. Comfort foods offer a balance of flavors and soothing textures in a warming and comforting meal.
Comfort food generally gains favour in one region of a country and slowly spreads as more people fall in love with it, and its popularity continues to grow.
Comfort Food in Thailand
Thailand, with its rich and varied national cuisine, is blessed with several different regional comfort foods. These Thai comfort foods have transcended borders and are now known and enjoyed all over the world. A sampling of the many Thai comfort foods include:
Khao Soi
This intensely flavored dish from the mountains of northern Thailand around the Chiang Mai area is something between a hearty stew and a soup.
The dish is curry-flavored and includes a braised chicken drumstick, flat noodles, fried won tons or egg noodles, diced shallots, black cardamom, ginger, turmeric, pickled vegetables, and lime juice. The curry-flavored broth is aromatic and irresistible.
Khao Soi has become the signature dish of Chiang Mai and can now be easily found in every region in Thailand, as well as some overseas restaurants. This is the perfect dish to serve in the chilly, mountainous region of northern Thailand during the winter months.
Somtum Isaan
This fresh and spicy dish from the Isaan region of northeastern Thailand was originally from Laos, which shares the Mekong River border with the Isaan region of Thailand. Somtum Isaan was adopted by Thailand and is now one of the most popular dishes in the country. It became a comfort food because it’s easy to prepare with inexpensive, everyday ingredients.
There are many versions of the dish, but every basic Somtum includes grated fresh green papaya, chilis, garlic, dried shrimp, palm sugar, peanuts, lime juice, fish sauce, cherry tomatoes and green long beans. In Isaan, it's also common to add pickled crabs to the dish.
Somtum is usually served with sticky rice and grilled chicken. The dish is found everywhere and a visit to Thailand is not complete unless it includes at least one somtum lunch or dinner!
Tom Yung Goong
Tom yung goong, originally from central Thailand, has evolved into one of Thailand's signature dishes. It can be found in restaurants all over Thailand and every overseas Thai restaurant worldwide. The “tom yung” flavor has even been adapted into spaghetti, pizza, and fried rice.
The dish blends chicken stock, coconut milk, lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, fresh lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, Thai chili paste, chilies, fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, shallots, and shrimp into an unforgettable dish that’s enjoyed all over the world.
The word “goong’ means shrimp in Thai. There are two main versions of tom yung goong: a sour version with a clear broth and a sweeter version with coconut milk. The mellow and soothing coconut version with plump, succulent shrimp has become one of Thailand’s favorite comfort foods.
Massaman Curry
Massaman curry is a rich and hearty curry that’s become popular as a filling and satisfying comfort food in Thailand. The dish was originally an ancient hybrid dish that blended ingredients together from three cultures: Persia, the Malay Archipelago and the Indian subcontinent. Visitors to Thailand have helped spread the popularity of the dish around the world. “Massaman” is a corrupted version of the ancient word “Mosalman”, which means Muslim.
The massaman curry sauce is the key to the dish. It can be made with chicken, beef, duck, mutton, or goat. Due to its Muslim roots, it's rarely made with pork.
Massaman curry is made by combining coconut cream with chilis, coriander seeds, lemongrass, galangal, shrimp paste, white pepper, shallots and garlic, although many people buy a prepared massaman curry paste that's available all over Thailand. Then, the protein, potatoes and onions are added, and the curry is slowly simmered to allow the flavours to develop.
Discover Prod.
Prod. is a unique fine-dining seafood and Thai cuisine restaurant in Pattaya that combines traditional ingredients with modern culinary techniques to deliver an innovative and original dining experience.
We feature fresh Gulf of Thailand seafood and local ingredients that allow us to create instant Thai comfort food classics like Grandmother's "Tom Yum" River Prawn soup or Bang Saray fresh squid fried with fish sauce.
We're also an eco-friendly restaurant. Our ingredients are locally sourced using sustainable farm-to-table methods and we practice a "Fin-to-tail” approach in our food preparation techniques that helps us conserve resources.
Make a reservation at Prod. and explore our versions of some of the most famous seafood dishes in Thailand.
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