Whether you are on a drunken night out on the town or fancy a quick, affordable, delicious and easy snack, Thai street foods are some of the most stunning. You can find mobile street vendors on every corner, and especially in every 7/11 entrance. Here are 10 Thai street foods that will blow your mind, but not your bank balance.
#1. Guay Teow (Noodle Soup)
One of the most common mobile Thai street foods is the delicious varieties of noddle soup. There are many kinds of noodle soup from standard noodles and flat noodle dishes to yellow Chinese noodles, served with either red pork, chicken or even fish balls.
There are a myriad of weird and wonderful noodle soup dishes and you can choose how spicy you want them to be. With prices that range at 30 THB to 50 THB, this is a great snack after a few beers on your way home and more wholesome than ham and cheese toasties from 7/11.
#2. Kluay Tod (Deep-Fried Bananas)
Kluay Tod is more well known to foreigners as deep-fried bananas, and although it sounds a bit heavy on the cholesterol, they are absolutely delicious. This tasty dish is fundamentally a dessert but it can be eaten for any meal. It is not uncommon to see Thais eating this for breakfast. They use slightly less ripe bananas for this dish, coated in batter concocted from coconut and sesame seeds. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Delicious! The price for a portion of Kluay Tod is approximately 20 THB to 30 THB.
#3. Som Tam (Spicy Seafood Salad)
Som Tam is one of the most popular street food dishes in Thailand, but is not recommended unless you like spicy food. This spicy salad usually comprises of shrimp, green papaya, peanuts, carrots, string beans, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and lime juice, not forgetting copious amounts of chills, all mixed together in a clay pot at roadside with a standard mortar and pestle. Som Tam can be so spicy that it could be used in biological warfare. The price of Som Tam can be anywhere ranging from 30 THB to 70 THB.
#4. Kai Jeow (omelet over rice)
If you want to try something a little bit less aggressive, nothing is more simple yet delicious than Kai Jeow, which breaks down as a tasty omelet over rice. Thai omelets are slightly different to the Western variety as they are nice and soft in the middle yet crispy on the outside. Combine that together with some steamed rice, fish sauce and chilies (both optional), and you have a full meal from the price of 30 THB at roadside.
#5. Kao Niew Ma Muang (Mango with Sticky Rice)
Although eating spicy salads and tasty noodle dishes are the standard Thai street foods, nothing is more delicious and memorable than Kao Niew Ma Muang, which is mango with sticky rice. This is one of the most famous and popular Thai dessert dishes loved and revered by all. The dish is created from fresh slices of mango, sticky rice and a tasty coconut cream syrup that looks like condensed milk. Although the dish is sweet, it’s also healthy. The best time to get this dish is in mango season from April to May, but it’s served virtually all year round on food vendors at the side of the street. This dish is also approximately 20 THB to 30 THB.
Other notable mentions when it comes to street food desserts is Roti Pancakes/Crepes served with all manner of chocolate and sweet delights. Other popular Thai street food dishes include Poh Pia Tod (spring rolls), Gai Tod (steamed chicken and rice), a wide variety of kebab type meat on stick snacks, local Thai sausages such as Sai Ooah, and other staple dishes such as Khao Kha Moo, which is a delicious sweet and sticky slow steamed pork in a nice sauce served with rice.
All the dishes you find on Thai street food venders cost in the region of 20 THB to 70 THB, which makes them the ideal choice for those who seek tasty food for a tasty price.
