Get those taste buds dancing
04-Sep-2025
Category: News Stories
The opportunity to sample different foods & wines is all part of the travel experience to South East Asia.
Many of us will have tried modified menus found in UK highstreets with numerous Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese options, generally good, but trying something much more authentic takes it to a different level, not just in taste but also atmosphere.
Travelling around Malaysia and Thailand you can see the cuisine changes region to region. In Malaysia areas with a more Chinese or Indian influence reflects this in the food offered. Thailand also changes region to region as you will see from below.
Let me allow my good longtime friend Pim (Thai born, Swiss schooled, worked in many luxury hotels in SE Asia and now owns super Khang Wang restaurant in Chaing Mai) to interject and add her rather detailed advice and suggestions:
In Thailand, our cuisine changes from region to region. Traditional Thai cuisine generally falls into major six categories; Nam Prik (chilli pesto dipping sauces), Tom (boiled), Yam or Lap (spicy salad), Tam (pounded), Gaeng (curries with or without coconut cream) Yang (grilled). Pad (Stir fried), Tod ( deep fried) and Neung (steamed) are methods introduced and influenced from Chinese cuisines.
Herbs & Spices are very commonly used for the curries paste ingredients in all regions. The difference is cultural affluence and how to bring out aromatic and flavorful combinations. Basic spices are long peppers, cotton tree flowers, cloves, nutmeg nuts, limonella, cinnamon, dried chilies, flaked chilies, cumin, fennel seeds, shrimps paste, turmeric roots powder, cardamom seeds, white and black peppers corns.
Thai cuisines will not be completed without these basic herbs; galangal, lemongrass, ginger roots, holy basils, sweet basils, red shallots, cilantro, spearmint, finger roots, kafir limes and leaves, green limes, garlic, scallions and parsley. And of course, its spices and heat goes well with Kao (jasmine rice), Kanom Jeen (steamed fresh rice noodles) and mixed fresh vegetables.
In the north, Jeen Nam Giew (spicy red curry soup with rice noodles) Gaeng Hangle (stewed pork in curry gravy with ginger), Kao Soi ( red curry cream soup with yellow eggs noodles) are popular dishes adapted and influenced from Shan State, Myanmar cuisines.
In Bangkok where is the centre of food nationally and recognized as the best international food city in SE Asia. The Gaeng Kiew Wan (green curry), Kanom Jeen Sao Nam (coconut cream sauce with rice noodles and fresh pineapples, ginger, garlic and shredded dried shrimps with a twist of limes), Pad Thai, fried Rice, Massaman thick Curry and Panang Red Curry are exotic amongst several other creative popular dishes influenced by many regional parts of Thailand and Asian countries.
And much more impressive is the chilies pesto dips that go well with all sorts of edible something unimaginable leaves that are even grown easily on their home fences. Nam Prik Noom (banana peppers) Nam Prik Kapi (shrimps paste) Nam Prik Pla Pon (grilled pounded dried fish) and Nam Prik Makham (tamarind) and they also go exquisitely with rice and vegetables.
Som Tam (green papaya salad) and Nam Tok or Lap Moo (spicy pork salad) are originated from E-Sarn (the north-eastern part, close to Laos and Cambodia). Sometimes they use green cucumber and pound with fresh chilies, fermented fish, black crabs, salt, sugar palm and lime juice in a mortar. This is because it’s rather dried and hot weather and rice fields land. They’ll need some food that’s easy and last for a whole day out there working in the fields. Another specialties are Sai Krog E-Sarn (sausages stuffed with fermented rice and pork and Bamboo Shoots Soup, cooked with Triandra leaves and fermented fish.
In the southern part, where’s surrounded by sea and oceans and next to Malaysia and Sumatra peninsula, their cuisines are quite strong and spicier with lots of seafood turmeric powder and cumins ingredients. And mainly seafood and sambal chilies paste. Most curries are cooked with coconut cream and strong aromatic spices to overcome the fishy smells. Their dips are mostly based on sambal chilies paste. Populate dishes are Gaeng Leung Kati (Yellow Curry with crab meat), Gaeng Som (spicy curry soup with tamarind) and Gaeng Tai Pla ( spicy curry soup with fermented fish guts and boiled bamboo shoots).
I could go on .. so many Thai delicious cuisines including desserts that make us proud. In 2011, seven Thai dishes appeared on a list of the "World's 50 Best Foods", an online poll of 35,000 people worldwide by CNN Travel. Thailand had more dishes on the list than any other country: tom yum kung (4th), pad thai(5th), som tam (6th), massaman curry(10th), green curry (19th), Thai fried rice(24th) and nam tok mu (36th).[3]
So back to me, but sure that detailed review of Thai food got the taste buds bopping & jumping and believe me the reality is amazing.
Just on street food, to me it is part of the experience but I tend to avoid the night prior to travelling, particularly on a long flight. I eat most things but avoid pork & shell fish for personal reasons. As such I tend to write down “no pork or shell fish“ in the local language so I can show to vendors. It also helps if you are with someone who can converse with the vendors. Some are ultra obliging to the point of saying a smiling “yes" to virtually everything!
So to wines. In general prices bit more than UK. Good selection, particularly from Australia & New Zealand, little less so from Europe, and particularly USA through recent tariffs. There are wineries in Vietnam in the Dalat area just north of HCM City (Saigon) and in Thailand at Hua Hin and in the Khao Yai area north east of Bangkok. I have visited all three, nice experience and the wines are good to accompany local cuisine. Surprisingly they are priced the same as those imported on the basis “ if they were cheaper no one would buy!". In Asia most bottles are served with the labels facing out, no one local wants to be seen drinking the cheapest.
