Okay so before you go stuffing your face with boiled chicken feet and durian congee let’s just wind it back a few notches.

Yes Thai food is world renowned for a reason, its delicious aromatic and fragrant dishes are something to behold. 

For people new to Thai food, everything can be confusing and sometimes overwhelming… Some foods that look visibly disgusting can be delicious and other dishes that look delicious May leave a bitter tongue numbing taste in your mouth like gaeng khilek.

This is my guide to slowly indoctrinating yourself into Thai foods. Start off with something familiar and work up from there. All the photos below are from the meals I cooked at my family run Thai takeaway in the UK

Gai Yang & Cow Neow
loosely translated as grilled chicken with sticky rice. This is a finger food usually sold by street vendors. Look for the barbecue smoke and large ceramic pots. The chicken is usually coated in a sweet sticky marinade. This is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a new Thai food staple: Thai sticky rice. Gai Yang is a delicious wholesome snack eaten on the go.

Gai pad med mumuang 
translated as chicken with cashew nuts stir fry. I have run several Thai food businesses and I can tell you first hand this is extremely popular with people over 50 for some reason. It is usually fairly mild, the addition of crunchy cashew nuts elevated the dish into a whole new level.

Geng Keow Waan
Thai Green Curry is the most popular Thai curry amongst most “falangs(Forreigners)” characterized by its vibrant green colour and mixed vegetables, this dish is sweet, salty, spicy and vibrant. It is a real taste sensation and like something that you probably have never tasted before. Sadly Thai green curry sauces in the UK supermarkets do not do this curry justice, here comes the shameless plug, our Thai Green Curry Sauce really captured the depth of flavours that are associated with the real essence of this Thai classic: Tap the photo below to purchase a jar of our Thai Green Sauce

Tom Yam and Tom Ka 
are the two main soups to taste first. If you like spice then the Tom Yam will be ideal for you, otherwise tasting the Tom Ka will be better for people who are not too keen on spicy soups. Both soups are equally delicious with fresh herbs and packed with aromatic flavours. Just be aware you don’t need to eat everything in the bowl. Big chunks of lemongrass and galangal are necessary for the soups flavour, you don’t need to eat them.

Kao Pad Krapow (Kai Dow)
Now we are getting adventurous! Krapow translates to basil. This is usually a very spicy dish containing minced meat usually chicken beef or pork, stir fried with garlic and basil, peppers onions green beans and a portion of rice. The (Kai Dow) translated to fried egg on top. Take it or leave it. I personally love the fried egg so I’ll ask for “Song Kai” (two eggs) It is probably one of the most popular Thai meals. It can be very spicy!!!

We think this is a good starting point to ease yourself into some of the best tasting yet not too exotic Thai dishes. As always we love to hear from you all, drop us an email or subscribe to our emailing list on our homepage and be kept up to date with our Thai food blogs at www.maejathaifood.co.uk