Category: Thai Food

Khanom Dok Bua (ขนมดอกบัว) is a sweet Thai pancake found occasionally at outdoor markets in Thailand. It is one of our favorite snacks, a runner up to Thai fried bananas. While other sweets, such as Roti and Khanom Bueang (ขนมเบื้อง), often are called Thai pancakes, Khanom Dok Bua is the only doughy sweet really deserving […]

Back in the 1700s, during the reign of King Boromakot of Ayutthaya, Prince Dhammathibet wrote a poem honoring the Thai mango, which back then was referred to in Thai as “màak-mûang” (หมากม่วง) or “purple betel nut” — not to be confused with the betel nut that has been traditionally chewed as a stimulant (learn more […]

*Seen above is a special skillet used to fry quail eggs in Thailand. If you love eggs, Thailand has many delicious types of eggs and dishes made with eggs. Farm fresh eggs often taste better in Thailand, especially at street food vendors in rural provinces, because the eggs were bought from village egg sellers with […]

Patongko (ปาท่องโก๋), or Thai donuts, are a Thai street food that TasteAtlas has ranked one of the top 5 desserts in the world, followed by Thailand’s mango sticky rice (khao niao mamuang) at #11, fried bananas (gluay thawt) at #45, and bamboo sticky rice (khao lam) at #48. So, the best donuts in Thailand are […]

The Thai people have a history of being quite skinny and not struggling with their weight. However, this is changing as Western foods have been introduced, as well as highly processed food. If you are in Thailand and struggling with your weight, or are looking for the Thai secret to weight loss and maintaining a […]

Tamarind in the Thai language is called má-kăam (มะขาม). Its history in Thailand stretches back over 700 years. Tamarind is believed to have originated in Africa, and then brought to Thailand sometime prior to the reign of King Ram Khamhaeng (Rama the Bold), who ruled the ancient Sukhothai kingdom from 1278 -1 298. Tamarind is […]

Thailand grows the most delicious bamboo in the world. Almost everyone who lives in the Thai countryside has easy access to wild bamboo. So, it’s one of the many free foods that Thai people take advantage of when making dishes such as bamboo shoot curry, fried bamboo shoots with pork, and bamboo shoot soup. Bamboo […]

The Mystery Snail, which is known in Thailand as Hoi Khom (หอยขม), Hoi Joop (หอยจุ๊บ) or Hoi Doot (หอยดูด) is the snail most commonly seen in Thailand. It is found near ponds, canals, and flooded rice fields during the rainy season. Mystery Snails are also called River Snails, Pond Snails, or Marsh Snails. Some have […]

We’ve discussed what sato is — the homemade rice wine popular in Isaan. Today let’s learn about its kindred spirit yoo (อุ) or lao yoo (เหล้าอุ), which is sometimes incorrectly referred to as lao khao (เหล้าขาว) or white whiskey. Yoo is different from sato (rice wine), as it has a different preparation and fermentation process. […]

For years we’ve ignored the “kanom pia” mooncakes at the 7-11s and mini Big Cs in Sakon Nakhon, thinking they would be disappointing compared to the delicious mooncakes of Chachoengsao province (where the bakers of the best mooncakes in Thailand live). But, that was a mistake. The mooncakes sold at mini Big Cs are made […]

Time Magazine recently included Isan (The Northeast of Thailand) among its 50 Greatest Places of the World. It describes Isan (also spelled Isaan) as a culinary capital of Thailand, a region famous for its bold combinations of spicy, sweet, and sour flavors. It noted that Micheline expanded its Thailand guide this year to include Isan, […]

The jackfruit season in Northeastern Thailand (especially in provinces like Sakon Nakhon) begins March and continues through July. Jackfruit is one of Thailand’s most amazing fruits. And it is used in a variety of Thai dishes, desserts, and salads. It is a superfood, loaded with nutritional value and medicinal benefits (according to traditional Thai folk […]

Many Thai guidebooks and websites will tell you that deep fried bananas, known as kluay tod/thawt (กล้วยทอด) or kluay khaek (กล้วยแขก), are a must-try sweet, Thai snack food. And we could not agree more! Thai fried bananas are one of our favorite street-side deserts in Thailand. However, you must know how and where to buy […]

March is harvest time for the Thai rose apple, also known as Chomphu (ชมพู่) or Chompoo in the Thai language. The rose apple is a bell-shaped fruit native not only to Thailand, but other Southeast Asian countries, such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Today, it is also grown in Hawaii, Florida, the Caribbean, and other […]

As February comes to a close in Northeast Thailand, the Thai rice wine (sato) making season begins. While sato (สาโท) can be made all year round, the most popular time for making Thai rice wine is from the end of the cool season through the Songkran holiday in April. Sato is a sweet Isaan wine […]

Now is the start of the red ant egg hunting season in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. The hunting begins in earnest around mid February, after the first hot period that marks the end of the cool season, especially when the hot weather is accompanied with a bit of rainfall. Both a hot spell and some rain […]

Can you eat Thai food with sour cream? Yes, you certainly can! Many classic Thai dishes can be mixed deliciously with sour cream. Some cooks have already realized that you can successfully add a dollop of sour cream to many Thai curries, but did you know that sour cream mixes well with the popular noodle […]

Vegetarians have no problem finding dishes to eat in Thailand. Popular destinations like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and Phuket have many vegetarian restaurants — while most upcountry destinations have at least one or two vegetarian eateries. In addition, it is often easy to order vegetarian variations of many delicious Thai dishes at regular restaurants. However, […]

Khanom Thuai Talai (ขนมถ้วยตะไล), often shortened to just Khanom Thuai, is a simple but delicious dessert that you must try when visiting Sakon Nakhon. It’s unlikely that you’ll see this dessert offered at a Sakon Nakhon restaurant, but you will find packages of Khanom Thuai sold at food markets, and occasionally at Thai noodle shops […]

When searching for Thailand off the beaten track destinations, you inevitably see many places that aren’t off the beaten tourist path at all. For example, Koh Chang, Mae Hong Song, Hat Yai, etc. There certainly isn’t anything wrong with these destinations. In fact, we have been to them all, and love them too. But they […]

Pearypie @ Facebook Amata Chittasenee (Pearypie), a Bangkok-based environmentalist, social culture maker, urban farmer, theatrical and makeup artist, has just reported on her trip to taste the best rice in Thailand. She took part in a Sakon Nakhon rice tasting event (หอมข้าวชาวสกล) that was held in Bangkok. Most people are only familiar with two types […]

One of the great joys of living in Thailand is the Thai food. Simple and delicious Thai dishes can be found everywhere for a little more than a dollar. You don’t have to be a spicy food fanatic to enjoy Thai food. There are plenty of Thai dishes that are not spicy but no less […]

Today’s post is not only for tourists to Sakon Nakhon, but also the expats who want to learn how to order a large portion of Pad Thai or other Thai dish. Dining at a Thai food stall or village food vendor is delicious and cheap, but portion sizes can be a little small for the […]

When you ask expats in Sakon Nakhon why they live here, you will get two kinds of responses: the long-winded philosophical treatise and the short but sweet retort. We prefer the latter, especially when it involves Thai food. Over the past decade, Thai restaurants have popped up everywhere in Western countries, giving foreigners a taste […]

For decades, people in the West have associated the consumption of MSG with a wide variety of ailments. However, as journalist Alex Renton wrote in his MSG expose in the Guardian: “If MSG is so bad for you, why doesn’t everyone in Asia have a headache?” Renton’s article (which you can read here) is a […]

If you are browsing the Sakon Nakhon markets and come across some small pyramid shaped items wrapped in banana leaves, you don’t want to pass them up! What is inside is called Kanom Tian (ขนมเทียน), also spelled Khanom Thian. It’s a sweet snack made of sticky rice flour, coconut, and sugar (plus some additional stuffing […]

Noodle soup in Thailand is called gŭai-dtĭao, and it is ordered either with wide large noodles (sên yài) or thin noodles (sên lék). The soup includes a dark broth or clear broth. The dark noodle soup is called gŭai-dtĭao nám-dtòk (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวน้ำตก) — the phrase nám-dtòk literally meaning waterfall. However, if you just order gŭai-dtĭao, you […]

Aficionados of the red culinary sauce known as ketchup (Yes, we mean Americans) will be happy to know that ketchup can easily be found in Thailand. In fact, dare we say that Thailand produces the very best ketchup in the world. The best ketchup in Thailand is made by Roza, and it beats the American […]

Today we are going to show you how to say super delicious in Thai, as well as the Isaan dialect spoken in Sakon Nakhon. You perhaps already know the ordinary word for delicious in Thai, which is a-ròi (อร่อย). But that word is so commonly used in Thailand, that it doesn’t really pass as a […]

If you are visiting Sakon Nakhon and aren’t eating the street food, then you simply aren’t living. Thai street food often is the best cuisine to be found in Thailand (and the world), as well as the cheapest. Many tourists and expats shy away from Thai street food because of fears of getting a little […]

One of the biggest faux pas a foreign tourist can make while eating in Sakon Nakhon restaurants is blowing your nose. If your nose is running because of a spicy Thai dish, then you may dab your nose with a tissue. But a full blown blow is simply not done. If a nose blow is […]