Thai Food That’s Not Spicy

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 delicious. In today’s learn Thai lesson we are going to cover three of the best not spicy dishes that you can order at a Thailand food stall that specializes in ah-hăhn dtam-sàng (อาหารตำสั่ง), which means food made to order.

Each of the following Thai dishes usually can be ordered with pork (mŏo) or shrimp (gûng). Or with a combination of pork, shrimp, and squid (ruam- mít). If you are a finicky eater or have a sensitive stomach, then stick with the pork—as the shrimp and squid can occasionally have a funky flavor, depending on where the Thai food vendor is sourcing their seafood.

Râht Nâh (ราดหน้า) – Often written as Rad Na or Raad Naa on Thai menus, this hearty Thai noodle soup includes large noodles in a brown gravy with vegetables and meat.

Phàt Siu (ผัดซีอิ๊ว) – Often written as Pad Siew or Pad See Ew on Thai menus, this delicious Thai stir fry has large noodles, vegetables, meat, and soy sauce.

PhàtThai (ผัดไทย) – This is a favorite Thai dish among many Westerners who have already eaten it at Thai restaurants in their home country. This dish includes thin rice noodles, with tofu, peanuts, sprouts, and meat. Not all Thai food to order stands sell Pad Thai; you may have to get to a street vendor (such as Go Go Pad Thai or Pad Thai Pa Lek) who specializes in Pad Thai to get this popular dish in Sakon Nakhon.

When you sit down to eat one of these not spicy Thai dishes, there likely will be a set of condiments on your table that includes sugar, red pepper, fish sauce with spicy peppers, and vinegar with peppers (not hot). If you are a foreigner who doesn’t like spicy food, you might like to add some of the vinegar w/ peppers condiment (called nám sôm phrík) as this will add a pleasant sweet and sour boost to your Thai food. If you would like it to be a little saltier, then add a bit of pepper-less fish sauce (nám bplah), a bottle of which will also be on your table.

So to summarize or learn Thai language and culture lesson, this is how you will place your order of a non-spicy delicious Thai dish:

ขอ ราดหน้า หมู ครับ

Khăw râht-nâh mŏo khráp.

Request Rad Na pork (polite).

I’ll have the Rad Na with pork please.

If you want to learn how to order a larger dish of your favorite Thai food, then head on over to our free learn Thai lesson: Get More Thai Food. Visit us again for more unique Thai language and culture lessons for expats and tourists in Thailand.