Kuay Tod – Deep Fried Bananas – Street Food

Deep Fried Bananas (Kuay Tod, กล้วยทอด)

Similar to banana fritters. The batter of Bangkok’s deep fried bananas (Kuay Tod) are flavourer with the flesh of brown coconut (maprao), sesame seeds and palm sugar.

Deep Fried Bananas (Kuay Tod) are not the most delicious of street food but they are one to be aware of. If your car or taxi is surrounded by masked men – do not cower in the corner or get out to run. Chances are the masked men are selling deep fried bananas (Kuay Tod). The reason for wearing masks is to protect from car fumes when working the streets.

Deep fried bananas (Kuay Tod) are only sold to cars on specific streets of Chinatown. At the roadside they can be found all over Bangkok and are easily recognised by giant bubbling woks. Pay around 20 baht for a bag of 10.

Kai Yang – Grilled Chicken – Street Food

Grilled Chicken (Kai Yang, ไก่ย่าง)

Everyone loves a barbecue. A common street food sight in the evenings is the roadside barbecue grill and congregations of local banter. After working hours tables and chairs are erected roadside for weary workers to unwind with local liquors, spicy salads, sticky rice and barbecued meats. Over flaming charcoals Kai Yang Grilled Chicken often sits side-by-side with Grilled Fish (Pla Pao).

Away from the evening grills Grilled Chicken can be found almost all day, everyday at every Bangkok street food area. It is a common staple in Bangkok’s diet. Best served with sweet or hot chili dipping sauces.

Kuey Teow – Noodle Soup – Street Food

Noodle Soup (Kuey Teow, ก๋วยเตี๋ยว)

Bangkok’s Noodle Soups are hugely popular with numerous varieties to be found. Some better known bowls include the blood filled Boat Noodles (Kuey Teow Rua), and the local favourite pork ball soup. Quick, cheap and delicious. Noodle soup vendors are easily found as Bangkok street food, in roadside restaurants and in Bangkok’s cheap eat Food Courts.

This dish is forced onto me. The pictured chicken noodle soup (Kuey Teow Kai) is from a roadside noodle stall which appears every morning below my condo balcony. It often lures me out for late breakfasts. Price 30 baht+.

Poh Pia Tod – Spring Rolls – Street Food

Spring Rolls (Poh Pia Tod,  ปอเปี๊ยะทอด)

Poh Pia Tod is Thailand’s interpretation of the popular Asian Spring Rolls. While ingredients can vary the basic spring roll consists of glass (mung bean) noodles, bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms and shredded veg all tightly wrapped in thin pastry skins. Spring rolls generally come as vegetarian, tofu or chicken.

Poh Pia Tod spring rolls are deep fried roadside at Bangkok street food, chopped to pieces and handed out in plastic bags with a drizzle of sweet chili sauce. Another “to go” option. Buy a bag and pick at them with a wooden skewer.

Khao Soi Curry – Cut Rice Curry – Cheap Eats

Khao Soi Curry (Khao Soi, ข้าวซอย)

The most underrated of Thai curries the lesser known Khao Soi is another of Thailand’s milder curry dishes. Best served with chunky chicken the Burmese influenced Khao Soi curry consists of crispy egg noodles served in a flavoursome coconut curry sauce. To perfect this dish add a choice of ingredients and flavourings such as sugar, lime, beansprouts, onion and bitter gourd (melon).

Khao Soi curry can be found as Bangkok street food but is often easier found in Bangkok’s many cheap eat Food Courts. The pictured Khao Soi cost 45 baht at my local Big C food court. It’s addictive.

Kanom Jeeb – Thai Steamed Dumplings – Street Food

Thai Steamed Dumplings (Kanom Jeeb, ขนมจีบ)

Minced prawn and pork dumplings wrapped in colourful wontons and steam cooked at Bangkok’s roadsides. With obvious Chinese influences the delicious Kanom Jeeb was inspired by the popular Chinese Siu Mai dumplings (Dim Sum) and has since become a popular Bangkok street food and cheap eat.

For 5 baht per dumpling a small bag of these bite size treats is the perfect street snack to eat on the go. Best served with a dark soy and vinegar sauce (Nam Jim Kanom Jeeb) and sprinkles of toasted garlic. Pick at them with a wooden skewer.

Maprao – Coconuts – Street Food

Coconuts (Maprao, มะพร้าว)

Delicious and cooling the versatile coconut (maprao) has a prominent role in Thai cooking. To name its uses would be too filling for a quick blog. To keep it short here are the 4 main ingredients from the coconut;

1. Coconut water – The juice inside
2. Pulp – The meat / flesh of the inner shell
3. Coconut milk – Squeezed from the pulp
4. Coconut cream – The cream which separates from coconut milk.

Bangkok street food stalls sell young coconuts (maprao awn) and the sweeter roasted coconuts (maprao pao) which have been browned over charcoals (pictured left and right respectively). The coconuts are hacked open with a cleaver and a drinking straw inserted. The coconut stalls also offer delicious desserts of ice cream served in half a roasted coconut, loose flesh and tasty toppings of jelly pieces and sweetcorn.

Khao Niao – Sticky Rice – Street Food

Sticky Rice (Khao Niao, ข้าวเหนียว)

Sticky rice (Khao Niao) is a street food staple in Thailand with near every Bangkok street food stall selling it as a quick and convenient option for eating rice on the go.

Khao Niao Sticky Rice is not the most exciting food on its own but with added pieces of street food it makes the perfect takeaway meal. Favourites include meats like marinated Moo Ping and Sausages (pictured). Sticky rice almost always accompanies the spicy Som Tam and is used in desserts like Mango and sticky rice (Khao Niao Mamuang) or Durian. While it normally comes as white rice it can also be found as purple or black.

Massaman Curry – Gaeng Massaman – Cheap Eats

Massaman Curry (Gaeng Massaman, แกงมัสมั่น)

Thai curries are well known for their extreme chili kicks. The massaman curry is an exception as a milder member of the Thai curry family. With a Muslim influence this unique curry dish fuses a mix of south Asian spices including cardamon, cinnamon, cloves and cumin. As with most Thai curries it is coconut based. Best cooked with beef and potatoes.

Most Thai dishes are cooked in minutes on high heats. Again Massaman Curry is an exception cooking slow on lower heats. Because of this it rarely features on quick restaurant menus and is more commonly served as a pre-cooked dish at Khao Rad Gaeng (mixed rice) restaurants or in cheap eat Food Courts.

Ped Yang – Roast Duck – Cheap Eats

Roast Duck  (Ped Yang, เป็ดย่าง)

The Ped Yang Roast ducks are easily identified with delicious red skinned ducks strung behind glass fronted vendors. Better suited to Chinatown the Chinese inspired dish can be found in many of Bangkok’s cheap eat food courts, street side eateries and as Bangkok street food. The Ped Yang duck’s glazed red skin comes from a rich red marinade which is added before being cooked in a large oven or kiln.

The Ped Yang Roast Duck is chopped, cleavered and served on plates of rice with drizzles of dark soy sauce (Khao Na Ped) or in bowls of noodles and wonton soup (Kuey Teow Ped).