The 10 Thai dishes at a glance
- The list runs from Pad Thai (dish 1) to Khao Niao Mamuang, mango sticky rice (dish 10), the only dessert.
- Three of the ten are curries: yellow (Kaeng Lueang), red (Gaeng Daeng) and green (Gaeng Keow Wan Gai), which the graphic ranks from mildest to hottest.
- Two are noodle dishes (Pad Thai and Khao Soi), two are rice dishes (Khao Pad and Pad Kra Pao Moo), one is a soup (Tom Yum Goong) and one a salad (Laab).
- The graphic closes by suggesting Thai iced coffee as a drink to go with the food.
All points are from the graphic, made by the Siamais Thai restaurant in Birmingham, which does not cite outside sources.
The top 10 Thai dishes in text
Title: The Top 10 Most Popular Thai Dishes to Try. The introduction says Thai food is widely recognised as some of the world’s finest cuisine and lists why it is recognisable from the first bite: zesty flavours such as lemongrass, chilli, lime and mint; fresh aromatics such as lemon basil, parsley and dill; balanced flavours; a claim that it is very healthy because it is vegetable based; and that it is simple to cook with basic ingredients. Each dish then has a numbered card, a photo and a description, summarised below in the graphic’s own terms.
| Dish | Name on the graphic | English description | What the graphic says is in it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pad Thai | Stir-fried noodles | Flat rice noodles with seafood (or chicken or pork), egg, sauces and vegetables such as bean sprouts and shallots, finished with fresh herbs, chilli and roasted peanuts (optional). Described as a balance of salty, sweet and sour. |
| 2 | Tom Yum Goong | Hot and sour shrimp soup | A clear soup from the central region with shallots, lemongrass, mushroom, red chilli, lime juice, galangal and fish sauce. Shrimp (goong) is the usual main ingredient; chicken, mixed seafood or fish are alternatives. The graphic mentions a milder, creamy chicken soup for people who avoid spice. |
| 3 | Kaeng Lueang | Yellow curry | Coloured by turmeric ground with cumin, coriander, lemongrass and shallots, then cooked with potatoes, vegetables, coconut milk and chicken or tofu. The graphic calls it the mildest of the three main curries. |
| 4 | Gaeng Daeng | Red curry | A paste of crushed red chillies, garlic, shallots, lemongrass and blue ginger, added to coconut milk with chicken breast and vegetables such as tomatoes, mushrooms and aubergine (printed “eggplant”). Hotter than yellow curry, milder than green. |
| 5 | Gaeng Keow Wan Gai | Green curry | Built on green chillies, simmered with coconut milk and chicken breast, with potatoes, aubergine, lemongrass and shallots. The graphic calls it the spiciest and most common of the three curries. |
| 6 | Khao Soi | Thai coconut curry noodle soup | Egg noodles with chicken, beef or seafood in a coconut milk broth, topped with deep-fried crispy egg noodles, shallots and pickled vegetables. |
| 7 | Khao Pad | Thai fried rice | Jasmine rice stir-fried with eggs, fish sauce, garlic, onions, tomatoes and herbs plus chicken, beef, pork, seafood or fish, served with lime wedges and cucumber. Called a lunchtime favourite with locals. |
| 8 | Pad Kra Pao Moo | Stir-fried Thai basil and pork | Minced pork stir-fried with basil leaves, fresh chillies, green beans, garlic, palm sugar and fish sauce, served with white rice and a fried egg. Chicken, duck, beef, seafood or tofu can replace the pork. |
| 9 | Laab | Spicy salad | A north-eastern speciality of minced meat with mint, mushrooms, shallots, chillies, coriander, lime juice and fish sauce, eaten with raw vegetables to temper the heat. |
| 10 | Khao Niao Mamuang | Mango sticky rice | Sticky rice with coconut milk and slices of fresh mango. The graphic calls it “arguably the most popular Thai dessert”. |
Closing text: the graphic suggests Thai iced coffee, made with black ground coffee, ground cardamom, sweetened condensed milk and almond extract. It then says the most popular dishes are also some of the healthiest options because of their vegetables, that Thai food is rarely deep-fried, and that most dishes are steamed or pan-fried. Footer: Siamais logo and www.siamais.co.uk.
How the list compares with international polls
The Siamais list matches the dishes that often appear in international rankings. In CNN Travel’s 2011 online poll of the “World’s 50 Best Foods”, which drew 35,000 votes, Thailand had more dishes than any other country: tom yum kung was 4th, pad thai 5th, som tam 6th, massaman curry 10th, green curry 19th, Thai fried rice 24th and nam tok mu 36th [2]. Four of those seven (tom yum, pad thai, green curry and fried rice) are on this graphic. Som tam (green papaya salad) and massaman curry are not.
Wikipedia describes pad thai as a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as street food, and says it has since become one of Thailand’s national dishes [3].
Where the dishes come from
The list mixes dishes from different parts of Thailand. Khao soi is a dish of Northern Thailand, believed to have come from Chin Haw Muslim traders, with a close relative served in Myanmar [4]. The graphic places tom yum goong in the central region and laab in the north-east (Isan), whose cooking Wikipedia describes as similar to that of southern Laos [2]. Tom yum is a family of hot and sour soups; the name combines “tom”, for boiling, and “yam”, meaning mixed [5].
Notes on this infographic
- The graphic is a restaurant’s own guide, published by the Siamais team on 28 July 2023 [1]. It is a menu of suggestions, not a measured ranking; it gives no survey or sales data behind “most popular”, and the dish numbers are a running order.
- The health claims (“very healthy”, “rarely deep-fried”, “the healthier cooking option”) are the restaurant’s. We have not checked them, and the graphic itself describes khao soi as topped with deep-fried crispy egg noodles.
- Parsley and dill are named as typical aromatics. Wikipedia’s list of commonly used Thai herbs names coriander leaves and roots, spearmint, holy basil, ginger, turmeric, fingerroot, culantro, pandan leaves and Thai lemon basil, and does not include dill [2]. We have kept the graphic’s wording.
- The graphic writes both “chilli” and “chili”, and says “try one the delicious Thai drinks” (a missing “of”). We have corrected these small slips in our summary.
- Khao soi is described as made with egg noodles; Wikipedia describes the traditional noodles as wheat noodles steamed in sheets [4]. Recipes vary.
Questions about popular Thai dishes
What is the most popular Thai food?
There is no single official answer. Pad thai has a strong claim: it is dish 1 on this graphic, it came 5th in CNN Travel’s 2011 poll, and it is regarded as one of Thailand’s national dishes [2] [3]. Tom yum kung placed one higher in the same poll, at 4th [2].
What is a signature dish of Thailand?
Pad thai is the usual answer, as one of Thailand’s national dishes [3]. Tom yum and green curry are also among the Thai dishes ranked in international polls [2].
What are some popular foods in Thailand?
The ten on this graphic are pad thai, tom yum goong, yellow, red and green curry, khao soi, khao pad (fried rice), pad kra pao moo, laab and mango sticky rice. Som tam and massaman curry, which are not on the list, also rank highly in international polls [2].
Sources
- Siamais, The Top 10 Most Popular Thai Dishes to Try, 28 July 2023. The creator’s original post of this graphic.
- Wikipedia, Thai cuisine.
- Wikipedia, Pad thai.
- Wikipedia, Khao soi.
- Wikipedia, Tom yum.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
