Sweet, salty, sour and spicy, Thai food hits all the right notes and then some. There are fragrant Thai-style soups and Thai curries (who doesn’t love a rich Thai green curry recipe) to savour, and curry noodles swimming in broth or stir-fried with a touch of heat. A Thai-style banquet is just the thing if you’re entertaining: start with crisp, spicy chicken wings and peak with a whole steamed fish with chilli and lime. A classic pad Thai won’t go astray in that mix, too. Or, if you’re simply looking for a weeknight banger full of flavour, a chicken stir-fry with holy basil or a snapper curry are hard options to beat.
You’ll recognise some classics such as chicken green curry and papaya salad, but have a crack at other less-familiar (but equally delicious) choices like stir-fried angle gourd or sour orange curries. A great, comfortable yet unfamiliar place to start is Palisa Anderson’s choo chee pumpkin: sweet, salty and oh-so-silky. You won’t regret it.
Whichever dish you decide on, here are our best Thai recipes.
Stir-fried beef and gai lan with rice noodles
Why order in when you can whip up Thai-style noodles in half the time?
Chicken stir-fried with holy basil and chilli
This quick and easy Thai stir-fry packs a spicy punch. Use fresh chilli – it will make all the difference.
A fast pad Thai
Our express version of the classic stir-fry.
David Thompson’s chicken stir-fried with red curry, green peppercorns and holy basil
Not the stir-fry you would expect, with fiery red curry paste, green peppercorns and holy basil forming a rich curry.
Snapper curry with green beans and coriander
This mild yellow curry is incredibly easy to whip up when you’ve got a good-quality curry powder on hand. Add a generous squeeze of lime to enhance the flavour.
Sunda’s Thai-style chicken larb
This vibrant salad by Melbourne restaurant Sunda fires on all cylinders.
Amy Chanta and Palisa Anderson’s bpla neung manow (steamed fish with spicy chilli and lime dressing)
Lemongrass, chilli and scud chillies, and a whole steamed snapper. Nothing better.
Amy Chanta and Palisa Anderson’s kor mhu yaang with nahm jim jaew (grilled pork neck with smoked chilli sauce)
Best served with som dtum and sticky rice.
Amy Chanta and Palisa Anderson’s choo chee pumpkin
Thai-style roasted pumpkin with curry sauce, from the Chat Thai mother-and-daughter duo.
Amy Chanta and Palisa Anderson’s padt pedt gai (stir-fried spicy chicken wings and bamboo shoots)
Your new favourite way to eat chicken wings.
Amy Chanta and Palisa Anderson’s padt cha bpla (stir-fried fish with holy basil, wild ginger and green peppercorns)
A multi-dimensional stir-fry that sings with spice and fragrance.
Amy Chanta’s guide to making larb gai
One of the great salads of the world, larb is quick to prepare, but makes a lasting impression. We have the late and great Amy Chanta to thank for this recipe.
Martin Boetz’s khao soi
Martin Boetz’s soupy curry with egg noodles can’t be beat.
Chiang Mai chicken curry
This northern Thai-style Chiang Mai curry is flavoured with ginger as well as turmeric. It’s slightly sour and deliciously light.
Khao pad naem
This Thai-style fried rice is simple home-cooking at its best, made with a juicy chopped fermented pork sausage.
David Thompson: Pineapple and dried prawns with kanom jin noodles (Kanom jin sao nahm)
Australian Gourmet Traveller Thai recipe for pineapple and dried prawns with kanom jin noodles (Kanom jin sao nahm) by David Thompson.
Beef and potato Massaman curry
Have a few hours up your sleeve? There are worse ways to spend them than cooking a big pot of this curry.
Grilled chicken wings with nahm jim
Thai-style chicken wings with a punchy dipping sauce.
Son in Law’s crisp barramundi fillets with roasted chilli, mint and coriander
Just the right amount of spice and zest.
Stir-fry of young angled gourd and tendrils
Track down angled gourds — they’re sponges for the soy and miso sauce.
Seared beef and green papaya salad
This seared beef and green papaya salad packs a punch with its lime-chilli dressing.
Hor mok
Unwrap this steamed fish curry, and you’ll be hit with the irresitible fragrance of banana leaves, coconut and spices.
Palisa Anderson’s gaeng keow wan gai (Thai green chicken curry)
Drop that takeaway menu. Once you’ve tried making curry paste from scratch, you’ll never look back.
Palisa Anderson’s yum makeua (grilled eggplant salad with prawns)
Fire up the barbecue for maximum flavour.
David Thompson’s stir-fried Siamese watercress
This watercress recipe refuses to be a side dish, offering fiery flavours with a smoky finish.
Kanom jeen nahm yaa gai (noodles with fish curry and shredded chicken)
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Kanom jeen nahm yaa gai (noodles with fish curry and shredded chicken)
Red duck curry
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for red duck curry by Hungry Duck restaurant in Berry, NSW.
Palisa Anderson’s mieng kham (betel leaves with accoutrements)
A simple starter that’s all about texture and flavour.
Crab, coconut and kaffir lime on betel leaves
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for crab, coconut and kaffir lime on betel leaves.
Muu yang with nahm jim jaew (barbecued pork with chilli dipping sauce)
Australian Gourmet Traveller Thai recipe for muu yang with nahm jim jaew (barbecued pork with chilli dipping sauce).
Pork neck, snake bean and peppercorn curry
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Pork neck, snake bean and peppercorn curry
Fragrant chicken and coconut soup (tom kha gai)
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for fragrant chicken and coconut soup (tom kha gai).
Ma hor (galloping horses)
This classic Thai appetiser pulls out all the stops.
Martin Boetz: Mussel, clam and chilli jam salad
Australian Gourmet Traveller Thai recipe for mussel, clam and chilli jam salad by Martin Boetz from Longrain restaurant.
David Thompson: Stir-fried minced beef with chillies and holy basil (Neua pat bai grapao)
Australian Gourmet Traveller Thai recipe for stir-fried minced beef with chillies and holy basil (Neua pat bai grapao) by David Thompson.
Crisp snapper and snake bean salad with Thai basil, soy and ginger
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for crisp snapper and snake bean salad with Thai basil, soy and ginger.
Martin Boetz: Chicken and prawn salad with caramelised coconut and lime
Australian Gourmet Traveller Thai recipe for chicken and prawn salad with caramelised coconut and lime by Martin Boetz from Longrain restaurant.
Martin Boetz’s red curry of beef with green peppercorns, wild ginger and holy basil
Australian Gourmet Traveller Thai recipe for red curry of beef with green peppercorns, wild ginger and holy basil by Martin Boetz from Longrain restaurant.
David Thompson: Charred rice noodles and chicken with thickened “gravy” (Raat nar gai)
Australian Gourmet Traveller Thai recipe for charred rice noodles and chicken with thickened “gravy” (Raat nar gai) by David Thompson.
Pork pad kra pao with fried egg
Australian Gourmet Traveller fast Thai recipe for pork pad kra pao with fried egg.
David Thompson’s prawns baked with vermicelli
“Baked prawns with vermicelli are found mostly in Chinatown in Bangkok, but it deserves to be eaten everywhere,” says Long Chim and Nahm David Thompson.
Larb ped (minced duck salad)
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Larb ped (minced duck salad)
Amy Chanta’s guide to making som dtum Thai (green papaya salad)
The secrets to Thailand’s beloved green papaya salad, thanks to Sydney’s doyenne of Thai food and owner of Chat Thai, the late Amy Chanta.
David Thompson’s pad Thai
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Pad Thai by David Thompson from London restaurant Nahm.
Prawn and pineapple tom yum with rice noodles
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for prawn and pineapple tom yum with rice noodles.
Amy Chanta and Palisa Anderson’s bua loy (warm coconut cream pudding with taro dumplings)
Bite-sized mouthfuls of sweet heaven.
David Thompson’s grilled sticky rice with banana paste
This wrapped banana leaf parcel is filled with a comforting aromatic sticky rice and sweet banana filling.
Coconut jellies with banana and coconut-sugar caramel
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Coconut jellies with banana and coconut-sugar caramel
Palisa Anderson’s pandan, tapioca and young coconut pudding
Fragrant pandan, chewy tapioca and sweet young coconut combine in a more-ish Thai dessert.
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