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Thai Menu Decoder: How to Read a Thai Menu (2026)
Thai menus overwhelm first-time visitors with unfamiliar terms that all sound vaguely similar. The most useful thing to know: “gaeng” means curry, and it appears in half the menu—master that one word and suddenly dozens of dishes make sense.
Essential dishes
| Term | Thai Script | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Pad Thai | ผัดไทย | Stir-fried rice noodles with egg, tofu or shrimp, peanuts, and tamarind sauce |
| Tom Yum | ต้มยำ | Hot and sour soup with lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, and chilies; usually with shrimp (goong) or chicken (gai) |
| Gaeng Keow Wan | แกงเขียวหวาน | Green curry—coconut milk-based with Thai basil and your choice of protein |
| Pad Krapow | ผัดกระเพา | Stir-fried holy basil with chilies and garlic, typically over rice with a fried egg (kai dao) |
| Som Tam | ส้มตำ | Green papaya salad pounded with chilies, lime, fish sauce, and peanuts |
| Massaman | มัสมั่น | Mild, peanut-based curry with potatoes and coconut milk, influenced by Indian spices |
| Khao Pad | ข้าวผัด | Fried rice with egg, onions, and tomatoes; simple and reliable |
| Laab | ลาบ | Minced meat salad with toasted rice powder, lime, and herbs—from northeastern Thailand |
| Tom Kha | ต้มข่า | Coconut milk soup with galangal, milder than tom yum |
| Pad See Ew | ผัดซีอิ๊ว | Stir-fried wide rice noodles with soy sauce, Chinese broccoli, and egg |
Cooking methods & terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pad | Stir-fried |
| Tom | Boiled or simmered |
| Tod | Deep-fried |
| Ping | Grilled |
| Neung | Steamed |
| Gaeng | Curry (soup-like, not dry) |
| Yam | Spicy salad, usually dressed with lime and fish sauce |
| Ob | Baked or roasted |
How to order
- Specify spice level upfront: “mai pet” (not spicy), “pet nit noi” (a little spicy), or “pet maak” (very spicy). Cooks default to tourist-mild unless told otherwise.
- Proteins get added to the dish name: gai (chicken), moo (pork), goong (shrimp), pla (fish), or jay (vegetarian). Say “pad krapow gai” for basil chicken.
- Rice comes separately. Order khao suay (steamed white rice) or khao niao (sticky rice) alongside curries and stir-fries—it’s not automatically included.
- Share everything. Thai meals work family-style with multiple dishes in the center. One dish per person plus a soup covers most tables.
- Look for “ahaan tam sang” on menus—it means “made to order” and signals fresh cooking rather than pre-made food sitting under heat lamps.
FAQ
Is all Thai food spicy?
No. Pad Thai, massaman curry, and khao pad come mild by default. Tom yum, som tam, and anything with “pet” in the name brings heat. The condiment tray at the table lets diners adjust spice themselves.
What are the vegetarian options?
Ask for “ahaan jay” (vegan) or “ahaan mangsawirat” (vegetarian). Pad pak (stir-fried vegetables), tom yum jay, and spring rolls work well. Many places use fish sauce and shrimp paste as base flavors, so specify “mai sai nam pla” (no fish sauce) if needed.
What’s the one dish everyone should try?
Pad krapow with a fried egg. It’s the workday lunch for millions of Thais, cheap everywhere, and balances all five flavors Thai cooking obsesses over. Skip it and you’ve missed the point.
Street stalls often serve better versions than hotel restaurants, but which dish will you order first?
