Thailand Southern Thai Food

Southern Thai food is another cuisine that is known for it's fiery dishes, perhaps the hottest in all of Thailand, and this is believed to be so to protect the people in this hot humid region from fevers.

Southern Thai curries are amongst the best with plenty of coconut milk producing creamy curries, and with the use of Cumin, Turmeric and aniseed which is a Malaysian influence. Massaman Curry is a famous Southern dish, strongly influenced by the Indians, with its many spices and roasted peanuts which the Southern Thai people use in many of their curries. Popular Muslim dishes in the Southern region are Khao Mok Kai, which is Saffron Rice with Marinated Chicken, and Tieo Khaek which is believed to have come from neighbouring Malaysia.

With one coast resting on the gulf of Thailand and the other side boasting the Andaman Sea, the abundance of fresh seafood in Southern Thai cooking is assured, with Phuket's famous Rock Lobster, fish, crabs, clams, mussels, squid and prawn being used in many dishes, whether they be barbequed, boiled or grilled.

Some of the more popular dishes include Gaeng Lueng (Spicy Coconut Shoot Soup), Gaeng Som (Tamarind Flavoured Soup), Poo Pad Pong Gari (Fried Crab with Yellow Curry) and Kaeng Phanaeng Kai (Savoury Chicken and Coconut Curry).

Three ingredients which are considered essentials in Southern Thai Food are the Sataw which is a green pod filled with green berries, the Med Riang which is like a large dark green bean sprout and the Look Niang, a round hard berry in a dark green skin.

Unlike the Northern regions, but similar to central Thai cuisine, Southern Thai people prefer their food accompanied by plain jasmine rice, and eaten with spoon and fork.