Know the dish
Read a menu name and picture the plate: how it tastes, what is in it, how hot it runs.
Read this topicA guide to eating well
Know before you order,
enjoy every meal
Aroysure helps you pick dishes you will love: how each one tastes, how hot it runs, what to watch for, and how to order it the way you like.
What it helps with
Make every meal one you enjoy
No guessing from the menu name, no wondering how hot it is. A short read before you order.
Order it your way
The words that work: adjust the heat, add, leave out, and get the plate you want first time.
Read this topicFood by region
North, Isan, Central, South taste different because they grow different things.
Read this topicEat with care
Peanut or shellfish allergy, or no chili at all: what hides in the seasonings and what to tell the cook.
Read this topicDish guide
Ten dishes you will meet often
Taste, heat, and the ingredients worth asking about, for the way they are usually made.
Central Heat 3 of 3
Holy basil stir-fry
ผัดกะเพรา · pad kra pao
Hot, salty, peppery holy basil
- Ask about
- Fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce (contains wheat)
- How to order
- Add a fried egg (khai dao); ask for "phet noi" (less hot)
Central Heat 2 of 3
Hot and sour prawn soup
ต้มยำกุ้ง · tom yum goong
Sour and hot, with lemongrass, galangal, lime leaf
- Ask about
- Prawns, fish sauce, chili jam (often with dried shrimp); some creamy versions add milk
- How to order
- Choose clear (nam sai) or creamy (nam khon)
Central Heat 0 of 3
Pad thai
ผัดไทย · pad thai
Sweet, sour and salty in balance
- Ask about
- Peanuts, egg, dried shrimp, tofu, fish sauce
- How to order
- Ground peanuts and chili usually come on the side
Central Heat 2 of 3
Green curry
แกงเขียวหวาน · gaeng khiao wan
Rich coconut, a little sweet, hot, Thai basil
- Ask about
- Coconut milk; the paste usually has shrimp paste
- How to order
- Eat with steamed rice or fresh rice noodles (khanom jeen)
North Heat 1 of 3
Khao soi
ข้าวซอย · khao soi
Spiced coconut curry, soft and crispy noodles
- Ask about
- Coconut milk, egg noodles (wheat, egg)
- How to order
- Add the lime, pickled mustard greens and shallots served with it
North Heat 1 of 3
Hung lay curry
แกงฮังเล · gaeng hung lay
Sweet-sour, gingery, no coconut milk
- Ask about
- Pork belly; the paste usually has shrimp paste; some recipes add peanuts
- How to order
- Good with sticky rice or steamed rice
Isan Heat 3 of 3
Green papaya salad
ส้มตำ · som tam
Sour, hot, salty, crunchy
- Ask about
- Thai-style has peanuts and dried shrimp; Lao-style uses fermented fish (pla ra)
- How to order
- Ask by the number of chilies, e.g. "one chili"
Isan Heat 2 of 3
Larb
ลาบ · larb
Sour and hot, nutty from toasted rice
- Ask about
- Fish sauce, sometimes pla ra; raw larb uses uncooked meat
- How to order
- If unsure, ask for it cooked (larb suk)
South Heat 3 of 3
Dry turmeric curry
คั่วกลิ้ง · kua kling
Dry, very hot, turmeric and lime leaf
- Ask about
- The paste usually has shrimp paste
- How to order
- Eat with fresh vegetables and plenty of rice
South Heat 1 of 3
Southern rice salad
ข้าวยำปักษ์ใต้ · khao yam
Salty-sweet budu sauce, fresh chopped herbs
- Ask about
- Budu (fermented fish), ground dried shrimp, toasted coconut
- How to order
- Toss it all together first; chili usually comes on the side
Heat and ingredients are typical, not universal: every kitchen cooks its own way. If you have a food allergy, always ask.
Articles
Read before you order
Before chillies: where Thai food got its heat, and when chillies arrived
Chillies came from the Americas and reached Asia with Portuguese traders in the 16th century. Before that, Thai heat came from pepper, long pepper, ginger and galangal.
5 min readPattani budu: 9-15 months of fermenting, 18-29% salt, different in every bottle
Budu is salt-fermented anchovy from Thailand's far south. Pattani research gives ratios, time and saltiness; a Malaysian study found microbes differ by bottle.
5 min readDurian and alcohol: is the warning real, and what has research proved?
Durian extract blocks an alcohol-clearing enzyme in a test tube, and rats fed durian cleared acetaldehyde more slowly. No human trial yet: what is proven, what is not.
5 min readWhere to eat · coming soon
Which place, and what to order there
This part will feature places and the dishes worth ordering at each. There are no real places listed yet; the card below only shows what each entry will tell you.
Layout sample, not a real place Place name Area · kind of place
- The dishes to order, and how
- Taste and heat
- Who it suits, group size
- Allergy notes
About
What Aroysure is
A food knowledge site that starts from the questions everyone has at the counter: what is this dish, is it hot, is there anything in it I cannot eat, and how do I order it the way I like?
Every piece is short enough to read before the food arrives, in Thai and English, so you can bring friends from anywhere and order with confidence.
10dishes in the guide
4regions of Thai food
43articles to read first
2languages, Thai and English
Which dish should we explain next?
Keep your questions about a dish handy: a way to get in touch is coming soon. Meanwhile, the articles are a good place to start.