Massaman Curry

 

This famous Thai curry is muslim in origin and can be made with either chicken or beef. It's a fragrant yellow curry that incorporates ground peanuts, lemongrass, and tamarind together with warm spices such as cardamom and fennel. Coconut milk is always used in this curry, as are bay leaves (instead of lime leaves). Like Indian curries, this curry is heavy on dry spices and very aromatic. It’s typically served with rice or roti, and sometimes with a side of ajaat.

Tom Yum Goong

 

Tom Yum is probably the most famous of Thai soups and is very popular not only in Thailand but in Thai restaurants worldwide. It is a clear, sour soup which is flavored with fragrant lemon grass, fresh galangal root and kaffir lime leaf. This potent herbal mixture is well known for its medicinal properties.

Tom Yum Goong or Tom Yum Kung (or Koong) is made with prawns. Goong is the Thai word for prawn and is the most popular variety of the dish. Tom Yum Kai is made with chicken whereas Tom Yum Pla is made with fish. Tom Yum Thale (or Tom Yum Po Taek) is made with a mixture of seafood and Tom Kha (Tom Kha Gai) is a sort of Thai coconut soup.

There are several other types, but whichever variety of the dish you try, the basis of the soup is the same. It gives a delicious and unusual taste of being hot whilst slightly sour. The taste was discovered hundreds of years ago by mixing several ingredients together.