10 easy Thai inspired recipes you can make at home from pad Thai and tom kha soup to Thai beef salad, summer rolls, and more.
How to set your kitchen up for easy everyday Thai recipes
If you think making Thai food is out of your league, I’m here to tell you it’s totally doable. You just need a few essentials easily found in your grocery store. I make a point of keeping all my Thai condiments in one section of my fridge door so I can grab them when the urge strikes. If you pick up a few fresh items on the way home from work, you can have authentic Thai any night of the week!
SPICES AND CONDIMENTS for Thai cooking
(These will keep in the refrigerator for at least a year) If you can’t get to a Thai market, look for the brand Thai Kitchen, which sells all of the condiments below. They’ll all be together in your larger supermarkets.
- Thai curry paste ~ buy both the red and green varieties, they come in small jars.
- chili paste ~ this is a hot red chili paste and there are many varieties.
- tamarind paste ~ a thick, sour fruit paste
- lemongrass paste ~ this is a substitute for fresh lemongrass, which can be hard to find.
- fish sauce ~ an umami rich sauce made from fermented fish that is quintessential Thai. If you’re vegetarian, substitute Tamari soy sauce.
- soy sauce ~ I like Tamari brand, which happens to be gluten free.
- rice vinegar ~ lighter and less sharp than regular vinegar, you’ll find yourself reaching for it all the time.
SPICES & PANTRY STAPLES for Thai cooking
- coconut milk ~ canned and unsweetened. I stockpile it.
- rice noodles ~ these come dried in cellophane packages, in many varieties. You’ll use them in noodle bowls and soups.
- peanuts, raw or roasted
- peanut butter ~ I prefer Jiff, and you’ll use it as the base for sauces and dressings.
- jasmine rice ~ this rice is beautifully aromatic and I use it as my all-around rice, even when I’m not cooking Thai.
- tofu ~ for vegetarian Thai recipes.
- coriander
- cumin
- cinnamon
- cloves
FRESH HERBS & PRODUCE for Thai cooking
The stuff you might have to make a special trip for, but worth it!
- fresh limes
- mango
- basil (Thai basil is most authentic, but regular will do)
- cilantro
- mint
- garlic
- ginger
- hot peppers (Thai chili peppers are small and hot, substitute serrano or cayenne which are more easily available)
Thai Coconut Soup (tom kha)
This soup is characterized by simple yet strong flavors and a light, refreshing consistency.
Spicy Thai Spaghetti Salad
This recipe is not by any means authentic, but the wonderful summer leaning Thai flavors are there.
How to Make Summer Rolls
Summer rolls are one of the greatest gifts Southeast Asia has given to world cuisine. Beautiful, healthy, crunchy, and supremely refreshing, everyone should know how to make them.
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
Nutty toasted cashews, golden raisins, warm spices, fresh pineapple, and colorful veggies all come together in a dish that is sure to brighten up a tired meal plan.
Shrimp Pad Thai
This gluten free noodle bowl is made with Thai rice noodles, and is just as delicious hot as it is cold from the fridge.
Steak Pad Thai Salad
Another example of how Thai food is some of the most refreshing on the planet ~ my pad Thai/salad mash-up is pure delicious genius on a hot night.
Our Favorite Salmon Coconut Curry
A 30 minute Thai inspired curry bowl recipe that doesn’t disappoint with plenty of cilantro, lime, and ginger to balance out that buttery sweet salmon.
Thai Beef Salad
The very first time I had this salad in a Thai restaurant I knew I had to recreate this wonderful dish with with ribbons of rare steak, tons of fresh herbs like basil, mint, and cilantro, feathery slices of red onion, crunchy cukes, hot peppers, and a tangy garlic ginger dressing ~ and I did!
Thai Chicken Salad
This is an epic chicken salad, Thai style! It doesn’t miss a beat, down to that peanut dressing we all crave.
Thai Chicken Satay Bowls with Peanut Sauce
The MOST irresistible peanut sauce-drenched chicken threaded on skewers and layered into the summer dinner bowl of your dreams!
Thank you for the suggestion about fish sauce. I am not vegan but deathly allergic to mollusks. Hve been wondering how to substitute oyster sauce etc. in myThai reipes.
Fish sauce is so unique it’s a tough one to find a substitute for. I just listened to a podcast about a new mushroom based ‘fish’ sauce, keep an eye out for it.
Sue, it’s a good thing I haven’t shopped yet this week, just feeling lazy. But you’ve tempted my taste buds and will soon be making a new shopping list. Will let you know which one I try first. You are always an adventure.