Tag: Thailand travel

transportation in Thailand_three wheeler_tuk tuk

Tuk Tuk Thailand: try the Three-Wheeler transport

Categories Thailand,

Tuk Tuk Thailand or three wheeler bicycle is probably one of the most recognizable transportation modes in Thailand among visitors and tourists. Learn more about Tuk Tuk as well as where to take Tuk Tuk. Also, we will cover tips and other things to look out for when taking such transportation in Thailand!

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Three wheeler in Thailand

Tuk Tuk Thailand_history

The first version of Tuk Tuk or three-wheeler in Thailand date back to the early 20th century. The earliest version of the three-wheeler started out as a single-seater attached to a bicycle. Almost 30 years later Tuk Tuk became a motor vehicle that developed into a three-wheeler with a roof that you see in Thailand today. Some Tuk Tuk today has evolved into a 4 wheeler, almost like an open-air minivan. The three-wheeler can comfortably fit 2-3 passengers. However, you may sometimes see Thai students seating 5-6 pax in 1 Tuk Tuk. Certainly, this brings safety into question, more on this below.

Where and when to take three wheeler

Tuk Tuk Thailand_three wheeler transport

Tuk Tuk (and its cousin) can most commonly be found in cities that are popular among tourists. Hence, you will definitely find Tuk Tuk in cities like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hua Hin. 

When to take Tuk Tuk? 

If you are in Thailand, it might be a good idea to take Tuk Tuk at least once to enjoy the experience. This is because a Tuk Tuk ride will allow you to fully soak in the breeze (and sometimes pollution too) and the city’s vibe/buzzes. Having said that, Tuk Tuk is great for short-distance travel as they share the mobility of motorcycles but with added comfort.

However, Tuk Tuk might not be the best everyday transport option. Why? First of all, most Tuk Tuk has no air-conditioning. So if you are taking a ride through the city center, this will mean heat and pollution. Secondly, Tuk Tuk has fewer safety measures when compared to taking a car. This is because Tuk Tuk has no seat belt, which means added risk in case of an accident. Lastly, the price is not cheap. We will cover more of this in the next section.

How much is the three wheeler transport?

So how much is Tuk Tuk in Thailand? It really depends since often time they run on the rider’s quote and not meter. A ride on Tuk Tuk can cost anywhere from THB100 to THB500+ depending on the distance. However, one thing that you really need to watch out for when taking a Tuk Tuk is 1) you need to agree on pricing first before you get on 2) the price is likely overstated, especially if you are a tourist. 

Your best bet is to take out an app like Grab to check pricing beforehand. So that if the Tuk Tuk’s rider is quoting a similar price (or only slightly higher), then you know you are getting a decent deal. Some popular Tuk Tuk spots may also have pricing list available and this helps to prevent any scam.

How much is tuk tuk in Thailand

Are there Electric Tuk Tuk in Thailand?

Grab launched an electric Tuk Tuk service in Chiang Mai back in 2019. That year, Grab partnered with the government and private sector to establish Chiang Mai Smart Mobility Alliance Network. The aim of the network is to reduce the use of private vehicles in Chiang Mai by 35% in 5 years’ time and eventually reduce pollution in the city. This electrification of Tuk Tuk in Chiang Mai will also help to reduce the carbon footprint in the city. 

Electric Tuk Tuk driver-partner of Grab will be able to easily leverage Grab’s electronic booking app to get customers. At the same time, these drivers will be able to enjoy cost savings of fuel compared to their LPG counterparts.

Alternative to Tuk Tuk Thailand

Apart from Tuk Tuk or three wheeler, you can also utilize other transportation methods like taxi, grab taxi, BTS or motorcycle. We have a dedicated article covering transportation mode in Thailand.

Should you use Tuk Tuk as your mode of transport?

Personally, we think you can try it once when you just arrive in Thailand. This is purely for the experience. Other than that, if you are cost-conscious, Tuk Tuk in Thailand can actually be costly. You might get a better deal by just taking Grab/Taxi, or even the train (BTS or underground train). Moreover, if you go with family and kids, Tuk Tuk rides do not have proper safety measures. You might have better peace of mind if you take taxi/Grab.

Those who go to Thailand often usually do not take Tuk Tuk to move around the city. 

However, the move towards the electrification of Tuk Tuk is promising. With the lower cost of fuel, we hope that the cost savings can be passed on to passengers as well!

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Thailand legalize marijuana_plant

When will Thailand legalize marijuana for general usage?

Categories Thailand, ,

In the past article, we have talked about Thailand’s marijuana laws and their limitations. There have been some developments in Thailand marijuana scene in the past few years. Some observations include more people growing marijuana in the country as well as marijuana-themed menus are introduced in some cafes and restaurants.

This article will look into the timeline, 2022 development, and prospects of Thailand legalizing marijuana.

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Timeline of Thailand's progress in legalizing marijuana

  • 1979: Thailand passed Narcotics Act AD 1979 to replace the original Narcotics Act AD 1922 and Marijuana Act AD 1943. Cannabis fell into the category of a type 5 Narcotics (i.e. illegal) 
  • 2019: Thailand passed the Narcotics Act (No. 7) in 2019 to allow the usage of cannabis for research and medical purposes
  • 2020: FDA announced that cannabis leaf, root, and CBD produced by certified sources are exempted from being part of type 5 Narcotics 
  • 2021: 100+ locations (government agencies and state-registered agricultural communities) have registered to grow cannabis with the FDA
  • 2021: Restaurants and cafes are incorporating certified parts of cannabis into their menus
  • 2022: January 2022 – the Thai government has annouced a plan to remove cannabis from its drug list. This move, once formalized, will allow households to grow cannabis for non-commercial use at home
  • 2022: May 2022 – the government has announced an update which is expected to take effect in June 2022. The update will allow households in Thailand to register to grow cannabis at home through Plook Ganja mobile application
  • 2023: Another amendment of the Narcotics Act might take place in 2023

Growing marijuana in Thailand

There are now more than 100 companies and state-registered agricultural communities that have registered to grow cannabis with the FDA throughout Thailand. Registered households can grow up to 6 cannabis plants while registered companies operate on a larger scale.

In this example, the company is growing almost 1,000 plants. The FDA keeps track of approved locations, and you can see that households and companies are growing cannabis throughout Thailand.

Thailand legalize marijuana_planting locations

The Thai government announced a new project in August 2021 to dedicate 10,000 rai (16 square kilometers) of land area for herb plantation development. The project however, also includes plantation of cannabis and hemp. This project will be developed in the Eastern Economic Corridor located in Chonburi, Rayong and Chasengsao (3 Eastern province in Thailand).

Furthermore, the Thai government has announced a plan to exclude cannabis from its drug list in 2021, allowing households to grow cannabis for non-commercial use. This change however, still needs to be published in the Royal Gazette, after which it will take another 120 days to come into effect.

Thailand legalizing marijuana for the F&B

The FDA is reporting over 5,000 patients who received cannabis as part of their medical treatment each month. However, the general population can only legally consume cannabis at restaurants and cafes that incorporate certified cannabis into their menu.

We are starting to see new cafés that specialize in cannabis and CBS menu like GTG Café. 

Most recently, COCA, a long-standing Thai restaurant brand (since 1957), also introduced a Cannabis menu under “Coca feel good”. In this menu, they incorporate cannabis into main dishes, soups, and desserts (reviews and photos in Thai).

Thailand legalize marijuana_Coca menu

Photo and review from Spoonwalk.

What’s the prospect of Thailand legalize marijuana for more usages?

The answer is we are still unclear on this. Thailand is still very strict and far away from countries like the Netherlands when it comes to marijuana law. There are, however, interests from both the private and public sectors on this.  It would be exciting to see the developments in the coming years ahead of, hopefully, another revision to the Narcotics Act in 2023.

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Pad Kee Mao vs Pad See Ew_comparison

Pad Kee Mao vs Pad See Ew: similarities and differences

Categories Thailand, ,

If you are a fan of Thai food, you would probably have tried Pad Thai. “Pad” means “stir fry” in the Thai language, so as you can guess there is a lot of other delicious stir-fried food apart from Pad Thai.  For stir-fried noodles alone, Thailand has many other delicious dishes like Pad Kee Mao (which translates to drunken noodles) and Pad See Ew. However, you may not know which one you will like more or which one would be to your liking. Learn more about the similarities and differences between Pad Kee Mao vs Pad See Ew with us in this post!

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Similarities between Pad Kee Mao vs Pad See Ew

Let’s start with the similarities between the two, and there are only a few of them. Like Pad Thai, both Pad Kee Mao and Pad See Ew are stir-fried noodles where the dish typically consists of noodles, vegetables, and some protein.

Both recipes of Pad Kee Mao and Pad See Ew contain a good degree of flexibility when it comes to noodle type, vegetables, and protein sources. For example, you can find both dishes with large noodles, rice noodles, vermicelli noodles, Mama instant noodles or even spaghetti. 

You can also freely choose the source of protein like pork, chicken or seafood. Seafood Pad Kee Mao however is quite common and you should give it try!

Differences between Pad Kee Mao vs Pad See Ew

There are a few similarities between Pad Kee Mao and Pad See Ew. On the other hand, there are many differences that set the two stir-fried noodles apart.

Visual differences

Pad Kee Mao vs Pad See Ew_drunken noodles

The first is on the visual aspect. If you put the two dishes side by side you will notice that Pad Kee Mao contains a variety of ingredients and herbs. In contrast to that, Pad See Ew appears simpler and it has a striking feature of dark-colored noodle.

The sauce

The next question might be, why Pad See Ew look darker? The answers lie with this dish’s name. In Thai, “see ew” means soy sauce. So the second difference is the sauce. And there is your answer, Pad See Ew makes use of both dark soy sauce and sweet soy sauce which turn the color of stir-fried noodles dark brown. Pad Kee Mao on the other hand does not make use of any soy sauce, instead, it uses oyster sauce. 

Key ingredients

The third difference is the key ingredients and herbs. It is established that many types of noodles and protein sources can be used in these dishes. However, there are ingredients and herbs that simply are irreplaceable. Pad Kee Mao has garlic, kaffir lime leaves, fingerroots, fresh peppercorn, fresh chili, and Thai basil leaves as the key herbs. After being exposed to hot oil, these herbs give out a strong aroma, making Pad Kee Mao a truly fragrant dish. While Pad See Ew key ingredients might be pale in comparison to Pad Kee Mao, it also makes use of garlic and another unique ingredient which is an egg.

The taste

Last but not least, the taste. Based on what you have seen so far, you can already guess that Pad Kee Mao has a stronger taste and is more fragrant. Pad See Ew on the other hand has milder taste but it can still be seasoned with chili flakes and vinegars to enhance the flavour. Otherwise Pad See Ew prominent taste is only sweet. 

Is Pad Kee Mao spicy?

Pad Kee Mao vs Pad See Ew_is pad kee mao spicy

Yes, Pad Kee Mao tends to be spicy, especially if you order it in Thailand. Pad Kee Mao mostly draws its spiciness from fresh chili. However, if you ever chew on other herbs like kaffir lime leaves, fingerroots, or fresh peppercorn – you will also realize that these herbs are “spicy”. They are spicy in a slightly different way than fresh chili. If you are not a fan of spice, avoid chewing on these. You can also reduce spiciness level by reducing the amount chili or opt to swab fresh chili out for dried ones to reduce “hotness” of the dish.

Pad Kee Mao vs Pad See Ew: which one should you try?

We personally prefer dishes with a stronger taste with lots of herbs and spices. Pad Kee Mao is right up our alley because of this. However, if you haven’t tried both, we will always recommend trying both. Keep in mind though, that if you really aren’t into spices, you may find Pad Kee Mao spicy so Pad See Ew might be better for you. 

One other thing to note – when you are in Thailand, the Pad Kee Mao will taste much better than what you find outside Thailand. The reason is, that Thailand is a land of spices and herbs therefore vendors can go all out when they make the dish. If you want to try your first Pad Kee Mao, do it when you visit Thailand!

Now that you know the difference between Pad Kee Mao vs Pad See Ew – take a step further and learn more about Pad Thai vs Pad Kee Mao! or Pad Thai vs Lo Mein!

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Thai-sausage_How-to-enjoy-Sai-Ua

Thai Sausage: grilled northern Isaan & Sai Ua sausages

Categories Thailand, ,

Thai sausage is one of our favorite Thai dishes. If you are a fan of western sausages then you may want to give Thai sausages a try. The taste and texture of these sausages are unique. They are traditionally home industry and there are a few special regions in Thailand famous for them. Previously we have covered our other favorite Thai dishes: Tom Yum noodles, Som Tum, and Boat Noodles. Now we will cover Northern Thai sausage in this article.

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Isaan sausage vs. Sai Ua sausage

thai sausage_issan vs sai ua

There are two types of Northern style traditional Thai grilled sausage that is famous across the country.

First, Isaan sausage aka Sai Krok Isaan is one of the most famous foods from the Isaan region (North-Eastern part of Thailand). Other than the sausage, this region also prides itself on Som Tum, sticky rice, and Jim Jum hotpot. This Thai sausage is a fermented sausage, made primarily of pork and rice. Since it undergoes fermentation, it is no surprise that it tastes a bit sour. Sai Krok Isaan sausage normally goes really well with raw cabbage, sliced raw ginger and chilli padi / bird’s eye chilli. Having said that, you can enjoy this sausage as a snack, or as a full dish with sticky rice to go with the sausage. Isaan-style sausage is popular among the Thai population and you will find this Northern style traditional Thai grilled sausage being grilled and sold along the streets all across Thailand.

On the other hand, Sai Ua sausage which is the native sausage of Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand is a more herby, richer in spices kind of sausage. It is one of the most flavourful Thai sausages out there. The pork is mixed with aromatic curry mix and then grilled. You can enjoy this Thai sausage with sticky rice, fresh vegetables, crispy pork, or chili paste. Traditionally it is homemade food, but as it grows in popularity across Thailand, it is available in shops as well.

Thai sausage recipe: Isaan style

Isaan-style sausage is made from two primary ingredients, pork, and rice. However, these are mixed with garlic, salt, and pepper before fermentation. For every 500g of pork, you will need ¾ cup of rice, 1 head of garlic, and seasonings such as pepper, salt, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. In some variations, Isaan-style sausage also has glass noodles in the mix (which then you can reduce the amount of rice).

As we mentioned previously, Isaan-style sausage is a fermented type, and the duration of fermentation determines the level of sourness. For example, if you grill the sausage immediately after they are made, there will not be any sour taste but if you leave them to ferment for a few days then you can expect your traditional Thai grilled sausage will be sour.

Thai sausage recipe: Sai Ua style

Sai Ua is a more complicated sausage when compared to Isaan sausages. While Sai Ua is made mostly from pork, making one will require many more ingredients such as kaffir lime leaves, coriander, lemongrass, shallots, spring onion, fresh turmeric, dried chili, garlic, and other seasonings such as soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce. 

While Sai Ua is popular and is preferred outside of its home region like Northern Thailand – great-tasting Sai Ua is relatively harder to find than Isaan sausage due to more complicated recipes. 

How to enjoy Thai sausages

Thai-sausage_How-to-enjoy-Sai-Ua

Both types of Northern style Thai grilled sausages such as Issan sausage and Sai Ua taste great by themselves, however, due to their strong taste – pairing them with some fresh vegetables, relish or sticky rice can help to elevate the taste.

Isaan-style sausages taste great with raw cabbage, fresh ginger, and fresh chili to add some spiciness. Sai Ua on the other hand which has a stronger spicy taste goes well with fresh green vegetables/corianders, ginger, chili, and peanuts.

Some Thais also pair Sai Ua with crispy pork and a special Northern chili paste called “nam prik num”.

Should you try Northern Thai sausages?

Yes, Northern Thai sausages are one of our favorite snacks/dishes! We generally love the spicy/herby Northern Thai food. Eating these sausages accompanied by vegetables/rice on the side seems like a simple dish, however, due to the richness in flavor and taste, it is very satisfying. We highly recommend you to try these sausages out the next time you visit Thailand!

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Thai Constellation Monstera

Thai Constellation Monstera: Price and Variant Comparison

Categories Thailand,

Home gardening has been booming since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Reuters reported a 270% jump in seed demand at the peak of the pandemic. But what we found even more intriguing is news like a pot of plant being sold for THB1.4m (~US$42,000) in Thailand. Such a staggering amount is sufficient to purchase a car or to use as a down payment for a house! We are not plant or garden experts but learn more about what makes the Thai Constellation Monstera special with us! We will also cover the its price, along with other variations for monstera.

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About This Popular Plant

Thai Constellation Monstera

The Thai Constellation Monstera is a plant from the monstera deliciosa family. It is well known for its large, green marbled leaves with cream/yellow color spread. The plant can grow both outdoors or indoors as a houseplant or natural decoration to your home. This plant can grow to 1 or several meters high under optimal conditions. Keep in mind this possibility if you are looking to keep it indoors. The feature that makes this plant unique is the cream/yellow spread across its marbled green leaves. This sets the Thai Constellation Monstera apart from its peers like Monstera Albo, Aurea, or Mint.

Thai Constellation Monstera vs. Monstera Albo

Monstera Albo draws its name from albo, which means white in latin. As the name suggests, Monstera Albo has white color contrast to the marbled green leaves. The white/green pattern can appear in half-and-half proportion or spread throughout the leaves. One key difference between the Thai Constellation Monstera and albo would be the Thai constellation’s creamy yellow color and Albo white color. The half and half patterns are also not commonly found in the former.

Thai Constellation Monstera vs. Monstera Mint

Thai Constellation Monstera vs Mint

Monstera Mint is a rare find among monstera. Its unique feature is represented as a mixture between green, yellow and white colors that result in light green color leaves. Leaf pattern and color of Monstera Mint tend to be unique, even on the same tree/plant. Due to its rarity, Monstera Mint is the most expensive monstera within our comparisons. 

Cost: Thai Constellation Monstera price

In Thailand, the starting price for this plant starts at around ~THB4,000 (US$120). This seemingly affordable starting price can scale up really quickly depending on the color and spread patterns. In comparison, the starting price for Monstera Albo is around ~THB8,000 – double of Thai Constellation Monstera. Lastly, our most expensive monstera is Monstera Mint, which is hard to find. Due to its rarity, it has a starting price at around THB500,000 (US$15,000). Some vendors will scale their price up depending on the number of leaves with unique color/pattern. In the news that we cited above, the Monstera Mint plant was sold at a staggering price of US$42,000!

Should you get one for your home or garden?

Gardening is a relaxing hobby and monstera is a gorgeous-looking plant that can decorate your home really nicely. Hopefully, now you understand better about Thai Constellation Monstera price, the comparison with Monstera Albo and Monstera Mint – in case you want to purchase one for your house.

We got to see some friends with green thumbs who have monstera in their house, and these plants are indeed a nice addition to the house decor. However, since collecting rare monstera may be expensive, you can opt to grow any monstera plant or more practical plants. Personally, at this point in our lives where we value practicality the most, we opt to grow Thai herbs like basil which also comes in handy in the kitchen. 

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Boat noodle_featured

Boat noodles: Recipes & the right way to order boat noodles

Categories Thailand, ,

We briefly mentioned boat noodles in our article about Ayutthaya restaurant scenes previously. If you’ve read that article, you should know that they are one of the most famous dishes in Ayutthaya. But there is a lot more to this noodle with dark color soup that you can find across Thailand. We previously covered another popular noodle dish in Thailand, Tom Yum noodles. So, what is a Thai boat noodle, and how to order boat noodles so that you can enjoy a boat noodle meal? Find out more in this article!

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What is Thai boat noodles?

Just like many other noodles, a boat noodle is a hot soup noodle that comprises noodles, broth, meat/meatball, and vegetables. However, what sets this noodle apart is their dark color soup made from herbal ingredients and pig blood. We will cover more on the soup in the following section. 

Another unique characteristic of this noodle is the way each bowl is served to you. They typically come in small bowls, some are very small that it costs THB15 but you may need to eat up to 4-6 of those to be full! 

The good thing about a small bowl format is that you can make each bowl different or adjust the number of bowls so that you do not under/over-eat! We will cover more about how to order at a boat noodle restaurant later on.

Lastly, a boat noodle meal is not complete without fresh vegetables and herbs like bean sprouts and holy basil leaves. Also, crispy pork/pork skin is an excellent topping for boat noodles. You can end your meal with some Thai coconut desserts.

Thai boat noodle

Boat noodles: Ingredients and recipes

While we have had endless bowls of boat noodles, we do not claim to be an expert in the kitchen. Therefore, we will be referring to a recipe from Wongnai for this section. This ingredient list is for boat noodles, but to be more specific, it is for “nam tok” boat noodles, which is the thick, dark soup type commonly found in boat noodle restaurants. 

Boat noodle soup is full of herbs and spices like cinnamon, star anise, cumin, coriander seeds, and pandan leaves. In fact, these herbs and spices are key to bringing out fragrance in the soup. So what makes the soup dark and slightly thick? The secret lies in remaining ingredients such as fermented garlic, fermented bean curd, and dark soy sauce. If pig blood is something that you do not wish to have, you can also request the vendor to exclude this from your soup. This should be doable as vendors normally add this ingredient after they make the main soup. 

We cannot close this section off without mentioning a special kind of vinegar that customers can opt to put into their boat noodles. This vinegar is made by combining vinegar with roasted chili giving it a nice fragrance, and spicy & sour taste. 

Original boat noodles in Thailand

Why is this type of noodle called boat noodle? Boat noodle draws its name from a traditional practice where noodle vendors travel along canals and rivers to serve their customers. This is the reason why you will find some boat noodle restaurant formats using the boat in their concept:

1) Having a symbolic boat inside the restaurant, typically in front of the kitchen area

2) Selling boat noodles in a boat inside floating markets. If you visit any floating market in Thailand, you are most likely going to see small boats sailing around selling noodles!

3) Put their boat noodle restaurant on a large boat where you can order and have your meal inside the boat itself! This restaurant format is common north of Bangkok around Rangsit area

How to order boat noodles

Boat noodle is highly customizable, you can specify what kind of ingredients you want to have based on some options available.

A few essential components that you can customize include:

  • Noodle type: thick/thin noodle, vermicelli, egg noodle, or even instant noodle
  • Meat type: fresh pork/beef, braised pork/beef, meatballs, pork liver
  • Soup vs. dry

Other customizations are also possible but not very common

  • Vegetables: you will typically find morning glory, bean sprout or kale (although uncommon), if these are not to your liking, you can ask for exclusion
  • Soup: As we mentioned previously, the thick dark soup or “nam tok” boat noodle contains pig blood, you can ask for this to be excluded

Optional add-ons in your boat noodle meal include the crispy pork skin, this is highly recommended! Another must-have toppings would be fresh holy basil leaves and bean sprouts. All of these will add interesting texture and taste to your noodles. Lastly, if dessert is your thing then finish your meal off with coconut desserts!

Should you try this dish?

Definitely! Boat noodle is a popular Thai dish. How many bowls should you have? Many! Just have as many as you need to make yourself full. Understanding how to order boat noodles will help you to customize yours according to your wishes.

You can enjoy original boat noodles in Bangkok or if you are going to Ayutthaya, you can also try boat noodles there. Ayutthaya is a place surrounded by water, so naturally, there are a lot of Thai boat noodle shops around. To try Thai boat noodles, you don’t need to go to the floating markets as there are a lot of vendors inland as well. 

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Mookata_Thai BBQ

Mookata: Thai BBQ and Hotpot in restaurant/buffet/at home

Categories Thailand, ,

When you think of BBQ in Asia, you probably think about Korean BBQ or Japanese yakiniku/yakitori. What you may not know is that, Thailand also has a wide range of Thai BBQ dishes and one of the most popular ones is Mookata. This dish popularity is so widespread that it is a cuisine on its own. But what is this dish about? Previously, we have covered other Thai dishes like Thai BBQ pork and chicken and Jim Jum hotpot, now it’s time for you to learn more about Mookata with us!

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What is Mookata?

What is Mookata

“Moo” means pork in Thai and “kata” means pan. You can tell from the name “Mookata” that this dish involves grilling pork on a pan. In simple terms, Mookata is a BBQ meal where you can grill fresh meat on a hot pan just like Korean BBQ or Japanese yakiniku. However, this dish goes beyond that by also providing a section with hot soup for you to boil vegetables. The part with boiling soup is similar to what you have in a regular hotpot. 

Traditionally, the pan used for this BBQ dish would have an elevated grilling section in the middle. Then, the lower surrounding section would be filled with soup for boiling meat/vegetables. While the name Mookata might suggest that it involves grilling pork, you can grill a limitless variety of meat and seafood including pork, chicken, beef, squid, prawn, etc. The meal also often involves fresh vegetables and noodles!

Apart from the grill/boil combination, the sauce for Mookata is also unique which makes this dish truly a Thai BBQ cuisine. This dish can be enjoyed both indoors and outdoors. In fact, an outdoor Mookata meal with a great view and nice breeze would make the meal a lot more enjoyable.

Sauces to enhance the experience

Thais love sauces, and you would often find multiple types of sauce in a Mookata meal. 

“Sukiyaki” sauce

This might be a bit confusing to those who are familiar with international cuisine since Thai sukiyaki sauce has nothing to do with the Japanese one. This red sauce is often served in hotpot meals. In fact, it was popularized by Thailand’s largest hot pot chain, MK restaurant. However, Thais found out that this sauce when combined with lime, raw garlic, and chili also goes surprisingly well with grilled meat. That explains why you will find such sauce at every Mookata meal (also because boiled vegetables can be found in Mookata meals as well).

Nam Jim Jaew 

This staple North-eastern Thailand sauce adds spicy and sour taste to every meal, Mookata included. We have a dedicated article to talk about Nam Jim Jaew in case you want to learn more about this Thai seafood dipping sauce. This sauce is made from lime, fish sauce, garlic, and chili which traditionally goes well with seafood. It is a very versatile sauce and it is just as great when served in a Mookata meal. 

Thai seafood dipping sauce

This is a Thai sauce made from lime, fish sauce, garlic and chili that you will find with most seafood dishes in Thailand – however, this sauce is just as great with when served in Mookata as well.

Mookata buffet

One of the most common formats of Mookata in Thailand is the Mookata buffet. It is available in a la carte format as well, however, they tend to be on the premium side.

In such a buffet, every table will be equipped with a Mookata pan. Then diners can self-service themselves with unlimited fresh ingredients such as meat, seafood, vegetables, and noodles. You can also mix and match your own sauces, and spice them with lime, chili, or garlic to your liking.

A Mookata buffet meal in Thailand can be as cheap as THB 200-300 per head. However, it can also go up to THB600 – THB800 for more premium settings/ingredients.

Mookata delivery

When we mentioned Mookata’s popularity in Thailand, we were not joking. Thais eat out when they want to have this BBQ dish, but they can also make it at home or order delivery. There are many ways to do this

1) Many Thai households own an electric pan for Mookata (we own one as well). You can then easily make the meal at home yourself or order from a restaurant with a delivery service. 

2) You order a complete set and kit from a restaurant. In this format, a restaurant would lend you their pot/pan for the day, then come pick it up at night/the next day (along with the ingredients, sauces etc.).

Many families prefer to make their Mookata meal at home or order for delivery. This is because this way they can supplement ingredients/sauces on their own which tend to be cheaper overall!

Mookata_Mookata delivery

Is this 2-in-1 grill and boil dish worth-trying?

Mookata is a famous Thai dish, popular both in Thailand and overseas. We know for sure that Mookata is very popular in neighboring Asian countries like Singapore as well (you can find a lot in the Golden Mile complex in Singapore!). To fully immerse in Thai cuisine culture, you should definitely try this dish to understand why it’s so popular! For the most authentic experience, try it when you are in Thailand.

We love Mookata because it offers both grilling and boiling of meat and vegetables. If you are eating with a group and some love boiled food and the others love grilled food, this dish offers a perfect balance of both types!

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Nam jim jaew_featured

Nam Jim Jaew: the delicious Thai dipping sauce & recipe

Categories Thailand, ,

Nam Jim Jaew (or “Jaew”) is a spicy & sour Thai dipping sauce that you often find in Thailand or Thai restaurants. You commonly see it served with Thai BBQ, Thai Jim Jum hotpot or Som Tum meal.  We have covered these dishes in our other articles. 

Jaew sauce has a complex taste and fragrance. Learn more about this Thai dipping sauce including its application and how to make one at home here!

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Nam Jim Jaew dipping sauce: the popular local dipping sauce

“Nam Jim” simply means dipping sauce in Thai. So as the name implies, Nam Jim Jaew is a dipping sauce with spicy & sour taste which is originated from North-eastern part of Thailand (Issan region).

What can you dip into the Jaew sauce?

  • Thai BBQ: whether it is grilled pork, chicken or beef, these generally taste great with Jaew sauce (Including in Mookata meal)
  • Meat from Jim Jum or Thai hotpot: Jaew sauce is also commonly served in a Thai hotpot meal. You can dip cooked meat like pork from the hotpot into Jaew sauce before consumption

As you can see, Jaew is a very versatile sauce that can be used with a wide range of grilled and boiled dishes. The next question will be, can you make this sauce at home?

Making Jaew sauce at home: Nam Jim Jaew recipe

Here is a simple, step-by-step recipe to make Nam Jim Jaew at home. The recipe is for about 5 portions so that you can keep and use it over a few meals.

  1. Mix 10 tablespoons of tamarind or green lime sauce with about 12 tablespoons of fish sauce
  2. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar together with 3 tablespoons of warm water. Then mix well until the sugar melts
  3. Add chili flakes. While we recommend 4-5 tablespoons, you can adjust the spiciness to your liking
  4. Pan roast raw rice grains until they turn crisp & brown. Then put the rice into a grinder/mixer to make ground roasted rice powder
  5. Your Jaew sauce is about 90% ready! Do this last step right before your meal to ensure freshness of the ingredients: top up Jaew sauce with ground roasted rice powder and finely chopped coriander/green onion
nam jim jaew_recipe

Nam Jim Jaew bottle

While the sauce is not hard to make, it requires a wide range of ingredients which may not be readily available outside of Thailand. In that case, Nam Jim Jaew in a bottle is an alternative.

There are a number of brands to choose from, the renowned ones include Pure Foods and Deksomboon. While bottled sauce is an alternative, it goes without saying that the taste and fragrance will not be comparable to the original sauce. Hence, we would still recommend making your own sauce at home.

If you are overseas and left without any other choice, you can improve the bottled sauce using lime, chili, ground roasted rice powder or chopped coriander.

Or, you can always make a visit to the nearest Thai restaurant!

Jaew sauce & healthy menu

nam jim jaew_sauce healthy

You can incorporate Nam Jim Jaew into a healthy menu for health conscious consumers or those on diet. In general, Jaew also works great in adding taste and fragrance to dishes with mild taste.

Some examples are steamed fish and steamed vegetable. Both fresh water or seawater steamed fish, they would go nicely when paired with Jaew and they would taste less bland. Almost all steamed vegetables can go well with Jaew sauce. Moreover, if you want to make it even better, you can add herbs like lemongrass or Thai basil when steaming the vegetables!

Should you try the Jaew sauce?

Jaew is a versatile sauce that is easy to make and can be paired with a wide range of grilled, boiled, and steamed ingredients. It can amp up the flavor of food that does not have strong taste quite well. It is a very commonly found sauce in any Thai restaurants, so you should at least try this sauce and see if you like it.  If you need to make it at home yourself, you can try doing it as the steps are fairly easy.

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Thai BBQ pork & chicken and the sauce

Categories Thailand, ,

When you think of Thai food, soup or stir fried dishes may first come to your mind owing to famous Thai dishes like Tom Yum soup or Pad Thai. However, Thai BBQ is also delicious and have special features like the marination process and special sauces. Learn more about what makes this BBQ dish special in this post!

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What is Thai BBQ?

In general, Thai BBQ refers to grilled meat, primarily pork and chicken. This is because they are the most common meat options in Thailand. Thais traditionally use charcoal for grilling, and this is still being practiced today. As you might know, charcoal grilled meat carries a nice and unique charcoal fragrance.

One key factor that makes this type of BBQ special is the long marination process that makes the meat flavourful and tender. Moreover, it often uses a wide range of herbs and seasoning for marination that lasts for a few hours to overnight. Common herbs & seasoning include:

  • Oyster sauce
  • Light soy sauce
  • White pepper
  • Garlic
  • Coriander’s roots
  • A bit of sugar

Another factor that makes Thai BBQ unique is the sauce, which we will cover more of this later.

Thai BBQ_marination

Wongnai has a few recipe for Thai style marination here.

Popular BBQ pork and chicken dishes

Thai people make use of a wide range of pork and chicken parts in BBQ, some of which you may not be very familiar with. 

BBQ Pork

BBQ pork can range from the standard meat to pork belly and pork neck. Thai people also have BBQ pork skewers with sticky rice for breakfast! Moreover BBQ pork belly is a popular component of a Som Tum meal. Lastly you may also find unusual parts like BBQ pork intestine and pork ear in Thailand as well.

BBQ Chicken

If you visit a BBQ specialist in Thailand (usually street vendors), you will find almost all chicken parts starting from chicken breast, thigh, drum stick, wings to even parts like chicken butt, gizzard, heart, liver or chicken feet! You can also opt to BBQ a whole chicken which can be more affordable overall if you eat all chicken parts.

Thai BBQ sauce

Thai people love sauces so this local-style BBQ is often served with the special local BBQ sauce. The two most common sauces include Thai chicken sauce and Nam Jim Jaew.

Thai chicken sauce

While the name suggests that this sauce is great with chicken, Thai chicken sauce is great for all grilled and fried food. This includes any meat, seafood or spring rolls. The sauce is red in color and you will see some chili inside. However this sauce is mostly sweet and not really spicy. Most people find this sauce a perfect companion for any BBQ item!

This sauce is quite popular. In fact, McDonald’s even offers it in overseas markets like Hong Kong where they charge customers extra for this sauce.

Nam Jim Jaew

Unlike the sweet Thai chicken sauce, Nam Jim Jaew mostly tastes spicy and sour. The sauce is made from a wide range of seasonings and it is perfect for both BBQ chicken and pork. We have a dedicated article to talk about Nam Jim Jaew in case you are interested. 

Thai seafood dipping sauce

Another signature Thai sauce that typically goes with grilled/boiled/steamed seafood in Thailand. This spicy and sour sauce also goes well with grilled meat!

Thai BBQ chicken_BBQ sauce

Thai satay BBQ

Thai satay

The topic about Thai BBQ would not be complete without the satay BBQ. We put Thai satay BBQ under a different category as it typically has a different marination process and sauce.

In Thailand, satay generally refers to BBQ pork skewers which have a unique marination process. Marination process for the the satay BBQ uses herbs like galangal, lemongrass, coriander seeds, pepper along with other key ingredients like turmeric, curry powder and coconut milk. 

There are 2 types of sauce that is always served with the satay BBQ:

  • Ar Jad sauce: a transparent sauce mixed with fresh vegetables like cucumber, shallot and coriander leaves. It gives a sweet & sour taste, which is refreshing when served with fresh vegetables
  • Satay sauce: a mixture of curry powder and coconut milk together with peanut (watch out  for those of you who are allergic to peanuts). The sauce is sweet with a hint of spiciness and it has milkiness from coconut milk and peanuts. 

Mookata

When you think of BBQ in Asia, you may start thinking of something similar to Japanese yakiniku or Korean BBQ. The types of Thai BBQ we talk about may give off a different image than other Asian counterparts. Just like how Japan has both yakitori (BBQ skewer) and yakiniku, Thailand also has its own BBQ that we described above and Mookata. 

Mookata is the closest thing to yakiniku or Korean BBQ in Thai cuisine. However, we will cover this topic in another article.

Mookata_Thai BBQ

Is Thai BBQ delicious?

Yes, we love meat and we find the meat preparation in this type of BBQ really creates very fragrant, herby and delicious meat. We love the unique sauces available for Thai BBQ as well. Our personal favorite will be the Nam Jim Jaew, as we love both spicy and sour, and not sweet taste. If you love meat and BBQ, definitely you should try Thai-style BBQ and compare it with other types of BBQ you have had before. 

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Jim Jum hotpot: Thai-style spicy & sour hotpot

Categories Thailand, ,

Hotpot is a popular Asian dish loved by many. We have previously covered Tom Yum hotpot but there is an even more popular type of hotpot in Thailand called Jim Jum hotpot. This hotpot is a local dish that can be regarded as a Thai hotpot. What is a Thai hotpot and how different is it from the regular hotpot? Learn more about this in this post.

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What is a Thai hotpot?

When you think of hotpot, the first thing that comes to your mind would probably be shabu shabu, sukiyaki ( the two types of Japanese hotpot) or huo guo (Chinese hotpot). However, Thailand also has its own local hotpot. 

So what is a Thai hotpot? First, you can probably guess that a Thai hotpot is hot, spicy, sour and is full of fragrance. That is right. That’s what a Jim Jum hotpot is like. Jim Jum originates from North Eastern Thailand (or Issan). The dish is very much like a hotpot where a hot soup is left to simmer at the table. Then, you can cook fresh ingredients like meat or vegetables by yourself at the table.

The name Jim Jum means “dip” in Thai, this reflects the action where you dip fresh ingredients into the soup to cook, then dip cooked ingredients into Jim Jum special sauce before eating.

Traditionally this hotpot is served in a clay pot where a heat source is put under the pot to keep the soup hot. However many modern operators have since replaced this more traditional way of cooking with a gas/electric stove. What makes this Thai hotpot a unique dish lies with the herb, the soup and its sauce. More on this in the following section.

A Thai hotpot soup base and sauce

Jim Jum or Thai hotpot soup base makes the dish unique. It has a herbal fragrance and spicy & sour taste. Thai hotpot soup base draws its fragrance from herbs like lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, shallot and other special ingredients like dried chili and ground roasted rice. The soup base is typically flavoured using fish sauce and lime as well to complete the spicy & sour taste.

The last unique component of this hotpot is its sauce called Nam Jim Jaew. This sauce is a North-eastern Thai sauce that goes well with hotpot but also grilled meat or Thai bbq. You will often find the same sauce on your Som Tum meal if you also order grilled chicken or pork neck. 

Nam jim jaew is also spicy and sour! Its key ingredients include fish sauce, sugar, lime, tamarind sauce, chili flakes, ground roasted rice and a lot of green onion/parsley (this sauce can also be used with Thai BBQ dishes!)

If you want to see more details about the Jim Jum hotpot, watch this great video from Wongnai here.

What can you put into a Jim Jum hotpot?

Jim Jum hotpot_sauce_ingredients

Similar to other types of hotpot, you can customize the content of your meal. You can add a wide range of fresh meat and vegetables, it really comes down to what you like. 

However, there are some standard ingredients including:

  • Vermicelli
  • Egg
  • Pork
  • Thai basil
  • Fresh vegetables like morning glory, cabbage or napa cabbage

Where should you try Jim Jum hotpot in Thailand?

As you can see by this point, this Thai hotpot is all about that spicy and sour flavour. Therefore, most of the Jim Jum hotpot you find in Thailand can get very spicy. Even Thais often find many of them too spicy!

If you do not want to take any risk, we would recommend established restaurant groups. This is because the taste tends to be milder and you would not have to worry about any hygiene issues.

Some places that you can visit to try Jim Jum hotpot:

You will be able to find branches from these restaurant groups quite easily in Bangkok.

Should you try Jim Jum hotpot?

Yes, you should. However, if you go to a more traditional/local establishment, the Jim Jum there is not for the faint of heart. That’s why we mentioned foreigners should go to a more established chain hotpot place that can offer a milder Jim Jum soup. 

Nonetheless, if you love hotpot and you are in Thailand, just go and try this local hotpot. you can try both Tom Yum hotpot as well as Jim Jum hotpot while you are in the country. 

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