Tag: Thailand travel

Kaffir lime_tom yum

Tom Yum Soup Calories & Health Benefits

Categories Thailand, ,

Tom Yum soup is without a doubt delicious. However, for the health conscious, calories count and health aspects of the food also matter. So, how much is the Tom Yum soup calories and what are its health benefits? We’ll cover this topic in this post. We have also covered other version of Tom Yum-based products like Tom Yum noodle, Mama Tom Yum instant noodle and Tom Yum hotpot. Do check them out!

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Tom Yum soup calories breakdown

Tom yum soup calories_ingredient

Approximately, there is ~355 calories per serving for creamy version and 270 per serving for clear broth for a serving of tom yum soup.

How do we come up with this breakdown? It is actually complicated to come up with this number as there are two types of Tom Yum, clear and creamy soup. Moreover, there are numerous Tom Yum variations like seafood, chicken etc.

In this article, we will be focusing on a clear and creamy variation of shrimp Tom Yum soup dish. For our measurement, we will be referring to this delicious looking recipe from Wongnai for a full bowl enough for 4 servings. We use: 

  • 600 grams of shrimp:  ~830 calories 
  • 600 grams mushroom: ~130 calories 
  • 50 grams of shallot: 40 calories
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar: 50 calories
  • 2 tablespoon of fish sauce: 40 calories
  • [For creamy soup] 1 tablespoon of Thai chili paste: ~200 calories
  • [For creamy soup] 7 tablespoon of evaporated milk: ~130 calories

Hence, we can arrive at the following Tom Yum soup calories count: the creamy version has 1,420/4 = 355 calories per serving, while clear broth version has 270 per serving.

We also did not factor in calories from other herbal ingredients like lime, lemon grass, kaffir lime, galangal etc. This is because you do not typically eat the herbs in Tom Yum. Their main contribution is to add fragrance, taste and add some health benefit – more on this below.

Tom Yum soup's herbal properties

Thai herbs_mix herb

Tom Yum soup has these 5 main herbs: 

  1. Ginger
  2. Kaffir lime
  3. Lemongrass
  4. Galangal

Ginger will give the fragrance and also add spiciness to the soup. Kaffir lime is for the sour taste of the soup and also the refreshing citrusy fragrance. Lemongrass and galangal are for the unique Tom Yum soup fragrance, they are very important in giving Tom Yum its distinctive aroma. 

Being rich in herbs and spices, Tom Yum has a very rich, unique aroma that is popular among many. Therefore, no wonder that this recipe is also used in many other applications like Tom Yum noodle, hotpot as well as packaged instant noodle. 

Is Tom Yum soup good for colds?

Tom Yum soup calories_herbal

The herbs in Tom Yum may/may not have direct health benefits as cold remedies. However, if you have lost appetite or can not quite taste your food, Tom Yum soup might just be the dish for you. This is because the taste and the fragrance from the soup should be able to revive your appetite. 

The herbal properties in Tom Yum soup, however, might alleviate the sickness (but will not essentially cure it). Ginger, galangal and lemongrass all have some anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties are essential in helping our body to recover from sickness.

Is Tom Yum soup good for colds then? To a certain extent yes, it is soothing and an amazing comfort food when you are sick. Also, its strong aroma can revive the appetite that you often lose when you are suffering from colds. However, we will not say it will cure the colds. Generally speaking, having nutritious meal, water intake and sufficient rest is always key to speedy recovery when you are not feeling well.

Is Tom Yum soup healthy?

Yes, it is healthy to consume Tom Yum soup. It is not high in calories and it is rich in herbs and spices. Herbs and spices have a lot of proven health benefits for us. However, as mentioned there are a lot of variations of Tom Yum soup. If you have certain conditions, you might need to tweak your Tom Yum ingredients. For example, if you have high cholesterol, you might want to add more fish and lessen the amount of squid and shrimp. 

In conclusion, Tom Yum is a highly customizable dish. Therefore, you can make it suit your health needs! 

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Tom Yum Hotpot_featured

Tom Yum Hotpot: A delicious way to enjoy Tom Yum soup

Categories Thailand, ,

Tom Yum soup is a Thai dish known to be flavorful and fragrant. Having said that, the tastiness of its soup needs no further introduction. In this post, we want to talk about the use of Tom Yum soup in hotpot. Previously, we have talked about Tom Yum application in Tom Yum noodle and also Tom Yum instant noodle (like Tom Yum Mama instant noodle). Hotpot is another popular Asian “dish” across many Asian countries. So, what is it like when we combine Tom Yum soup and hotpot together i.e. Tom Yum hotpot? Learn more in this article if you are curious!

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Hotpot: What kind of dish is this?

Hot pot meal

Hotpot is a popular Asian dish where a boiling pot of soup is served at a dining table such that the hot soup can be left simmered at the table. Diners then cook raw ingredients such as fresh meat, fresh vegetables, meat balls, tofu, fish balls, etc. in the soup. The combination of the soup and the fresh ingredients as well as the different combo of hotpot sauces makes eating hotpot a really tasty affair.

We love hotpot meals as we get to sit around, enjoy fresh ingredients, customize our sauces and enjoy conversations with friends and families. Hotpot is a popular Asian dish that is typically consumed during get-together events. Having said that, you will find variations of this dish in many Asian countries:

  • Korea: Bulgogi Jeongol / Budae Jjigae
  • Japan: Shabu-shabu / sukiyaki
  • China: Huo Guo
  • Singapore: Steamboat
  • Thailand: Jim Jum / Tom Yum hotpot

Is Tom Yum hotpot delicious?

Tom yum hotpot

The answer is: absolutely! Similar to Tom Yum soup or Tom Yum noodle, Tom Yum hotpot is made of broth full of herbs like lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, chili, etc. The soup itself is mainly spicy and sour, but has a bit of sweet taste as well. 

Such a soup is a perfect match with fresh meat like beef/pork, as well as seafood such as shrimp/prawn or squid. Most vegetables would go well with Tom Yum hotpot as well. However, if you prefer your vegetables to not soak in too much of the Tom Yum soup, many restaurants would also allow you to split your hotpot into half. This way, you can have an option to have a clearer broth (milder tasting soup) in the other half. 

While restaurants in Thailand would give you sauces to go with your Tom Yum hotpot meal, we think the Tom Yum soup itself already adds enough flavor to the fresh ingredients. Hence, we typically refrain from using the sauce and simply enjoy the Tom Yum taste on the different hotpot ingredients.

Where can you try this kind of hotpot in Thailand?

There are a couple of top recommendations that we want to introduce here. These places have consistent quality and are tourist-friendly as well.

MK restaurants: This is the first and easiest option. MK Restaurants is Thailand’s largest hotpot chain with more than 400 branches across the country. MK Restaurants is known for their fresh ingredients and they have managed to maintain their quality across their branches.

Coca: An authentic Thai brand (they also own the Mango Tree brand) with history dated back to 1957. Today, Coca has a presence in 12 countries around the world. Another brand that will not disappoint you.

The above two names are our general recommendation as they are also foreigner friendly. But there actually are a lot of small hotpot/shabu-shabu operators in Thailand who also offer Tom Yum soup in their hotpot. Usually they exist as a standalone shop and they may not have an English menu. We can’t speak for their quality as there are so many of them. However, Google Map is your best friend if you want to check their reviews first before visiting the place.

Can you make this Tom Yum dish at home?

Absolutely, but you will need to prepare the necessary ingredients and Thai herbs for the Tom Yum soup. The typical ones include: lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, shallot, fresh chili, lime, fish sauce, and Thai chili paste. Apart from that, you will need fresh meat/vegetables to go with your hotpot. Wongnai has an interesting recipe for Tom Yum hotpot here. There is also a video with English subtitle available. 

Is Tom Yum hotpot worth trying?

Definitely. If you love Tom Yum and herbs/spices that Tom Yum has, this dish is for you. Also, if you have not tried hotpot at all (maybe you are new to Asia), this is also a good first hotpot dish to have! There are multitudes of hotpot soups out there, and Tom Yum soup is one of them – and our favorite too! Pick a reputable place, because the raw ingredients quality can make or break your hotpot experience, whether it is Tom Yum hotpot or other types of hotpot. 

It can be cheaper to have it at home if you are to eat the hotpot with your family members. You just need to make sure you have a good quality Tom Yum soup, quality raw ingredients, and the hotpot apparatus. Hotpot is such a fun get-together activity. Enjoy your hotpot!

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Mama Tom Yum Noodle_featured

Mama Tom Yum Noodle: Thailand’s Famous Instant Noodle

Categories Thailand, ,

Tom Yum is delicious but, preparing your own Tom Yum is not that easy! This dish requires a wide range of herbs and spices which may not be readily available to everyone. Having said that, if you are craving Tom Yum, especially if you are overseas, an instant noodle with Tom Yum flavor might answer your craving (temporarily). Mama Tom Yum noodle is a quick (3-5 minutes) option for those who are looking to enjoy a quick Tom Yum meal. In this article, we will cover different types of Mama Tom Yum noodle and how can you best enjoy them.

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Instant noodle: Tom Yum flavour

Mama Tom Yum Noodle_Instan noodle in Thailand

There are many brands and flavours of instant noodles in Thailand. In fact, there is even an “instant noodle restaurant” that offers meals made exclusively from instant noodles. However, whenever someone talks about Thai instant noodle, the first thing comes to mind would be the Tom Yum flavoured ones.

There are many Thai instant noodle brands but the 3 largest ones are below (source). Also, all of them offer Tom Yum flavoured instant noodle

  • Mama: ~52% marketshare
  • Waiwai: ~24% marketshare
  • Yumyum: ~23% marketshare

Due to its market domination, the brand “Mama” became a Thai word for instant noodle. Its most popular flavor is also the Tom Yum flavor.  

Mama Shrimp Tom Yum noodle

Mama shrimp tom yum noodle

In the previous article, we have covered the 2 types of Tom Yum soups clear broth vs. creamy variation. As a quick recap, the creamy variation has chili paste and evaporated milk added on top of the clear broth variation. 

The classic Mama Shrimp Tom Yum noodle taste closer to the clear broth version of Tom Yum soup. Its spicy and sour soup is reddish in color but is still transparent. Official name of this noodle is Mama Brand Oriental Style Instant Noodles Shrimp Flavour.

Mama Creamy Tom Yum noodle

As the name suggests, this variation resembles the creamy Tom Yum soup. When compared to the classic version, Mama creamy Tom Yum noodle has a smoother creamy texture but still retains the spicy and sour taste of the classic one. Appearance-wise, the soup color is more orange than red when compared to the classic version. Official name of the noodle is Mama Brand Oriental Style Instant Noodles Shrimp Creamy Tom Yum Flavour.

What can you add to Mama Tom Yum noodle?

Instant noodles taste great! However, they can be made better (and more nutritious) with some additional ingredients.  

In terms of taste, Mama noodle is already spicy and sour. But, many still want to enhance the soup further to make the taste closer to the real Tom Yum soup. For this, adding more lime always works wonders. Those who prefer spicy taste can also add more chili to their liking. 

For herbs, adding sliced shallots or coriander and green onion can make the soup smell even more fragrant! You can also add the original Tom Yum herbs like kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass or galangal. (But honestly, if you have these ingredients already, you might as well make the real Tom Yum soup!)

For protein, you can add minced pork or sliced pork. Pork tends to go well with the Tom Yum noodle. However, the real MVP of protein would be eggs. You can simply add the egg in while boiling the noodles or add boiled egg directly. They taste really good with Tom Yum noodles.

You can add any kinds of vegetables into Tom Yum noodle for more fiber. We like cabbage and Chinese spinach the best to go with our Tom Yum noodles. 

Having said all the above, remember this pro tip from us: If you are adding many ingredients to the noodle, they might dilute its taste. Therefore, you might need to add additional seasoning accordingly.

Should you try Mama Tom Yum noodle?

You should, at least once. Definitely we will recommend you to try the real Tom Yum noodle that is freshly made at the store. However, sometimes you are hungry at night and stores are closed, you will not be disappointed with Mama Tom Yum instant noodle! 

Also for those who are not in Thailand, you can get a taste of Thailand’s Tom Yum by eating this instant noodle. Moreover, the noodle itself has a taste (go ahead and try the dry noodle). It is often used without its seasoning in making Thai salad. 

We believe in most households in Thailand, they have some stocks of Mama Tom Yum noodles – simply because it’s easy to make and very tasty.

Go ahead and try it yourself!

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Tom Yum Noodles with Soup and its Dry version

Categories Thailand,

Tom Yum is a famous Thai dish around the world. In fact, Thailand is submitting this dish to UNESCO to be included in the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. We are pretty sure Tom Yum soup does not need further introduction. So, Tom Yum noodle is a delicious adaptation of Tom Yum soup. In this article, we will be introducing some important points that you need to know about Tom Yum noodles. We will also talk about a few variations that you can try.

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Different types of Tom Yum soups

Clear vs creamy tom yum

Tom Yum soups generally taste spicy and sour, and are made with herbs such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal. However, there is a major distinction in Tom Yum soups that you need to know. Clear broth Tom Yum comprises herbs mentioned above then seasoned with lime, fish sauce, chili and sugar which will produce an aromatic, spicy and sour clear broth.

Another type of Tom Yum soup is popular around the world for its rich spicy and sour taste. This type of Tom Yum soup also has a creamy texture. While this “creamy” version of Tom Yum soup shares the same base as its clear broth version, 2 key ingredients are added:

  1. Thai chili paste made from multiple spices like dried red chili, shallot, garlic, tamarind and in some version shrimp paste (reference)
  2. Evaporated milk

These two ingredients help to add richer and creamy flavors to this type of Tom Yum soup.

Tom Yum soups vs. Tom Yum noodles in Thailand

So we have introduced Tom Yum, but what is Tom Yum noodle? This question sounds simple but the answer to it is not. If you are familiar with Tom Yum soup, you probably know that it has a strong, rich taste filled with herbal aroma. So is Tom Yum noodle a dish where noodle is simply added to the Tom Yum soup?

In some cases, yes. However, given how strong the Tom Yum soup can taste (since it’s typically consumed with rice), some restaurants would dilute the soup slightly so that the noodle does not taste too strong.

If you are in Thailand and you order a bowl of Tom Yum noodle soup, you might be in for a surprise – more on this below.

Common Tom Yum noodle soups in Thailand

In Thailand, Tom Yum noodle most commonly refers to noodle with soup that has been flavoured using chili flakes, lime, fish sauce and sugar. These flavorings create a spicy & sour soup, almost similar to the Tom Yum soup we discussed above, but without the herbal aroma. Typically you can choose your noodle whether it would be thin/thick rice noodle, vermicelli or egg noodle. But even then, there are almost limitless variations on Tom Yum noodle soup you can find in Thailand. For instance, Tom Yum noodle with sliced/minced pork, with seafood, with fresh fish, with fish ball, with crispy pork and the list goes on.

If you are in central Bangkok, Rung Reung Pork Noodle is a good place to try pork Tom Yum noodle.

Does this mean you will not find noodles made with classic Tom Yum herbal soup in Thailand? While this is less common, you can still find them – for example, GreyHound Café has this dish on their menu.

Tom Yum noodle_greyhound

Dry Tom Yum noodles

While Tom Yum is generally known as a soup, in Thailand, you can also find dry Tom Yum noodles. 

Dry Tom Yum noodle is everything like the Tom Yum noodle soup we mentioned above, minus the soup. This makes the noodles dry and tangy. Typically, dry Tom Yum noodles have a strong flavor as the taste is not diluted with any broth. Some restaurants would choose to serve a bowl of clear, soothing soup on the side for this reason. 

Common addition to dry Tom Yum noodles that is not found in the soup variation is the addition of roasted peanuts. Therefore, watch out for this if you are allergic to peanuts.

Dry tom yum noodle

Tom Yum egg noodles

Tom Yum noodles taste good, but many people prefer to have Tom Yum egg noodles with some egg flavour. You can either order your Tom Yum noodle with the yellow egg noodle. This is common in any noodle restaurant in Thailand. 

Some Tom Yum noodles however come with boiled egg, be it soft or hard boiled egg. Boiled eggs go surprisingly well with Tom Yum soup noodles so be sure to give it a try!

Tom Yum noodle_featured

Are Tom Yum noodles yummy?

Yes, Tom Yum noodle is one of our favorite noodle dishes in Thailand. It is our comfort food. Above all, we love that it is so customizable, from the types of noodle to the flavor of the soup. You can make the flavor more intense or less intense, anything up to your liking.

The difference between Tom Yum noodle vs other types of Thai noodle with soup is the more flavorful soup. With a more flavorful soup base, we can just give a little more additional seasoning to amp up the flavor to our taste. 

Go ahead and try Tom Yum noodle when you are in Thailand next! (or try an instant noodle version ahead of your travel / try out Tom Yum hotpot in Thailand)

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Does google map work in Thailand

Google Maps Thailand: Our Tips & Experience Using It

Categories Thailand, ,

Google Map is indeed a powerful navigation tool for many. However, the coverage in different countries also varies. In Singapore and Hong Kong, for example, the coverages are excellent and almost always accurate with a few misses. But in a larger country, like Thailand, you might wonder “does Google Maps work in Thailand?”, or how accurate is the information available? Here we will discuss our own experience doing road trips in Thailand relying heavily on Google Maps. And this is because we are noobs in exploration!

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Does Google Maps work in Thailand for direction?

Google map Thailand_driving

If you are going by foot in Thailand, there is no issue following Google Maps. From our experience, the landmarks and the direction given are typically accurate.

However, if you drive in Bangkok or other cities in Thailand, you might want to watch out when you take the toll-way or underground tunnel. This is because the direction given may not be accurate. Sometimes you see the signs on the road telling you one thing, and Google Map navigator telling you something different. In that case, we advise you to see what are the signs on the road and follow that. Google Maps might miss out certain information especially if there are a lot of road splitting or turns around the same area.

We followed Google Maps closely when we went to Ayutthaya, Khao Yai and Hua Hin. And what we noticed is, and this is quite expected, Google Maps sometimes does not recognize smaller roads. Or, sometimes it mistaken smaller roads to be passable by any type of car. We followed Google Maps before to pass a bridge that was actually very narrow and there was no railing on the sides. We were thinking back then, what if the car that we were riding was a lot bigger/broader. Also, how unsafe it would be to follow the Google Maps without looking ahead at the road.

Does Google Maps work in Thailand for places reviews?

Both of us are avid contributors and users of Google Maps. We rely on it a lot when we are looking for restaurants, cafes, and accommodations. We would say that the reviews are very reliable. You can trust the ratings given on Google Maps, but always ensure you read through a number of reviews before trusting it.

There has been very few disappointing occasions where we visit places with 100+ reviews and average rating of 4.2+, so in general we tend to rely on Google map review quite a bit.

As an example, we visited Ayutthaya retreat which had over 1,000+ reviews and the average rating of 4.3, and the place did not disappoint!

Make use of Google streetview

Google street view can make your road trip in Thailand easier whether it would be to explore the road ahead of time or to check on store-front ahead of your visit.

Explore the road: streets in Thailand can be complicated, sometimes there are forking, highway, underground way, round about, bridge etc. Google street view can help you to check the road ahead of time so nothing catches you by surprise.

Check out the store front: Thailand is known for its street food, small vendors or local market. Sometimes the famous “restaurant” that your friend/the internet recommend to you may be on street side or a hole-in-the-wall shop. Checking the store front ahead of time can help you locate the shop once you arrive in that area

Google map Thailand_round about

What to look out for when using Google Maps in Thailand?

As mentioned before, small streets may not be accurately captured by Google Maps, especially small streets in cities outside Bangkok. Also, the Google Maps navigator might give wrong info sometimes (but this is rare to happen) when you are on the road. Hence, we advise you to always keep your eyes on the road and when you are in doubt with what Google Maps tells you, trust yourself and proceed slowly. In terms of finding places on Google Maps to see their reviews, the most important thing is to also have their address with you. There might be places with the same name and you might risk going to a wrong place if you cannot cross check with the actual address you are planning to go to. We had this issue when we were trying to find our hotel in Ayutthaya.

If you are solo-driving, we recommend buying a phone holder that you can attach to your car dashboard. This way, you can easily refer to Google Maps when driving without taking your eyes away from the road for too long. Also, if you have a companion in your car, ask that person to be your navigator and alert you on what’s coming so that you can still focus on the road.

Also, ensure your phone is fully charged and also you have strong internet. In places where internet can be a bit patchy, you should also expect the Google Map GPS working a bit less efficiently – as this is expected. 

Can you rely on Google Maps in Thailand?

Despite a few minor hiccups, Google Maps Thailand is very reliable. We are novice in terms of doing road trips and Google Maps was our best companion throughout our trips. 

Keep in mind that it is a technology that is supposed to help us navigate the road, but it is not always perfect. It is not 100% accurate and you should not panic it gives you inaccurate info/direction during your trip. You can always detour and get to your destination eventually. Google Maps will automatically adjust the direction when it notices that you are not following the original plan. It will let you know an alternative way to get to your destination based on your current location. 

Also, our last tip is if you are going to a totally unfamiliar place, spend some time reading the map the night before. It will help you to visualize the road and will help you to feel less nervous exploring the unchartered territory!

Happy driving & road tripping!

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Thai papaya salad calories

Thai Papaya Salad Calories: Is Som Tum Healthy?

Categories Thailand, ,

In the previous article, we have introduced a few types of Som Tum or the spicy Thai papaya salad, and how the dish is relatively vegetarian friendly. In this article, we will be examining this dish from the health angle. This includes Thai papaya salad calories count and other health considerations.

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Thai papaya salad calories

Thai papaya salad calories_ingredients

Thai papaya salad itself has relatively low calories. Let’s take a dish of Som Tum Thai as an example, this Thai papaya salad dish may have around 150-200 calories by our estimate but this depends on the ingredients of each dish:

  • Raw papaya: approximately half of a raw papaya per dish would have less than 100 calories
  • Green beans: ~1-2 green beans: around 17 calories per serving (source)
  • Tomato: 4 small cherry tomatoes would have around 12 calories (source)
  • Peanut: 1 tablespoon of roasted peanuts would give ~40-50 calories

Following the above breakdown, a dish of Thai papaya salad would give around 150-200 calories, which is quite low. You can also cut the calories down further by removing peanuts from the dish!

Other variations of Thai papaya salad may contain slightly higher calories than the breakdown above. For example Som Tum with fruits that make use of ripe apple may contain higher calories as some fruits tend to have more calories than raw papaya.

100g comparison according to https://www.calorieking.com:

  • Raw papaya: 55 calories
  • Apple with skin: 93 calories
  • Grapes: 100 calories
  • Pomelo: 230 calories

A full meal: going behind Thai papaya salad calories

As mentioned in the previous article, Som Tum meal is often accompanied by carb (like sticky rice) and protein (like grilled chicken). Having said that, you will have to watch out for calories from those too if you decide to go with a full meal since the calories can add up to 300 to 500 calories easily!

  • Thai papaya salad: 150 calories
  • 200g of sticky rice: ~200 calories
  • A chicken drumstick: ~100 calories

Not to mention other components of a full Thai papaya salad meal like fresh vegetable, herbs or even other common dishes like grilled pork neck!

Is Som Tum healthy?

As you can see from above, the main ingredients for a Thai papaya salad dish like raw papaya, green bean, tomato and peanuts are all natural and do not have excessive amounts of calories. Hence, the short answer is yes. The dish is healthy unless you like really strong flavour and add too much sugar and fish sauce. Do note that a variation of Som Tum such as Som Tum Pla Ra contains fermented fish and there have been some warning against excessive consumption of such dish in Thailand. As always, moderation is key when consuming anything.

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Som Tum: various types of delicious Thai papaya salad

Categories Thailand, ,

Som Tum or Thai spicy papaya salad is a popular Thai dish originated from north eastern Thailand. The dish is famous for being rich in flavour i.e. a mix of sweet, spicy and sour. There are many types of Som Tum that you may find in Thailand, or at any Thai restaurant. Therefore, it is important to know your Som Tum before making any order! Also, you need to pay attention to some ingredients in Som Tum as it may contain ingredients like peanuts or shrimps which some people are allergic to). In this article, we will be covering different types of Som Tum and finish it off with whether the dish is vegetarian friendly.

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Different types of Thai papaya salad

The main ingredient of som tum is the shredded green, raw papaya. Other common vegetables include tomatoes and green beans (sometimes carrots as well). The dish derives its taste from garlic, chili, tamarind, lime, fish sauce and a bit of sugar. See recipe here.

som tum_Som Tum Thai

Som Tum Thai is the first variation of som tum that we will cover. It has unique ingredients including dried shrimp and peanut on top of your usual raw papaya, tomato and green beans. Som Tum Thai is common in central Thailand so you will be able to find it anywhere in Bangkok.

som tum_Som Tum Phu

Som Tum Phu or crab Som Tum is a variation where either preserved sesarma crab or flower crab is added to Som Tum dish to enhance the flavor. Recipe here. 

Som Tum Lao or Som Tum Pla Ra is characterized by a special ingredient called “Pla Ra” or fermented fish. This type of Som Tum with a small portion of fermented fish will have a stronger smell and flavor compared to other types of Som Tum. For those who enjoy the fermented fish enhancement, they will quote this is the best type of Som Tum. On the other hand, others who are not a fan will find the dish pungent. It is either you love or hate it. 

Som Tum cucumber salad replaces shredded green papaya with refreshing sliced cucumber for its main ingredient. Some variation of the som tum cucumber salad also add Thai sausage, shrimp or grilled pork into the mix which make the dish interesting.

Som Tum with fruits uses fruits as the main ingredient instead of shredded raw papaya or cucumber. Common fruits you will find in this type of Som Tum include apple, guava, pomelo and corn (although corn is not exactly a fruit). Some recipes will also add dragon fruit, grape, kiwi, pineapple. Actually, you can add any fruit you like, but the rule of thumb is to avoid adding watery fruit like watermelon. The reason being is obvious, you do not want your Som Tum too watery.

How to enjoy a meal with Thai papaya salad

You can have Som Tum on its own, but usually Thai people enjoy Som Tum with a number of other dishes. The most common one is to have sticky rice or kanom jeen as carb companion for Som Tum. Other than that, you can add some protein source like grilled/fried chicken or pork neck (which go really well with Nam Jim Jaew dipping sauce). This is because the typical Som Tum does not have any meat inside. Som Tum is already quite rich with vegetables but usually there are other raw vegetables and herbs accompanying this dish. This can include cabbage, basil leaves, green beans and cucumbers.

Som tum meal

Is Som Tum vegetarian friendly?

If you are a strict vegetarian then the answer might be no, as most Som Tum dishes contain fish sauce and Som Tum Thai contains dried shrimp. However, some shops offer vegetarian Som Tum, for example Som Tum Thai without dried shrimp. Otherwise Som Tum with cucumber or fruits are generally vegetarian friendly.

Find out more about the Thai papaya salad calories in our dedicated article!

Should you try Som Tum?

Yes, it is a famous Northeastern Thai dish that can be found everywhere in Thailand. It is refreshing, very apt for Thailand’s hot weather. There are a lot of variations that come with Som Tum. Also, most shops usually can customize your Som Tum (you can tell them what to include or not include) if you have a specific preference for this dish. If you are a vegetarian, you can try asking the vendor if they can make you a vegetarian version (sans fish sauce, dried shrimp etc). Given that it uses a lot of raw vegetable ingredients, you can treat it like salads and it does have similar health benefits like any other salads. 

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Thai coconut cake and other traditional coconut desserts

Categories Thailand, ,

You must have seen a plethora of coconut desserts when you were in Thailand, if you have visited this country before. Thai people have been using coconuts in their cooking and one major application is Thai coconut dessert. In this article, we will be covering a variation of Thai coconut cake and other common popular Thai coconut desserts. Do not mistake this with young coconut or roasted coconut which we have exclusive articles for.

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Modern Thai coconut cake

We have tried modern Thai coconut cakes in many places. On our recent trip in Thailand, we tasted a few different types. The first one is sponge cake with cream layers in between and young coconut meat on top. This is the typical modern coconut cake found in Thailand. We tried 2 of these in Summer House Ayutthaya and also Baan Gliwang in Hua Hin. 

thai coconut dessert_summer house ayutthaya
thai coconut dessert_baan gliwang huahin

We had a unique experience on our Ayutthaya trip where we visited Ayutthaya Retreat (a hotel with a restaurant inside). They serve young coconut cakes with a twist. The twist is, they layer sponge cake and coconut jelly in their cake, topped with coconut meat. The coconut jelly is made from young coconut water which added an interesting texture to the Thai coconut cake.

thai coconut dessert_ayutthaya retreat

Lastly, another type of modern Thai coconut cakes is crepe cake but using coconut as the ingredient. You can find it in modern establishments like Greyhound cafe. 

Traditional Thai coconut desserts

Traditional “cake” or “pancake” made from coconut milk

Thai coconut dessert_coconut cake

“Baa Bin” or Thai coconut pancake is made from mixing flour with coconut milk and young coconut to make the Baa Bin paste. You can then cook the paste on a flat pan or you can cake it in small trays. See full recipe here.

“Kanom tuay” which means dessert in a bowl. Kanom tuay is essentially coconut pudding/custard made by steaming 2 layers of ingredients. The first layer is sweetened rice flour and the second layer is coconut milk. The first layer is usually sweet, and it is also commonly mixed with pandan to provide fragrance and green color. You will find this dessert when you go to eateries to eat boat noodles.

“Kanom krok” is a unique Thai coconut “cake” which has a crispy shell but soft filling. You can make the soft filling from a mixture between sweetened coconut milk and flour. People can find this dessert on the street where vendors cook the coconut mixture in a hot pan with multiple small holes. See full recipe here.

Thai coconut cake_kanom krok

Other coconut desserts using traditional recipes

There are also many other traditional desserts that do not resemble cake or pancake but they use coconut or coconut milk as main ingredients. 

“Ruam mit” is one of the most common coconut milk desserts. It is a mix of items served in sweetened coconut milk. The items usually include sago, water chestnut (made into red ruby dessert), jackfruit, taro, chendol etc. 

“Khanom tom” or coconut ball with main ingredients being flour and coconut. You can make the ball using rice flour and the filling uses shredded coconut melted with palm sugar and coconut milk. It has a chewy texture and use shredded coconut as coating on the outside.

“Khao lam” or bamboo sticky rice is another popular Thai traditional coconut dessert. There are two types of this dessert, one uses white sticky rice and the other black sticky rice. You can mix the sticky rice with sugar, sweet red beans, and coconut cream. Then, you can insert the mixture into cylinders of hollow bamboo. Next, roast the bamboo over coals. See more information about Khao lam in this article.

Should you try Thai coconut desserts?

Definitely! Coconuts in Thailand are of high quality and taste really good. With good ingredients, you can expect tasty Thai coconut desserts as well. There are a broad variety of coconut desserts that you can find in the country. You might find your favorite after you try a few of them. If you are not a big fan of sweet stuff, you need to exercise caution when buying desserts in Thailand though. Also, try small quantity as they tend to be on the sweeter side (Thai people love sweets in general).

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ayutthaya hotel_sala hotel breakfast

Ayutthaya hotel: Sala Ayutthaya hotel with river view

Categories Thailand, ,

If you are planning your trip to Ayutthaya, one of the most important things to decide on is which hotel to stay at. There are many options in Ayutthaya, be it the regular format hotel or boutique hotel. We managed to stay in both. However, there are more interesting things to share about Ayutthaya hotel with river view, as river and water is what Ayutthaya is famous for. We stayed in a hotel at the riverside i.e.Sala Ayutthaya boutique hotel. Previously, we have shared about Ayutthaya restaurant scenes and how to get to Ayutthaya. In this post, we will give a review of our stay in Sala Ayutthaya hotel.

Table of Contents

Location

The location of this hotel cannot be any better. It is by the river, and it is quite central. From the hotel you can reach the temple area with so much ease. There is a hospital nearby should you have any emergency. There are a lot of cafes and eateries that you can reach just by foot or by taking a 15-20 mins drive. However, given its very central location, they don’t have that much space for parking i.e. the parking lot is very tiny. And also, they have a restaurant inside – so as a hotel guest you are competing with the restaurant guests for parking space. This is a big downside to the hotel especially if you don’t manage to get your parking spot.

The hotel acknowledged this problem and reserved some space at the nearby park for hotel guests to park their cars. The park is around 5-7 mins by Tuktuk from the hotel. This can be a turn-off for some hotel guests as it is not that convenient having to commute just to get to the car. More so if the weather is not that friendly (big rain or scorching hot sun).

Sala Ayutthaya hotel architecture and design

We love boutique hotels and we love luxurious stays during our vacation. However, we like it the most when the hotel can combine both luxury and down-to-earth vibes at the same time i.e. low-key luxury experience.

Interesting architecture with clean lines

Sala Ayutthaya hotel has a very nice design overall and they hit the right spots when it comes to giving its guests a low-key luxury hotel stay experience. The hotel building is a low-rise building with 2 floors only. They use a lot of red bricks, wood, large glass windows, and clean off-white walls in their design. As a result, the vibe is modern, and yet, warm and welcoming.

ayutthaya hotel_sala ayutthaya wall
ayutthaya hotel_sala ayutthaya pool
ayutthaya hotel_sala ayutthaya architecture

Minimalistic, rustic room design

The room is not any different. It has a rustic and industrial, minimalistic look. They have a simple, but chic way to decorate and furnish the room. The mattress was also of very high quality, we had a very comfortable and sound sleep when we were there. There are other small details like how they set the bed frame a bit low when compared to other hotels, which made the experience of staying in the room extra special. 

ayutthaya hotel_sala room 1
ayutthaya hotel_sala room bathtub
ayutthaya hotel_sala room bedroom
ayutthaya hotel_sala room bedroom 2

Sala Ayutthaya hotel breakfast and food

Breakfast was part of the hotel stay package, and we felt very fortunate to be able to enjoy our breakfast while relishing the beautiful temple view across the river. The restaurant is very popular as well during lunch and dinner among hotel guests and non-hotel guests alike.

They have both Western and Asian / local breakfast menus. The breakfast format is not buffet but there are plenty of options that they serve for you at the table. By default, other than the main breakfast food that we choose, we get fruit, a basket of pastries as well as cereal along with yogurt/milk as well. 

The restaurant has both covered and uncovered areas. This way you always have an option to enjoy the river view outdoors even when it’s drizzling.

Moreover, we also ordered some food into the room on one of the nights when we felt lazy to drive around. The food was great and the delivery was quick.

ayutthaya hotel_sala hotel breakfast
ayutthaya hotel_sala ayutthaya restaurant dinner

Is it worth it to stay at Sala Ayutthaya hotel?

We had an enjoyable and unique boutique hotel stay experience at Sala Ayutthaya. The food, the room, and the service were all excellent. The only obvious downside was the small parking lot. 

Also, there are a lot of people taking photos in this hotel, be it hotel guests or restaurant guests. If you do not mind that, you can choose to stay in this hotel. We were there during weekdays, so we were not that bothered as there were fewer people. However, we can imagine during the weekends or popular national holidays in Thailand, there will be more photo-taking crowds around the hotel area. 

For families with kids who want to enjoy the pool, you will be able to enjoy the common pool located in the middle of the compound. This hotel unfortunately does not have any room with a private pool facility. If this is a dealbreaker for you, we suggest you find bigger hotels that might have more comprehensive facilities for each of their rooms. 

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ayutthaya food_seafood

Ayutthaya Food & Beverage and Restaurant/Cafe Scene

Categories Thailand, ,

We bet most people will agree that the quality of food (or F&B scene) during our travels can make or break our travel experience. When we were planning our trip to Ayutthaya, we were wondering what the Ayutthaya food scene is like. Previously we covered how to get to Ayutthaya and what to see there, now we will share more about the Ayutthaya food and restaurant scene.

Table of Contents

Ayutthaya riverside restaurant

Ayutthaya city is surrounded by water, that’s why there are many riverside restaurants in Ayutthaya. Most restaurants will serve local Thai food and as expected from a place with a lot of water, there are a lot of dishes with fresh ingredients from the river. The most famous ingredient that you will find in Ayutthaya is fresh river prawn, they come in various sizes but they can get pretty big (and also expensive).

ayutthaya food_seafood
ayutthaya food_river prawn

Ayutthaya boat noodle

Boat noodle draws its name from a traditional practice where noodle vendors used to travel along canals and rivers to sell noodles to households in Ayutthaya and Bangkok. Hence, Ayutthaya is among the origin of boat noodles.

The dish has a few striking characteristics:

  1. Boat noodle is often served in small portions (almost like a bite size bowl) so you often see locals ordering multiple bowls in one go then stack the bowl up
  2. The soup is dark in color which is a result of herbal ingredient as well as cooked pig blood
  3. A boat noodle meal is often accompanied with fresh vegetables (bean sprout and basil leaf) and crispy pork skin
how to get to ayutthaya_boat noodle

Other food in Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya is well known for one other dessert called “Roti Sai Mai” or silk roti. The dish has two components:
 1) The wrap: A thin layer of wrap adapted from roti
2) The silk: Sugar threads that taste very similar to cotton candy. The dessert is very simple, the sugar threads are placed in the middle of roti and made into a roll.

Ayutthaya food_silk roti

The silk which is made from sugar taste very sweet but the taste get balanced by the roti wrap which have almost no flavour.

Ayutthaya food: Cafe & Restaurants

There are many many formats of cafés and restaurants that you can find in Ayutthaya. We will be going through a few of our favorites here:

Traditional

We visited a traditional cafe/restaurant located in a hotel called Ayutthaya Retreat. The place has a traditional Thai building vibe, mostly wooden furniture. There is a pond in the middle of the place and the sound of the water was really relaxing for the guests. A massage place is also available in the area where guests can have foot or whole-body massage in a covered area. This place had a very good coconut cake that you must try! 

ayutthaya food_traditional cafe
ayutthaya food_coconut cake and coffee

By the river

We had dinner at a place called Baan Pomphet. It is truly an Instagram-worthy place because of its pretty architecture and also its location, by the river. It offers indoor and outdoor seating. The food in this place is good, and they serve very fresh river prawns as well. There are other great seafood options in this place as well.

ayutthaya food_baan pomphet
ayutthaya food_baan pomphet river prawn

Into the nature

We visited an eating establishment that has quite an impressive array of installations in the middle of a paddy field. The food was frankly so-so but if you want to create good photos with your family, this might be a good place to head to. Go check out Rak Na when you visit Ayutthaya if this kind of place is right up your alley.

ayutthaya food_rak na cafe

Chic and modern

Another cafe that we visited was Tewa Cafe. It’s located near the river. The coffee menu was great. If you can go there early or during non-peak hours, it’s highly recommended to do so. The building is a bit small (despite having 2 floors) so it can get crowded quickly. 

Cooking class

Cooking class is a popular activity among tourists, especially for foreign tourists. There are a lot of day trip tour packages offering cruise, temple visits and also cooking classes. 

You can visit Ayutthaya, learn about the Thai culture through Thai history and further learn about it through its cuisine. 

Some highly recommended cooking class centers with excellent reviews are: 

 

How exciting is Ayutthaya food and beverage scene?

There are a lot of options for food and beverages as well as restaurant/cafe formats in Ayutthaya. So you will not run out of options there. However, typically visitors will eat river prawns and a lot of other seafood, as well as boat noodles while in Ayutthaya. If you enjoy a chill vibe by the river, you will enjoy going to riverside cafes in Ayutthaya as well. There are many that offer both good coffee and an amazingly chill atmosphere by the water. 

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