The popular website CNN Eatocracy has recently published a new Travel and Leisure piece about America’s Thai Food Takeover. The article opens with some background on foreign food being tweaked to American palates in the country, with Thai food probably being the most distorted.
A selection of authentic Northern Thai dishes.
However, the author then goes on to highlight all the restaurants and eateries that are doing real Thai food justice, by using authentic Thai ingredients that might usually be missing from Westernised Thai restaurants. These are foods like pickled peppers, dried chilli, nam pla (fish sauce), and one of Thailand’s must-have meal accompaniments, nam prik (special chilli sauce).
Some important differences between northern and southern cooking is explained, such as Northern eateries focusing on the earthy, oily flavours found in Khao Soi, while Southern Thai cooking tends to feature bolder, more pungent curries, often containing turmeric. Even Isaan gets a mention, with Northeastern flavours being described as more tart and a whole lot spicier, evident in fermented dishes and spicy larb.
Street food in Thailand… a trend yet to hit America.
If you are lucky enough to be in one of the cities features on the list below, the restaurants to visit for yummy, authentic Thai food are:
Lers Ros – San Francisco, California
Jitlada – Los Angeles, California
NIGHT + MARKET – Los Angeles, California
Khong River House – Miami, Florida
Lotus of Siam – Las Vegas, Nevada
Pok Pok – Portland, Oregon, and Brooklyn, New York
Read the article here.