Songkran is Thailand's lively three-day New Year festival, celebrated annually beginning on April 13 per the Buddhist calendar, when the sun moves from Pisces to Aries. It's an opportunity to wash off the troubles of the previous year — done literally and joyously in the streets of Thailand with massive water fights — and to share meals with family. In honor of the holiday, we've put together a collection of vibrant, massively flavorful Thai dishes that are fit for a celebration or simply a tasty meal at home. Whether you're craving your favorite Thai curry (maybe Panang?); the fresh, spicy crunch of papaya salad; or coconut-y mango sticky rice, these are your go-to Thai recipes.
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Pad Krapow (Basil Stir-Fry)
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Holy basil gives this simple, delicious Thai stir-fry its signature flavor. While the other components of Pad Krapow are flexible; the basil is essential. If you can’t find holy basil, use Italian basil; it's much closer in flavor than Thai basil for this specific dish.
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Som Tam (Thai-Style Green Papaya Salad)
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Lightly pounding and tossing shreds of green papaya in the bowl of the mortar allows it to absorb the sweet, salty, sour, spicy paste while preserving the salad’s crisp crunch.
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Panang Curry
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This rich Thai coconut milk curry gets its distinctive flavor from the chile paste made with a robust blend of red chile, lime, galangal, garlic, shallots, cumin, and kapi (shrimp paste).
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Pla Pad Cha (Thai Fried Fish with Spicy Chile Sauce)
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White peppercorns and brined green peppercorns add pungency to crisp, tender snapper fillets in this quick recipe from Watcharapong Tanabat, a chef at Ging Grai in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
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Pad See Ew
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This stir-fry of deeply caramelized skirt steak with noodles and Chinese broccoli is a Thai classic for good reason.
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Lap Mu (Northeastern Thai Pork Salad)
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This northeastern Thai pork salad is at first sour then salty, with acidity from lime, salinity and umami from the fish sauce, and nutty depth from the toasted rice powder. It comes together in just under half an hour — serve it with wedges of green cabbage, green beans, and rice, if desired.
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Nam Khao Tod (Crispy Rice Salad)
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In this Night + Market dish by Kris Yenbamroong, spicy fresh ginger brings brightness and a pleasant crunch to this salad. Cooked and cooled rice is seasoned with curry paste and dusted with a generous coating of rice flour, then fried until über-crunchy.
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Grilled Chicken Wings with Jaew
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Low and slow grilling keeps these wings juicy and gives the skin time to render and char. Jaew, a sweet and sour chile sauce, delivers a heat-packed punch.
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Crab Fried Rice
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Spicy and fragrant crab fried rice is studded with chunks of delicate, sweet crabmeat throughout. It's served with prik nam pla (Thai dipping sauce), a popular spicy, salty, and sweet condiment that reinforces the fried rice’s umami flavors.
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Khao Mun Gai (Thai Chicken and Rice)
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Khao Mun Gai features tender poached chicken served with a fragrant chicken broth and ginger rice, accompanied by a flavorful dipping sauce. The dish is famed for its simplicity, and is an easy yet comforting dish any home cook can tackle.
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Gang Gai Khao Mun (Thai Chicken Curry)
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Sweet, sticky coconut rice colored and flavored with green herbs pairs with this creamy Thai chicken curry from chef Nok Suntaranon. The foundation of the curry is a vibrant from-scratch curry paste — the same one used at Kalaya in Philadelphia (one of F&W's Best New Restaurants in 2020).
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Thai Red Curry
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Dried chiles lend earthiness and heat to this red curry, while the coconut milk, eggplant, chicken, and basil round out the flavors.
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Krapow Khai Yat Sai (Thai Stuffed Spicy Basil-Chicken Omelet)
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In this eye-catching omelet from Jazz Singsanong, owner of Jitlada in Los Angeles, a thin blanket of folded egg is cut open to reveal a filling of ground chicken and Thai basil that’s been lightly caramelized and flavored with oyster sauce.
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Tofu Pad Thai
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Chef and writer Lara Lee's meatless pad Thai stars hearty, savory fresh oyster and shiitake mushrooms, which suffuse the dish with earthy flavor and combine beautifully with chewy noodles; golden-fried tofu; fresh, crisp bean sprouts; lightly spicy long red chiles; and crunchy peanuts.
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Yellow Curry
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This Thai curry balances earthy turmeric with tangy tamarind paste and a gentle heat level that makes it especially cozy. Finish it with a squeeze of lime juice to wake up the flavors.
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Green Curry
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Garlic, lemongrass, makrut lime, coconut milk, and Thai basil balance the kick of heat in this popular Thai curry, made with chicken, zucchini, and bell peppers.
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Thai Cucumber Salad
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This easy and refreshing cucumber salad has been enjoyed in Thailand for centuries, getting its punch of flavor from ginger, vinegar, and chile.
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Sweet Sticky Rice with Mangoes and Sesame Seeds
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Mango sticky rice has been a popular dessert in Thailand for centuries. This is a simple recipe, but it depends on getting the right ingredients. Make sure your rice is labeled "glutinous rice" or "sweet rice," so it will produce the right texture. Use full-fat unsweetened coconut milk and seek out ripe, sweet mangoes.
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Thai Shrimp and Coconut Soup with Lemongrass
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Top Chefwinner Harold Dieterle's recipe for Thai coconut soup is flavored with chiles, ginger, and lemongrass, and garnished with plenty of shrimp.
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Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
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The combination of charred, lemongrass-scented chicken satay and rich, spicy peanut sauce is hard to beat.
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Drunken Noodles
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This fast (and almost vegetarian) Thai rice noodle dish is dressed with a deliciously savory, spicy sauce and tossed with crispy tofu.
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