23 EASY THAI RECIPES YOU CAN MAKE AT HOME TONIGHT

Thai cooking has a reputation for requiring specialist ingredients that are difficult to source. That reputation is partially true and largely overstated. The core Thai flavour profile — fish sauce, lime, sugar, garlic, chilli, and lemongrass — is available at most large supermarkets and certainly at any Asian grocery, which in most cities is a short drive away. Good Thai curry paste in a jar (Maesri or Aroy-D brands) is a legitimate shortcut that produces near-authentic results.

This collection covers the most popular Thai dishes in formats that are achievable on a weeknight: pad Thai in 20 minutes, green and red curry in 15 minutes using good jarred paste, larb salad in 12 minutes, a simplified massaman in 30 minutes, and a dozen more recipes that represent the full spectrum of Thai cooking. Some use shortcuts. All taste genuinely good.

23. Pad Thai

The national noodle dish — rice noodles with prawns, egg, tamarind, fish sauce, and peanuts. Achievable at home in 20 minutes once the sauce is mixed.

Ingredients

• 300g flat rice noodles, soaked in warm water 20 minutes
• 300g raw prawns (or chicken)
• 2 eggs
• Pad Thai Sauce: 3 tablespoon fish sauce, 2 tablespoon tamarind paste, 1 tablespoon sugar
• Bean sprouts, spring onion, roasted peanuts, lime
• Neutral oil

Instructions

1. Mix pad Thai sauce. Drain noodles.
2. Cook prawns in hot oil 2 minutes. Remove.
3. Scramble eggs in same pan.
4. Add noodles and sauce. Toss over high heat.
5. Return prawns. Add bean sprouts and spring onion.
6. Serve with peanuts, extra lime, and chilli flakes.

22. Thai Green Curry

A Thai green curry with halal chicken and coconut milk — 20 minutes using quality jarred green curry paste.

Ingredients

• 500g halal chicken breast, sliced
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoon green curry paste
• 1 cup bamboo shoots (canned)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon palm or brown sugar
• Fresh Thai basil or regular basil
• Kaffir lime leaves (if available)
• Jasmine rice

Instructions

1. Fry curry paste in 2 tablespoon of the coconut milk cream 1 minute.
2. Add remaining coconut milk. Bring to a simmer.
3. Add chicken. Cook 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add bamboo shoots, fish sauce, and sugar.
5. Taste: should be spicy, sweet, and savoury.
6. Scatter basil. Serve over jasmine rice.

21. Thai Red Curry

Red curry with prawns and mixed vegetables — slightly sweeter than green, with the earthy depth of red curry paste.

Ingredients

• 400g raw prawns
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoon red curry paste
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 cup aubergine, cubed
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar
• Fresh basil, lime

Instructions

1. Fry curry paste in cream of coconut milk 1 minute.
2. Add remaining coconut milk. Simmer.
3. Add aubergine — cook 5 minutes.
4. Add prawns and pepper — cook 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add fish sauce, sugar, and lime.
6. Scatter basil. Serve over rice.

20. Thai Larb Moo (Pork Salad)

The Isan meat salad — ground pork dressed while warm with lime, fish sauce, and toasted rice powder. The toasted rice powder is the essential element.

Ingredients

• 400g ground pork (or halal ground beef)
• Toasted rice powder: 3 tablespoon uncooked rice, toasted dry and ground
• 3 tablespoon fish sauce
• 3 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• ½ cup mint leaves
• ½ cup cilantro
• 2 red chillies, sliced
• Lettuce cups

Instructions

1. Toast rice in a dry pan until golden. Grind to a coarse powder.
2. Cook pork in a pan with minimal oil, breaking up crumbles. Just cooked through.
3. Dress while warm: fish sauce, lime, sugar. Toss.
4. Add toasted rice powder, shallots, spring onion, mint, cilantro, chilli.
5. Taste — should be sour, salty, and slightly sweet.
6. Serve in lettuce cups.

19. Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)

The Thai shredded vegetable salad — green papaya (or shredded courgette as a substitute) dressed with fish sauce, lime, sugar, and chilli, pounded in a mortar.

Ingredients

• 300g green papaya, julienned (or use shredded courgette)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoon dried shrimp (optional)
• Roasted peanuts
• 1 long bean or green bean, cut into 3cm pieces
• Dressing: 2 tablespoon fish sauce, 2 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon palm sugar, 2 garlic cloves, 2 fresh chillies

Instructions

1. Pound garlic and chillies in a mortar until paste forms.
2. Add beans and tomatoes — bruise with pestle.
3. Add papaya and dried shrimp. Toss.
4. Add dressing. Toss well.
5. Taste — should be sour, salty, spicy, sweet.
6. Scatter peanuts. Serve immediately.

18. Massaman Curry

The mild, aromatic curry with Malaysian and Indian influences — halal beef, potato, and peanuts in a warming coconut massaman sauce.

Ingredients

• 500g halal beef chuck or shin, cubed
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoon massaman curry paste
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• ½ cup roasted peanuts
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar
• Cinnamon stick, 2 cardamom pods

Instructions

1. Fry paste in coconut milk cream 1 minute.
2. Add remaining coconut milk and spices. Bring to simmer.
3. Add beef. Simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender.
4. Add potatoes. Cook 15 minutes.
5. Add fish sauce, sugar, and peanuts.
6. Serve over jasmine rice.

17. Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Kra Pao)

The Thai street food classic — ground chicken stir-fried with Thai basil, fish sauce, and oyster sauce, served over rice with a fried egg.

Ingredients

• 400g halal ground chicken or beef
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 to 5 bird's eye chillies (adjust to heat preference)
• 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup Thai or regular basil
• Fried egg and rice to serve

Instructions

1. Pound garlic and chillies to a rough paste.
2. Fry paste in oil over high heat 30 seconds.
3. Add meat. Break up and cook over high heat 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy, and sugar. Toss.
5. Add basil. Toss until wilted.
6. Serve over rice topped with a fried egg.

16. Tom Kha Gai

Thai coconut chicken soup with galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves — aromatic and warming.

Ingredients

• 300g halal chicken breast, sliced
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 slices galangal or ginger
• 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (dried is fine)
• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Chilli and cilantro to serve

Instructions

1. Simmer broth with galangal, lemongrass, and lime leaves 5 minutes.
2. Add coconut milk. Bring to gentle simmer.
3. Add chicken — cook 8 minutes.
4. Add fish sauce, lime, and sugar.
5. Taste — should be sour, savoury, aromatic.
6. Ladle into bowls. Top with chilli and cilantro.

15. Pad See Ew

Wide rice noodles wok-fried with egg, Chinese broccoli, and sweet dark soy — the Thai noodle dish that produces the best wok hei at home.

Ingredients

• 300g wide flat rice noodles (fresh or soaked)
• 200g halal chicken breast, sliced thin
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups Chinese broccoli (gai lan) or regular broccoli
• Sauce: 3 tablespoon sweet dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon soy, 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 garlic cloves
• Neutral oil

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a wok until smoking. Add garlic — 30 seconds.
2. Add chicken — cook 2 minutes.
3. Push aside. Crack in eggs. Scramble.
4. Add noodles and sauce. Toss vigorously over maximum heat.
5. Add broccoli. Cook 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Serve immediately.

14. Thai Yellow Curry

The mildest Thai curry — yellow curry paste with chicken, potato, and coconut milk. Excellent for introducing children to Thai food.

Ingredients

• 400g halal chicken thigh, cubed
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoon yellow curry paste
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. Fry curry paste in coconut cream 1 minute.
2. Add remaining coconut milk.
3. Add chicken and potato. Simmer 15 minutes.
4. Add onion. Cook 5 minutes.
5. Season with fish sauce and sugar.
6. Scatter cilantro. Serve over rice.

13. Thai Beef Salad (Yam Nua)

Grilled halal beef sliced thin and dressed with lime, fish sauce, chilli, and mint — the Thai grilled beef salad.

Ingredients

• 400g halal sirloin or flank steak
• Dressing: 3 tablespoon fish sauce, 3 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 garlic, 3 chillies
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 cup fresh mint
• 1 cup cilantro
• Cherry tomatoes

Instructions

1. Grill or pan-sear steak to medium-rare. Rest 5 minutes. Slice thin.
2. Mix dressing.
3. Combine sliced beef, shallots, mint, cilantro, and tomatoes.
4. Dress and toss.
5. Taste — should be sour, salty, spicy.
6. Serve at room temperature.

12. Tom Yum Soup

The hot and sour Thai soup with prawns — the aromatic broth built from lemongrass, galangal, and lime.

Ingredients

• 300g raw prawns
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
• 4 slices galangal or ginger
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 3 tablespoon fish sauce
• 3 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon chilli paste or 3 bird's eye chillies
• Mushrooms
• Cilantro and spring onion

Instructions

1. Simmer broth with lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaves 8 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms — cook 2 minutes.
3. Add prawns — cook 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add fish sauce, lime, and chilli paste.
5. Taste — hot, sour, aromatic.
6. Ladle into bowls. Top with cilantro.

11. Thai Peanut Noodles

Cold noodles with a Thai-style peanut sauce — ready in 15 minutes.

Ingredients

• 300g soba or thin egg noodles
• Sauce: 3 tablespoon peanut butter, 2 tablespoon soy, 2 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon chilli sauce, 1 garlic, 2 tablespoon water
• Cucumber, spring onion, sesame seeds
• Optional: shredded chicken

Instructions

1. Cook noodles. Rinse cold. Drain.
2. Mix peanut sauce until smooth.
3. Toss noodles with sauce.
4. Add cucumber and spring onion.
5. Scatter sesame seeds and serve.

10. Panang Curry

Panang curry — thicker and less soupy than other Thai curries, with ground peanuts in the paste.

Ingredients

• 500g halal chicken breast, sliced
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoon Panang curry paste (or red curry paste + 1 tablespoon peanut butter)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• Red chilli to garnish

Instructions

1. Fry paste in coconut cream 2 minutes.
2. Add remaining coconut milk — simmer 2 minutes.
3. Add chicken — cook 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Sauce should be thicker than other curries. Reduce if needed.
5. Add fish sauce and sugar.
6. Garnish with lime leaves and chilli.

9. Thai Fried Rice (Khao Pad)

Thai fried rice — simply seasoned with fish sauce, soy, and sugar, topped with a fried egg.

Ingredients

• 3 cups day-old rice
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup frozen peas or corn
• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 garlic cloves
• Neutral oil
• Spring onion, lime, cucumber to serve

Instructions

1. Cook garlic in oil 30 seconds.
2. Add cold rice. Press flat. Fry 2 minutes.
3. Push aside. Scramble eggs.
4. Add vegetables. Toss.
5. Add fish sauce, soy, and sugar. Toss vigorously.
6. Serve with fried egg, spring onion, lime, and cucumber.

8. Thai Fish Cakes (Tod Mun Pla)

Thai fish cakes with white fish, red curry paste, and green beans — pan-fried until golden.

Ingredients

• 400g white fish fillets, finely chopped or processed
• 2 tablespoon red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 egg
• 50g green beans, finely sliced
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• Sweet chilli sauce for dipping

Instructions

1. Process fish with curry paste, fish sauce, and egg until a paste forms.
2. Fold in green beans and lime leaves.
3. Form into small patties.
4. Pan-fry in oil 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden.
5. Drain on wire rack.
6. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

7. Thai Chicken Satay

Thai-spiced chicken skewers with lemongrass and turmeric, served with peanut sauce.

Ingredients

• 500g halal chicken breast, sliced into strips
• Marinade: 1 stalk lemongrass finely chopped, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 tablespoon soy, 1 tablespoon oil
• Peanut Sauce: 3 tablespoon peanut butter, 2 tablespoon soy, 1 tablespoon lime, 1 teaspoon sugar, water
• Wooden skewers, soaked

Instructions

1. Marinate chicken 30 minutes.
2. Thread onto skewers.
3. Grill or pan-sear 3 to 4 minutes per side.
4. Make peanut sauce.
5. Serve skewers with peanut sauce and cucumber slices.

6. Pad Woon Sen (Glass Noodle Stir-Fry)

Glass noodles stir-fried with egg, vegetables, and oyster sauce — the lighter alternative to pad Thai.

Ingredients

• 150g glass noodles, soaked in warm water 15 minutes
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mixed vegetables
• 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 garlic cloves
• Neutral oil
• Spring onion and cilantro

Instructions

1. Cook garlic in oil 30 seconds.
2. Add vegetables — stir-fry 2 minutes.
3. Push aside. Scramble eggs.
4. Drain noodles. Add to pan.
5. Add oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar. Toss.
6. Scatter spring onion and cilantro.

5. Thai Stir-Fried Morning Glory

Morning glory (or water spinach) stir-fried with oyster sauce, garlic, and chilli — the Thai restaurant vegetable dish that takes 3 minutes.

Ingredients

• 400g morning glory (water spinach) or regular spinach
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 bird's eye chillies, sliced
• 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• High-heat oil

Instructions

1. Heat oil in wok until smoking.
2. Add garlic and chilli — 20 seconds.
3. Add greens — toss vigorously over maximum heat.
4. Add oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar.
5. Toss 30 seconds more.
6. Serve immediately over rice.

4. Thai Prawn Cakes

Prawn cakes spiced with lemongrass, garlic, and chilli — pan-fried until golden.

Ingredients

• 400g raw prawns, finely chopped
• 1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoon flour
• Sweet chilli for serving

Instructions

1. Process prawns with lemongrass, garlic, lime leaves, fish sauce, and egg.
2. Add flour. Mix until combined.
3. Form into small patties.
4. Pan-fry in oil 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden.
5. Drain and serve with sweet chilli sauce.

3. Khao Man Gai (Poached Chicken and Rice)

Poached chicken breast over rice cooked in the poaching broth — the Thai comfort food classic.

Ingredients

• 2 halal chicken breasts
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 slices ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 cups jasmine rice (cooked in strained broth)
• Dipping Sauce: 3 tablespoon soy, 1 tablespoon dark soy, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon ginger minced, 1 teaspoon sugar
• Cucumber slices

Instructions

1. Poach chicken in broth with ginger and garlic 15 minutes. Remove. Rest.
2. Strain broth. Cook rice in the strained broth.
3. Slice chicken thinly.
4. Mix dipping sauce.
5. Serve chicken over rice with dipping sauce and cucumber.

2. Thai Omelette (Khai Jiao)

A Thai-style omelette fried in generous oil until the edges are crispy and puffy — served over rice with fish sauce.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs per serving
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 spring onion, sliced
• Neutral oil (generous — about 3 tablespoon per omelette)
• Steamed rice
• Sriracha

Instructions

1. Whisk eggs with fish sauce and oyster sauce.
2. Heat generous oil in a wok or pan over high heat until smoking.
3. Pour in egg mixture — it will puff and crisp at the edges.
4. Fold loosely. Cook 1 more minute.
5. Place over rice.
6. Drizzle sriracha and spring onion.

1. Mango Sticky Rice

Glutinous rice with coconut milk and fresh mango — the Thai dessert that takes 30 minutes of soaking and 20 minutes of cooking.

Ingredients

• 1 cup glutinous rice, soaked 30 minutes
• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ripe mangoes, sliced
• Toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Drain soaked rice. Steam 20 minutes until cooked through.
2. Warm ¾ of the coconut milk with sugar and salt until dissolved.
3. Pour over cooked rice. Mix. Leave 15 minutes to absorb.
4. Mix remaining coconut milk with a pinch of salt for the sauce.
5. Serve rice alongside sliced mango.
6. Drizzle coconut sauce over. Scatter sesame seeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most important Thai pantry ingredients?

Fish sauce (the foundational seasoning — substitute soy for a vegetarian version but the flavour is different), oyster sauce, palm or brown sugar, tamarind paste, coconut milk, and good quality curry paste (Maesri or Aroy-D brands are excellent). Kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass are important aromatics available in Asian groceries and increasingly in larger supermarkets.

Can I substitute ingredients in Thai cooking?

Some substitutions work well: ginger for galangal (slightly different, acceptable), regular basil for Thai basil (regular basil lacks the anise note but works), sriracha for bird's eye chillies, brown sugar for palm sugar. Fish sauce is difficult to substitute in Thai cooking — it provides saltiness and a specific fermented depth that soy sauce alone does not replicate.

How spicy is Thai food?

Thai food can range from mild (yellow and massaman curry, khao man gai) to extremely hot (larb, som tum, pad kra pao). The heat level in home cooking is fully controllable — reduce or eliminate the bird's eye chillies for a milder result. Authentic Thai cooking typically uses 3 to 5 bird's eye chillies per dish; home cooks new to Thai cuisine can start with 1 and work up.

What is the difference between Thai curry pastes?

Green curry: fresh green chillies, lemongrass, kaffir lime — the hottest and most herbaceous. Red curry: dried red chillies — slightly milder, deeply savoury. Yellow curry: turmeric and dried spices — the mildest, closest to Indian curry. Massaman: dried spices (cinnamon, cardamom) with Indian influence — mildest of all with a complex, sweet depth. Panang: like red curry but with ground peanuts — thicker and richer.