Thai noodle soup is a popular street food in Thailand. Noodles are one of the most important parts of Thai cuisine. You can find these Thai dishes being served all day long along the streets and local markets all around Thailand. Before diving into the sea of Thai food tastes, get familiar with the most famous Thai noodle soup dishes that you can try in Thailand.
Most popular Thai noodle soups
Here's the list of the most popular Thai noodle soup dishes in Thailand.
1. Guay Tiew Ruea (Boat Noodles)
Boat noodles (Guay Tiew Ruea: ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ) refer to noodles with beef or pork in a thick brown broth which contains cinnamon, star anise and blood. Ruea in Thai means boat. This noodle is derived from the old and the undeveloped life of the river by the land and the day when the boat’s boatman scooped a blood of pork or beef in a small bowl of noodle, and then poured the broth stewed with spices. If you don't want blood, it is possible to consume the dish without it. It is usually eaten with pork and pork meatballs or beef and beef meatballs, a few pieces of pork or beef liver, bean sprouts and parsley.
Normally, the portion of boat noodles is small to keep the tradition, and some even make the bowls into a boat shape and you can probably finish the bowl in about 2-3 bites. You can order a couple bowls of this Thai noodle soup at a time and it costs only 10-12 THB per bowl. The best place to eat Boat Noodles is the area near Victory Monument in Bangkok.
2. Tom Yum Noodle Soup
Tom Yum Noodle Soup (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวต้มยำ) is a classic Thai dish. Tom means stew and yum means mixed. It is also called Thai hot and sour soup because of its taste. It's a spicy and sour noodle soup that is available on every corner of Thailand. You can pick minced pork, chicken or seafood. Forget about the real Tom Yum soup made from Thai herbs filled with prawns. Spicy Tom Yum noodle soup is only flavored with lime juice, crushed peanuts and chili flakes. However, it is delicious!
3. Creamy Tom Yum Noodle Soup
Creamy Tom Yum Noodle Soup (Tom Yum Nam Khon : ก๋วยเตี๋ยวต้มยำน้ำข้น) is similar to the original Tom Yum soup but it is mixed with evaporated milk or coconut milk to form a rich soup with additional flavor.
4. Bha Mhee Moo Daeng (Egg noodle with Roasted Pork)
Thai noodle soup dish Bha Mhee Moo Daeng (Bha Mhee Moo Daeng: บะหมี่หมูแดง) consists of egg noodles with slices of roasted pork that is garnished with vegetables and small pieces of lard. You can order the noodles dry or with soup.
You can also find places serving different kinds of Bha Mhee noodle soups with other types of meat used for cooking it instead of roasted pork. However, Moo Daeng (literally "Red Pork") is the most popular type of this noodle soup in Thailand.
5. Khao-soy (Northern Thai Curry Noodles)
Khao-soy (ข้าวซอย) is a northern-style curry noodle dish. The soup and taste are very similar to Laksa Soup (Malaysian Coconut Curry Noodle Soup). It’s made of coconut milk and yellow curry gravy poured over soft egg noodles, then topped with crispy fried noodles. It is slightly spicy, sweet, and creamy. In addition to the traditional standard "drumstick", Khao Soi can also be paired with beef, pork, and even seafood. The dish is completed by the tasty additions of chopped shallots, chili, cabbage and lime. Each bite is crunchy and smooth, wrapped in the rich aroma of yellow curry sauce. You should order the dish once when you are in the Northern part of Thailand.
6. Yen Ta Fo (Pink Noodle Soup)
Yen Ta Fo (เย็นตาโฟ) is a must try Thai noodle dish. It is a pink noodle soup served with fish balls or fried fish rolls, fried tofu, squid, morning glory and fried dumplings and pork blood. Traditionally, the pink soup is made with pink colored tofu. The taste is between sour and bittersweet.
7. Guay Jab (Rolled Noodles in Brown Pork Soup)
Guay Jab noodle soup (ก๋วยจั๊บ) is made with rolled rice noodle in five spice pork broth. The main ingredients of this Thai noodle soup are crispy pork belly pieces, pork offal and eggs.
Even if pork offal used for cooking this Thai noodle soup might look not that appealing for westerners, it's a must-add ingredient of this soup for Thai people.
8. Guay Tiew Gai Mara (Chicken Noodle Soup with Bitter Melon)
Guay Tiew Gai Mara (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวไก่มะระ) is one of the most popular Thai chicken noodle soups. This dish is a simple comfort. In a bowl, you will get a chicken meat, meatballs and you can add as much thinly bitter melon as you want. Most people don't like it as they think that it’s bitter but when it comes to taste, this noodle soup is quite sweet.
9. Khanohm Jeen (Tender Rice Noodles with Curry)
Khanohm Jeen (ขนมจีน) is a type of Thai noodles made from rice starch. They are very soft and thin. There are many kinds of curry sauce you can eat with Khanohm Jeen such as green chicken curry (gaeng keow wan gai), sweet peanut sauce (nam phrik), hot and spicy fish-based sauce (nam ya) and northern-style pork blood sauce (nam ngiao). Khanohm Jeen is served with fresh vegetables. You will see the table full of dishes/baskets containing all kinds of raw vegetables, such as bean sprouts, beans, cabbage, bitter gourd slices, various herbs, and dried chili.
10. Rad Na (Rice Noodles in Thick Gravy)
Rad Na (ราดหน้า) is basically made of stir-fried flat rice noodles with a thick brown gravy and meat on top. Gravy is usually prepared by adding potato starch or corn starch in the sauce during cooking. There are many different types of noodles you can choose from the wide rice-noodles, crispy yellow noodles and vermicelli. This dish is usually eaten for lunch or dinner.
Not only you can choose the type of noodle when ordering Rad Na, the kind of meat added to the dish can also be chosen. Rad Na Seafood is one of the favorite variations of this Thai dish.
11. Thai-Style Sukiyaki
Sukiyaki (สุกี้ยากี้) is a kind of Japanese hot-pot. This noodle soup consists of meat, meatballs, dumplings, mushrooms, vegetables like cabbage and glass noodles. Spicy Thai sukiyaki sauce can be added to heat it up. You can order stir-fry sukiyaki (Suki Hang) as well.
12. Guay Tiew Nam Sai (Clear Noodle Soup)
Guay Tiew Nam Sai (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวน้ำใส) is the most basic of all noodles in Thailand. It is a clear soup made with pork, chicken or beef bones with radish and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, cilantro and a little sugar. Depending on what you like, the noodles will be served with the meat of our choice such as pork, chicken, beef, fish balls, pork balls, beef balls and accompanied by bean sprouts. This soup is usually served for kids.
13. Guay Tiew Ped Palo (Stewed Duck Noodle)
Duck Noodle (Guay Tiew Ped Palo: ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเป็ดพะโล้) is a rich noodle soup with lots of ingredients. This is a popular Thai Chinese noodle as it is made from aromatic broth called Palo, Chinese five-spice powder. The soup is made from coriander root, garlic, black pepper, palm sugar, cinnamon, galangal, and Chinese five-spice powder. The duck is marinated in seasoning sauce including light soy sauce, salt and sweet black soy sauce, then boiled. When serving, the duck will be cut into pieces on top of noodles.
To taste some of the best Thai noodle dishes, join Bangkok Michelin Guide Street Food Tour that lets you discover Bangkok's vibrant Chinatown food scene. Your guide will take to street food stalls that have been recommended by the Michelin Guide!
Do you know how to order noodles in Thailand? Learn to order various Thai noodle dishes the way locals do it with a help of our Thai street food guide: How to Order Noodle in Thailand
Looking for more noodle tastes? Try some of the Best Stir-Fried Noodle Dishes in Thailand