Thailand Tourism On A Budget: Nine Tips From The Great Depression

Famous world over, Thai food is a treat to the senses. Perhaps it speaks to the maturity of L.A.'s Thai Food scene that Night + Market Song could coexist on a block with Same Same, and the two could still be worlds different.

Don't dismiss the basics, either — the khao soi comes with a massive helping of dark meat and it's a full-bodied broth straight out of the motherland. Larb packs serious heat, and the pungent meat mince is aided along further by a handful of unobtrusive white wines that potentiate an already fragrant bouquet of flavors. The fact that Same Same is down the street from Night + Market Song isn't the only cheeky thing about this rejuvenated Silver Lake institution: The menu and beverage selection is pretty cheeky, too.

Spicy coconut curry based noodle soup khao soi is Chiang Mai's most famous export and it's the specialty at Pailin, but don't skip the intensely aromatic sai ua and the shrimp fireballs. In addition to boasting some of the country's most spectacular architecture and natural landscapes, Chiang Mai is home to one of Thailand tourism information's proudest culinary traditions. Pailin Thai Cuisine specializes in Northern Thai food from the region of Chiang Mai.

It is often topped with a fried egg (kai dao) you will most likely be asked if you would like an egg with it. Be aware that most Thai people ask for lots of chilli in this dish so if you are not a fan of tingling lips, ask for you pad krapow ‘a little spicy'. The minced, fatty pork is oily and mixes with the steamed white rice for a lovely fulfilling meal. It is made in a piping hot wok with lots of holy basil leaves, large fresh chilli, pork, green beans, soy sauce and a little sugar.

An incredibly popular ‘one plate' dish for lunch or dinner, fried basil and pork is certainly one of the most popular Thai dishes. You'll see people preparing this in wooden bowls, often mashing the sauce ingredients, then mixing in the others. The sauce is made from sugar, lime, Thai garlic and fish sauce.

This is a young papaya salad, mixed with shrimp, tomatoes, carrots, chilies, green beans and peanuts. Now, one of my personal favourites is Som Tam. The main ingredient are shallots, garlic, red chillies, shrimp paste, galangal, kaffir lime peel, coriander, cumin seeds, lemongrass and black and green peppercorns.

Extremely tasty it is a form favourite among lovers of the best food in Thailand, and curry lovers everywhere. More a soup than a curry, it is again coconut based but it is the heat that makes this dish stand out. Very similar in many ways to the green curry but this is fiery hot.

As well as the meat Thai Aubergine and Pea Aubergine are also added. This is a lot milder than the fiery Red Curry that is also very popular in the country. Probably the most common meat used is now chicken, though traditionally it was fish or fish balls.