Street Food In Bangkok

Our recipe for good food. Step one: Fly to Bangkok. Step two: Eat as much street food as you possibly can.

The street  food in Bangkok is unbelievable. The person at the next table may be flat broke or they may be worth a hundred times what you are but they have come to that food stall, on that Bangkok street to sit on a plastic stool and eat a meal. Just like you. The street food in Bangkok is a great equalizer and it really is that good!

We aren't even going to try and tell you where you should eat in Bangkok. There are too many food stalls to mention serving countless different dishes. The best bit of information we can tell you is that if there are a lot of local Thai people sitting eating, then you know it will be worth your while.

People are often scared about eating food from a food cart on the street. This concern has some merit but we don't just eat at any old stall. We look for locals eating there and what their food turnover looks like. If the food seller is standing around with nothing to do while a sad looking steamed chicken is hanging in the window looking particularly dry and grey, do not eat it. However, if the food seller is handing out plates of food as fast as they can and that chicken is all glistening and moist then it probably hasn't been hanging there for any longer than thirty minutes and they probably replace their entire inventory at least once a day. This isn't to say that your soft western belly may not still get upset from time to time. Think of it as a free cleansing!

Back to the food, check out our video below of us eating various street meals in Bangkok. We are unsure why it took us so long to try Salt Encrusted Fish. It may not look entirely appetising but it really is delicious.

Salt Encrusted Fish Recipe

Ingredients:
1 whole fish, gutted and scaled, red snapper is perfect otherwise whatever you have caught fresh.
6-8 leaves Thai basil
2 stalks lemongrass, cut into 2 inch pieces
6-8 kafir lime leaves
4 egg whites
1 bag of flakey salt

Instructions:
Gut and scale the fish, wash well and pat dry.

Stuff the fish with the Thai basil, lemongrass and kafir lime leaves.
Feel free to add some lemon or lime peel into the stuffing too.

Hand whisk the egg whites just till they are combined, add as much salt as you will need to make the mixture feel like wet sand.

Rub the salt all over the fish, then add more ans more all over it so that it is all covered in the salt mixture. Until no fish can be seen.

Grill the fish on the barbeque for a good 10 minutes on each side. Then let it stand for about 20 minutes. Just put the fish to the cooler side of the bbq.

Once you are ready, serve the fish on a big plate, use a knife to slice the skin and salt crust, and then use a fork to delicately take the flesh. The flesh is so soft and tasty!

Serve the fish with a fresh green salad, some sticky rice, lemon on the side, and a chilli coriander and ginger dipping sauce.

Delicious!