Guay Tiew (ก๋วยเตี๋ยว) literally means noodles in Thai. Besides eating rice, noodles are our go to food when it comes to satisfying our taste buds. There are many types of Thai noodles you can choose from when ordering at a local noodle stall/ restaurant. The choices can include egg noodle (Bah – Mhee/ บะหมี่), rice vermicelli (Sen Mhee/ เส้นหมี่), flat rice noodles (Sen Yai/ เส้นใหญ่ ,) rice fettuccine (Sen Lek/ เส้นเล็ก), glass noodle (Woon Sen/ วุ้นเส้น), and loads more that will blow your mind! Here are some of the most common/ popular noodle dishes in Thailand. If you are here in Thailand, don’t forget to give them a try. They are just too delicious to miss!
Noodle type – Any/ Many local folks love instant noodles and egg noodles
Tom Yum is perhaps the most common soup base every foreign traveler must have heard of at least once. Guay Tiew Tom Yum Goong has recently become even more popular when many restaurants start experimenting and elevating the simple version of this noodle dish to whole new level. By adding a lot of good seafood, the price of this noodle dish can go up from 40 baht to 300 baht +
This type of noodle soup is quite varied and really depends on certain restaurants. When you say “Tom Yum” or “Yum” after ordering a noodle dish, it simply means ‘to spice it up’. Most of the time, the chef will finish up his/ her ‘ Tom Yum’ with ground peanut. My word of advice is that if you’re allergic to nuts don’t forget to say ‘Mai Sai Tua (ไม่ใส่ถั่วลิสง)’ right after ordering your noodle dish!
Another locals’ favorite, this Chinese-inspired noodle dish is a combination of cinnamon, star anise, Chinese black soy sauce, and salt. The meat (pork or beef) is marinated and braised. The result is an aromatic, flavorful, and tender. Boy, my stomach is giving me a hard time already!
Look Chin Pla means chewy fish balls. If you love fish dumplings, you should give this dish a try. This noodle dish can also be featured with fried shrimp balls, fish dumplings, and deep fried fish slices, to name a few.
