Phuket hardcore Thai food
We had ‘10 Typical Phuket Dishes‘ and ‘10 Best Really Local Restaurants‘, and even ‘10 Fried Insects for Gourmets‘, now we need to move on to serious business: ’10 Hardcore Thai Food, only for the Brave’… Will you dare?
I will skip the insects and focus on the real dishes that Thai people cook daily and really enjoy. After 22 years in Phuket, I still can’t eat several of them, but I can tell when someone has had some for lunch! Some look weird, some smell really bad, some taste terrible, and some get all of it. Be daring! Try some of them when you visit! From the ‘Toughest’ to the ‘Less scary,’ I give you the ’10 Hardcore Thai Dishes’ you have to try to say you have ‘Really Been in Thailand’
1. Duck Feet – ตีนเป็ด
Duck Feet is a popular offal dish in Phuket’s casual dining scene. The feet are cleaned thoroughly, then boiled or braised until the skin becomes tender and slightly gelatinous. They’re typically served in a savoury broth flavoured with soy sauce, star anise, and garlic, or alternatively grilled and dipped in chilli sauce. The dish offers a unique texture; chewy skin with a subtle flavour that absorbs surrounding seasonings well. Duck Feet appears at local restaurants, night markets, and street stalls throughout Phuket. It’s an economical, sustainable choice that appeals to those seeking authentic local cuisine beyond conventional cuts of meat. For the rest, well… look at the photo.
- Aspect: Very Weird
- Smell Level: Good
- Taste Level: Light
2. Phad Sato – ผัดสะตอ
Phad Sato is a stir-fried dish featuring Sato (stink beans), a pungent vegetable with a distinctive, peppery flavour. The beans are stir-fried in a wok with garlic, chillies, and a choice of protein; typically shrimp, chicken, or pork. Fish sauce and a touch of sugar balance the intense flavour of the beans. The dish is quick to cook, with the vegetables remaining slightly firm. Sato has a strong smell that lingers on hands and breath, but locals in Phuket prize its unique taste. The dish appears at casual restaurants, market stalls, and home kitchens throughout southern Thailand, served with jasmine or sticky rice.
- Aspect: Appetizing
- Smell Level: Strong and lasting
- Taste Level: Fainting
3. Yum Kai Mang Da Talay – ยำไข่แมงดา
Yum Kai Mang Da Talay is a salad made from horseshoe crab roe, a dish for adventurous eaters only. The roe is mixed with green mango, fresh herbs, chillies, fish sauce, and lime juice, creating a spicy, tangy salad. The eggs have a rubbery texture and a distinctly fishy taste that takes adjustment. Horseshoe crabs are ancient creatures with blue blood, more closely related to spiders than crustaceans. A critical warning: the similar-looking Hay Ra contains tetrodotoxin, roughly 100 times more poisonous than cyanide. Only order from trusted restaurants in Phuket. The dish appears occasionally at seafood restaurants in Rawai and Phuket Town’s Sunday Night Market. Read more…
- Aspect: Scary to repulsive
- Smell Level: Light
- Taste Level: Light to ‘Very Fishy’
4. Kaeng Tai Pla – แกงไตปลา
Kaeng Tai Pla is a strong, spicy southern Thai curry featuring fermented fish entrails. The dish includes grilled fish, vegetables like bamboo shoots and aubergine, and a pungent, salty sauce. Chilli, lemongrass, kaffir lime, and turmeric give it a deep flavour and a distinctive aroma. It’s most popular in Phuket and coastal areas, often served with steamed rice. Not everyone can handle its heat and intense taste, but locals prize its boldness.
- Aspect: Normal
- Smell Level: Very Strong
- Taste Level: Fainting
5. Kaeng Som – แกงส้ม
Kaeng Som is a sour, spicy curry popular across southern Thailand, particularly in Phuket. The dish combines tamarind juice with chilli paste, creating a tangy heat that defines its character. Fresh fish or prawns sit in the broth alongside vegetables like cabbage, long beans, and pumpkin. Turmeric gives it a golden colour. The curry is lighter than other Thai curries, relying on sourness rather than coconut cream. It’s typically served with jasmine rice and offers a refreshing balance of sour, spicy, and savoury flavours.
- Aspect: Weird
- Smell Level: Very Strong
- Taste Level: Fainting
6. Soup No Mai – ซุปหน่อไม้
Soup No Mai is a mild, aromatic broth featuring bamboo shoots as its main ingredient. The soup uses chicken or pork stock infused with galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves, creating a fragrant base. Fresh bamboo shoots are sliced and added to the broth, along with mushrooms and sometimes prawns. A squeeze of lime juice adds brightness. The dish is lighter than curry and offers comfort without heat. It’s popular in Phuket as a starter or light meal, particularly at local restaurants and night markets.
- Aspect: Strange
- Smell Level: Stranger…
- Taste Level: …Strangest
7. Tam Sua – ตำซั่ว
Tam Sua is an extreme variation of Som Tam, Thailand’s famous green papaya salad. It’s designed for those who enjoy bold, intense flavours. The dish combines grated green papaya with Poo Kem (salted rice field crab), Pla Raa (fermented fish), bird’s eye chillies, long beans, and tomatoes. The salad is crushed together in a clay mortar with garlic, fish sauce, and lime juice. The fermented fish and crab give it a pungent, salty character that dominates the taste. It’s strictly a local dish, found at street stalls and casual restaurants, not upmarket establishments.
- Aspect: Weird (black crab legs look like a spider).
- Smell Level: Strong to Stinky
- Taste Level: Very Strong
8. Lo Ba – โลบะ
Lo Ba is a traditional southern Thai soup made with pork offal and herbs. The dish features pork liver, heart, and kidneys simmered in a rich, aromatic broth. Galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and turmeric flavour the stock, creating a warm, slightly bitter taste. Fresh herbs like coriander and mint are added for brightness. The soup is served in bowls with the cooked offal pieces and broth, often accompanied by sticky rice or jasmine rice. It’s a rustic, authentic dish popular in Phuket’s local restaurants and markets, particularly favoured by older generations
- Aspect: Not appetizing
- Smell Level: Eeeeeeew!
- Taste Level: Strong
9. Nom Vou Yang – นมวัวย่าง
Nom Vou Yang is grilled beef udder, a rare and specialised dish found in southern Thailand and Phuket. The udder is cleaned, marinated in soy sauce, garlic, and spices, then grilled over charcoal until the exterior chars slightly and the inside becomes tender. The meat has a unique texture—soft and slightly gelatinous with a subtle flavour that absorbs the marinade well. It’s sliced and served with sticky rice and a spicy dipping sauce, often Nam Pla (fish sauce) mixed with chillies and lime. This dish appears at specialist grilled meat restaurants and local stalls, appealing to adventurous eaters seeking authentic Phuket cuisine.
- Aspect: Oh my
- Smell Level: Acceptable
- Taste Level: The taste is ok, but the consistency gave me goosebumps.
10. Nam Prik – น้ำพริก
Nam Prik is a traditional Thai chilli dip served with fresh vegetables and sticky rice. The paste combines roasted dried chillies, garlic, and shrimp paste (Kapi) ground together in a mortar, then mixed with fish sauce and lime juice. The result is a thick, intensely flavoured dip that’s spicy, salty, and slightly sour. Fresh accompaniments include cabbage, long beans, cucumber, and aubergine for dipping. Nam Prik appears at casual meals throughout Phuket, from family dinners to street food stalls. Regional variations exist across Thailand, but the southern version typically includes more shrimp paste, giving it a deeper, funkier taste than other regions.
- Aspect: Well-presented and nice-looking
- Smell Level: The paste smells very fishy
- Taste Level: Strong, and the veggies are bitter.
More Local Food in Phuket
