On the outskirts of the Cumberland Plain lies Penrith, a city in New South Wales’ Greater Western Sydney. It is one of Sydney’s major commercial centres.
The city of Penrith has a lot to offer if you have a curious palate. You can find a diverse variety of cuisines in Penrith to tickle your taste buds. But, of course, any gastronomic adventure is fun when you try dishes that you haven’t had before, like Thai cuisine.
However, you might not know what food to order in a Thai restaurant in Penrith. So here is a guide to help you understand the must-try dishes in a Thai restaurant.
Tom Yun Goong
If there is one dish that any person from Thailand would know about, then it’s this dish.
Tom Yum Goong or Tom Yum Koom is a spicy soup with shrimp as the main ingredient. It is known worldwide as a savoury soup packed with spices you shouldn’t miss.
Its ingredients include lemongrass, lime juice, kaffir lime leaves, fresh chillies, kaffir, and, most importantly, big prawns.
Tom Kha Kai
Tom Kha Kai is similar to Tom Yum Goong. It uses identical spices like kafirr lime leaves, lemongrass, and shallots. It also has a similar base.
However, the star of this dish is tender chicken strips and its rich coconut base. It is also less spicy, which is perfect for people who can’t tolerate spicy food.
Guay Tiew Rua
This is the perfect dish if you would like to try some Thai noodles. Guay Tiew Rua is a popular street food in Thailand.
The noodles are cooked in a flavourful broth with various Thai spices and meat. You can also choose the meat you wish to have with the broth, like chicken, seafood, or pork.
Pad Thai
Pad Thai is another well-known dish from Thailand and a staple order for many foreigners in Thai restaurants.
Pad Thai uses rice noodles that are stir-fried with loads of bean sprouts and fresh prawns. The dish also includes eggs, tofu and peanuts.
Many folks in Penrith would love this dish as it is a good option for people on diets or who are health conscious.
Kaho Pad
Khao Pad is fried rice. A Thai restaurant in Penrith would surely have this delicious dish.
Thai fried rice is made with egg, onions, garlic, and a choice of protein like chicken or shrimp. There are also other options like crab meat or beef.
Rice is stir-fried with the abovementioned ingredients to create an amazing explosion of flavour in your mouth.
Gaeng Deng
If you are more adventurous, you better try Gaeng Daeng or Red Curry. It contains dried red Asian chillies combined with shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and blue ginger.
The ingredients will form the base of the red curry paste. Chicken is dipped in this paste to get a strong curry flavour before putting it in coconut milk.
The dish also contains other ingredients like mushrooms, tomatoes, and eggplant. Red Curry is best paired with jasmine rice.
Som Tum
Another great option for those cutting down on carbs, Som Tum, is a spicy green papaya salad. It is a simple dish with an impressive list of ingredients, including small, green, unripe papaya, carrots, tomatoes, peanuts, long beans, chillies, lime juice, sugar, and fish sauce.
This salad is all five basic flavours in one amazing dish. It works great as a side dish when dining at a Thai restaurant.
Thai food is an interesting adventure for your palate. There are a variety of flavours to explore and so many combinations to try. Find a Thai restaurant near you and embark on a gastronomical adventure!
