Not-Spicy (kid-friendly) Thai Dishes
🌶 Let's turn down the heat for a minute with some "non-spicy" Thai food!
Sawaddee ka! 🙏🏼
One of the biggest misconceptions about Thai food is that it's alllll spicy! 🌶🌶🌶🌶 But, in reality, there are many Thai dishes that aren’t spicy at all. Thai kids need to eat too, you know!
The dishes I’m sharing with you today are great for kids AND for adults who are still training your tolerance (and yes, tolerance can be trained)! So, if you or your kids don’t have a high tolerance for heat in your food (yet), these are great recipes that still give you an authentic Thai food experience.
And of course, if you love the heat, any of these recipes can be made spicy with a simple addition of roasted chili flakes. 🌶
Glass Noodle Stir-Fry (Pad Woon Sen)
Glass Noodle Stir-Fry, or Pad Woon Sen, is a great entry point to Thai cooking: big flavour, low spice and it’s very accessible and easy to make. Oh, it’s also budget friendly which is not a bad thing right now! It’s always a big hit with kids.
Garlic Pepper Chicken (Gai Pad Gratiem)
Garlic Pepper Chicken doesn’t look like it’s going to be anything special but, let me tell you, there is a reason this is one of the most popular Hot Thai Kitchen recipes and a staple for many young Thai families. The name gives you a hint - this is a dish that’s big on garlic flavour. You can serve it with jasmine rice or add it to pasta, noodles, salads - it’s even delicious in an omelette!
Kabocha Squash Stir-Fry with Thai Basil
Kabocha Squash Stir-Fry with scrambled eggs and Thai basil was one of my favourite dishes as a kid and one of the few veggie dishes I willingly ate! I’m not sure why people don’t often use creamy squashes in stir fries, because it really is a delicious way to eat it.
Tip: While you technically CAN sub a different squash for this recipe, if you use kabocha, you don’t need to peel it as the skin is super thin! Just trim off any woody blemishes. You can also make this with regular basil or leave it out altogether!
Five Spice Pork Belly Stew with Eggs (Kai Palo)
Kai Palo is another childhood favourite for many Thai people (myself included). This sweet-salty five spice stew with hard boiled eggs and melt-in-your-mouth pork belly was a staple in most school cafeteria including ine, and it screams comfort food. What it lacks in heat is made up in spades with aromatic flavour.
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice is a real, authentic Thai dish, which often surprises people! It’s also really quick and easy to make. You’ll see curry powder in the ingredients but it’s not an intense spicy heat. It adds a gentle warmth to the dish. If you want to go for the “wow” factor, I give you a little tutorial on easily making a pineapple serving bowl too!