Hua Hin is not only perfect for those looking to enjoy beachside bliss but dining delights in Thailand too and here are some of the best traditional dishes you can look to try.
Fresh from the Ocean
Due to the coastal location, it’s no surprise that seafood dishes are very popular here. Interestingly, the fresh catch can be cooked in different ways as is on offer at properties like Avani+ Hua Hin Resort. You can choose from salmon, tiger prawns, squid, crab, and slipper lobster that can be prepared using various cooking styles; options include Neung Ma Now (steamed with chilli and garlic sauce), Tod Num Pla (deep-fried with fish sauce and green mango salad) and Phad Phonk Ka Ree (stir-fried with yellow curry powder).
Tom Yum Goong
Perennially popular throughout Thailand, Tom Yum Goong is not to be missed in Hua Hin; restaurants in the city and at resorts will often have this hot and sour broth that features prawns and straw mushrooms on their menu. This refreshing and zesty dish has a distinctive flavour due to the array of ingredients used such as galangal, fish sauce, shallots, lime leaves, chillies, and lemongrass.
Som Tam Pu Ma
A spicy papaya salad with blue crab is what’s in store for those who introduce their taste buds to Som Tam Pu Ma! It’s the perfect combination of fresh blue crab from Hua Hin and papaya salad that’s well-known in the Isan region. The sour and spicy aspects along with crunchy blue crab provide the harmonious melange of flavours of this dish that is generally enjoyed alongside steamed jasmine rice.
Hor Mok Talay
Hor Mok Talay can be described as a kind of steamed seafood custard that you should also look to sample. A popular dish in the central region, it’s usually made with freshwater fish, though seabass is mostly used at restaurants in Hua Hin. Added to the fish are ingredients like shrimp, squid and mussels that have been marinated in a base that consists of red curry and coconut cream; they are then wrapped in leaves from a banana tree and steamed till ready.
