5 Thai Summer Dishes to Enjoy This Songkran

It’s time to freshen up with these simple yet delicious Thai summer dishes. Here are 5 Thai summer dishes and where to find the best of them.

Khao Chae may be the ultimate indulgence for the summer season due to its meticulous preparation and soothing taste. However, there are also several other seasonal dishes carefully designed to remove the summer heat from our bodies. Here are five of the most special Thai summer dishes you can find at five exceptional fine dining restaurants in Bangkok.

[Hero and featured image credit: Saawaan]

Photo credit: Royal Osha Bangkok

A delicious appetizer, Miang Kham is served with a twist at Royal Osha Bangkok. The traditional betel leaf is replaced by a lotus leaf for a more neutral flavor and scent, while the Miang Kham the herbs are seasoned with fine ingredients including shallots, ginger, lime, toasted coconut, peanuts and bird’s eye chili. To finish, the herbs are wrapped in a pink lotus leaf, then topped with a fresh shrimp. The aroma of fragrant herbs is very refreshing for the summer heat.

Watermelon with caviar and dried fish sweetened with R.Haan

Image credit: R. Haan

One of the most creative fusions of sweet and savory in Thai cuisine is watermelon with sweet dried fish and shallots. This refreshing dish is served throughout the year but is especially enjoyed during the summer months for its light and fresh texture. At R.Haan, this classic dish is made with dried Singhburi snakehead fish, ground and seasoned with fried shallots and herbs. It ends with a caviar salad on top for a little extra extravagance.

Fresh yellow curry at sorn

Image credit: Sorn

Recently ranked as the first runner-up on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 list, Sorn deserves every restaurant’s visit at least once in a lifetime. This restaurant in southern Thailand serves a delicious, fresh yellow curry, which consists of a light curry made from mangosteen and Kaew Ku fish. Freshly pounded curry paste, sweet and crispy mangosteen from Nakhon Si Thammarat and grilled Kaew Ku the fish combines into an aromatic, sweet and sour curry. Due to its spiciness, it is best served with Sorn rice cooked in a clay pot.

Seasoned raw prawns Saawan

Image credit: Saawaan

Saawaan has an endless collection of creative adaptations of classic Thai savory and sweet dishes, but the Koi Goong is one of the star dishes you should try. Traditionally, Koi Goong was a popular dish in royal palaces, consisting of raw prawns seasoned with fermented fish, lime juice, chilli and aromatic herbs to achieve a tangy and spicy taste. As part of its tasting menu, Saawaan’s Raw Course draws on this inspiration and elevates the original recipe by using Japanese Ama Ebi Sweet Shrimp and three types of cucumber: fresh, pickled and charred. It is then finished with a coconut vinaigrette and homemade kaffir lime oil.

Spicy squid salad Nusara

Image credit: Nusara

As a tangible tribute to the chef’s late grandmother, Nusara is run by Chef Thitid ‘Ton’ Tassanakajohn and serves contemporary gourmet Thai dishes. Among several savory choices, the Yum Pla Mhuek is a premium choice for a world of freshness in one bite. The dish is inspired by a Thai steamed rice dumpling, using very finely carved trat squid wrapped around a filling of cucumber, tomatoes, garlic and cucumber blossoms. Delicate and delicious.

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