PAD THAI (Thai style Fried Noodles)

From Cape Town to Khao San Road, the default international Thai dish! Dropped in a searing hot wok, fistfuls of small, thin or wide noodles (you choose) do a steamy minute-long dance alongside crunchy beansprouts, onion and egg, before disembarking for the nearest plate. A truly interactive eating experience, half its fun (and flavour) lies in then using a quartet of accompanying condiments - fish sauce, sugar, chilli powder and finely ground peanuts - to wake it from its slumbers.

GAENG DAENG (Red Curry)

Made with morsels of meat, red curry paste, smooth coconut milk and topped off with a sprinkling of finely sliced kaffir lime leaves, this rich, aromatic curry always gets those taste buds tingling. At its best when the meat is stunningly tender, it could be likened to a beautiful woman: it's mild, sweet and delicately fragrant. And like all true love affairs, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

KAI MED MA MUANG (Chicken with Cashew Nuts)

Pardon the pun, but tourists go nuts for this stir fried dish. Perhaps it's the wildly contrasting textures of a dish that saut's chicken alongside roasted cashews, sweet soy sauce, onions, chilies, pepper, carrot and mushrooms. Perhaps it's the sweetening dash of honey that appeals. Do you really care? The important thing is that this dish works: it's simple but scrumptious, a little bit tame and yet still totally Thai.

SOM TAM (Spicy Green Papaya Salad)

Hailing from the Northeast state of Isaan, this outlandish dish is both great divider - some can't get enough of its bite, some can't handle it - and greatly distinctive. Garlic, chilies, green beans, cherry tomatoes and shredded raw papaya get dramatically pulverized in a pestle and mortar, so releasing a rounded sweet-sour-spicy flavour that's not easily forgotten. Regional variations throw peanuts, dry shrimp or salted crab into the mix, the latter having a gut-cleansing talent that catches many newcomers by surprise

KHAO PAD (Fried Rice)

Fried rice, egg, onion, a few herbs - nothing more, nothing less. A popular lunch dish served typically with a wedge of lime and slices of cucumber, the secret of this unpretentious dish lies in its simplicity. The concept is this: you're the one devouring it, so you dress it. To do so, Thais use everything from prawns, crab or chicken to basil, chili and left-over vegetables, in the process turning an unremarkable pauper into a gastronomic prince!

TOM KHA KAI (Chicken in Coconut Soup)

A mild, tamer twist on Tom Yum, this iconic soup infuses fiery chilies, thinly sliced young galangal, crushed shallots, stalks of lemongrass and tender strips of chicken. However unlike its more watery cousin, lashings of coconut milk soften its spicy blow. Topped off with fresh lime leaves, it's a sweet-smelling concoction, both creamy and compelling.

PAK BOONG (Morning Glory)

Found all across South-East Asia, the leafy plant with hollow green stems and thin fragile leaves forms the main component of this super easy favourite. Cloves of garlic and birds eye chilies join it in a wok alongside oyster sauce, fish sauce and black fermented bean. A few lazy stirs, until the leaves are shrunk and soft, and it�s done! The result is an alluring favourite with an unobtrusive flavour, a staple for those who love their Thai food but not spice induced sweats.