Many wrongly think that all Thai dishes are incredibly spicy and completely unsuitable for the average European, let alone children. Just think that Thais have children too, and they don’t get chili peppers in a bottle of milk. Amazing, isn’t it? Of course, Thai children eat non-spicy dishes, of which there are plenty in Thai cuisine. Today I will tell you a little about the children’s menu in Thailand.
Food in Thailand for kids
In any grocery department of large shopping centers, in 7-11 and similar stores, you will find Nestle Cerelac, Nestle Nan, Nestle Bear Brand, Danon Dumex, Wyeth Nutrition baby formulas. Baby Nature organic cereals, which are diluted with water, breast or baby milk: rice, rice-banana, rice-pumpkin and rice-carrot. And cereal Cerelac Nestle: rice with apple and cranberries, oatmeal with prunes, rice without milk and many others. If your child is allergic to lactose, they even sell mixtures with goat’s milk.
There are various Heinz purees in jars: pear, banana-pear, banana-cream, vanilla-cream, with apple-banana cream, with egg cream, with strawberry-banana cream, apple, with parsnips, carrots and sweet potatoes, apple- oatmeal, muesli with apple and blueberry, banana porridge, apple-mango, sweet corn and pumpkin, corn and chicken, as well as other products of this company: a mixture with chicken, noodles and vegetables, yoghurt banana-peach dessert and risotto with vegetables and chicken.
Please note that with meat additives we have some tension, meatballs, we don’t have mashed soups. And the variety of cereals is small: rice and oatmeal, buckwheat and others are not. Keep in mind that any mixtures and purees may not appeal to your child. If he’s so picky and only likes certain brands and flavors, take everything with you.
You will have to forget about children’s curds and other variety of sour-milk products. Although we sell cottage cheese, sour souse and thick unsweetened yogurt, the choice ends there. In any supermarket and 7-11 you will find fruit yoghurts: Activia, Meji, Dutch Milk and others. In my opinion, Thai yogurts are inferior to Russian ones in terms of taste and the presence of sugar.
Dryers and crackers for those who are teething are almost impossible to find. There are no dryers as a class, and crackers often come with unexpected additives in the form of garlic or pork. But there are cookies that melt in your mouth – Japanese Wakodo and Singaporean Empro Baby Choice.
But with fruits and vegetables, no problem! Apples, pears, watermelons, grapes, carrots, cabbage, and potatoes familiar to your baby are sold in any shopping center and markets. Be careful with exotic fruits, they can cause allergies.
Thai food for preschool and school children
As for the smallest, the global problem “there is nothing to eat in this Thailand of yours” simply does not exist. All resorts have restaurants and cafes with European cuisine. Another thing, what is your child used to eating? For lovers of home cooking and hodgepodge, there are Russian restaurants. German and Austrian restaurants are happy to offer mashed potatoes and sausages. In Italian restaurants, your little one will happily eat spaghetti, pizza or lasagna. Even Japanese restaurants have special children’s meals, Japanese pizza and chicken and rice. I’m not talking about the mass of fast foods, if your child only eats there.
Almost all European restaurants serve Thai cuisine – we are in Thailand. Therefore, parents who are thirsty for the exotic will not be bored. In the end, if your child can’t eat anything at all, offer him rice with ketchup. I can already imagine the indignation of mothers who care for a healthy diet, in the style of “what would you be fed like that!” Therefore, I will continue to shock the public.
At 7-11 you can also find something edible for your baby. I will present some ideas for survival in the extreme conditions of a desert island with one 7-11 store. Although this is unrealistic. At 7-11 sausages are spinning: pork, chicken, with cheese and others, to which you can take cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, ketchup and mayonnaise in special containers. Vacuum sealed sandwiches with cheese and ham, chicken wings, sausage slices, which you will be happy to heat up in the microwave. There are semi-finished products from S & P, in my opinion, the best: geyosa, similar to dumplings, with pork or shrimp. I’m not talking about milk, yogurt, cereal, canned tuna and instant noodles. There are even boiled eggs in a pack of 2. Just don’t confuse them with salted eggs or century eggs. If you haven’t had time to eat breakfast, hot triangles of sandwiches with various fillings will help you.
From Thai cuisine, of course, you can bring a lot of mild dishes. But will your child like them? Does he eat vegetables? I will give below a small list of dishes that are not spicy and, in my opinion, suitable for children.
List of Thai dishes for children
- Tjok or simply jok (โจ๊ก) is a traditional rice porridge with minced pork that Thais eat for breakfast.
- Khao Thom (ข้าวต้ม) is rice soup with pork, chicken or fish.
- Khao Khai Thiaw (ข้าวไข่เจียว) – fried egg rice, as a variation can be fried rice with scrambled eggs.
- Khau Man Kai (ข้าวมันไก่) – boiled chicken pieces with rice cooked in chicken broth, this dish is usually served with broth.
- Khao Phat (ข้าวผัด) – fried rice with egg, greens and what you order: chicken, pork, seafood or vegetables.
- Khao Suai (ข้าวสวย) is steamed jasmine rice.
- Кхау Ниау (glutinous rice) – традиционный клейкий рис.
- Khao Phat Sapparot (ข้าวผัดสัปปะรด) – fried rice with pineapple chunks.
- Khao Mok Kai (ข้าวหมกไก่) is rice stewed with chicken and turmeric.
- Kuai Tieu Nam Sai (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวน้ำใส) is a noodle soup with chicken, beef, pork or fish meatballs.
- Po Pia Thot (ปอเปี๊ยะทอด) – fried spring rolls with vegetables.
- Кэнг Тьут (soup) – суп с овощами.
- Кэнг Па Кай (Chicken Jungle Curry) – суп с овощами и курицей.
- Kaeng Om Kai (แกงอมไข่) – soup with vegetables and chicken.
- Kang Tjut Wunsen (แกงจืดวุ้นเส้น) is a clear broth with glass noodles, pork, mushrooms and onions.
- Kang Tjut Tofu (แกงจืดเต้าหู้หมู) is a clear broth with minced pork, tofu, mushrooms and onions.
- Phat Thai Ho Khai (ผัดไทยห่อไข่) – fried wheatgrass noodles wrapped in a fried omelet envelope.
- Кхай Тьиу (omelette) – омлет.
- Кхай Дау (fried egg) – жареное яйцо.
- Sate Kai (สะเต๊ะไก่) – chicken skewers with peanut sauce.
- Кай Пхат Мет Мамуанг Химапханг (Stir-fried Chicken with Cashews) – курица с орешками кешью.
- Kai Yang (ไก่ย่าง) – grilled marinated chicken pieces.
- Kung Sarong (กุ้งโสร่ง) – shrimp wrapped in crispy noodles.
- Pla Neung Si Iu (ปลานึ่งซีอิ๊ว) – steamed fish with soy sauce.
- Пхат Пхак Руам Мит (Stir-fried Mixed Vegetables) – жареные овощи.
- Salapau (ซาลาเปา) – steamed pork patties.
And just in case, do not forget to tell the waiter MAY PHET (ไม่เผ็ด) or KNOW CHILLI, pointing to your baby: this means “please cook not spicy for my child.” I advise you not to give your children drinks with ice, in restaurants ask the waiter about it – mai sai nam khen or know ice.
