Noodles and snacks shaped by Chinese and Malay culture
In Phuket, you do not have to stop at grilled seafood. Try mi hokkien, a stir-fry of thick noodles, and mi hun, made with thin rice noodles. After the meal, take a break with o-aew, a cup of ice and jelly. Add the local food to a day of exploring Old Phuket Town.
Choosing a meal in Phuket
For a meal, have mi hokkien or mi hun, and on a hot day pick o-aew for dessert. If you are with a group, share both noodle dishes and compare thick and thin noodles.
The food of Phuket carries the influence of Chinese and Malay food culture. Thick noodles may be stir-fried with seafood, and thin noodles may come with a pork rib broth. Once you look at snacks made with ice and jelly too, the Phuket table you thought of as seafood looks much more varied.
Mi hokkien and mi hun are different noodle dishes. If you order them by name, you can enjoy the difference in noodle texture and in what comes with each.
Pick a dish you are curious about. Each guide explains how it tastes and what to eat it with.
The thick noodles carry the flavor of the sauce and seafood. Compared with mi hun, which uses thin rice noodles, the texture of the noodles feels different. The taste of a bowl can change with the amount of broth and with extras such as egg.
Mi Hokkien: flavor and how to eat it →You enjoy the texture of thin rice noodles together with the flavor of the broth served with them. If the noodles and broth come separately, alternate between them. It makes for a different meal from thick stir-fried noodles.
Mi Hun: flavor and how to eat it →
Sweet syrup and soft jelly join the cold ice. The taste and texture of each spoonful changes with the toppings you add. Scoop up ice and jelly together.
O-Aew: flavor and how to eat it →A fruit's famous growing region and the city where you buy it now may not be the same. Check the season and flavor, then pick a fruit you want to try.
You taste sweetness and tartness together, and how firm the flesh is differs by variety. If seasoning is served on the side, taste the fruit first and then add a little.
Pineapple: season, flavor and how to eat it →
With a young coconut you enjoy the water and the soft white flesh together. Nam hom is introduced as a variety known for its aroma.
Young Coconut: season, flavor and how to eat it →
It is a crunchy, juicy fruit. Fresh fruit and taeng mo pan, blended with ice, give you different textures.
Watermelon: season, flavor and how to eat it →
The white flesh is soft and sweet-tart. A large segment may contain a seed, so eat slowly.
Mangosteen: season, flavor and how to eat it →Mi hokkien and mi hun are different noodle dishes. If you order them by name, you can enjoy the difference in noodle texture and in what comes with each.
For a meal, have mi hokkien or mi hun, and on a hot day pick o-aew for dessert. If you are with a group, share both noodle dishes and compare thick and thin noodles.
If you want to read more about the food and the regions behind it, these sources are a good place to start. Ingredients and recipes can vary from one restaurant to the next.
