Fried chicken and broth dishes of the Songkhla area
In Hat Yai, try fried chicken served with fried shallots. Eating the chicken and shallots together gives you a crispy bite and a savory aroma. If you want a different meal, you could choose bak kut teh, an herb-scented pork rib soup. Meet the varied food culture of the Songkhla area one dish at a time.
When choosing a meal in Hat Yai Have sticky rice with the fried chicken. Eat the fried shallots together with the chicken and add the sauce a little at a time. On a day you want a meal with warm broth, choose bak kut teh made with pork ribs.
Food culture in this city
In the Songkhla area, where Hat Yai is located, the food of Chinese and Muslim communities sits side by side. Some meals are sticky rice with fried chicken, and others are bak kut teh with its Chinese herbal aroma. The meat and seasonings differ by dish, so choose together a menu that everyone in your group can eat.
Bak kut teh is not presented as a dish that began in Hat Yai. Even a menu that uses chicken cannot be called halal just from the name of the dish.
Dishes to try in Hat Yai
Pick a dish you want to eat. Each guide explains what it tastes like and what to eat it with.
It is a dish where you enjoy the crunch of fried chicken together with the savory taste of shallots. Another feature is that it is seasoned with aromatic ingredients such as garlic, coriander root and white pepper. Before you add the sauce, try the chicken and shallots together on their own.
The aroma of herbs and aromatic ingredients is added to the broth of simmered pork ribs. The color and richness of the broth depend on the recipe. Alternate between the ribs and the broth and notice the aroma.
This is a reference photo showing what a mangosteen looks like. It is not limited to the Thai growing areas and varieties described in the text. Peeled Mangosteen · Azreey · CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized for display, partly cropped · Photo provided under CC BY-SA 4.0Main season April–August
The white flesh is sweet and juicy. There are also varieties, such as Thailand's Rong Rian, that differ in texture and in how easily the flesh comes off the seed.
You can notice both sweetness and tartness in the translucent flesh. For segments with a seed, take the seed out rather than chewing it.
Longkong: season, taste and how to eat it →This is a reference photo showing what a young coconut looks like. It is not limited to the Thai growing areas and varieties described in the text. Coconut Drink, Pangandaran · Crisco 1492 · CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized for display, partly cropped · Photo provided under CC BY-SA 3.0Harvested all year
Bak kut teh is not presented as a dish that began in Hat Yai. Even a menu that uses chicken cannot be called halal just from the name of the dish.
How do I choose a dish I have never tried?
Have sticky rice with the fried chicken. Eat the fried shallots together with the chicken and add the sauce a little at a time. On a day you want a meal with warm broth, choose bak kut teh made with pork ribs.
If you want to read more about the food and the regions behind it, these sources are a good next step. Ingredients and cooking methods can differ from one place to the next.
