9 Egg Dishes From Thailand You Should Try At Least Once

If you've ever eaten Thai food, you know that there's nothing quite like it. The combination of sweet, acidic, spicy, and fermented ingredients used in Thai cooking creates a dynamic, intricate flavor combination that has been delighting diners for hundreds of years. Although eggs might not be the first protein that comes to mind when you're thinking about Thai food, these mighty little protein-packed orbs feature heavily in the cuisine and their mild flavor and rich texture make them perfect for absorbing the bold flavors that it has to offer.

In fact, eggs have been consumed by humans for thousands of years in almost every corner of the globe, so it's not surprising that they made their way into Thai cuisine. They're also a great source of vitamins and nutrients. Although you might be used to eggs as a breakfast food, in Thailand, they're typically eaten at any meal as a side dish or a main course.

Many Thai egg dishes don't make it onto the typical menu at a Thai restaurant in the United States, but they're worth seeking out for an eggy adventure. We compiled this list after several months spent traveling around Thailand and trying many of these egg dishes for ourselves. Read on to find out about egg dishes from Thailand that you've got to try.

There's a myth behind the naming of Thai "son-in-law" eggs, known as kai look kuey in Thailand. Legend has it that a resentful mother-in-law served two of these boiled, deep-fried orbs to a man who was mistreating her daughter as a not-so-veiled threat that a certain pair of body parts could suffer the same fate if he didn't see the error of his ways. Whatever the origin, these eggs are a feast for the eyes and then for the tummy, and it certainly doesn't seem like punishment to help yourself to the burst of flavor that they deliver.

To make this deliciously menacing dish at home, boil eggs until the yolk is just a bit jammy, and then after you let them cool, drop them into a bath of sizzling hot oil until they turn golden-brown on the outside. Cut them in half and arrange them on a plate with the cut sides up and drizzle them with their signature sauce, a sweet, spicy combination of sugar, tamarind, fish sauce, and Thai chiles that gives them a sticky finish that contrasts with the savory crunch of the egg itself.

It's a well-known summer staple, but if you're looking to elevate egg salad to a whole new level, you've got to try yum kai tom, a Thai-style egg salad that packs a salty, tangy, funky flavor punch compared to its American cousin. Like a lot of Thai dishes, it's fresh and light and doesn't get bogged down with heavy ingredients. You can make yum kai tom with hard or soft-boiled eggs depending on your preference, but the key to making the dish sing is the dressing.

Shallots, sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce form the base of the dressing, and depending on how brave you're feeling, you can add a few bird's eye chilis, which are small peppers commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine that are about 10 times hotter than jalapeños. If you want to retain the flavor of the bird's eye, but cut down on the heat, remove the seeds, but do so carefully and avoid touching it directly as it can irritate your skin. After you've arranged your boiled eggs on a plate with the cut side facing up, spoon some dressing over the eggs and get ready for an eggy taste explosion — Thai style.

If you like pepper, then you'll love kai prik. Although most of the world's black pepper comes from India, this distinctly pungent spice has been a part of Thai cooking for millennia. Although we're used to using dried peppercorns in the United States because pepper is cultivated in Thailand, it's easier to get your hands on the fresh, green variety of peppercorn that is used in kai prik, or "pepper eggs," an egg dish that prominently features the spice. Green peppercorns are the unripe berries of the pepper plant that are harvested earlier and have a milder, fresher taste than black pepper. Eggs, with their neutral flavor profile, are a perfect way to showcase the unique taste that green pepper has to offer.

To make kai prik, start by scrambling eggs in a pan with some oil until they are just beginning to set. From there, mix in some sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, ground black pepper, hot chilies, and green peppercorns. Sauté the whole mixture together until the outside of the green peppercorns begin to look a bit shiny, and plate it up. You can serve it up with a plate of jasmine rice, which helps balance out the intense, peppery aroma of the eggs.

Kai kem, or salted eggs, were originally developed as a way to extend the relatively short shelf life of eggs, but their unique rich, briny flavor is enjoyed in Thailand by many a foodie. Traditionally, kai kem was prepared by burying duck eggs in a mixture of salt and clay, letting them sit for a couple of days, and then tossing them in rice husks or vegetable ash to prevent them from sticking to one another. After they've gone through this process, they're good to eat for 15 to 20 days.

In most modern kitchens, however, the eggs are preserved by soaking them in a salty brine for a few weeks. Both preparations will leave you with a truly unique texture and flavor experience. The white of the eggs becomes dense while the yolks get chalky and crumbly and a salty, briny flavor permeates every bite. They can be eaten on their own, used in salad, or served as a side to a meal. You can use chicken eggs, but duck eggs are more common because the yolk is larger, fattier, and more robust, and let's be honest — that's the best part.