Crispy Fried Vegetables (Thai Tempura)
at the Ayutthaya Night Market, Thailand
We were wandering through the Ayutthaya Night Market on Naresuan Road looking for dinner. After a busy day of exploring Thailand's fascinating ancient capital, I was hot, tired, and hungry. While searching for dinner, I spotted a shop selling crispy Thai "tempura"; local Thai vegetables lightly battered, fried in hot oil until crispy, and served with a sweet chili sauce for dipping. It looked like a great appetizer.
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| crispy fried vegetables with chili sauce, Ayutthaya, Thailand |
Unlike Japanese tempura, which uses a thick batter to fully coat the vegetables, the Thai crispy vegetables are only very lightly battered before being submerged in hot oil to be quickly deep fried. The result is more veggie than breading, and every bite is super light and crispy.
Also check out the Luang Prabang, Laos Night Market, home to the world famous vegetarian buffet! https://www.theworldofstreetfood.com/2018/09/vegetarian-buffet-luang-prabang.html
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| various types of lightly-battered deep fried crispy vegetables (spinach, mushrooms, kale, and more) at the Ayutthaya Night Market |
The shop was selling a variety of freshly-fried vegetables - spinach, kale, various mixed mushrooms, okra, and butterfly pea flower. You could order just one type of vegetable or a mix - the price was the same either way.
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| vendors selling fried vegetables at the Ayutthaya Night Market, Thailand |
Even though the vegetables are deep fried, they are really not very oily. The paper in which they are wrapped when they are served tends to absorb much of the extra oil. Even though they are battered and fried, they are still a healthy local dish to snack on while waiting for dinner.
The sweet chili sauce is a typical Thai chili dipping sauce. It's not spicy at all, and adds a sweet complexity to the savory crispy veggies.
Of course, this wouldn't be a main course or anything! It's a fantastic snack or appetizer to the main course.
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| crispy fried Thai vegetables at the Ayutthaya Night Market |
Menu and Price
The menu is simple... just choose which veggies you want. All servings cost 40 Thai baht (about $1.15) for a bag, and come with a smaller packet of Thai sweet chili sauce.
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| fried vegetable menu, Ayutthaya, Thailand |
Where to find it
You can buy these fried vegetables at the Ayutthaya Night Market, which opens up every night at 4:30pm on Naresuan Road. Every evening, barriers are put up closing half of the road off from traffic. The street market is a fun place to try lots of amazing central Thai cuisine.
There's a ton of great food to find at the Ayutthaya Night Market. Don't pass up on the delicious fried chicken!
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