What a Thai Chef Eats in a Day in THAILAND!

What does a Thai person eat and cook on a typical day? Well, after a long absence from Thailand due to Covid, I am home and can finally show you what my family eats in a day. A little bit of home cooking, a little bit of restaurant eating, and a little bit of takeout. Hope you will enjoy!
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About Pai:
Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant is the author of the Hot Thai Kitchen cookbook, co-host of a Canadian TV series One World Kitchen on Gusto TV, and creator and host of the KZbin channel Pailin's Kitchen.
Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her "playtime" in the kitchen. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.
After working in both Western and Thai professional kitchens, she decided that her passion really lies in educating and empowering others to cook at home via KZbin videos, her cookbook, and cooking classes. She currently lives in Vancouver, and goes to Thailand every year to visit her family. Visit her at hot-thai-kitchen.com

[@telomeke3157]

I _love_ all of Pailin's videos but this has got to be one of my favorites -- the home-cooked and store-bought meals, the side garden with its stringy herbs and random papaya trees, that homey kitchen with the charmingly mismatched crockery and cutting board well-worn from use, all serve up an authenticity that jumps out from the screen and homeruns the message that Thai cuisine and cooking (I suppose _any_ cuisine and cooking actually) are part of real, every day _life_ in the real world, not some abstract, exotic thing out of a cookbook. That breakfast looks SOOOOO delicious (shout-out to the salted duck eggs) and what a great way to magick up simple canned sardines... 👌 The lunch has me craving that ground pork with century eggs, and the prawns and stinky beans. Do you have the recipes, Pailin? The winter melon curry, steamed crab and steamed fish all look like a celebration too. I'm feeling so hungry right now, and I just had dinner! ❤ Thanks so much for this slice-of-life moment Pailin! 😊👍

[@tinapatterson5904]

I'm so home sick for Thailand and authentic Thai foods right now!!!

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

I love this comment. Thank you so much for leaving it for us all to read too, it positively vibrates with life energy. Charming.

[@Truefoodie1]

Too bad that her son has long hair. Poor kid.

[@DaisiesAndPeonies]

@@Truefoodie1 🤨

[@davidrebel]

@@Truefoodie1 Are you serious? Poor you.

[@vseegobi]

Shout out to all the people who spent years away from their families. I wish you joyful conversations over delicious meals-just like this!

[@Sandi-ke9mi]

My husband is from Thailand, we eat that way here in the states but the only difference is that we don’t use sugar. I love the rice porridge with pickled vegetables. We grow our own Thai basil, lemon leaf, chilies beside our house just like you do. Pad-kee-mow is one of my favorites, even though I’m probably spelling it wrong, lol. That and my husband makes the best curry. I am grateful to my mother-in-law for making him to learn how to cook when he was growing up in Thailand. 😋🥰

[@katiestegman8083]

I could watch 100 days of this and never get bored. I'm a born and raised American and my tailor is a lovely Chinese man (from China) who works out of his house. Every time I'm there I'm eyeballing his kitchen and dying to ask what everything is and what he's cooking (it always smells incredible). One time I pulled up and saw him in his garage washing and prepping a massive amount of a vegetable that I didn't recognize, and I wanted to ask a thousand questions. Hopefully one day I'll know him well enough to ask without it being weird. In the meantime, thank God for KZbin where I can spy on people's cooking and eating habits without feeling inappropriate. Thanks!!

[@DK-qj7cr]

Just go out on a limb and ask…I find that folks love to talk/teach what they know 🤷🏼‍♀️👍🏼

[@katiestegman8083]

@@DK-qj7cr You're right! He's so nice, I bet he would take the time!

[@unwrittenvespa]

I thought portion sizes can be small in Thailand too. I think smaller portions for a lower price makes sense. People that want more food can pay for more and there’s less food waste. It also creates access to food for different socioeconomic backgrounds.

[@zephyr823]

I think the smaller portions are probably normal for people in general. Here in America everything is super sized. I dont know how people eat like they do.

[@einsy]

Here in the Philippines, sardines in tomato sauce is pretty standard, too. Squeezing calamansi (Philippine lemon) lessens the fishy smell and taste. To stretch the contents of a small can of sardines, you can saute it with garlic and onions then add some veggies (I like adding Chinese cabbage strips), rice noodles and some water. You get a yummy soup dish perfect with a steaming plate of rice.

[@robinsonseff]

Hi is the calamansi lemon similar to the kaffir lime or is it more like a lemon? Thanks

[@hiereusiona8926]

Calamansi is small citrus used a lot in Filipino dishes and sauces. Its taste is like a cross between a lemon and a lime.

[@neilmacdonald9501]

@@robinsonseff to me its more like a cross between a lemon and an orange. Very citrus though

[@JBW-Phuket]

@@robinsonseff Calamansi is a hybrid between kumquat and another species of Citrus like a mandarin orange. We have them in Thailand too but they are not as common as they used to be, I have no idea why. I grow them instead as I love them. In Thai they are called ส้มจี๊ด or som jeet and if you put that into Google translate it comes up with kumquat but that's not quite right since it's a hybrid.

[@darrylreyes5977]

Hey! I thought like the green curry Pai made looks like our own adobong manok sa gata-I’m pretty much used to that being soupy.

[@alwayssearching1882]

Having lived in Chiangmai for 15 years and traveled throughout the country, I still haven't found another place on the planet that has the zesty, flavorful, and pungent aromas. The sauces are spectacular and each dish is always served with a smile. Thanks for taking me back to my second home Pai.

[@davidlevine1697]

exactly. its actually rare to not be able to find really good food on any budget anywhere in the country. it is one reason the Thai diet has been considered one of the best worldwide. not only tasty, but also good for you.

[@sevenohnine]

Oh man, this video brought back memories from I was living in Bangkok ..... back in the early 70's. Mom worked for the UN so we were there for a couple of years b4 migrated to California. Your parents' house and neighborhood are just as I remembered my childhood there. The steam fish, the salted duck eggs .... all comfort foodz. Thanks for triggering my childhood memories of Thailand.

[@suchaya15]

ดีใจด้วยนะคะ ได้กลับบ้านแล้วววว ติดตามเชฟตลอดนะคะ ขอบคุณสำหรับสูตรขนม อร่อยมากๆ ทำขาย มีรายได้แล้วค่ะ

[@andrewjohn970]

Here in Malaysia.. squeeze lime / calamansi to canned sardine.. are usually after we fried cooked the sardine..or.. cooked with only white chili..

[@islandbreeze2102]

A slice of your life in Thailand! Yes!!! 🎉This is absolutely a super wonderful video!! I am so glad you thought of doing this for us. Do you have any idea how us foodies crave for this kind of content? Showing us the way of the locals. How people go about their normal everyday life in Thailand. There are thousands of cooking and travel videos on KZbin, but to see the simple foods you eat, how you prepare them, the restaurants in your neighborhood, shopping at a local supermarket, etc is just so magnificent. What a joy! Thank you so much. Please make lots and lots of these kind of videos while you're in your homeland. A fascinating place for us westerners.

[@goodsamwise]

This is lovely. Thank you so much for taking the time to share a bit of your life while on vacay.

[@namivenki]

Living in the US, this is exactly how a visit to home(south India) looks and feels like. Such similar homes and yards and things we yearn for. Loved this video. That bonsai in the big pot is soooo beautiful!!! Wish Pai had given us a close up of it. 🙂

[@dmmcgowan13]

Yes! I did notice that bonsai plant and wondered what it was (type of plant)!

[@swisski]

If I had to place a bet I would say a Baobab Bonsai.

[@jenniferwall1421]

I wondered if it was a desert rose

[@brandon3872]

Exactly, although the cultures are a bit different, many cultures across Asia have similarities :)

[@oliveoyal]

Pailin this was a joyful and wonderful video!! Loved seeing your home environment. Loved experiencing your ‚food day‘ with you, and that you took us with us with your honesty and down to earth approach in what you ate on a typical day. From the plain rice dish and pumped up canned fish for breakfast, to seeing how you went to the local market (incredible variety and quality of the fish-and the convenience, as you mentioned), the complex and tasty looking dishes at the local restaurant (they may be simple for THEM to make…), and the great idea of combining home cooking with take out, or a specialty like the crab….it was a homey and down to earth presentation of a delicious healthy food lifestyle. Thanks for including us in! Was also impressed at your lovely kitchen!

[@MsAnthropoLogic]

Greetings from Italy, Pai and Art! 😃 this video was amazing, I learned more about Thai culture and food by these 8 minutes than by most of the documentaries available online! Thank you 😊

[@lillianlouie4284]

Love that you were reunited with your family in Thailand!! A great slice of life! Keep them comin!

[@EASchneid]

So glad you could get back to Thailand!!! And your baby!! 😍 Growing so fast 🥰🥰🥰

[@maureenhewett333]

Love, love, LOVE everything about this video! I think it speaks to the universal experience of how most people eat; some store bought, some homemade, some restaurant food. Everything looked delicious! Thanks for sharing and I'm glad you finally got to see your family after so long.

[@fredf7457]

Thanks for sharing what the day-to-day meals are like in Thailand, Pailin. It is very nice to be back to your home country where all the cooking ingredients are so fresh and easy to find everywhere. I love that you can grow your own aromatic herbs outside the house all year round.

[@louislouisnfriend]

Love me some Pallin!!! Her videos and instructions are so easy to follow and do. I often refer her recipes/videos to others who wants to learn to cook Thai food. BTW... I make the same things for breakfast too, easy peasy and great to eat in the morning when you don't really feel like making anything major. Keep up the AWESOME work Pallin!!!

[@jenniferwall1421]

I really enjoyed this video! So happy for you that you were able to go home and visit your family.

[@applejuicecanada]

So happy for You!! You looked totally relaxed!! Enjoy your time there with your folks!!

[@joannalodge4757]

We've recently moved back from BKK, having been there for 7 years. These amazing videos remind me of our wonderful time living there with our family. Moo ping and sticky rice are still my kid's favourite meal.

[@johnmccoy9058]

That all looks great. Thanks for sharing your family routine with all of us. Have a great trip!

[@AlexBsSecret]

omg Pailin, there's a BL series from Thailand which is huge (I think it's the biggest on youtube in 2022, it's called Cutie Pie on Mandee channel and it gathered over 250 million views in 6 months already). In one episode they're making salted egg salad and you won't believe how many international fans don't know about salted eggs or that you cut them with the shell still on. But hey, it's bringing A LOT of interest to thai culture and cuisine so I'm very happy :)

[@HSdanish]

So lovely to see you having time with your family

[@sourcow56]

I remember watching one of your older video where you were at back at your family's house picking holy basil. Nice to see how times have changed and how your channel and your family has grown, thank you so much for all the wonderful videos.

[@pingwachara9578]

You know what i find interesting? No matter where we currently lived. The home we built. But, We always refer to the place we grown up as "home".

[@amyjesko9434]

This is one of your best videos!!! I love learning about other cultures. GREAT JOB ❤️😋❤️

[@artistlovepeace]

Pailin you food and channel has hugely influenced me to be more real and truthful. I adore your recipes and enthusiasm in sharing so many beautiful meals. You are a good person and I hope as long as the sun lasts that your family lasts sharing whatever you want to share and doing whatever you want to do. Life is so much better with your youtube channel and sharing your love and food with the world.

[@erics8222]

Wow!! So happy for you that you are able to take this vacation break here in Thailand. I moved here from Los Angeles in 2002 and love it here. Slower pace of life, exciting food, wonderful people. I was in Chiang Mai for a couple years, but mostly in the Chonburi area because of my work in Global Sourcing. Retired now and so happy to see your shows on KZbin often. Keep up the great work, and THANKS!!

[@Drift_with_Lina]

Absolutely love this video. Can't wait to see more! I love seeing what ingredients you use to get the Thai flavors. Thank you so much! 💕💕🥰

[@jeremyboal4817]

It is SOOO amazing to see you Pailin!

[@milosmallgoods5305]

We always look forward to your videos. It's lovely to see family reunions very heart warming thank you for this beautiful video.

[@FernZepeda]

I loved this episode so much! Pailin, we adore you. And, Dad came through with the crab! 🤤

[@christopheroliver4547]

This was awesome Pailin! Cooking with family gives us a warmth that is hard to explain but we all know what it is. I'm glad you could visit your family now that the worst of COVID has passed. When I go visit my family in Florida we might do a fish fry, or maybe a big pot of chicken and dumpling soup. We are good fisherman so usually my aunts or uncles bring a fish home and we cook it up good. :)

[@1bush053]

very impressed with how far you've come in making these great videos

[@decemberclouds]

That was a lovely video, and thank you so much for sharing it. I'm so glad you were able to make it to Thailand to be with your family again. ♥

[@rosesawyer4864]

I love this home cooking video. I love to see what you eat everyday. What a beautiful slice of life!

[@Ccilou3]

I love this video !!! I lived abroad for a few years and I love what local food and eating habits are for real !! 🥰

[@ningfallin6716]

I'm glad you got to go back home. Hope you enjoy and show more life style there. I missed that, hasn't been back about 4-5 years!

[@reginabautista8333]

Best ever, showing home style food but most all, I love that beautiful bonsai you have in your yard🤗

[@Andinus3000]

this was so lovely, and Pailin you are so elegant, and your recipes are so well explained, I hope you enjoy your time back home!

[@Bubbles76000]

thank you for sharing these precious moments

[@MLLL1234]

Love this!!! Beautiful family memories!!!

[@QuyenHoang92]

Been watching you for 6 years. So in love with Thai food. Enjoy your vacation Pai 🥰

[@lovevideo1965]

Oh I admire you to be back in Thailand and enjoy those delicious food with your family! Have great time !!

[@kjrunia]

I 💯% loved this slice of your homeland. Brilliant! And such fresh and tasty looking food! ❤

[@cecemavon7557]

The leftovers for breakfast reminds me of growing up in my Thai household. My dad always had a scallion omelette leftover- we would even have it with dinner sometimes. This was very nostalgic to watch, thank you.

[@jgatewo14]

Oh wow! I loved everything about this video. The Thai "Coney Island" food looked amazing! I loved what I think was a Bonzai tree in the yard, and the dinner looked so tasty and delicious, like it won't have you feeling lethargic afterward. ❤ Your home looks so cozy. Thanks for sharing. I came on KZbin trying to find out how to make simple Jasmine rice, and I fell down the rabbit hole of your channel. 🤣 Such a happy day for me!

[@rkmugen]

7:17 +1 for parents who welcome their kids home +2 for parents who welcome their kids home with hugs +10 for parents who welcome their kids home with hugs and fresh seafood.

[@yanam6787]

Oh I so love this channel! Day in a life kinda videos are my favorite 🤩 want to see more of Thailand daily living pretty pls 🙏🏻

[@mfreeman313]

That was very interesting and fun. If I'm interested in a cuisine I want to know what people actually eat at a typical meal, not just the signature restaurant dishes. When I travel I love going to markets and getting street food. Sometimes you get outside your comfort zone-I may never entirely embrace having fish for breakfast-but that just means you're learning something. Everything looked and sounded delicious. And please just mostly enjoy being home. One or two quick hits, maybe, things you only see there. But nothing that's much effort or time spent. You've got people there who'll cherish every moment they can spend with you. : )

[@Taricus]

Meanwhile, I ate mackerel and shrimp oatmeal for breakfast LOL! Fish for breakfast isn't bad at all. Things that are very savory and salty go well with mild grains like grits, oatmeal, or rice porridge 😋

[@mfreeman313]

@@Taricus Haha I'm not saying it's wrong and bad, just that I'm not in the habit and may never quite think of it as a breakfast thing. Like the roasted tomato in the full English-the first time I saw that the tomato just looked sad and defeated and not appetizing at all. I'm as adventurous an eater as most you'll find, like a B+ or A-, but some things I just say not today on. : )

[@vanessabond6973]

It's really fascinating to see real Thailand - day to day - and the food looks amazing, I love this types of videos - please keep them coming

[@romaniethusyanth1451]

So happy to see you at home..and thank-you for the wonderful recipe.Enjoy your stay....xx

[@scootertron8332]

I really enjoyed seeing what a real normal cooking day is like!

[@lheng2515]

Hello Pailin! Love your videos esp this one with your family in Thailand. We lived for 5 yrs in Thailand and we love Thai food sooo much. I always refer to your videos everytime i want to cook Thai Food. Thank you

[@julienrocher1]

Hi Pailin, seeing a day in your life is amazing. Please do more

[@lyndakap]

Oh I just loved this little video! So simple. Just a glimpse into your eating day in Thailand. How perfect. I’ll try the canned fish recipe.

[@sfsexy]

Thanks for sharing this video, I enjoyed watching your home cooked meals with your family.

[@endangeredmarmot4518]

Loved this, Pailin! And I think you're totally right about the flavours - there's something undeniably better about the taste of ingredients from the garden or down the street compared to ones that had to be shipped across the ocean. Doesn't matter where you are - local just tastes best.

[@elsiespingath7241]

Really loved this video. Thank you for sharing your life with us!!!!!

[@user-st7wq8kf6o]

You are so wonderful! I enjoy every moment of your videos that I have not so long ago discovered by chance in Russia. Yes, Russian quisine is TOTALLY different, but your simple and elaborate language describing the blast of Asian flavours, absolutely honest remarks and nice pieces of advice make you videos so exquisite! Thank you so much!

[@-RONNIE]

I'm so happy for you being back home after a long period away - enjoy yourself. The last time I was in Thailand was 2017 I definitely need to go back. That food for dinner made me hungry 👍🏻 Normally I only eat 2 meals a day with a protein shake, a couple juices & lot of water. I like eating breakfast & dinner or an early lunch & dinner.

[@ferdynand2402]

This video is so warm and lovely

[@ladyliddie7721]

Such a cute video! I loved seeing the daily foods and how your family was creative with spicing it up. Also was surprised to see Maxvalu because I thought it was only here in Japan!

[@ashokjankie8254]

How nice to see you in Thailand!! Great !

[@xinxiong6986]

Thai food is my happy place. I love these videos. Thanks for the great content.

[@larryluder4235]

The food looks great. Enjoy your vacation and time with family.

[@StayCoolKeto]

*Nice to see you back here in Thailand! looking forward to more videos!!!* 💪👍

[@cannonbalz]

so real. As a cook I can't believe there is such a great representation of real Thai food. I love everything you do

[@heidiroukema2771]

Love the Bonsai in the garden, amazing!

[@Just_Enni]

Thank you for sharing Pai! ❤

[@shamidevita185]

SO GLAD YOU ARE COOKING LOVING YOUR VIDEOS LOVE FROM USA

[@2011Antidote]

Pailin it's been awhile since I last watched your channel, your little one is so grown up now! Glad to be back!

[@omgwth7567]

Kahn is lovely! 🤩🥰 Usually the salty dish goes well with this boiled rice porridge.

[@janpornfudala5954]

So happy for you!

[@Meatrose]

I loved this video, getting to see what a typical day of eating can look like for you over there. Enjoy the stay and the time spent with your family! :)

[@user-vt5ln7qq4j]

we fry the canned sardines in tomato sauce, with sliced onions and tomato wedges and lime juice. one of my favourite dishes with plain porridge. will try your style as it looks so delish.

[@arowana888888]

I love all your video always makes me drool with the food you show and you have a beautiful daughter

[@fuzagi]

meals to die for! I'd like to see more of such simple homey feasts

[@jacquelineldinh]

omggg that fish looks amazing!! loved this mini day in the life

[@AHG1347]

Canned Sardines in Tomato Sauce along with Canned Fried Dace & Black Beans over Congee were good go to meals as a kid. My favorite childhood Thai dish though was authentic Kao Man Gai. Thank you for sharing your time back in Thailand, especially the Gang Kiew Waan Gai and the Crab dish.

[@neauchiapajchia252]

So happy for you . I’m sure you missed your parents so much. Enjoy your time. I can’t wait to visit Thailand again just November and eat all the yummy food again

[@SM-rv8zt]

Hey I'm so glad you're finally able to visit home! Hopefully I'll get to do the same this holiday. Our meals when I'm home are a little more east west mixed. Breakfast is some combo of fruit, eggs, oatmeal, sausage, and toast (or stuffed buns from the bakery). We really don't have rice porridge unless we had a string of rich heavy meals or a ton of leftovers. Lunch is usually a working lunch. Dinners are a little more elaborate when I'm home. There might be steak or whole crab or crispy pork belly. The stables are steamed or pan fried fish, a soup, a vegetable, and rice. We do the store bought/home cooked mix too. Just depends what's looks good in the window lol. Enjoy your time at home!

[@AngelicaYoliFamily]

Thanks for sharing all your wonderful Thai Food recipe! Hopefully one day I can come to Thailand enjoy my favorites Thai dishes.

[@LoisMary1]

I love seeing what life is like in Thailand! ❤️

[@az12312]

So happy for you , able to be back home after 3 years.

[@mitv4a32mitv5]

Nice. Used to frequent Thailand years ago prior to COVID travel restrictions. Love the food and friendly people. Made my first trip on 27 Jul to Ubon Ratchathani, many surprises to eastern state in Thailand. Hop over to Laos too, food very similar to Thai food. Thanks for your sharing of many interesting recipes and this special edition, home coming !

[@cobracoqui1]

Been a subscriber from the get-go. Thanks for all the work you have done and for sharing.

[@Jessica-Jasmine-Green]

Its so cool to see Thailand! Thank you for sharing

[@tonyleo01]

Happy that you get to visit Thailand! This makes me miss home so much! I also haven't gone back to Thailand since 2019. My son was born during the beginning of the pandemic so he's due for some in-person family tour!

[@asmaa_vlog_85]

Your videos is so calm and aesthetic that's what every one wants ♥️🥰💖🍓😍🍓🥰

[@HoHosKitchen]

welcome home😍😍😋😋 great sharing of the meal.

[@msantos545]

I absolutely loved this and, yes, pad kra pao is always good! Hope you had an awesome time home!

[@benjilacombe7478]

When I lived with my Thai girlfriend the first thing I did was build a outdoor kitchen for her. I visited Thailand and her family twice during the time we were together, this video brought back some memories. Your videos are helping me make use of my kitchen...thanks a million.

[@VicBattlefield]

Hi Khun Pai, you´re so lucky! You really made me homesick with this entertaining video! of yours. I can´t wait to go back to visit Thailand for vacation again! Envy envy envy!!!😎

[@inlikeflnt]

Enjoy your vacation, thanks for sharing

[@missyang3224]

Great video! Hope to see more of what you eat in Thailand!

[@johnnyg1620]

I enjoy watching your Videos You represent the Thi people very eloquent and your recipes are fantastic.I have visited Thailand and always enjoyed the culture and cuisine.