Guide to Thai Street Food Supplies You Can Buy in LA

BANGKOK IN LA - You don't require a passport stamp to import Bangkok street food vibes into your kitchen. Thai street food in Los Angeles is not something you receive on Postmates; it's an entire pantry experience in the making. From chili pastes to sticky rice steamers, everything the city needs is there. The trick, however, lies in identifying where to access them.

Yes, flying to Thailand is the ultimate dream. But that is not always possible. If you do manage to get that opportunity, you can always utilize websites such as SiamTickets to order your food escapades from the source. But if a trip is not on the agenda, LA has you sorted. Local Thai markets, particularly in areas such as Thai Town and Chinatown, stock everything you need to replicate original street food at home.

Begin with pantry essentials

Thai cuisine develops flavo\r in layers: salty, sweet, sour, spicy. That requires you to have a foundation filled with the actual thing.

• Fish sauce – Not all are created equal. Seek those with few additives.
• Palm sugar – Provides depth that white sugar simply can't.
• Tamarind paste – A necessity for pad Thai and dipping sauce.
• Thai soy sauces – Light, dark, and sweet varieties are all utilized differently.
• Coconut milk – Use full-fat, unsweetened cans.
• Jasmine rice and glutinous (sticky) rice – Have both on rotation.

You can get all of these at LAX-C, a Thai supermarket giant in Chinatown that carries restaurant-grade products, or Bangluck Market and Silom Supermarket in Thai Town.

Procure the fresh herbs and aromatics

Street food without Thai herbs? Not the same.

• Thai basil – More intense and spicier than Italian basil.
• Kaffir lime leaves – Contributes citrus perfume to soups.
• Galangal – Piney sharpness; don't confuse it with ginger.
• Lemongrass – Crush the stalks to release the oils.
• Bird's eye chilies – Small, fiery, and crucial.
• Green papaya – For som tam, Thailand's signature papaya salad.

Bangluck Market boasts a great selection of fresh herbs. Silom Supermarket, within Thailand Plaza on Hollywood Blvd, also has all the basics. Try mid-week mornings for the best choice.

Prepared snacks and condiments

You won't want to prepare everything every time, and you don't need to.

• Thai sausages – Northern and Isan types, usually vacuum-packed.
• Nam prik – Chili pastes for dipping or combining with rice.
• Dried squid or fish snack – Salty, chewy, and irresistible.
• Shrimp chips and rice crackers – Roadside fast food favorites.

LAX-C has entire aisles full of these, with rotating weekend vendors offering ready-to-eat foods such as grilled pork skewers and coconut pancakes.

Frozen foods and hacks

Thai grocery freezer sections are a weeknight shortcut treasure trove:

• Frozen curry pastes – Tend to be more flavorful than shelf-stable versions.
• Grilled meat satay – Pre-marinated and pre-cooked, just warm up.
• Thai fish balls or dumplings – To use in soup or stir-fry.
• Banana-leaf wrapped desserts – Such as banana or taro sticky rice.

Bangluck Market and LAX-C have big freezer aisles with lots of these items. The packaging is typically easy to read, and the workers are nice.

Thai street-style sweets and drinks

Not everything needs to be savory. Sweets and drinks keep things in check.

• Thai tea mix – Brew it strong, stir in condensed milk, pour over ice.
• Grass jelly and basil seed drinks – Cooling, sweet, and interestingly textured.
• Khanom krok mix – Used for mini coconut pancakes cooked in cast-iron pans.
• Mango sticky rice kits – Available frozen or pre-prepped.

Silom Supermarket has most of these, particularly in the dessert aisle.

Important cooking equipment

Thai street food calls for a few specialized kitchen utensils. These aren't accessories, they're functional and essential.

• Mortar and pestle (granite) – For pounding curry pastes and papaya salad.
• Sticky rice steamer – Bamboo basket and aluminium pot combination.
• Thai cleaver – Light but accurate.
• Wok and spider strainer – Essential for stir-frying and deep frying.

You can find these at LAX-C, and a few are also upstairs at Thailand Plaza, over Silom Supermarket.

Where to go in LA?

These are your go-to places:

• LAX-C (1100 N Main St, Los Angeles) – Massive selection, including cookware and weekend food booths.
• Bangluck Market (4757 Melrose Ave, East Hollywood) – Best for produce, pantry items, and frozen food.
• Silom Supermarket (5321 Hollywood Blvd, within Thailand Plaza) – Less crowded but well-stocked and conveniently located in Thai Town.

Each one of these shops belongs to the broader LA Thai community, so they are not merely supply points, but also cultural bridges.

Conclusion

Preparations on your home kitchen stoves may not be trending, but it's not about following fads. It's about connection. About recreating flavours that have history and identity behind them. LA, being a city with a strong Thai presence, you're not merely seeking ingredients, you're accessing a living, breathing food culture.

So no, you don't have to take a vacation to cook like you are on the streets of Chiang Mai. But if you ever do get your trip, SiamTickets can take you there. In the meantime, LA's markets await.

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