Regional highlights
Trat-style grilled seafood
The Koh Chang kitchen's most distinctive expression — fresh Gulf of Thailand and estuary seafood grilled in the Trat mainland style: whole fish (spotted grouper, barramundi, mangrove jack) scored and rubbed with a paste of lemongrass, galangal, coriander root, garlic and fish sauce, then charcoal-grilled until the skin crisps and chars; mangrove crabs split and grilled with chilli-garlic butter; and large tiger prawns split lengthways and grilled with lime and herb oil. The proximity to the Trat coast means the seafood supply chain is shorter and fresher than on more remote Thai islands; fishing boats from the Bang Bao pier supply the south coast restaurants directly.
Massaman curry
The mild, fragrant, Persian-Malay-influenced Thai curry — beef or chicken simmered in coconut milk with cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, clove and nutmeg, potato and whole roasted peanuts. Massaman is a southern Thai standard, and Koh Chang's version at the Bang Bao pier cook shops is freshly made from a paste that includes roasted whole spices pounded by hand. The curry is mild enough for children and guests unfamiliar with Thai heat while still delivering genuine depth of flavour. One of the best everyday meal options on the island for visitors new to Thai food.
Green curry (gaeng kiao wan)
Hot, aromatic coconut-milk curry from a fresh green-chilli paste with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime and shrimp paste — the Thai curry with the most heat and the most fragrant fresh herb character. Koh Chang's green curry is made with chicken, fish (the local barramundi from the island's aquaculture pens) or prawns, with Thai aubergines and sweet basil. The version at interior village cook shops is genuinely hot; beach-restaurant versions are adjusted for tourist palates. Best eaten as rice is served alongside, so the sauce absorbs into the grain.
Tom yum goong
Thailand's essential sour-spicy prawn soup — lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, chilli and fish sauce in a clear broth with whole fresh prawns, finished with lime and coriander. On Koh Chang, the Gulf of Thailand prawns used at the Bang Bao pier restaurants and in the Klong Son morning market are from the local fishing boats, not frozen imports; the difference in flavour is significant. The tom yum at local cook shops is made from a scratch stock using whole prawn shells — the tourist-facing beach bar version uses stock powder and is noticeably flatter.
Pad krapow (holy basil stir-fry)
One of Thailand's most genuinely everyday dishes — minced or sliced pork, chicken, beef or seafood stir-fried at very high heat with garlic, bird's eye chilli, fish sauce and a large handful of fresh holy basil (krapow), served on rice with a fried egg on top. The dish is simple but depends entirely on the freshness of the holy basil and the intensity of the wok heat; the best version is eaten at 11:00 at a one-dish cook shop rather than at a beach bar. At Koh Chang's interior village kitchens, pad krapow with minced pork and a runny fried egg is the lunch of choice for local Thai workers.
Som tam (green papaya salad)
Green papaya pounded with chilli, garlic, tomato, green beans, dried shrimp and peanuts, dressed with lime juice and fish sauce — the essential Thai salad available at every vendor on the island. Koh Chang's som tam vendors at the Klong Prao and White Sand Beach markets are reliable; the version at the Bang Bao pier morning market is made for Thai residents and is correspondingly hotter and more vinegary than the beach-restaurant versions. Excellent alongside grilled fish or as a standalone snack before an afternoon swim.
Sticky rice with grilled fish
The simple beach hut meal of Koh Chang's interior villages — glutinous sticky rice (khao niao) steamed in a bamboo basket, eaten by hand alongside a whole fish (mackerel, tilapia or locally farmed barramundi) grilled over charcoal with salt and lemongrass, with a small bowl of chilli-lime dipping sauce. This format — rice and fish eaten by hand at a wooden table at a beach hut — is the daily meal of Koh Chang's Thai-resident population and the simplest, most direct expression of the island's eating culture. Available at village cook shops in Klong Son and Bang Bao; not found at tourist beach restaurants.