10 Thai dishes with high sodium levels
Although these are familiar dishes that many Thais eat almost every week, several contain sodium levels close to — or even exceeding — a full day’s recommended intake in just one meal.
1. Som Tam Pla Ra / Som Tam Pu (Papaya salad with fermented fish sauce/salted crab) — around 1,913mg of sodium
Just one plate can nearly reach the entire daily sodium limit, mainly because of fermented fish, fish sauce and salted crab.
2. Creamy Tom Yum Goong (creamy spicy shrimp soup) — around 1,726mg of sodium
Chilli paste, fish sauce and ready-made seasonings make this spicy soup easy to sip, but hard on the kidneys.
3. Thai sukiyaki stir-fry — around 1,300–1,500mg of sodium
The main risk is not the noodles or meat, but the sukiyaki sauce and dipping sauce.
4. Pork Panang curry — around 1,349mg of sodium
Ready-made curry paste, coconut milk and fish sauce make this rich dish far saltier than many people realise.
5. Chicken Massaman curry — around 1,303mg of sodium
Although it tastes sweet, the curry paste and seasonings can still contain a high accumulated level of salt.
6. Pad Thai — around 1,138mg of sodium
Sweet tamarind sauce can mask the salty taste, making many people unaware of the amount of fish sauce and seasoning used.
7. Yum Mama — more than 1,000mg of sodium
This spicy instant noodle salad is high in sodium from both the instant noodles and the strongly seasoned dressing.
8. Chicken green curry — around 870mg of sodium
9. Tom Kha Gai (Thai coconut chicken soup) — around 854mg of sodium
10. Kuay Teow Reua Nam Tok (Thai Boat Noodles) — around 842mg of sodium
Adding more fish sauce, vinegar, chilli flakes or other table condiments can push sodium intake even higher.