🍁 Thai-Inspired Autumn Cooking: How to Add Spice to Your Fall Kitchen

As autumn arrives in Belgium, the air grows crisp, leaves turn gold, and kitchens fill with the comforting scents of apples, cinnamon, and roasted vegetables. It’s the season for warmth — not just from sweaters and blankets, but from the food that nourishes body and soul.

At Sukhothai, we believe that flavor is also a feeling. And few cuisines bring warmth quite like Thai — where chili meets coconut, lemongrass meets lime, and balance meets bliss.

This autumn, let’s blend the soul of Thai cooking with Belgium’s seasonal bounty to bring spice, color, and comfort into your fall kitchen.

🌾 From the Fields of Thailand to Belgian Markets: A Shared Love for Seasonal Eating

While Thailand’s monsoon season fades into the cool, breezy months of October, Belgian markets overflow with pumpkins, apples, pears, and root vegetables.It’s a different landscape, but the same rhythm — nature slowing down, flavors deepening, meals becoming more mindful.

In Thailand, cooks also turn to warming foods at this time of year:

• Curries rich in coconut milk for comfort and energy

• Soups with galangal, chili, and lemongrass to balance the body

• Herbal teas and desserts made with pandan, palm sugar, or sweet potato

Belgian kitchens, with their stews, roasts, and oven-baked treats, have much in common. By blending the two traditions, you can create dishes that feel both exotic and familiar — spicy yet soothing, tropical yet perfect for sweater weather.

🥥 The Thai Secret to Autumn Warmth: Balance in Every Bite

Thai cuisine revolves around five essential flavor pillars — sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and spicy — all perfectly balanced.That’s why Thai food feels so alive, even on the darkest autumn day. A spoonful of Tom Kha Kai (coconut soup) can chase away the chill faster than any cup of cocoa.

To bring this balance into your fall kitchen:

• Sweetness can come from Belgian pumpkins or apples

• Sourness from limes or local cider vinegar

• Saltiness from fish sauce or soy

• Bitterness from greens like kale or chicory

• Spice from Thai chili, ginger, or curry pastes

Let’s explore a few Thai-inspired recipes that capture the season — all easy to make, beautifully aromatic, and ideal for cozy autumn evenings.

🎃 1. Pumpkin Green Curry (Kang Kiew Wan Fak Thong)

Perfect for: Chilly evenings, Sunday dinners, and lazy afternoons.Inspiration: Thailand’s famous Green Curry meets Belgium’s beloved pumpkin harvest.

Ingredients:

• 400 ml coconut milk

• 2 tbsp green curry paste (store-bought or homemade)

• 1 small pumpkin (peeled and cubed)

• 1 red bell pepper, sliced

• 1 handful of spinach or Thai basil

• 1 tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce (for vegetarian option)

• 1 tsp brown sugar

• 1 cup cooked jasmine rice

Method:

1. Warm a pan and sauté the curry paste in a bit of coconut milk until fragrant.

2. Add pumpkin cubes and stir for 2–3 minutes.

3. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar. Simmer until the pumpkin is tender.

4. Add red pepper and spinach or basil just before serving.

5. Serve over hot jasmine rice with a wedge of lime.

Sukhothai tip: Try this with roasted pumpkin from your local market. The sweetness pairs beautifully with the curry’s spice — a true autumn comfort.

🍏 2. Thai Apple Salad with Lime & Chili (Som Tam Apple)

Perfect for: Light lunches or a starter before a warm curry.Inspiration: A Belgian twist on Thailand’s Som Tam, traditionally made with green papaya.

Ingredients:

• 2 crisp apples (Granny Smith or Jonagold), julienned

• 1 small carrot, shredded

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1–2 small red chilies, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce

• 1 tbsp lime juice

• 1 tsp palm sugar or honey

• Fresh coriander and crushed peanuts for garnish

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix garlic, chili, lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar until dissolved.

2. Add apple and carrot, tossing well to coat.

3. Garnish with peanuts and coriander.

Sukhothai tip: Use Belgian apples and local honey — they balance the chili heat beautifully. This dish is proof that freshness can still shine, even as the days grow shorter.

🧄 3. Lemongrass Roasted Root Vegetables

Perfect for: A fragrant side dish or vegetarian main.Inspiration: Classic Belgian oven-roasted vegetables, with a Thai twist of citrus and spice.

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced

• 2 parsnips, sliced

• 1 small sweet potato, cubed

• 1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp grated ginger

• 1 tsp soy sauce

• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, coating vegetables evenly.

3. Roast for 25–30 minutes until golden.

4. Serve warm with jasmine rice or tofu.

Sukhothai tip: Add a drizzle of coconut milk before serving for extra silkiness — a perfect Thai comfort touch.

🌶 Seasonal Spice Spotlight: Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime & Galangal

These three ingredients define Thai cuisine — and can transform your autumn dishes too.

• Lemongrass: adds citrus brightness that cuts through richer autumn flavors.

• Kaffir Lime Leaves: infuse broths or roasted veggies with tropical aroma.

• Galangal: a cousin of ginger, offering earthy, peppery warmth that soothes on rainy days.

You can find these ingredients in Brussels’ Asian supermarkets (like Kam Yuen or Tan Tan).

🛍 Shop Local, Cook Thai: A Brussels Autumn Market Guide

To recreate these dishes, visit:

• Marché du Midi (Sunday): For pumpkins, apples, carrots, herbs.

• Marché de Boondael (Wednesday): Fresh produce with small Asian stands.

• Asian supermarkets in Saint-Gilles or Ixelles: Lemongrass, coconut milk, curry paste, rice.

Support local farmers while exploring Thai cuisine — it’s a sustainable, flavorful way to cook this fall.

🧘 Thai Wisdom for Autumn Living: Balance, Warmth & Mindfulness

In Thailand, autumn marks the end of the rainy season — a time of renewal, reflection, and gratitude.Buddhists offer food to monks and share meals with family, symbolizing generosity and warmth.

This philosophy fits beautifully with Belgian autumn, when gatherings move indoors and tables become cozier.Cooking Thai food at home can be your way of celebrating that same spirit — turning everyday meals into mindful, sensory experiences.

🥢 Visit Sukhothai Brussels: Bring Autumn Flavor to Your Table

If you’d rather taste the magic than cook it yourself, visit Sukhothai Restaurant, Brussels’ oldest Thai dining destination.

• Enjoy warming dishes like Tom Kha Kai, Massaman Curry, or Phad Thai Koong.

• Savor herbal teas and coconut desserts that echo the cozy spirit of autumn.

• Share a meal, Thai-style — with laughter, warmth, and sanuk (joy).

📍 Sukhothai Restaurant, Brussels🕯 “Come for the spice. Stay for the comfort.”

✨ Fall in Love with Flavor

This autumn, your kitchen can travel across continents — from Belgian orchards to Thai spice gardens.With just a few ingredients and an open heart, you can turn local produce into a tropical escape.So light a candle, pour some tea, and let Thai warmth fill your home — one bite at a time.