Masterchef Winner Nat Thaipun’s Love Letter To Countryside Meals And Markets In Thailand

Welcome to How I Holiday, a series of travel stories and recommendations shared by friends of Urban List from Aotearoa and Australia.

Thailand will always feel like home to Nat Thaipun, the uber-talented Aussie-Thai chef who nabbed the MasterChef crown in 2024. Her favourite memories involve diving into her grandmother's home-cooked food in the countryside—and being a ratbag with her cousins while the family cooked. Nat might be a master of showstopping, award-winning dishes, but to her, the best food in Thailand is simple, home-cooked, or found at the local street markets.

MasterChef Australia Season 16 winner. | Nat Thai PUN IG

Why is Thailand special to you?

Thailand will always feel like home to me even though I've never properly lived there. It’s where my family is from and I can really feel that when I go back. It’s the heart of so much of the food I cook and the stories I tell. The warmth, the generosity, the way food brings everyone together—I carry that with me in everything I do, so much so it's almost innate.

What's a core memory you have from a visit to Thailand?

Probably going back to my Mum’s family's farm in Nakornsawan and in those regions where she grew up and was often raised by her older siblings.

I haven’t been for a long time, but the last time I visited I had this wave of nostalgia hit me hard—missing being a kid, running around barefoot in the dirt, eating on the floor with my family, hanging out in the rice fields with my aunties and cousins, being a little nuisance while they were trying to cook. It’s been a while, but that memory sticks close to my heart.

What’s something that will surprise first-time travellers to Thailand?

How regional and diverse the food is. So many people just think of the usual dishes—pad Thai, green curry—but every part of the country has its own flavours, techniques, and local ingredients.

You can travel a couple of hours and suddenly the dishes and palate shift entirely, and it's so fascinating because often the names for these dishes stay the same but the entire dish flavours change. And I think people really need to be open to that.

Where should people eat, drink, stay and play in Thailand?

• Eat: At local street markets—surprisingly as well, the locals love rating things, even small street food stalls on Google, so you can find them there. Otherwise, genuinely follow the smells and the lines, do some research on when would be a good time to get certain dishes. 

• Drink: At tiny bars hidden down the back streets of Bangkok or Chiang Mai—some of the best cocktail bars and warmest hospitality I truly believe come out of Thailand. 

• Stay: This is totally dependent on what you're thinking. I love a good local Airbnb, but also the hotels in Thailand know how to look after you. So going with hotels will also make you feel like a queen. 

• Play: Out in nature. The beaches are okay, I say this probably because I'm not a beach person or a hot weather person...but what I do love is honestly the countryside, the mountains, the rivers—they’re magical. And eating street food served by the native locals that live in the mountains is seriously something else. You'll be eating game and wild things but trust me, never gets better than sticky rice wrapped in a little parcel with some cured or charcoal-grilled meats and eating it with som tum [papaya salad] or nam tok [waterfall salad] next to a waterfall surrounded by the forest. 

Where should travellers shop for ingredients if they want to cook at home?

The local markets for sure—that’s where you’ll find the freshest herbs, produce, and all the bits you didn’t even know you needed. The stallholders are also so much fun, they love it when tourists are curious about their ingredients and trust me, they will let you try anything if you're unsure. 

Describe the best meal you've ever had in Thailand.

One of my favourites was a simple countryside meal at my grandmother’s place—just sticky rice, grilled chicken, heaps of fresh herbs, and a spicy, punchy dipping sauce. Eaten outside on a mat with the whole family. Nothing fancy, just pure flavour, chaos and love.

What's the best event on Thailand’s cultural calendar?

A lot of people would say Songkran—Thai New Year [held in April], where the whole country turns into one giant water fight, but it’s also this beautiful time of cleansing, community, and renewal. The energy is incredible. But, I find it too hot, too touristy and too busy then. One of my favourites is probably the Nine Emperor Gods Festival or Tesagan Gin Je (เทศกาลกินเจ), and it's a significant cultural and culinary event in Thailand. It's where the whole country goes vego for a certain amount of time, usually in October but it depends on the Lunar Calendar and honestly, you will be surprised how good it is. I'm not even vego, but I genuinely believe it's proof that Thai people can cook with anything.