Gai Tod Decha

Gai Tod Decha is a small, long-running shop on Chee Uthit Road in central Hat Yai, often credited as one of the originators of Hat Yai-style fried chicken. Thai food media describe it as having served the city for more than 40 years.

Hat Yai gai tod is marinated with garlic, coriander root and spices, fried in rice flour and buried under crisp fried shallots. At Decha it is commonly eaten on a mound of yellow khao mok rice, a dish that reflects the area's Muslim cooking traditions. The setting is simple and the turnover fast.

What to order

• Gai tod Hat Yai: crisp fried chicken scattered with fried shallots
• Khao mok gai tod: fried chicken served over spiced yellow rice
• Khao niao: sticky rice, the classic partner for the chicken
• Cha yen: strong, sweet milk tea to wash it down

Good to know

• Go before the lunch rush, when the chicken comes out freshly fried.
• Check you are at the Chee Uthit Road shop, as the Decha name has several branches.
• Have small notes ready; it is a modest local eatery.