Northern Thai Specialties

A traditional Northern Thai (Lanna) dish featuring fish mixed with aromatic curry paste and fresh herbs, wrapped in banana leaf packets and grilled over charcoal. The cooking method creates a unique steamed-grilled effect that locks in moisture while infusing smoky flavors from the charcoal and herbaceous notes from the banana leaves. The result is tender, flavorful fish with a complex spice profile characteristic of Northern Thai cuisine.

A rich and aromatic Northern Thai pork curry with Burmese influences, featuring tender pork belly slow-cooked with ginger, tamarind, pickled garlic, and peanuts in a complex curry paste with warm spices. Unlike most Thai curries, this does not contain coconut milk, allowing the bold flavors of ginger, tamarind, and masala spices to shine through. The curry is characterized by its thick, oily texture and a perfect balance of salty, sweet, and sour flavors.

A traditional Northern Thai dish that transforms leftover curry, particularly Gaeng Hang Lay, into a flavorful stir-fry mixed with glass noodles, pickled bamboo shoots, and aromatic herbs. Despite its name containing 'gaeng' (curry), it's actually a dry stir-fry dish that originated from repurposing leftover curries at religious ceremonies. The name 'ho' means 'a mix of stuff', reflecting its nature as a combination dish that brings together various ingredients into a harmonious, strongly-flavored meal.

Gaeng Om is a traditional Northern and Northeastern Thai herbal curry soup that stands apart from typical Thai curries by featuring a light, clear broth rather than coconut milk. This medicinal soup showcases the distinctive flavors of fresh dill (pakchi Lao), lemongrass, and an array of seasonal vegetables. Known for its health benefits and aromatic herbal properties, Gaeng Om has a clean, earthy taste that is neither overly spicy nor heavy. The signature ingredient is fresh dill, which gives the soup its characteristic flavor profile. Each region of Thailand has its own variation, but all versions share the common thread of being a water-based curry packed with fresh herbs and vegetables, making it a refreshing and nourishing meal.

A beloved fresh and vibrant salad from Northern Thailand featuring young jackfruit pounded with aromatics and seasonings, then briefly stir-fried with pork. This iconic Northern Thai dish showcases the region's signature flavors - slightly spicy, bright and salty, fragrant with garlic and lime leaves. The young jackfruit provides a subtle richness and unique texture that beautifully absorbs the bold flavors of chilies, shrimp paste, and fish sauce. Traditionally served at room temperature with sticky rice as part of a Northern Thai meal.

Jin Som Mok is a traditional Northern Thai dish featuring fermented pork (jin som or naem) wrapped in banana leaves and grilled to perfection. The dish combines the tangy, complex flavors of fermented pork with the aromatic essence of banana leaves, creating a distinctive taste that represents the heart of Lanna cuisine. Often prepared with eggs, this grilled delicacy showcases the ancient art of meat preservation through fermentation, a technique that has been passed down through generations in Northern Thailand.

Northern Thai rice noodles served with a rich, spicy, and tangy tomato-based curry broth featuring pork ribs, blood tofu, and the distinctive flavor of dok ngiew (red kapok/cotton tree flowers) and fermented soybeans. This signature dish of Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand is characterized by its complex umami-rich broth with a vibrant red color, combining savory, sour, and spicy elements. The dish showcases Tai Yai culinary traditions and is traditionally served with an array of fresh vegetables, pickled greens, and crispy pork rinds.

A traditional Northern Thai dish of Shan/Tai Yai origin, featuring jasmine rice mixed with ground pork and pork blood, steamed in banana leaf packets. The blood infuses the rice with deep savory notes and a subtle iron taste, creating a unique and flavorful rice dumpling. This humble yet complex dish exemplifies the resourceful nose-to-tail cooking tradition of the region.

Northern Thai coconut curry noodle soup topped with crispy egg noodles. A signature dish of Chiang Mai featuring a rich, creamy coconut curry broth with both soft boiled noodles and crispy fried noodles on top. The dish is characterized by its complex flavor profile balancing savory, salty, sour, and sweet elements, with traditional accompaniments of pickled mustard greens, shallots, and lime.

Laab Moo Muang is an authentic Northern Thai minced pork dish that differs dramatically from the better-known Isaan-style laab. Also called laab kua or laab neua, this dish is characterized by its complex dried spice blend (prik laab) featuring ingredients like long pepper, Thai prickly ash, star anise, and cumin - a legacy of Northern Thailand's position on historic spice trade routes to China. Unlike its citrus-bright Isaan cousin, Northern laab contains no lime juice or toasted rice powder. Instead, it's stir-fried in a wok with an aromatic spice paste and traditionally includes blood and offal for authentic richness. The result is a deeply spiced, savory-sweet meat preparation with warming notes and a distinctly earthy character that embodies the Lanna Kingdom's culinary heritage.

Sai Oua is an iconic Northern Thai sausage from Chiang Mai, renowned for its intensely aromatic and herbaceous flavor profile. This coarsely ground pork sausage is infused with a fragrant curry paste of lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves, and fresh herbs. Traditionally grilled over charcoal and served as a coil, the sausage delivers strong, balanced flavors of citrus, peppery galangal, and moderate heat from dried chilies. The word 'oua' means to fill or stuff, and 'sai' means intestine, literally translating to 'stuffed intestines.' This beloved street food is a standard of Northern Thailand's culinary tradition, typically enjoyed with sticky rice and fresh vegetables.