Chiang Rai

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.

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.

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.

A beloved Northern Thai specialty featuring smoky, charred green chilies pounded with roasted shallots and garlic into a rustic, flavorful dip. This iconic Chiang Mai relish showcases the bold and aromatic flavors of Northern Thai cuisine, with its distinctive smoky character coming from grilling the vegetables until charred. The dip embodies the essence of Thai cuisine with its harmonious balance of heat, tanginess, and umami, traditionally served communally with fresh vegetables, sticky rice, and crispy pork rinds.

Nam Prik Ong is a beloved Northern Thai chili dip featuring ground pork simmered with tomatoes, dried chilies, and aromatic shallots and garlic. This savory, mildly spicy dip has a rich, meaty flavor balanced with the tangy sweetness of tomatoes and the subtle heat of dried chilies. As one of the signature dishes of Lanna cuisine from Chiang Mai, it's traditionally served warm with fresh vegetables, crispy pork rinds, and sticky rice, making it a cornerstone of Northern Thai communal dining.

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.