Northern Thailand

Northern Thai purple/black glutinous rice, a nutritious and visually striking rice dish that turns deep purple when cooked. Khao Kam, also known as khao niao dam (black sticky rice), is a cherished staple in Northern Thailand, particularly in Nan and Chiang Mai provinces. This whole grain glutinous rice is rich in antioxidants and has been used in traditional ceremonies and festivals. When steamed in the authentic Northern Thai manner, the black rice releases a gorgeous purple hue and develops a subtly nutty, sweet flavor with a pleasantly chewy texture.

Nam Lamyai is a traditional Thai longan drink made with dried or fresh longan fruit and fragrant pandan leaves. This sweet, honey-like beverage with its light amber color is a popular refreshment at food markets and street vendors throughout Thailand, especially during hot weather. The combination of longan's unique caramel-like sweetness and pandan's aromatic qualities creates a soothing and naturally sweet drink that's perfect for cooling down on a summer day.

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.

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.

Khaep Moo is a beloved Northern Thai snack featuring crispy, golden fried pork skin. This traditional delicacy involves a careful process of boiling, drying, and double-frying pork skin until it achieves its signature puffed and crunchy texture. Popular in Chiang Mai and throughout Northern Thailand, these crispy pork rinds are enjoyed as a snack, paired with sticky rice and chili paste, or used as a textural contrast in dishes like som tam. The rendering process preserves the pork skin while creating an irresistible crispy treat that transcends all socioeconomic boundaries in Thai cuisine.

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.

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.

Crispy rice cakes with sweet cane sugar drizzle. Khao Taen, also known as Nang Let in Northern Thai dialect, is a traditional Thai snack made from sun-dried or oven-dried sticky rice cakes that are deep-fried until they puff up into golden, crispy crackers. The crunchy rice cakes are then drizzled with a rich caramelized palm sugar syrup, creating a perfect balance of texture and sweetness. This ancient snack originated in Northern and Northeastern Thailand as a clever way to preserve and repurpose leftover sticky rice before the age of refrigeration. Today, it remains a beloved traditional treat found at temple ceremonies, festivals, and local markets throughout Northern Thailand.

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.