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Dining Info
Rice is the main food in Thailand. Everyone has rice with many dishes while dining. Most of foods are hot and spicy and that is what Thai food is famous for. |
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 Thai Food
Thai cuisine and indigenous tradition that has been enriched by Arab, India, Malay and Chinese influences- has become world famous. Yet for the Thais, the heart of food is the simple, plain rice. Without rice, many Thai will feel that they have not eaten.
Rice and food-khao in Thai- are synonymous, and Thais ofter refer to plain rice as beautiful rice or noble rice. A common greeting in Thai with the force of “How are you?” translates as “Have you eaten yet <kin khao laew ru yang>?” The dishes that provide the nutrients and flavours which complement the rice are referred to as kap khao, which means “with rice”.
Key ingredients in Thai cooking come daily from the fresh markets, which become busy in the pre-dawn hours. Thai cooking requires the vigorous use of a variety of herbs, which commonly include garlic, shallots, and fresh coriander. The hot soups and curry pastes require lemon grass, galangal<Siamese ginger>, and the leaves of the kaffir lime < you are not expected to eat the chunks of herb when they are served in the famous hot soups- tom yam>. Other commonly used fresh herbs include mint and three kinds of basil. The herbs and spices provide the pungent and bitter range of flavours in Thai dishes. Seasonings are used to add salty, sour and sweet flavours; fish sauce and shrimp paste provide the salty tastes, lime and tamarind the sour, and coconut and palm sugar the sweet.
In preparation of dishes, ingredients are chopped into small pieces. This requires longer preparation, but allows for shorter cooking times; it also makes the use of knives at the table unnecessary.
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Thai Table Manners
At the table the bulk of a meal consists of rice, which Thais flavour by taking small helpings <two or three mouthfuls> from shared central dishes. They use serving spoons to place small portions onto their own plates, from which they eat. The politest way to eat is to serve yourself from one central dish, eat what you have taken, and then return to another portion. Amongst intimates, it is a sign of good manners to serve delicacies such as prawns<using a central serving spoon> to the plate of a fellow diner.
In this way the full flavour of each dish is savoured in an equable atmosphere. In times of past hardships, this natural manner of sharing food also allowed a small amount of spicy flavouring to go a long way with plain rice.
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Northern Thai Food
Sticky rice, khao nieo, is commonly eaten with north ern dishes. It is first soaked for several hours and then steamed in a conical basket of woven bam boo. This reduces the stickiness as well as the sweet ness of the rice. It keeps well after cooking and may be kept in baskets for a long time.
The ingredients used to flavour rice were origi nally those that came from hunting, foraging and fishing. Older Northern Thais may wistfully tell you about the flavour of venison in their youth, but most wild meat has been hunted to extinction. The more adventurous visitor may, perhaps, like to sample the various dishes that use insects and innards that are popular in the north.
The herbs and spices for flavouring are those com monly used in all Thai cooking, but northern Thai dishes have been influencedbythe Burmese and Shan. Northern cooking uses more fresh chilli (as opposed to dry chilli) and virtually no coconut in curry sauces as compared with central Thai cuisine.
Dishes served with sticky rice are of several kinds: nam phrik - hot dips served in small bowls along with fresh or lightly steamed vegetables and crispy pork skin, kaeng- curries (dry or watery); yam -veg etables and meat mixed with a variety of herbs, spices and chilli.
Sticky rice is usually eaten by taking a small lump and pressing it with the fingers to form a hard ball. Then the ball is dipped into some spicy flavouring and eaten. In Thai homes it is quite acceptable to take the ball of rice and, holding it with your fin gers, delicately dip it into a central dish (watch your host for a lead). Avoid leaving grains of rice in the central dish if eating this way (most Northern Thai restaurants provide hand basins for cleaning hands before and after eating ).
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Food Symbols
The cheapest food is sold in markets and at street stalls and noodle shops. Aharn tam sang (food to order) costs 20-25 baht per dish.
Because of the way Thai food is served, it is best to go to a restaurant as a small group in order to enjoy sharing a choice of dishes. Though Chiang Mai cannot compete with Bangkok for culinary choice, it certainly can on price. Chiangmai's restaurants are necessarily tied to the local market, and most Thais are not prepared to pay more for their food. The majority of restaurants charge 50-90 baht for regular dishes, with various fish or meat dishes costing 100-200 baht. Excluding alcoholic drinks, expect to pay on average 150-250 baht per head for four people at normal restaurants.
In general only restaurants at hotels and those serving foreign food will cost 500 baht per head or more (excluding alcohol drinks). Where restaurants are slightly more expensive than usual for their class, they are marked with i (NB a Thai restaurant marked in this way will be cheaper than a restaurant serving foreign food similarly marked). Even the more expensive restaurants are modestly priced by international standards, however.
Tipping has become customary in better restaurants With serving staff, who still depend on tips for part of their income. Well it service has been special. Large tips arc Unnecessary, 20-30 baht usually being enough for a 500 baht meal.
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Northern Dishes
Most Chiang Mai restaurants serve some north ern Thai food. Some northern dishes are listed below.
cho pakkad : fresh cabbage boiled with shrimp paste, fermented fish (pla ra) and tamarind
kaeng hang lae : a Burmese style pork curry in a rich brown sauce made with curry paste, tamarind and soy.
kaeng khae : beans, egg plant, mushrooms, and other vegetables with meat in a watery curry flavoured with shrimp paste, fermented fish, garlic, shallots and lemon grass.
kaeng ho : Flavouring of kaeng hang lae and kaeng no mai mixed with vegetables and glass noodles
kaeng no mai : a very popular curry made with young bam boo shoots and fresh green chilli, shrimp paste, fermented fish, garlic and shallots.
khaep mu: deep-fried crispy pork skin
lab : finely chopped meat (raw or cooked) with shallot, chilli, lime, coriander and mint.
naem : chopped pork fermented within banana leaf.
nam phrik num : baked green chilli, shallot and garlic pounded into a dip. Be careful as this one can be very hot!
nam phrik ong : finely chopped pork with tomato and baked red chilli pounded into a spicy dip.
sai ua : northern style sausage.
yam chin kai : a watery, but spicy chicken curry flavoured with similar ingredients to lab.
tam makhua : a milder dip made with baked egg-plant.
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Khanom Jeen
"Khanom Jeen" which is freshly prepared every day. It is not dried as Thais prefer it moist and flavorsome, therefore, daily preparation is essential. The 2 words of Khanom Jeen translates to Chinese dessert (Khanom = dessert, and Jeen = Chinese), and known as a snack or light meal. It should be interesting to know why or how the word is connected with Chinese people or Chinese noodles. Their noodles are made through a steaming process meanwhile the Thai noodles are made through boiling process. In Baan Naam Rin, a village (Moo 3) of Khee Lehg subdistrict of Mae Rim, at Km. 24 (about 20 kilometers from the highway intersection) on Chiang Mai-Fang Road (Rte. 107), has about 24 cottageindustry "factories" making Khanom Jeen for daily dispatch to the market.
Khanom Jeen, authentic Thai noodles, are delicious and are featured in a variety of sauces. The writer particularly enjoys them in Naam Ya (Fish Curry : ground fish + coconut milk + spices), Naam Prig (Bean Curry: peanuts + coconut milk + palm sugar + spices), Naam Ngiew (Pork Tomato Curry: ground pork + spareribs + tomatoes + bean curd + spices) or Zao Naam (Fish pieces + coconut milk + dry shrimp + pineapple + lemon + spices). On the other hand, only select vegetables (fresh or boiled) of the whole set would be suitable for particular sauce. Example of vegetables: bean sprouts, cowpea, winged pea, basil leaves, onion, morning glory, leguminosae , water mimosa, pickled cabbage, fried dry pepper, parsley, etc. Do try these recommendations!
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Northern-style noodles
Khao soi:
Northern Thailand 's distinctive noodle dish consists of soft and crispy egg noodles served up in a spicy curry sauce with chicken Or beef. Pickled cabbage and fresh shallots as well as condiments are always served with this dish. Many restaurants Serve khao soi, hut some specialize.
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Dining in Chiang Mai
For those who are homesick in Chiang Mai, there are plenty of foreign but original restaurants serving Italian, German, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, Pakistani and Arabic cuisine to meet certain cravings. In addition, vegetarian restaurants are also available. For Thai food lovers, there are also a variety of restaurants serving central, northeastern, and southern Thai cuisine.
Many tourists are also surprised to see street vendors selling a wide range of food, which are inexpensive. Popular items are barbecued chicken, pork and squid. To sample them without worries please make sure they are well cooked.
Northern Thai Food The people of Chiangmai take pride in their distinctive cultural identity. The distinction of Lannas charming beauty is reflected in the lilting dialect, classic architecture, valued customs and traditions, expressive festivals, exotic handicrafts, and, of course, unique cuisine. It should be noted that the northern people traditionally sit on the floor eating food placed on a low table.
Northern people generally prefer steamed sticky rice to cooked rice. The rice is accompanied by Kaeng (curry) or Nam Phrik (chili paste) and vegetables (fresh or boiled). The two most popular local chili pastes are Nam Phrik Ong (chili paste with minced pork and tomatoes) and Nam Phrik Num (green chili paste).
Many tourists are also surprised to see street vendors selling a wide range of food, which are inexpensive. Popular items are barbecued chicken, pork and squid. To sample them without worries please make sure they are well cooked.
Northern Thai Food The people of Chiang Mai take pride in their distinctive cultural identity. The distinction of Lannas charming beauty is reflected in the lilting dialect, classic architecture, valued customs and traditions, expressive festivals, exotic handicrafts, and, of course, unique cuisine. It should be noted that the northern people traditionally sit on the floor eating food placed on a low table.
Northern people generally prefer steamed sticky rice to cooked rice.
If you are under time constraints, the Khantok Dinner is one way to sample most of the Northern dishes all at once.
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