Tastebuds in Chiang Mai – Thai Khao Soi (ข้าวซอย)
Whenever several guidebooks consistently name the same must-try dish, you bet that it’s on my itinerary. In Chiang Mai, this dish is Khao Soi — which means “cut rice”.
Originally introduced from Burma, Chiang Mai’s variation uses egg noodles instead of its pure rice namesake.
The egg noodles and minced pork are drenched in a curry-like broth of tumeric, coconut milk and other spices. Piping hot, served garnished with the signature deep-fried noodles and cilantro.
For those looking for more flavour, the bowl is always accompanied at the side by sliced raw shallots, pickled salty mustard greens, a wedge of lime, and (of course) the ubiquitous roasted chilli paste.
For my Singaporean-Malaysian brethren, Khao Soi sounds suspiciously like laksa. Indeed the taste is like laksa, but much milder, with more hints of curry spices than coconut milk or chilli.
Sadly, this dish is not found is most Thai restaurants elsewhere in the world, which almost exclusively serve Southern Thai cuisine.
However if you chance upon it, do yourself a favor by trying this wonderful cousin of laksa.
