Jim Jum: Thai-style spicy & sour hotpot
First, you can probably guess that a Thai hotpot is hot, spicy, sour and is full of fragrance. That is right. That’s what a Jim Jum hotpot is like. Jim Jum originates from North Eastern Thailand (or Issan). The name Jim Jum means “dip” in Thai, this reflects the action where you dip fresh ingredients into the soup to cook, then dip cooked ingredients into Jim Jum special sauce before eating. Traditionally this hotpot is served in a clay pot where a heat source is put under the pot to keep the soup hot.
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Khao Soi
An iconic Northern Thai staple, this yellow curry rice noodle soup comes in many different styles and can be found almost anywhere in Chiang Mai from roadside kitchens to fine-dining restaurants. With roots in nearby Myanmar and Laos, Northern Thai khao soi’s soup shares a similar spicy, coconut flavour as massaman curry. In a single bowl, both boiled egg noodles and deep-fried egg noodles are steeped in curry soup with green shallots, pickled cabbage, minced pork or chicken leg as toppings. Each serving usually comes with condiments like oil-fried chilli paste, coriander, and lime on the side.
Pad Kra Prao
The go-to dish for a Thai local when he is unsure about what to eat on a night out, this minced pork and rice à la carte dish can be eaten at any time of the day. Typically served alongside steamed jasmine rice, Pad Kra Prao comes with a side of fatty minced pork stir-fried with Thai holy basil and seasoned with fish sauce and chopped chilli. Other variations include beef, chicken, or seafood ingredients stir-fried with basil, cowpeas, bamboo shoots, and topped with a fried egg.