Chiang Mai Street Food - Part I

Like other Asian cities, street food is very much a part of the culture in Chiang Mai. Road side stalls are everywhere, and you wonder whether people actually bother to cook at home. Its so convenient just to grab something on the way home, but the health effect of a daily diet on street food is another matter.

From what I can see, the most popular street food here is the sausage. Its no wonder, as they are delicious, cheap and easy to eat while you are out and about. There are also many types to choose from - spicy sausages, big fat sausages called "Moo Yor", small baby sausages filled with pork and sticky rice, etc. They are all very good and you shouldn't miss these when in Chiang Mai.


Another very popular item - meat balls which come in different colours and sizes. They are usually deepfried. Quite tasty and very crunchy. You can't really tell what they are made of - I suspect a mixture of fish meat, pork, chicken and whatever they can get their hands on.


Something very familiar to anyone who has been to Thailand - Som Tam. Here you can have the green papaya version, or the green mango version which I had. It was salty, sweet, and spicy - just the way it should be. Crushed peanuts were added to give it an extra crunchy texture, and for a deluxe version you can order one topped with crunchy pork rinds.


There is quite a large Chinese population in Chiang Mai, and it is not unusual to find Chinese food served on the streets - like these steamed meat buns and siew mai.


In Chiang Mai they take their grilling seriously and even the road side stalls have "proper" grilling contraptions. The meats are usually grilled to perfection and very tasty. Another not-to-miss item here.


A busy street food cluster at Suthep Road opposite the Maharaj Nakorn Hospital ( part of the University Medical Complex).


Mr. Willeam - a colourful personality selling instant gourmet coffee. The coffee's not bad.


Another very popular item in Chiang Mai - the banana pancake. It is like the Malaysian Roti Chanai with banana. Here the sweetness is taken up a few notches with sweetened condensed milk.

There are quite a lot of stalls selling cooked food meant more for take home. I tried the deep fried pork - very good. The fish was a bit dry. The spicy sausages were very good.


Street food is a big part of the Chiang Mai experience, and with so much variety its not possible to try it all. I have some more coming up in my next post.

Comments

oh I'm craving for some Chiangmai sausage now!
Borneoboy said…
Hi 3 HT. I love Chiang Mai sausages too. In fact I'm craving for them now !

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