Chiang Rai News

Northern Thailand on the Table

EXPERIENCE: NORTHERN THAILAND ON THE TABLE

Everyone has a dish that reminds them of their childhood. It’s the one dish that people usually think of as their “comfort food”, the one that people think of when they think of their families and where they grew up. It’s also the dish that tells you the most about someone.

Since I grew up in the United States with a father from Chiang Rai and a mother from Chiang Mai, it’s no surprise that the dish that figures most prominently in my childhood is a Northern Thai one. No, not khao soy – the curried egg noodles so popular among visitors to the region and said by some to have originated in Chiang Mai.

Instead, kanom jeen nam ngiew is the dish that smacks most of home: fermented rice noodles, minced pork and/or beef, fermented beans, stewed tomatoes and, typical for the meat-loving North, cubes of congealed pig’s blood. Most importantly, a real version of this dish must include dok ngiew, dried flower blossoms that resemble sawed-off brooms. Any dish without this ingredient is likely to fall short.

Although this noodle dish might seem wildly exotic – my father dubbed it “Thai spaghetti” to coax us into eating it as children – it’s relatively easy to find in Bangkok and, obviously, up North in popular tourist destinations such as Chiang Mai. Many a kanom jeen stand, identifiable from the strands of rice noodles visible on the counter (or the plates of kanom jeen garnishes like basil, chopped cabbage and pickled greens on the tables), offers this bolognese-like ragu, which is meaty and rich, and flavorful in a way typical of Northern Thai food: salty and spicy, with a hint of acidity from traditional garnishes like lime and pickled greens, bitterness from the deep-fried garlic, and crunch from the pork rinds that usually come with it.

Up North, it is easy to find these noodles in stands that specialize in Shan-style food – after all, this dish is supposed to be adopted from the Shan, an ethnic group known for living mostly in Myanmar. This is why you will frequently also find the Shan-style dish khao ganjin – rice steamed in pig’s blood and wrapped, Japanese onigiri-style, in a banana leaf. While this delicacy also sounds very bloodthirsty, it is surprisingly delicious when paired with its standard accompaniments, fresh sprigs of coriander and lashings of deep-fried garlic.

But these two dishes aren’t the only ones Northern Thailand has to offer the adventurous diner. The region is a treasure trove of typical Thai favorites, often done with a little twist to fit into the Northern Thai flavor profile of salty and spicy, with a little sour and bitter thrown in. Som tum, a popular spicy-tart salad synonymous with the Isaan region in Northeastern Thailand, is frequently made with green papaya and is a street food standard all over the country. In the North, however, it is made with papayas that are beginning to yellow, mixed with dried spices and bereft of the peanuts, green beans and sugar that figure so prominently in the most popular type of grated salad, som tum Thai.

As with any other type of som tum stand, vendors are easily recognizable by their ingredients – papayas, tomatoes and chilies – and the gigantic mortars and pestles that inevitably crown their work stations. Luckily, they are also easy to find: usually, on the outskirts of any good-sized wet market in any city in Thailand.

Or perhaps it is curry you are searching for. There is no curry better-known in the North than the Burmese-inflected favorite, gaeng hang lay, a mild, sweet mix of tamarind, ginger, fermented beans and pork belly. Readily available at any khao gaeng (rice and curry) stall in the North, this curry can be spotted by its reddish-brown color and the hunks of moo sam chan (three-layer pork) seen floating in the murk. Just look for stands that resemble roadside buffets, with different stir-fries and curries set out in metal containers on tables.

Finally, no Thai meal is complete without nam prik (chili paste), considered a pillar of Thai cuisine and long employed as a prime and easily-transportable source of protein. Sometimes eaten as a “dip”, sometimes the main course, nam prik comes in many variations throughout the country. It’s no surprise, then, that Northern Thailand can boast its own varieties, the most popular being the roasted green chili dip known as nam prik num.

Despite its fierce appearance, this paste is more tart than spicy, frequently accompanied with pork rinds, sai oua (Northern Thai sausages of pork, fresh turmeric, slivered kaffir lime leaf and shallots) and a smattering of blanched greens, cooked pumpkin and boiled bamboo shoots. Fortunately, there is no way you can miss this chili paste; any wet market in Northern Thailand will feature samples of nam prik num (and its traditional accompaniments) in its ready-to-eat food section. Bangkok markets are also no stranger to this wildly popular Northern Thai dip.

But, if you are willing to go a little crazy, you can venture into unfamiliar territory: the kitchen. Why not just make yourself a taste of the North, and my childhood, courtesy of my family’s own recipe? – By Chawadee Nualkhair; Photos by Karen Blumberg (TAT)

NAM NGIEW (FOR 10)

Preparation:

1. Nam Prik: Grind the following together well:

Dried pepper – 30 pieces

Dried Bird Chillis – 30 pieces

Shallots – 0.2 Kilos

Garlic – 0.1 Kilos

Shrimp paste (kapi) – 0.1 Kilos

Lemongrass – 3 pieces (stems)

Salt – 1 tablespoonful

Grilled dried fermented bean paste – 0.2 Kilos

2. Next, boil until slightly soft:

Pork spareribs, cartilage parts – 1 Kilo, cut into 1-inch pieces.

Save the cooking liquid.

To cook:

Fry the “Nam Prik” in hot vegetable oil in a big pot until it “smells good” (the inside of your nose tickles). Add 1 Kilo of ground pork and the cooked spare ribs. Stir until cooked. Add the soup from the cooked spareribs. Then add 1 Kilo of cherry tomatoes, cooked pork blood in pieces and 0.1 Kilo of dried “Ngiew Flowers”. Add 0.2 Kilo of Black Tao Jeao. Boil at medium temperature until well blended. Before serving on kanom jeen, add fish sauce and lime juice to your taste.

Serve with:

Deep fried chopped garlic

Chopped shallots

Cut limes

Cut pickled greens

Ground deep-fried dried chilies

Chiang Rai News

Chiang Rai Man Kills Woman’s Infant Daughter When She Refuses His Sexual Advances

Police in Wiang Kaen District of Chiang Rai Province have arrested a 50 year old man after the threatened to rape a 20 year-old woman and the proceeded to murder her 2 and half month old baby.

Police with doctors from Wiang Kaen Hospital and the Chao Luang Wiang Kaen Welfare Association were summoned to the scene of the incident to a 2-story cement house, Village No. 2, Tha Kham Subdistrict, Wiang Kaen District of Chiang Rai

On arrival they found Ms. Chanikarn, age 20, in a state of distress crying uncontrollably beside her 2 and a half month baby girl (Linlada) that was dead on the floor.

After calming Ms. Chanikarn, the child’s mother, said that at approximately 2:30 p.m she was out to collect diapers that had been dried in front of the house, while her 2 and a half month old daughter was sleep on the ground floor of the house.

She said she was suddenly approached by a Mr. Lee, about 40 years old, who lived on the opposite side of the road. He came towards her and grabbed her arm and threatened her saying if she didn’t sleeping with him he will go and kill his daughter.

Miss Chanikan refused and ran away, then Mr. Lee then walked into the house and grabbed Ms. Linlada’s leg, smashing the child’s head against the cement floor of the house. The infant died immediately.

Mr. Lee then just walked away and returned to his own home, leaving Miss Chanikan and her dead baby.

When police went to Mr. Lee’s home he immediately confessed killing the infant and was taken to Wiang Kaen Police Station for further questioning. Under caution he told police that he was sexually attracted to Miss Chanikan‘s and when her husband leave for work he took the opportunity to approach her.

He said when he saw her husband leave he crossed that road and found Miss Chanikan in the yard alone, he then threatened her to sleep with him, saying he would kill her child if she didn’t have sex with him. However when she refused he flew into a fit of rage walked into her home and murdered he baby. He said he was out of control with rage.

After killing the infant he walk across the street to his home and waited for the police to arrive. The police have charged him with premeditated murder and attempted rape. He is being held without bail at the local remand center.

Meanwhile, Miss Chanikan and her family were preparing a religious burial ceremony for the child.

Other Chiang Rai News:

Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai

https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/

Chiang Rai News

Police in Chiang Rai Launch Crackdown on Cyber Criminals in Golden Triangle

CHIANG RAI: Prime Minister Settha Thavisin has authorized the establishment of an emergency cyber center operated by the Royal Thai Police to combat transnational crimes committed by call center gangs along the Thai border in Chiang Rai province.

On July 19, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin directed the Center to combat information technology crimes. The Royal Thai Police (Royal Thai Police) will crack down on call center gangs in Myanmar, Laos, and along the border.

His directive comes as call center gangs ratchet up their scams to defraud people of their money, causing concern among Thais and jeopardizing the country’s economic and social stability.

Pol. Gen. Kittirat Panphet, Deputy Commander and Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division, Assigned Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai Pitanilabut, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Police/Deputy Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division, has launched the operation ‘Bombing the Thieves’ Bridge’ in collaboration with the CAT Office, G., mobile phone network operators AIS DTAC TRUE NT, and local security agencies to cut the mobile phone signal and WiFi internet that criminals illegally use to deceive Thai citizens.

Pol. Gen. Kittirat Panphet, Deputy Commander and Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division

Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai stated that they will begin pressing the first action of the ‘Explosion of Thieves’ Bridge’ in Chiang Rai Province toward the thieves’ base of operations in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.

The territory surrounding King Roman in Laos. King Roman is now a full-service entertainment destination with an airport that welcomes travelers from Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, he explained.

According to Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai, this operation will have no influence on honest people along the Thai border, and it will only target cyber criminals.

They will also increase the arrest and prosecution of unlawful service towers, such as SIM booths, which allow gangs register SIM cards to swindle the people. Dealing with criminal organizations of foreigners and Thais who band together to deceive and damage Thais.

Pol. Gen. Kittirat Panphet, Deputy Commander and Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) suspended more than three million SIM cards on July 16 because the holders had not verified their identities with their mobile phone operators by the deadline, in accordance with the NBTC’s measures to combat alleged fraudsters’ mule accounts.

The names of the holders of 80 million mobile phone numbers used for mobile banking transactions did not match the names associated with the mobile banking accounts.

The NBTC would require mobile phone companies to authenticate SIM card holders and the names of their mobile banking accounts. The verification procedure is expected to be completed by the end of September this year.

In addition, the NBTC and Royal Thai Police have collaborated to combat illegal telecom towers throughout the country’s borders, disconnecting signals at 465 places, altering antenna direction at 470 towers, and dismantling antennas at 179 locations.

They are certain that the move will disrupt contact center gangs and other types of technology-based crime.

Other Chiang Rai News:

Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai

https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/

Chiang Rai News

Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai

Police in Mae Chan, Chiang Rai, shot and killed a 28-year-old man who allegedly attacked a police officer with a machete. The officer was slashed in the right leg with the machete.

According to police, the culprit, known only as Mr. Toon, had been harassing local villagers in Mae Chan district, Chiang Rai, threatening them with a knife and using violet insults.

The village headman arrived on the scene to try to calm Mr. Toon, but he was shouting hysterically and taking swipes at him with the machete, so he contacted the police.

When the responding officer arrived at the site about 9 p.m., he attempted to calm the man, but he instead assaulted the officer, slashing his right leg with the machete. In self-defense, the cop had to fire his gun at Mr. Toon, striking him in the chest.

Mr. Toon and the policeman were taken to Mae Chan Hospital, where Mr. Toon died of a gunshot wound. Pol Sgt. Sutthikiat Phanomphraisakul was released from the hospital after receiving numerous stitches for his injuries.

Local police received a tip around 9.30 p.m. yesterday that a guy was causing mayhem in the village. When authorities arrived, they discovered 28-year-old Toon strolling along a public road, holding a large knife and threatening people. Mae Chan district officials attempted to contain the incident.

During a search of Mr. Toon’s home, authorities discovered methamphetamine consumption equipment. Locals told authorities that the man was addicted to Yaba (Methamphetamine) and an alcoholic.

The authorities are conducting an inquiry to determine Toon’s motivations and whether any underlying issues contributed to his violent outburst.