Isan's fermented flavors and freshwater fish dishes
In Khon Kaen, enjoy Isan food with som tam and larb served with sticky rice. You can share crunchy papaya, savory meat and a tangy dressing in one meal. Also look at sai krok Isan, a fermented sausage, and au pla, a freshwater fish curry. They are dishes that differ in ingredients and in the way they are eaten, even within the same region.
When choosing a meal in Khon Kaen
When you eat som tam or larb, order sticky rice with it. If the aroma of fermentation is unfamiliar, it helps to ask first whether the som tam uses plara. On a day you feel like fish rather than meat, look at au pla.
In Isan, sticky rice and fermented seasonings are used a lot in cooking. The ways of building flavor vary too: som tam pounds papaya, larb uses herbs and toasted rice powder, and a sausage is made by fermenting rice and pork. We also introduce au pla, a local dish of Khon Kaen that uses freshwater fish.
Som tam, larb and sai krok Isan are eaten in many parts of Isan. Au pla is a dish presented as a local specialty of Khon Kaen.
Pick a dish you want to eat. Each guide explains what it tastes like and what to eat it with.
The crunch of papaya meets a sour, spicy dressing. In versions that use plara, a fermented fish seasoning, you can also notice a fermented aroma. Even with the same som tam, the taste changes with the way the seasonings and chilies are used.
Som tam: taste and how to eat it →
The sour taste of lime and the herb aroma are joined by the nutty flavor of toasted rice powder. The seasoning is mixed evenly through the minced meat, so it is good to eat a little at a time with sticky rice. The taste also changes with the meat used, such as pork, beef or duck.
Larb: taste and how to eat it →
Its features are the savory taste of pork and the tang that comes from fermentation. The strength of the sourness depends on how far it has fermented and on how it is cooked. The raw chilies that come with it can be hot, so try them separately, a little at a time.
Sai krok Isan: taste and how to eat it →It is a curry that adds heat and saltiness to freshwater fish. You get a different kind of meal from dishes with crunchy vegetables such as som tam, or meat dishes such as larb. Have it a little at a time with rice.
Au pla: taste and how to eat it →A fruit's famous growing area and the city where you buy it now can be different. Check the season and taste, then choose the fruit you want.
It is a crunchy, juicy fruit. Fresh fruit and taeng mo pan, blended with ice, give you different textures.
Watermelon: season, taste and how to eat it →
Ripe papaya is a fruit where you enjoy soft flesh. Unripe papaya is also used as a cooking ingredient, so its texture is different from fruit eaten fresh.
Papaya: season, taste and how to eat it →
Sweetness and firmness of the flesh vary with the variety and how ripe it is. It helps to tell apart bananas eaten when ripe and yellow from bananas used for cooking.
Banana: season, taste and how to eat it →
Ripe mango is soft and sweet. Some varieties of green mango are eaten for a different texture from ripe mango, so you do not need to assume that every green one is unripe just from its color.
Mango: season, taste and how to eat it →Som tam, larb and sai krok Isan are eaten in many parts of Isan. Au pla is a dish presented as a local specialty of Khon Kaen.
When you eat som tam or larb, order sticky rice with it. If the aroma of fermentation is unfamiliar, it helps to ask first whether the som tam uses plara. On a day you feel like fish rather than meat, look at au pla.
If you want to read more about the food and the regions behind it, these sources are a good next step. Ingredients and cooking methods can differ from one place to the next.
