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[title]Apart from popular staples like creamy noodle dish khao soi or sai oeur (spicy sausages), the cuisine of Northern Thailand is little known to foreigners, and is even deemed exotic by many Thais. Austin Bush, an American (ironically) author, journalist and photographer is hoping to change this.
Fluent in Thai and passionate about Northern Thailand, Bush has gone deep into the cuisines of six Northern Thai provinces, and is showcasing their rich diversity in a cookbook called The Food of Northern Thailand. The compilation features recipes and in-depth information, as well as the historical context of the region’s rich cultural heritage, from the khao soi in Chiang Mai to the exotic fare of the Akha hill tribe in Mae Hong Son. Published recently, the critically acclaimed book was nominated for the 2019 James Beard Foundation Book Awards, an award that is presented annually for excellence in culinary writing.
Time Out Bangkok chatted with the gospeler of Northern Thai fare to find out what it is about the cuisine that has piqued the interest of an outsider.
Tanison Vongsoontorn
Why are you so drawn to the northern region of Thailand?
I am from Oregon on the West Coast of the US, and it has a lot of mountains and cool weather, and I miss that. And the closest place, for me, is Northern Thailand. I love going up north, and exploring on a rented motorcycle. I get to go to places in the middle of nowhere like the villages. I find that—not just in Thailand—generally people living in faraway places are quite welcoming. They are fine with me staying with them and watching them cook. I find that people in these areas are quite hospitable. When I went to those parts, people were quite impressed that someone from the outside was interested in their food or culture.
How is northern cuisine different from the food in other parts of Thailand?
Northern food is the least spicy of all. It’s relatively mild. One thing that is different is that they use a lot of dried spices like ma kwean [northern peppercorn], deeplee [long pepper] or malaep [oval-shaped fruit used as spices]. These spices are indigenous to the region, very fragrant and make your tongue a little bit numb. The food also has a bitter flavor from bile, leaves and different vegetables. It’s home cuisine. In Northern Thailand, there aren’t so many restaurants. If you’re in small towns, the most typical kind of restaurant you would find is [an eatery serving] meat, larb [meat salad] and mooyang [grilled pork]. Generally, the market is the best place, with the best selection of northern food.
Why did you choose a cookbook as a medium for showcasing Northern Thai cuisine?
For me, it was important to record these recipes because there is not much written about them, especially in English or even in Thai. I would go to villages and would ask people to share their recipes with me, and take as many photos and record as many videos as possible. I am very proud of the recipes that are in the book. They are pretty much exactly what the people there make. They may use MSG or Knorr, but that’s how the people cook. I mean, there’s a lot of cookbooks out there that’s imagination of what people eat, like old-school recipes that people used 60 years ago, but I want to be accurate and record what people are now making every day.
What was the toughest part in making this book?
The recipe tasting. That’s a lot of work. I like cooking but when you’re tasting recipes, it’s not really a fun way of cooking because you have to be very meticulous. There is one dessert that I had to make five times, which is aalawaa [Shan cake of toasted wheat flour] in the Mae Hong Son chapter. The guy who taught it to me has been making it every day for 40 years. He’s a natural. I had to make it five to six times. There’s no way I can make it as good as he does.
Tanisorn Vongsoontorn
The Michelin Guide is coming to Chiang Mai. How do you feel about Chiang Mai being recognized as a global food destination?
Personally, I think Northern Thailand has very interesting food but it’s not really restaurant cuisine. In Chiang Mai, the food is actually much better at the market or when you eat at someone’s home. I am a little bit skeptical. As far as I know, Michelin is not just about food; it’s also about the service and atmosphere. So I don’t really understand how Northern Thai food is going to fit in their sort of thing.
What do you think of Chiang Mai’s food scene?
I think Chiang Mai is the one place in Northern Thailand where you can get everything, but it’s not necessarily the best. If you want the best larb, for example, you would have to go to Phrae. For nam ngeaw [Northern Thai noodle soup], you have to go to Chiang Rai or Mae Hong Son. But Chiang Mai is very good for deep-fried food and slightly more sophisticated Northern Thai food like this special kind of gaeng hanglay [Northern Thai pork curry] with pickled garlic. And of course khao soi, it is totally a Chiang Mai dish and it is the best out there. But if you want to get serious about northern food, you have to start traveling to other [provinces].
What are you working on right now?
I am working on a book on Southern Thai food. I am very interested in this kind of food because it’s really fun, and it’s the spiciest and has a lot of influences too— Muslim, and different types of Chinese like Hokkian and Cantonese.
What do you want to see more of in the Thai food scene?
I wish Thai chefs were less interested in foreign stuff. For example, I want to see more people from Phrae doing Phrae-style food instead of cafes. But I think it’s changing now. And I would love to see more people interested in local ingredients. Nowadays, Thailand is changing a lot and it has become more industrialized. I would hate to see Thailand turn 100 percent towards the industrial approach. It’s not good for the world, [the food] doesn’t taste good and it’s not good for farmers.