When locals from northern Thailand move to Bangkok or elsewhere in Thailand, nam ngiaw (น้ำเงี้ยว) is probably the dish they miss most from leaving home.
What is nam ngiaw (น้ำเงี้ยว)?
Nam ngiaw (น้ำเงี้ยว) is sort of like a stew, with influence from Burma and southern Yunnan, often made with a tangy tomato base, that includes dry roasted chilies, pork bones or beef, and cubes of congealed blood.
Another signature ingredient in the recipe is dok ngiew (ดอกงิ้ว), the dried flowers of the red cotton tree.
The stew is typically served with khanom jeen, fresh rice noodles, and it often comes with a variety of raw vegetables like bean sprouts and cilantro, with lime wedges and dry chili flakes to garnish.
Within northern Thailand there are many different versions of nam ngiaw, dictated according to province and location, each with a similar yet slightly different taste and choice of spice and ingredients.
Sometimes nam ngiaw can be more tart and tomatoey, other times it’s more smoky from dried chilies with oily broth.
restaurants in Chiang Rai
The dining room of the restaurant
The Restaurant
Nam Ngiaw Mawdin Pa Ead (น้ำเงี้ยวหม้อดิน ป้าอี๊ด) is a pretty low-key typical restaurant in Chiang Rai, just a big roof with rows of tables.
You can see how popular the restaurant is as soon as you enter, as all tables are plastered in red True Move (a major Thai communications company) tablecloths – restaurant advertising in Thailand.
I didn’t notice an English menu, but you really only have a few different choices of what to order, the most popular items being what I ordered below.
ขนมจีนน้ำเงี้ยวเนื้อ
Khanom jeen nam ngiaw neua (ขนมจีนน้ำเงี้ยวเนื้อ) – version with beef
Khanom jeen nam ngiaw neua (ขนมจีนน้ำเงี้ยวเนื้อ)
I ordered my bowl of nam ngiaw (น้ำเงี้ยว) over the top of khanom jeen noodles (ขนมจีน) and with beef.
From other versions I had eaten in both Chiang Mai and Lampang, I could immediately see the color of the stew was very dark in comparison.
It had a rich oily and smoky aroma to it, and it was served with bean sprouts, cilantro, and a wedge of lime, directly on top.