Noodle Soup

Photo provided by: Stefano Liboni

I never thought I would say this but I miss noodle soup. I know you must have a confused look on your face right now, who in the world misses noodle soup? I would agree if I was talking about noodle soup as North Americans know it but I am not. In fact I am talking about the delicious noodle soup from Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai is a city located in northern Thailand with a population of about 172,000. This busy little city is surrounded by beautiful mountains and forests and was one of my favorite cities I visited. There is so much to do and see in Chiang Mai that everyone ends up staying longer than they expected. The people in northern Thailand live simpler and more relaxed lives than those in the busy city of Bangkok. Due to this there is more authentic family run restaurants and one in particular that introduced me to amazing Thai noodle soup.

This delicious restaurant is called the Blue Shop. I found this shop while wondering down the street from where we were staying, as my boyfriend was quite ill and I didn't have much else to do. I was quite comfortable roaming the streets of Chiang Mai on my own because the people were very friendly and considerate.

Not too far down the street I saw this huge blue colored open restaurant (almost all restaurants are open in Thailand since it is so hot) on the corner, hence the name! It was about time I had eaten something so I wandered in and grabbed a seat. The place was full of Thai people all eating the one thing; many varieties of noodle soup. Not only is the noodle soup here amazing but it is also a great place for tourists because they put very large pictures of all the soups next to the listed item; very useful in a foreign country.

So looking through the pictures I was able to safely pick a simple beef noodle soup. I mean safely because to Thai's all parts of the animal are good to eat (this does NOT apply to taste!) which I had already tried once and had a hard time stomaching it. Noodle soup is a popular meal in Thailand and is made to be customizable, which is the best part.

In Thailand noodle soup is made when you order it, first you choose the type of meat you want in your soup although we would not categorize all the options in that group. Then you pick your noodles as they have many types to choose from, personally I preferred the Sen Lek noodles. They’re a good midsized noodle that stays nicely on your chopsticks. Once you have ordered, the family cooks your noodles in the ready boiling pots, drains them, and mixes in the broth and your chosen meat. Talk about good fast food!

Photo provided by: Su-Lin

It comes to you looking something like this and smelling amazing, but that's not even the best part. The best part is the spices given to you on the side. All noodle soup comes with four seasonings that you can customize your soup with. There is generally a choice of crushed dried red chilies or fresh chili's soaked in oil. You have to be careful not to overdo it when choosing the soaked chili's as the oil holds in the heat.

It is also served with fish sauce which is a common seasoning used in pretty much all Thai food. Although it smells horrible it actually seasons the soup quite nicely if not over used. Sugar is used to make the soup a little bit sweeter. Sounds gross and super unhealthy but makes the soup taste amazing. I often used a bit more sugar than my boyfriend as I liked my soup to taste sweet and spicy whereas he just liked it insanely spicy. Finally, there’s a bottle of vinegar mixed with freshly cut red chilies. The vinegar keeps them from going bad in the heat, and adds a great tang to the soup.

So there you have it! While my description of Thai noodle soup doesn't sound that appetizing, I thought the same thing before I first tried it. But I promised myself that if I was really going to experience Thailand I would have to emerge myself in Thai culture. Ever since that first beef noodle soup at the Blue Shop in Chiang Mai I am always craving it. It remains one of my favorite and most memorable foods I tried in Thailand.