Sometimes pork bones or catfish or snakehead fish, dried grilled fish or crispy pork can be used. Lanna people also add crab paste for special flavor. (Siriwit Chamrat, personal communication, June 15, 2007; Rattana Phromphichai, 1999, p. 487)
1. Peel bamboo shoots and slice thinly. Boil until it is cooked and tastes sweet.
2. Pound trianda leave and extract liquid to boil with bamboo shoots.
3. Pound together all ingredients for chili paste until pulverized.
4. Stir into pot with bamboo shoots and boil for 5-10 minutes.
5. Add acacia insuvais and betel leaves. Season with to taste.
To boil bamboo shoots, put bamboo shoots in before heating. This will make it have a sweet taste. Extraces of tamarind leaves give a nice blend of flavors.
Use fresh, tender bamboo shoots. Recommended varieties are phai tong (Asper Becker ex. Heyne B.), phai bong (Nutans Wall B) and phai rai (albociliata Munro B.). Remove the hard outer peeling and pound just to split apart and boil.
Rattana Phromphichai.(1999). Kaeng No Mai.inSaranukrom WattanathaiPhak Nuea(Vol. 1, p. 487). Bangkok: Saranukrom Wattanathamthai, Siam Commercial Bank.