Isan is an area of north eastern Thailand. Interestingly most people that come from the region will tell you they come from Kalasin.  My wife says the same. Last June was the first time that she was actually in Kalasin. But that’s another story. They have their own dialect in Isan as well as a different diet as compared to people from Bangkok.

So there we were in Springvale a couple of weeks ago…. OK, OK. Where is Springvale? You may well ask.  I didn’t know either untill about 18 months ago when Nuch came over from Thailand.  Springvale is the quintessential hub, the Mecca if you like, of anything Asian in Melbourne. It was there that Nuch spotted the essential equipment for making sticky rice. Pronounced kow ne-ow.  Basically an aluminium pot and a bamboo basket for steaming. 

Well….. now armed with the equipment we had to get the ingredients of course.  What goes with kow ne-ow is of course the Isan style papaya salad named som tum. You really don’t have one without the other. That would be like an Aussie having a pie without sauce.  “Salad” is probably not the right adjective to use in this case as it conjures up images of lettuce and dressing and the like.  Som tum is a brew mixed with a mortar and pestle. Not unlike alchemists used in China to make gun powder.  The only difference being that som tum is more potent.  The secret ingredient being chili of course. Not to mention the smelly fish (Blah).  OK enough said about the fish.  Now you fry some chicken and there you have it, dinner, Isan style.