Tom Yum Kha Moo

Think of Thai food and the first images that come to mind are fragrant herbs and aromatics — lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime leaves — tropical fruits, creamy curries, stir-fried noodles and jasmine rice.

While these are all typical Thai ingredients and dishes, visitors to the Land of Smiles might be surprised to find that there’s another common ingredient found in everything from noodle soup and phad grapao to simply grilled on a stick — pork.

In the northern part of the country, pork plays a particularly prominent role with local sausages like naem, a fermented sour sausage, and sai oua, stuffed full of chillies and herbs, eaten both in dishes and on their own. 

While pork may not be quite as prevalent in the rest of Thailand, specifically in the deep south where seafood and beef reign supreme, many Thai dishes show influences of traditional Chinese flavours and cooking techniques which regularly include the succulent meat.

At 5-star hotels across the country, talented chefs are raising the humble ingredient up to new levels and, with the Year of the Pig just around the corner in 2019, what better time to take a peek at some thoroughly indulgent pork dishes. 

To bring out the flavours even more, the dish below highlights a pairing recommendation made by Bart Duykers of Andaman Wine Club from each restaurant’s wine list.   andaman-wine-club.com; [email protected]

Four Seasons Chiang Mai

Have you tasted Thailand’s iconic tom yum goong, a memorable spicy and sour soup loaded with ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf and fresh shrimp? At the Four Seasons Chiang Mai, Chef Anchalee Luadkham adds a twist to the traditional dish by switching out shrimp for roasted pork leg and incorporating tamarind, mushroom sauce and fried garlic, resulting in a richer flavour while still being a light soup. Tom Yum Kha Moo is typical of the style of dishes you’ll find at Khao by Four Seasons, which takes diners on inspired culinary journeys inspired by Northern Thai, Burmese and Yunnanese cuisines.

Wine companion: I’m looking for wine by the glass to go with my soup, and first on the white list is the dry and crisp Pinot Grigio from Attems Friuli in Italy. The wine has a luminous, light yellow-gold colour. The bouquet, seductive and pronounced, releases crisp citrus alternating with ripe apricot.

View: fourseasons.com/chiangmai