Another dish I had a few times while I was in Chiang Mai was this curry called gang hang lae. It is sometimes called a Burmese curry. Northern Thailand was occupied by the Burmese for several hundred years and this is one of the dishes that was adopted. I remember also eating this dish in Sangklaburi in Kanchanaburi Province. This is also near the Burmese border. In some ways it is a bit like a mussaman curry which I have eaten often. It even has peanuts. They also both taste sweet, sour and salty. There are of course different versions of this recipe but it is usually made with pork belly and ribs.
Two curry pastes are used. First curry paste: red chilies, galangal, lemongrass, ginger, red turmeric, red shallot, garlic, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, star anise, cassia bark, cloves and cardamon pods. Next, a garlic and ginger paste. To cook this dish, first blanch the pork belly and ribs. Then, in a pan heat some oil and fry the garlic and ginger paste until golden brown. Add the curry paste and pork and simmer for a few minutes. Then add shallots, ginger, pickled garlic and peanuts. Season with palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind water. Pour in stock until it covers everything and simmer for about one hour. This dish tends to keep well so restaurants always cook a lot in one go. If you go to Chiang Mai, then shop around as you will find different versions.
