Khao Kha Moo Chang Phueak (Cowboy Hat Lady) ★ 4.4
The Cowboy Hat Lady's braised pork-leg stall runs to midnight at the North Gate market, among the best cheap late dinners in Chiang Mai when kitchens close.
Try: Khao kha moo
History
Khao kha moo is a Thai-Chinese street staple that found its most famous home at Chiang Mai's Chang Phueak gate, where the goggle-and-cowboy-hat-wearing vendor known nationwide as the Cowboy Hat Lady turned a pork-leg cart into a pilgrimage. The pork leg is simmered for hours in a dark broth of soy, palm sugar, star anise and five spice until the meat and skin fall apart, then chopped over rice with pickled mustard greens, a sharp chilli-garlic vinegar and often a stewed egg. Cheap, rich and comforting, it is the classic Chiang Mai night-market dinner.
Common allergens: Soy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 1 pork leg or hock, about 1.2kg
- 6 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp palm sugar
- 3 star anise
- 1 tbsp five-spice powder
- 6 garlic cloves
- 4 eggs
- Pickled mustard greens and rice, to serve
Method
- Blanch the pork leg in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain.
- In a deep pot combine both soy sauces, palm sugar, star anise, five spice and garlic with 1.5 litres water.
- Add the pork leg, bring to a simmer and cook covered 2.5 to 3 hours until the skin and meat are meltingly soft.
- Add the peeled eggs for the last 30 minutes to stew in the broth.
- Slice the pork over rice, spoon on broth and serve with a halved egg and pickled greens.
Tip from the editors. Keep the braise at a bare simmer; a hard boil toughens the skin instead of rendering it to silk.
Where to eat khao kha moo
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