Salim with the slurp factor

Anyone with a craving for somtam kai yang will quickly find a street stall or restaurant selling the Northeast’s best-loved staples, though it’s true that some Isaan outlets produce better variations of spicy papaya salad and grilled chicken than others. Finding a truly authentic serving of the traditional Isaan dessert known as salim can prove much harder though, but Nomjit Kai Yang on Soi Ekamai promises not to disappoint.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Nomjit’s chilled salim is velvety and sweet. Those of us who were raised on salim in its three typical colours of bright pink, green and white might say that Nomjit’s salim looks just like the Thai dessert lodchong. Yes, they are similar but the strings in the salim are much thinner, longer and more evenly pressed and its tangled lumps make it a real challenge for polite slurping. 

Nomjit’s salim is also healthily green because, rather than adding the usual food colouring to the dessert, the owner decided it would be even better to reap the natural benefits of pandanus leaves, hence the natural fragrance and colour. Their coconut syrup is also excellently prepared and contains no chemical extracts. Don’t you love a restaurant that cares?

Dessert aside, Nomjit Kai Yang also serves really delicious Isaan food. The menu is small but it’s packed with all-time favourites at prices that won’t hurt the pocket. They have a good selection of somtam made with salted black crabs, urban-style with dried shrimps and string beans and rural style with the fermented pla ra fish. The dried shrimps here are not the scary bright orange ones you see at other eateries but a softer, subtler shade of pink. While the grilled pork neck, marbled beef, pork tongue, ox liver, sun-dried beef, pork or Isaan-style pork tod mun are among the staples, the star is the restaurant’s namesake: crispy grilled chicken which is best enjoyed with bare hands and rolled sticky rice dipped into the spicy jaew sauce of toasted chilli and lime.    

I always order sidedishes of pork namtok, pork larb and pladuk (catfish) larb. These three dishes are fragrant and zesty with ground toasted rice, toasted dried chilli, limes, nam pla and herbs. The pork in the namtok is always marbled, hence soft and juicy. And the larb pladuk is excellently prepared with finely sliced kaffir lime leaves that remove any fish odour while enhancing the taste.

Nomjit Kai Yang has many more dishes that are well worth sampling including Isaan vegetables, bamboo shoots, soups, somtam with salted egg or fresh shrimp larb. The Ekamai branch, which caters to the urban crowd, tends to go easy with the spices while the Srinakarin goes full-throttle on the flavours. If you want something milder, tell the waiter.

 

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<< Nomjit Kai Yang is located on Ekamai Soi 18. Call (02) 392-8000, (02) 392-4019.

<< The Srinakarin branch is in Baan Nomjit Building, Suan Luang district. Call (02) 720 5071-2

<< Both are open daily from 9am to 9pm and closed every fourth Tuesday.

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