Northern Pork Curry (Gaeng Hang Lay)
A deeply savoury, tamarind-sour pork belly curry from Chiang Mai, built on ginger, turmeric and curry powder with no coconut milk at all. Slow-simmered until the pork is tender and the sauce turns thick and glossy, this is Northern Thailand's great Burmese-influenced classic.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Marinate the pork
In a large bowl, toss the pork belly cubes with the turmeric, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 tablespoon of the curry powder, rubbing it into the meat with your hands. Leave at room temperature for 15–20 minutes so the pork takes on colour and flavour.
- 1 kg pork belly
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp curry powder
✅ Done when: the pork looks evenly yellow-gold and smells fragrant of turmeric
Pound the curry paste
Soak the dried chilies in warm water for 10 minutes until soft, then drain. Pound or blend them with the shallots, half the garlic, half the ginger, the lemongrass and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, adding a splash of water if needed, until you have a fairly smooth, fine paste.
- 8 dried red chilies
- 60 g shallots
- 25 g garlic (half)
- 25 g ginger (half)
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- ½ tsp salt
✅ Done when: the paste is smooth with no large chunks, and smells strongly of chili and lemongrass
Fry the paste
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Brown the pork
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Simmer low and slow
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Reduce until thick
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Serve
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Marinate the pork
In a large bowl, toss the pork belly cubes with the turmeric, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 tablespoon of the curry powder, rubbing it into the meat with your hands. Leave at room temperature for 15–20 minutes so the pork takes on colour and flavour.
- 1 kg pork belly
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp curry powder
✅ Done when: the pork looks evenly yellow-gold and smells fragrant of turmeric
Pound the curry paste
Soak the dried chilies in warm water for 10 minutes until soft, then drain. Pound or blend them with the shallots, half the garlic, half the ginger, the lemongrass and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, adding a splash of water if needed, until you have a fairly smooth, fine paste.
- 8 dried red chilies
- 60 g shallots
- 25 g garlic (half)
- 25 g ginger (half)
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- ½ tsp salt
✅ Done when: the paste is smooth with no large chunks, and smells strongly of chili and lemongrass
Fry the paste
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Brown the pork
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Simmer low and slow
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Reduce until thick
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Gaeng Hang Lay traces back to the long centuries when the Lanna kingdom around Chiang Mai had close ties with Burmese and Shan courts, which left a deep mark on Northern Thai cooking. Unlike the coconut-milk curries of central and southern Thailand, this one leans on ginger, garlic, tamarind and dry curry powder for its character, a style brought over the mountains rather than up from the sea.
Today it remains a festive dish, cooked in big pots for temple fairs, weddings and ordination ceremonies in the North, usually alongside sticky rice and other Northern Thai specialties.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's one of the few Thai curries made without coconut milk, prized for its tender pork belly, deep tamarind sourness, and the little bursts of sweet-sour pickled garlic folded through the sauce.
💡 Fun Fact
The name "Hang Lay" is thought to come from a Shan or Burmese word, a reminder that this very Thai-feeling curry actually crossed the border long before Chiang Mai became part of Thailand.
Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand
18.79°N, 98.99°E
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