Sai Ua (ไส้อั่ว) - Thai Herb Sausage at Ton Payom Market (ตลาดต้นพยอม), Chiang Mai

Sai ua (ไส้อั่ว) is northern Thai sausage, and one of the serious gems of northern Lanna cuisine - it’s something I really look forward to eating when I take a trip to the north of Thailand. The sausage is famous especially in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Sai ua (ไส้อั่ว) is much more than just a sausage, it’s an herb infused, spicy sauce, that’s absolutely packed with flavor and fragrance.

In Chiang Mai, you’ll find tons of vendors selling sai ua (ไส้อั่ว), everyone with their slightly own unique recipe. The basic ingredients that go into the sausage are ground pork, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, chilies, and then a handful of other dry seasoning and spices. I’ve had quite a few different version in Chiang Mai, some of them are more fatty and more porky, while others are more herb filled and spicy. It all sort of depends on your personal preference which version you like and for myself it sort of depends on the mood I’m in. Most of the time I tend to prefer the herb filled version of sai ua (ไส้อั่ว).