Enter Pa Mai, a rustic eatery in landlocked Phuket Town, and before anything else, you’ll be presented with a stainless steel plate of thin, round, gleaming white rice noodles known as khanom jiin. Cheap, infinitely customizable and, perhaps most importantly for southern Thais, spicy, it’s one of the most beloved dishes in the south.
More a style of eating than a dish, khanom jiin is the name of the noodles in Thai, but it also refers to a spread of curries and a DIY selection of toppings. Do you want to pair those noodles with a creamy, spicy crab curry? An herbaceous, spicy beef green curry? An incendiary, salty curry of fish and vegetables? (Yes, they’re all spicy.)
Decision made, you then escort your dish to your table, where there’s a vast spread of toppings: a heaping platter of herbs and vegetables to pluck from, crispy dried fish, slices of pineapple, hard-boiled eggs, vegetables simmered in coconut milk, pickled mustard greens and more. Supplement your dish as you wish, then dig in.
