Mae Sri Bua is a Shan restaurant in Mae Hong Son. The owner/chef, Mae Sri Bua is a native of the city and has been at this a long time. She has trouble walking nowadays, but still manages to make some pretty good eats.
On my first visit to the restaurant I had had jin lung, the meatballs pictured at the top of this post. This a Shan dish you see everywhere in Mae Hong Son and it's made by pounding meat (the above were made with pork, but beef or fish can also used) with fresh herbs and veggies including lemongrass, garlic, galangal, fresh chilis, shallots, turmeric and tomato. The paste is shaped into meatballs that are then deep-fried. The meatballs are spicy and strong and would put any Swede to shame. Alongside this is some sort of curried vegetable that Mae Sri Bua claims has medicinal properties, and in the small bowl nam phrik khua, another popular Shan side dish that combines dried chili, deep-fried crispy garlic and a grilled soybean paste.
On another visit I had this:
kaeng hang ley, a Burmese-style pork curry, and kaeng ho, a northern Thai-style stir-fry. The former was probably the best version of the dish I've had in a long time, and was incredibly rich as well as fragrant from the thin slices of ginger. I think it could be even better if the pork belly was slowly braised until fall-apart tender. I've already bought the necessary ingredients and am definitely planning to make this one when I get home. If I get a chance, I'll share the recipe here.
Mae Sri Bua 51 Th Singhanatbamrung, Mae Hong Son 053 612 471 8.30am-6.30pm