Khao man kai, rice cooked in chicken broth and paired with slices of poached chicken, a dish with roots on the Chinese island of Hainan, is served by thousands of vendors in just about every corner of Thailand. Many vendors claim to serve the dish in the style of Betong. To see what form the dish takes at its source, head to this predominantly Chinese community, Thailand’s southernmost town.
Follow the stream of locals and tourists to this raucous shack minutes from the border with Malaysia. Known in Thai as Charoen Khao Man Kai, it’s not the only place in Betong to get the dish, but it’s almost certainly the most popular. The chicken here comes from a local breed, and has a texture that packs a pleasant snap and a deeply savory flavor.
This is flanked by rich, fragrant, perfectly-cooked rice, a bowl of clear, peppery chicken broth, and two dips. Thais are particularly obsessed with the latter, and the dips here—one based around soy sauce and sesame oil, another a tart/savory/salty fermented soy bean concoction—are excellent.
