California has wonderful produce, but some things simply cannot be substituted. We explain our sourcing philosophy and why the heat in our curries is non-negotiable.
California grows remarkable produce. We use local vegetables, local citrus, and local pork for most of what comes out of our kitchen. But there are a handful of things we import, and the most important of these are our dried chilies.
The difference is real
Prik kee noo, bird's eye chili, grown in California is hotter but less fragrant than the Thai variety. It's a Capsicum annuum vs. Capsicum frutescens difference that shows up clearly in a finished curry. You get heat without the floral, slightly fermented undertone that makes Thai food taste like Thai food rather than just spicy food.
We use three varieties of imported dried chili depending on the dish: prik haeng for depth, prik chee fah for color and moderate heat, and prik kee noo haeng for the sharp finish in our naam prik pastes. They arrive vacuum-packed every six weeks from a supplier in Chiang Rai that Noi's family has used for twenty years.
On cost
Importing adds cost. We absorb it rather than cutting corners, because serving a curry made with the wrong chili would mean the whole dish is slightly off. Our guests, particularly those who grew up eating this food, would notice immediately. Trust is more valuable than margin.
What we don't compromise on
Beyond chilies: our fish sauce is Tiparos or Megachef, never substituted. Our shrimp paste is imported. Our kaffir lime leaves come from a small farm in Riverside that grows the Thai variety specifically. Palm sugar over cane sugar in anything that needs a caramel note. These are not choices we revisit every year. They're fixed.
