Chiang Mai, Thailand

The Chiang Mai Gate Market runs every evening along the road just outside the south gate of the old city wall, setting up at dusk and running until the vendors sell out. It is a working neighbourhood market rather than a tourist night bazaar, which means the prices are lower and the sai oua is made to the standards the local customers expect. Grilled to order over charcoal, the sai oua comes in short coiled links, the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf in the filling charred at the edges and fragrant from the heat. Vendors sell by weight or by link, wrapped in a banana leaf with sticky rice on the side. The south gate location puts it close to the university and the old quarter, and the crowd at peak hours is mostly Thai.