Repeat as necessary

Ok. So it isn't really a picture of Khao Soi. It' a picture of some of the ingredients.
Try this one:

You're right. That doesn't really cut it  either, although that is one hell of a sexy red pot (I let it out of my sight to be washed the other night and it now has two small chips in the enamel. What's the term for worn things are more beautiful - "Wabi"?)

Listen. If you want to see a sexy picture of Khao Soi, the "National dish of Chiang Mai", then go to Pim's wonderful blog: "Chez Pim" (http://chezpim.typepad.com/blogs/2003/11/khao_soi_northe.html). That's what Khao Soi looks like. She also has a recipe for the dish, and I'm mentioning it here because when I get a craving for Khao Soi (which is often because it is mind-blowingly-stunningly-fantastic) but don't happen to be in Chiang Mai (which is sadly also as often as my craving) I turn to Pim's recipe because it's a good one. I don't follow it exactly because I can't follow a recipe exactly to save my life (which is why I am a better cook than baker), but you can make a great Khao Soi, just do what she tells you. (I add more of everything and then wrestle it back to what it's supposed to taste like, but it is a "to taste" dish anyway).

My only complaint is that I thought we had red curry paste here, but it was actually yellow curry paste. If I didn't tell you, you probably wouldn't have noticed, but that's just the deal. Use red curry paste. Also, I had a hell of a time frying the noodles which almost blew it for me, but again, see above. As a note, don't buy those awful crunchy paste-y noodles that are commercially available. Get extra of the fresh egg noodles and fry them. That's just the deal.

Lime. Add more lime, and add more fish sauce. You'll have to add more palm sugar (dissolve in hot water), at which point you'll have to add more fish sauce again. Add some more coconut milk and realize that you need more lime. Repeat as necessary until Curtain Call.