The Mango Tree Café Kawasaki on the fourth floor of Lazona Kawasaki Plaza, a major shopping complex in the heart of the city of 1 million.

It specialises in traditional dishes like som tam gai Yangon, spicy papaya salad with grilled chicken with shredded papaya, green beans, tomatoes, garlic, peanuts, red chillies, palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice to create a balance of spicy, sweet, salty and sour flavours. This light yet fiery salad is then served with grilled chicken.

Largely rural, the Isan region borders Laos, Cambodia and the Mekong River and is home to thousands of farms and ranches which grow much of Thailand’s fresh produce. With an abundance of fresh produce available, Isan has developed a rich culinary culture and is now considered to be the culinary heart of Thailand.

Mango Tree Japan has launched a book on Isan cookery in Japanese, supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.