Peak to Peak at Dalaya Thai

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A chef from Northern Thailand finds a home away from home in Western North Carolina

It was a scenic spot by the river in Sylva, North Carolina, that drew chef Kanlaya Supachana down to the area from New York in 2016. Originally from Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, Supachana, who goes by Chef Gun, had been living and cooking in New York since 1998 and opened her own restaurant, Kao Soy, in 2014. There, her rendition of the namesake dish, a rich and savory coconut curry with fresh and fried noodles and dark chicken meat called khao soi, drew in then–New York Times food critic Pete Wells, who called the dish excellent and gave the restaurant one star.

A friend of Supachana enticed her to visit the town of Sylva, a place she had never been but was immediately attracted to because it reminded her of her own hometown in Thailand—mountainous with cool evenings and a small population. On that trip, she saw the spot by the river (it had been an auto repair shop, followed by a sandwich place). “There were mostly fast-food places nearby and I wasn’t sure how people there would like my food,” she says. “But I was confident after I saw that spot on the creek.”

Before opening Dalaya Thai Cuisine, Supachana took opportunities to cater at nearby Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, which is when she realized she’d have no trouble finding customers. “I would talk to the professors and realized many of them had traveled to Thailand,” she says. Meanwhile, she renovated the space to add a larger kitchen and also worked with a local nonprofit, Clean Slate, all the while developing a fanbase for her cooking. Dalaya opened in September 2019—and in March 2020, everything came to a halt. Supachana soon started offering takeout and opened a window for people to pick up food. Customers started showing up from neighboring towns, making big orders to help feed others in their own communities. Some customers sent checks to help the servers.

Since then, Dalaya has found a faithful following, and in 2024, Supachana was named a nominee for the James Beard Award’s Best Chef: Southeast.

The restaurant is back open for seating both in the dining room and out on the spacious patio; Supachana hopes to install a garden by the creek to add to the atmosphere and deepen her connection to the place. The Thai chef also appreciates Sylva’s small-town energy; recently a contractor came to do some work on the building, and they worked the payment out through trade. “Trading was a big thing in my hometown, and you can only do that in a small town like this,” she says. “It’s something I really enjoy.”

Dalaya’s menu is made up mostly of the dishes Supachana brought with her from Chiang Mai, as well as some traditional Thai street food dishes, like muu ping, or pork skewers made from Hickory Nut Gap pork. Supachana has worked hard to incorporate regional ingredients, especially proteins, like Sunburst farmed trout and Springer Mountain chicken, into her dishes. And while the khao soi is hands down the most popular dish on the menu (she makes it the way her father did, she says), Supachana’s sai-ua is also a signature: The housemade sausage is made with pork, lemongrass, galangal, and cilantro root and is served with a green chili dipping sauce, sticky rice, and cooling cucumbers and squash.

“Not long ago, no one around here really knew my food unless they had traveled to Thailand, or to Chiang Mai,” she says. “Now, they all know it. They ask for it.”

Image courtesy of Evan Anderson

Nam Prik Ong

yields

Serves 4

ingredients

• 12 dried bird’s-eye chiles
  

• 10 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
  

• 6 medium shallots, chopped
  

• 1 tablespoon shrimp paste
  

• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
  

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
  

• 1 pound ground pork
  

• 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, chopped
  

• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  

• 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
  

• (green and white parts)
  

• Diced fresh chayote, lettuce leaves,
  

• diced Thai eggplant, and pork rinds for serving

steps

1. Place chiles in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 20 minutes to soften, then drain.
2. With a large mortar and pestle or in a food processor, pound or pulse chiles, garlic, shallots, shrimp paste, and salt until a coarse paste forms. Makes 3⁄4 cup.
3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chile paste and cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add pork and cook until pork is no longer pink, 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until they have completely softened and pork is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and scallions.
4.  Serve with chayote, lettuce leaves, Thai eggplant, and pork rinds.

Image courtesy of Evan Anderson

Khao Soi

yields

Serves 4

For the curry paste:


• 8-10 dried Thai chile peppers
  

• 10 garlic cloves
  

• 5 Kaffir lime leaves 4 medium shallots, halved
  

• 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and
  

• thinly sliced (1⁄3 cup)
  

• 1 (2-inch) piece fresh turmeric, peeled
  

• and thinly sliced (1⁄3 cup)
  

• 1⁄4 cup chopped coriander root or z
  

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped
  

• cilantro stems
  

• 2 tablespoons sliced lemongrass
  

• (1⁄2 lemongrass stalk)
  

• 1 tablespoon shrimp paste
  

• 1 tablespoon curry powder
  

• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons toasted coriander seeds,
  

• ground
  

• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons toasted cardamom pods,
  

• seeds removed and ground
  

• 1⁄2 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds,
  

• ground
  

For the khao soi:


• 3 cups coconut milk, divided
  

• 1 1⁄4 cups curry paste
  

• 1 1⁄2 pounds chicken legs, drumsticks
  

• and thighs separated (4 legs)
  

• 1 1⁄2 cups canola oil
  

• 4 ounces thin egg noodles
  

• 12 ounces thick egg noodles
  

• 2 tablespoons palm sugar
  

• Salt to taste
  

• Cilantro sprigs, pickled mustard greens,
  

• 1 sliced shallot, chile oil, and lime wedges for serving

steps

1.  Make the curry paste: Place dried chiles in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and let soak until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain chiles, reserving soaking liquid.
2. In a food processor, pulse together chiles, garlic, Kaffir lime leaves, shallots, ginger, turmeric, coriander root (or cilantro stems), lemongrass, shrimp paste, curry powder, coriander seeds, cardamom seeds, cumin seeds, and 2 to 4 tablespoons of the chile soaking liquid (as needed) to make a paste. Should make about 1 1⁄4 cups.
3. Make the soup: In a large heavy pot, heat 1 cup of coconut milk over medium-high heat. When coconut milk begins to simmer, add curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid has thickened and reduced, 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and remaining 2 cups of coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add chicken, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and tender, 40 to 45 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, fry noodles until golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
5. Cook thick egg noodles according to package directions until al dente. Rinse under cold water and set aside.
6. Stir palm sugar into soup. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt. Divide soup, egg noodles, and fried noodles among 4 bowls and serve with cilantro, pickled mustard greens, shallots, chile oil, and lime wedges.

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