COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – October 23, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
Nakhon Luang Thai Kitchen is marking September’s National Rice Month by examining how rice functions across its regional Thai cuisine, from three separate fried rice preparations to the toasted rice powder folded into its Isan-style salads.
The restaurant’s printed menu treats rice as several distinct components rather than a single side dish. Steamed rice, brown rice and sticky rice are each listed separately among the restaurant’s sides, and guests may substitute brown rice for steamed rice with any curry or stir-fried dish. Sticky rice also appears in two desserts, Mango Sunset and a sweet course paired with Thai custard. Three fried rice preparations, basil, Thai-style and pineapple, are each built on a different base of egg, vegetables and, in one case, curry powder. A separate rice-based soup, the restaurant’s Chicken Rice Soup, cooks rice directly in a clear chicken broth rather than serving it as a side. Toasted rice powder, ground from raw grains, is mixed into the kitchen’s Larb and Nam Tok beef salads, an Isan-style technique that adds texture rather than serving as a starch. The menu’s Teriyaki Chicken entrée is the only dish that lists jasmine rice by name as part of its description, pairing it with grilled chicken and vegetables. Two additional entrées, Pad Pong Ka Rhee Seafood and Pad Prik Pao Seafood, are listed as served with rice, separate from the fried rice dishes that incorporate the grain directly into the dish itself. The sides list also offers a Side of Fried Rice alongside its plain steamed, brown and sticky rice options as well. The children’s menu carries its own Kid’s Fried Rice, served in the same style as the adult dish for younger diners.
“Rice appears in nearly every course of Thai and Lao cooking, from the toasted rice powder in larb to the sticky rice served with mango,” said Toui Phommalath, chef and co-owner of Nakhon Luang Thai Kitchen. “The kitchen treats each preparation as distinct rather than interchangeable.”
National Rice Month originated with a 1990 Public Law 101-492 designation by Congress, an anniversary later confirmed by a 2010 resolution; President George H.W. Bush proclaimed the first formal observance for September 1991. The observance has continued each September since, promoted annually by the USA Rice Federation through recipe campaigns encouraging home cooks to prepare rice dishes from a range of global cuisines. Nakhon Luang Thai Kitchen opened earlier this year in the Rockrimmon neighborhood of Colorado Springs, built around Chef Phommalath’s culinary background in Laos and Bangkok-rooted influences from co-founder Lilly Boonyapapong. The menu spans Bangkok, Isan, Northern Thai, Southern Thai and Lao cooking traditions. The restaurant’s name, Nakhon Luang, draws on Bangkok’s ceremonial history and a Lao term for a royal or central city, a detail featured on its website. Other menu items, including the restaurant’s Chiang Mai-style Khao Soi, are built on egg noodles rather than rice, reflecting the range of starches used across different regions.
“Rice sits in the background of a lot of Thai cooking, but it never disappears,” said Lilly Boonyapapong, co-owner of Nakhon Luang Thai Kitchen. “Whether it’s plain steamed rice next to a curry or toasted into a salad, it’s doing work on the plate.”
Additional information about Nakhon Luang Thai Kitchen, including its full menu of rice, noodle and curry dishes, is available at https://nakhonluangthaicos.com.
Nakhon Luang Thai Kitchen is a Thai and Lao restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colorado, offering dishes drawn from Bangkok, Isan, Northern Thai, Southern Thai and Lao culinary traditions alongside a Thai-inspired cocktail program. The restaurant is located at 805 Village Center Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80919. For more information, call (719) 531-5175 or visit nakhonluangthaicos.com.
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For more information about Nakhon Luang Thai Kitchen, contact the company here:
Nakhon Luang Thai Kitchen
Toui Phommalath
(719) 531-5175
eat@nakhonluangthaicos.com
805 Village Center Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80919, United States
