The citrusy, sour note in the sauce often comes from the peel of som sa, a Thai citrus fruit similar to citron.

[4] The dish has a legend, when King Rama V visited the people by boat in the Talad Phlu area and smelled the noodles that a Chinese immigrant named "Chin Li" (จีนหลี) stir-frying at that time.

Both use old recipes from the reign of King Rama V.[5][1] The dish was mentioned by Carrie Bradshaw in an episode of Sex and the City.

It is listed as one of several items Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory gets on The Gang's weekly Thai food night.

Eric Cartman mentions the dish in the South Park episode "It Hits the Fan", although he expresses a strong dislike for it.