Archive for Food
November 29, 2009 at 12:04 am · Filed under Food, Thailand
Whenever several guidebooks consistently name the same must-try dish, you bet that it’s on my itinerary. In Chiang Mai, this dish is Khao Soi — which means “cut rice”.
Originally introduced from Burma, Chiang Mai’s variation uses egg noodles instead of its pure rice namesake.
The egg noodles and minced pork are drenched in a curry-like broth of tumeric, coconut milk and other spices. Piping hot, served garnished with the signature deep-fried noodles and cilantro.
For those looking for more flavour, the bowl is always accompanied at the side by sliced raw shallots, pickled salty mustard greens, a wedge of lime, and (of course) the ubiquitous roasted chilli paste.
For my Singaporean-Malaysian brethren, Khao Soi sounds suspiciously like laksa. Indeed the taste is like laksa, but much milder, with more hints of curry spices than coconut milk or chilli.
Sadly, this dish is not found is most Thai restaurants elsewhere in the world, which almost exclusively serve Southern Thai cuisine.
However if you chance upon it, do yourself a favor by trying this wonderful cousin of laksa.
June 12, 2009 at 1:16 am · Filed under Food
Guest post by Marianne
I love watching street hawkers do their thing. A Char Kway Teow Uncle who dances as he fries, or a Chicken Rice Aunty chopping chicken to a beat—they never fail to amuse me.
As I watch this hawker skillfully make Khanom Pack Mon, I fell into the same “Hawker Trance”.
First, he spreads a very thin layer of rice flour mixture onto an oiled cloth stretched above the piping hot steamer.
Then, he places a ball of shrimp and chilli filling on each side. A wooden spatula is used to split the circle in half.
In seconds, he skillfully folds the thin rice sheet over …
… and forms two ‘dumplings’.
To rhythmically fold and wrap something so soft and fragile without breaking, his effortless demeanor masks years of practice.
To my delight, the hawker repeats the same actions again and again, honing his skills as he sells box after box.
Pop one into your mouth and you taste a sensuous silky layer enveloping a ball of umami awesomeness. The somewhat bland rice flour skin and robust filling perfectly balance in a tiny bite-sized morsel.
I loved it as much as I’ve enjoyed watching him make it.
April 28, 2009 at 6:08 am · Filed under Food, Thailand, Transit, Unusual
Dedicated to the random culinary mishaps whilst wandering between Thailand’s towns.
You know how refreshing sugarcane juice can be on a hot day?
Well good news is, there’s just TONS of sugarcane in Southern Thailand. TONS.
You can buy raw sugarcane stalks, nicely cut to bite size portions, just about anywhere.
Bad news is, gnawing on raw sugarcane does not quench your thirst. It MAKES you more thirsty!!
The sugar already makes your throat dry. To make it worse, the fibres soak up every drop of saliva, every attempt your mouth tries to rehydrate. Then it becomes chewing sawdust!
Speaking of thirsty, imagine when you spot a bottle of Singha on the menu. For 20 bahts only!! Ah the joy!
And always, always, ALWAYS check the “kitchen” first before ordering any street food.
Here’s a stall that sells green mango salad (yummy!) … garnished with roasted meat (yummy!).
(To be fair, it’s probably the very edible and delicious delicacy known as “bamboo rats”. I’m sure Thai people are nice enough to warn you beforehand—if they know you’re an ignorant tourist. But you may never know …)
February 5, 2009 at 3:21 am · Filed under Culture, Food, Thailand
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Thailand’s night markets so far. Not only do I get to sample truly local dishes, I pay truly local prices!
I was looking forward to what Sukhothai has to offer.
Hmm, popcorn?
Nope. Not convinced these are “special” Thai popcorn. Next!
Hmmmmmm, donuts.
Where’s the local food?! God dammit, I’m not going to settle for this!
(continues hunt)
Hey this is promising, bet it’s a Khanom-something, but I need savoury food first.
And wait … is that, MORE POPCORN? (bewildered)
A-HA! PAD THAI! Okay, mmm not freshly made but it’s local. (buys takeaway and rejoins group)
So Julius, what did you get?
Pizza.
At least there’s “Thai” chicken floss on it.
(In hindsight, finding local dishes at Southeast-Asian night markets never got this hard again. What’s up Sukhothai?)
August 1, 2008 at 4:01 am · Filed under Food, Thailand
Guest Post by Marianne (The Chef)
Along the streets of Thailand (notably Nakhon Pathom), you’ll see stalls with curious stacks of bamboo on them. Look behind and you’ll find a machete-wielding man!
He shouts,
Dtrai Nèung Roi Baht!
Then after sensing we’re not locals…
3 for 100 Baht, Sticky Rice, Velli Nice … you want?
These bundles of bamboo are Nakhon Pathom’s famous Khao Lam (trans: ข้าวหลาม, Thai for glutinous rice cooked in bamboo).
The rice is soaked for several hours than mixed with coconut milk and sugar. Then this mixture is stuffed into bamboo trunks that are sealed on both ends with banana leaves and steamed.
Variations include using dark or white glutinous rice, adding black beans or egg custard. Like many traditional recipes, every vendor claims their version is the best.
We ordered three of mixed variety. The vendor whips out her machete and swiftly splits them in a blink. Raffia string is then tied for easy transport. Mimicking locals, we stood at the bus stop clawing away with our fingers.
Unfortunately, I personally did not like khao lam but the boys seemed to enjoy it. The ones we had were too sweet for my taste and the glutinous rice just does not do it for me. However, I have to say the the rice (having been cooked in bamboo) absorbed a woody flavour and produced a very unique aroma.
I can see why the locals make this dish their staple; you can easily cycle home or get on the bus with khao lam slinged over your shoulders. It tastes good eaten hot or cold, is very filling and relatively cheap.
Be careful not to eat too much! According to Thai tradition, sticky rice puts you fast asleep if more than a couple of handfuls are eaten.
March 12, 2008 at 11:42 pm · Filed under Culture, Food, Thailand, Unusual
When night falls in Nakhon Pathom, a night market emerges underneath the twilight shadow of a great chedi. A lone man appears with his stall, unassuming at first but his unshakable aura of confidence – soon follows.
Reaching his usual spot at the market, he picks up his ice cream scoop. He looks around, searching and suddenly, makes eye contact with you. A wave of energy rushes forth from him and he SNAPS into his starting position!!
He looks you in the eye and bellows,
SATU, DUA, TIGAAAAAA – AN YOUNG HA SAY OHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! (안녕하세요 – Thanks Sae Hoon)
Whips out a red fan from nowhere – splays it above, below and next to him. Fan disappears. And in a split second – a blur of movements ensues, like a drunken martial arts master he assumes one contorted pose after another.
The master finishes his moves, final stance. Then slowly tilts his head up.
A PIECE OF ICE CREAM HAS BEEN LAUNCHED, IT’S FLYING IN THE AIR!!!
Time slows down, the silence became deafening, it sails across the air in a curve, slowing spinning along its trajectory … and it lands!
Perfectly in the cup held by his accomplice from the audience, 20 metres away!
The crowd erupts in applause!!! The master bows! Our minds, blown away!
And before you know it, another unmistakable wave of energy …
SATU, DUA, TIGAAAAAA – AN YOUNG HA SAY OHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 5, 2007 at 5:47 pm · Filed under Food, Thailand
I had the great pleasure of experiencing Thai hospitality first hand from Marianne’s Le Cordon Bleu classmate, Aummy (pronounced: Oo-Mee).
And this is her warm family – Aummy’s Mummy & Daddy …
Aummy and her Dad can speak English very well, but her mum can only speak Thai. Even so, language is hardly a factor in their generosity. The whole time I was stucked indoors (because of the allergy), her mum kept offering food all day to me with sign language !!
Speaking of food, the moment we arrived in Bangkok we were treated to an excellent authentic Thai dinner outside (we were surviving on street food, just to provide you contrast). Our stomachs were packed to the brim and just as when we thought it was over, we arrived at her home to see TONS of Thai desserts. It was like Hansel & Gretel’s “Exotic Asian” Gingerbread House.
These were the plates that could fit on the small coffee table. There were many more tubs of Thai pastries, cookies, “Khanom Bu Yong” and et cetera below the table.
Sticky Rice Mangoes
“Foi Thong” family of desserts – christened by its namesake, the noodle-looking ones. Round ones are Thong Yot. Cupcake ones are Thong Yip. They are all made of egg yolks and sugar, apparently a Portugese influence.
Umi if you are reading this, I told you I will try my best to remember the names !
I think at this point Julius suffered photographic overloaded and stopped snapping the other goodies.
November 13, 2007 at 7:03 am · Filed under Food, Thailand, Unusual
For those not in the know, I’ve been reminding myself to be game enough to try “bugs” during this romp through Southeast Asia. Thinking it’ll most likely happen later in the trip, the Great Cosmic Interference has decided to bring the Bug Hawker to me during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. How convenient, but really …. this is too soon!!
Agh !!! I could still remember the smell of it looking at the photo. There are four species here – caterpillars, silkworms, grasshoppers and crickets – or at least that’s what I think they are.
After a few bites, Ben and Marianne timed out. Julius and I pressed on, Piece by Piece … Bug by Bug !!! But even with half a bag finished in 5 minutes, it was too slow …. our gagging reflex was fast catching up with us – trying to knock some sense into us. There’s only one way to solve this ….. a BUG BINGEEEEEEEE !!
*BUrP*
In hindsight, it kind of tasted like really really crunchy deep fried prawn crackers in curry powder. But the thought of a cricket leg stuck in between my teeth … mmmm …
November 9, 2007 at 8:13 pm · Filed under Food, Thailand
The Vegetarian Festival now practiced wherever there’s Chinese in Thailand are started by the Hokkiens in Phuket a little more than a hundred years ago (or something like that). Phuket Town does look remarkably like an inland version of Georgetown except the vegetarian food is not really that appetizing.
The few Hokkiens I bump into cannot muster more than a few words of Hokkien, relegating Hokkien as their parents’ language, not theirs. In a strange twist, many Thais are happily adopted the Vegetarian Festival as their own custom. Things here are not as clear cut as Malaysia, which shows that people DO get along well if they want it to.
We went to Bang Niew Shrine to see the raising of the Lantern Pole, which was quite an thrilling experience. Everyone was staring at this massive pole (carved from a single tree!) occasionally slip a few times over a large crowd of people. More like hair-raising.
An aural experience as well, if you can mix in your head the sound of firecrackers, lion dance music, and 10 people trying to give orders to 5 other people.
November 9, 2007 at 8:08 pm · Filed under Food, Thailand
I know this doesn’t count as food but it’s definitely a gastronomical post. I saw these little buckets stacked with tiny bottles of spirits, which I thought was Thailand’s weird way of tagging liquor prices. Then we saw a bunch of people sipping from some strangely familiar buckets, hmm.
After some shopping around, we decide to settle for the 400 Baht – Ballantine’s Whiskey + Red Bull + Coca Cola combo!!
Looks awesome, huh. We were kinda of sipping it slowly until someone came up with the idea of a drinking game using Koo Chi Par (For you Singaporeans, Chi Par Koo) !!! Finished it in less than 5 minutes … brutal.
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