Archive | She Explores RSS feed for this section

Khanom Badin: Thai-Muslim Butter Cake (ขนมบดิน)

By on June 13, 2012 in She Bakes, She Explores, She Thais, She Veges


Here’s the plan: I’m going to shamelessly romanticize a cake in this post. I’m going to say that a cake is not always just a cake – as in the culmination of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar – but that a cake can be more than just a cake. I’m going to tell you about one particular cake and how it’s not just a cake but something meaningful enough to change someone’s direction in life. Then I’m going to turn around and tell you that this is a cake that, after all is said and done, is a delicious cake.

Please let me take you to a lesser known corner of Bangkok whence this cake comes while you’re trying to grasp the gibberish profundity that is the previous paragraph. Here, gimme your hand. You look a little discombobulated. Continue Reading →

Comments are closed

Good Eats in Historic Bang Rak, Bangkok

By on February 26, 2012 in She Eats in Bangkok, She Explores

In case you haven’t noticed, there hasn’t been much cooking going on here lately. This is because I’ve been on the road constantly over the past two months. And, to be honest, when you travel this much, it’s not as fun as it may seem. A nomadic lifestyle has never bothered me; that part isn’t a problem. It’s having no access to a kitchen that gets old really fast.

The glass-half-full people in my life have tried to point out the benefits of not cooking which is not having to do dishes. But these people are crazy, and I know better than to let their optimism dampen my spirit. I miss cooking, and I miss blogging about what I cook.

Until that can happen again, here’s something that hopefully will tide you over. I get tons of emails from my readers asking for Bangkok restaurant recommendations and tips on how to eat “like the locals,” and I hope many find this post helpful.

Well, put on a pair of comfortable shoes and pants with an elastic waist. Then mosey around with me along the portion of 150-year-old Charoen Krung Road from Saphan Taksin BTS Station to the Silom junction for eating in historic Bang Rak is as “like the locals” as it gets. No need to pay for a tour guide; you can do this. The walk isn’t long, the shops are easy to find, and no matter what you point at, chances are it will be good.

For the list of the ten best restaurants and stalls in this area, please go to my CNNGo article. This post merely provides additional commentary. Continue Reading →

Comments are closed

Ganda in Thai Town, Los Angeles, and Its Thai Spicy Crispy Catfish (ผัดเผ็ดปลาดุกทอดกรอบ)

By on January 15, 2012 in She Deglutenizes, She Explores, She Fries, She Interviews, She Thais

catfish recipe

The dish as served at Ganda
 

“Let’s just get right to it,” writes James Oseland. “Ganda, a restaurant in the heart of Hollywood’s Thai Town, serves the most authentic Thai food in America.” Coming from someone else, this bold declaration would probably cause any Thai – and I mean those weaned on rice and nam phrik – to cock their head to one side and squint while inevitably and involuntarily entering the initial stage of knee-jerk skepticism.

But — lo and behold — this comes from someone who happens to know a thing or two about the cuisines of Southeast Asia, and when I read that the editor-in-chief of Saveur ate at this place five days in a row during a visit to Los Angeles, this Thai’s ears perked up.

After her ears had resumed their normal position, as all perked ears must do at some point, she hopped on a plane to California, made three anonymous trips to the restaurant, and sat down for a chat with its owner on her final visit. Continue Reading →

Comments are closed
Older posts Newer posts