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 →

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Creamy Tom Yam Kung (Tom Yam Kung Nam Khon ต้มยำกุ้งน้ำข้น)

By on February 7, 2012 in She Deglutenizes, She Simmers, She Thais


After I’d made a passing reference to creamy Tom Yam Kung earlier, people have been asking me to talk more about this newer variation of Tom Yam which has taken Bangkok by storm in the last several years. Purists, as you may have guessed, are less than thrilled about it. (Dairy in a traditional savory Thai dish = anathema.)

The late former prime minister of Thailand, Samak Sundaravej, recounted the time when he visited the kitchen of “a certain famous hotel by the Chao Phraya river” some years ago and saw the chef add milk [1] to Tom Yam Kung. Puzzled, the food critic-cum-politician asked the chef for the reason only to be informed that, “The foreigners love it.” Shortly after the incident, he visited a noodle shop on the way to work. The cook, wrote Sundaravej, started fulfilling his order, then stopped to spend an inordinate amount of time rifling through stuff in an ice box. As he’d later learned, the guy was searching for a box of UHT milk to add to his order of Tom Yam noodles. Exasperated, Sundaravej pressed him for a reason. “Well, if we could add milk to Tom Yam Kung, why can’t we add milk to Tom Yam noodles?” was the answer.

And that’s when the outspoken ex-premier lost it. This chapter of Sundaravej’s book detailing his various eating expeditions ends with, “I really want to know what those who insist on adding milk to Tom Yam want to achieve.” [2]

I don’t think he ever got an answer.

Is there an answer?

Creamy Tom Yam is a raging trend, and trying to stop it, regardless of how justified the attempt, is akin to creating a river dam out of your two hands. You can’t win. I don’t quite know where I stand on the issue, but here’s a recipe for those who have asked for it.

Some tips on how to make creamy Tom Yam Kung and the recipe can be found on the debut post of my new bi-weekly (for now) column on Serious Eats.

[1] For those wondering why coconut milk, a traditional Thai ingredient, is not used to create creaminess in Tom Yam, the reason is most likely because a cousin of Tom Yam that is made with coconut milk already exists.

[2] Samak Sundaravej, “Chim Pai, Bon Pai (Tasting and Ranting)” (ชิมไป บ่นไป), pp. 24-25.

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Young Green Peppercorns (Prik Thai On พริกไทยอ่อน)

By on February 3, 2012 in She Stocks a Thai Pantry, She Uncooks, She Veges

green peppercorns
One of the ingredients which I miss the most when living away from Thailand is fresh young green peppercorns. I also miss young tamarind leaves, water mimosa, lotus stems, and a few edible flowers. But at the top of the list is these little berries.

Referred to as Prik Thai (RTGS: phrik thai), literally “Thai pepper” or even “Thai chili,” as a way of differentiating it from the other kinds of pepper/chili that were not part of our cuisine until the arrival of European visitors, this type of pepper has been part of the diet of the inhabitants of what is presently known as Thailand since time immemorial. I’ve recently read an article [1] written by Professor Usanee Thongchai of Chiang Mai University’s History Department which asserts that Prik Thai seeds have turned up among archaeological finds, dated as far back as nine millennia ago, from the area that is present day Mae Hong Son.

Somehow that makes me feel more comfortable with my obsession with them. I love these peppercorns more than I do bird’s eye chilies. There’s something about the gentle heat that warms your throat that appeals to me more than the over-the-top, titillating kind that burns your tongue. I add young green peppercorns to pretty much everything that has chilies in it (I don’t replace chilies with peppercorns; I add peppercorns to a dish in addition to chilies). I also eat them whole. No, not just the whole berries but the whole bunches of berries, stems and all (which often freaks people out when they dine with me).

Given my love of unreasonable proportions for young green peppercorns, it frustrates me that they’re not widely available in the US. You can find them in a jar at local Asian markets, but those brined peppercorns have lost much of their potency by the time you open the jar. I shouldn’t complain, though. Brined and limp peppercorns are better than no peppercorns at all, I guess.

If you can find fresh young green peppercorns in your area, by all means use them more in your meat-based Thai curries or spicy stir-fries. Beef panaeng curry is terrific with young green peppercorns added about 5-10 minutes before you take it off the heat. I also love them in wild mushroom stir-fry, stuffed calamari braised in Sriracha sauce, and poached shrimp in red curry sauce. A rich dish such as this spicy pork belly stir-fry with Thai basil also tastes better when you eat half a bunch of young green peppercorns with every bite of fatty pork.

How do you use young green peppercorns in the food you grew up eating?

[1] Source

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