Having been on the move for most of the last 10 years, I always found myself in situations where I had to move on before my feelings for someone were ready to do so. I’ve often revisited relationships on a continuum. I recognize that this can be emotionally taxing sometimes and that it always requires what I call ‘emotional flexibility’.
After a couple cups of chai at the Chennai Airport with fellow travelers, I Armenianed (i.e. ‘Jewed’) down the price of the tuk tuk to the bus terminal. Of course, he took me to a spot a mile away on the same route as the buses to Pondicherry. All the while, I was negotiating the price for a 6 mile distance. After drinking a couple more chais with the tuk tuk driver’s son and friend, I finally got on the bus with the bright moon.
The ECR (East Coast Road) is beautiful — Pondicherry is a straight shot from Chennai, no windy roads. Unlike the mountainous Mumbai - Goa route.
Everyone was asleep and the windows were open when I got on the bus. The ocean shimmering between the trees, the strong wind, and the moonlight, made me feel as though I was on a late night boat in Istanbul, a sensation that I often try to rejoice whereever I can. That’s why late night commutes in Mumbai from the restaurant were no bother!
As I was going through all this in my head, I realized my relationship with Bangkok was such a love affair, one that will continue when paths cross again. Great preperations, unique flavors, fresh and fermened ingredients, and people passionate about food… Yes, Bangkok, this is no goodbye.
Rock shrimp have surprisingly delicate meat more similar to a flaky fish than a shrimp. Their flavor is sweet but still fishy. The mollusks in the back are snails that are commonly grilled in the streets of Bangkok. You need to be very careful to get the whole animal out of its shell including the uni / sea urchin-like delicate organs
Paragon Mall, Bangkok, Thailand
Sweet and savory crispy crepes with sticky marshmallows merengue and coconut / extruded duck egg yolks or hotdogs and chili sauce
Kanom Buang Thai
Suan Plu, Bangkok, Thailand
Mussels steamed with keffir lime leaves, lemongrass and Thai basil
Yaowarat, Bangkok, Thailand
Kanom Krok is a rice and coconut pancake. It cooks in a concave griddle where the bottom crisps up and the middle stays soft and gooey. This is a pancake of textural gradient… and it is delicious! Rice and coconut simiplicity!
South Silom, Bangkok, Thailand
Every Chinatown is famous for its duck dishes. Yaowarat in Bangkok is no different. This sweet noodle dish is complete with duck blood, liver and, at an extra charge, duck tongue! The roasted crunchy garlic and the five spice powder elevate the natural sweetness of the meat to perfection. I was blown away.
Yaowarat, Bangkok, Thailand
A rice crepe envelops stirfried bamboo shoots, spinach and shrimp. Then it browns and crisps on the griddle to a crusty morsel. It gets chopped into quarters, gets a gallop of sweet chili sauce. And finally, it enters your mouth to complete it’s destiny.
Yaowarat, Bangkok, Thailand
Thai street vendors are masters of slow cooking on a grill. This one was a fish, Thai chili and lemongrass mix that was steamed in the banana leaf to a delicate omelette texture… Unwrap the leaf, place the gem on the fragrant jasmin rice, and top it with the sauce… Thai fish sauce, Thai chili, garlic and lemon… Yumm.
Yaowarat, Bangkok, Thailand
Tom yum with fresh young coconut, shrimp and mushrooms
I love my tom yum with a kick. I want to shed some tears and sweat like I’m running a marathon. But when I want the scale to tilt towards a balance, I’ll add coconut water and the meat of the custardy, sweet young coconut… It not only absorbs the flavor but, combined with the shrimp’s sweetness, brings out the lemongrass, lime leaf and galangal flavors in front of the spiciness…
I’d never had young coconut in my tom yum. It’s delicious.
Sticky rice with coconut milk and mangos with a crispy mung bean garnish
An immediate comfort food that has you reminiscing childhood memories you never had!
Sukhumvit 38, Bangkok, Thailand
Silkier than some of the silkiest tofu I’ve ever had, cubes of chicken blood, are cooked in a green curry simmer. They’re served with rice vermicelli and a dozen garnishes to choose from.
Galangal, lemon grass, kefir lime leaves and green chilis. They’ll bite you and they’ll beat you, so just beat it!
If you don’t like spicy food, that is.
Paptong, Bangkok, Thailand
These unassuming fish balls pack so much flavor! Puffy and friendly, they would make great garnishes on a soup. They’re eaten as a snack here in Bangkok! I’ve eaten a lot of fish balls but these were the only puffy kind.
Thai olives marinated in a sweet brine, topped with chili flakes and salt.
During my first visit to the Culinary at Hyde Park, the banquet chef whose class I was shadowing gave me a boning knife and told me “Satay, you’re going to start deboning these poussins now. We’re going to make roulades with them.”
My name might share all the letters of Satay but I sure don’t taste as good!
Here is to the beginning of my week on a skewer in Bangkok, Thailand!
I was shocked by the amount of activity at dawn on the streets leading to my hotel. People returning home from a night out, street vendors setting up their stalls for the morning rush, folks out for a run, markets receiving their perishables… It’s 5 AM baby. This city is alive!
I can’t wait to go out and eat right through it!
