On My Last Day in Bangkok, I Made a Trip To a Local Supermarket.

For twenty days at Krabi and Bangkok, all I ate was Thai cuisine, at the malls, on the streets and even in the fancy restaurants. Thai food is amazing and I could not have enough of it. I didn’t touch Indian cuisine at all, not even a small piece of chappati or a spoonful of curry (although I did try Thai roti stuffed with banana and honey, will write about it in another post). 

Even a small coffee shop looked inviting...

So in reality, I should be completely satisfied.

But no, I wanted to get the food memories back home. So I went to a large supermarket.

The drooling display of fruits and vegetables, the large range of sea food on ice-blocks, the great selection of sausages and frozen food, the spices, the sauces, the noodle soup packets, if I didn’t have weight problem during travelling (I was allowed only 25kgs) I would grab them all….

The food stalls were oh...so tempting...

Carefully, I started to pick up stuff, anything light and tasty, and something that I cannot find in Indian super stores easily. One by one, the stuff went off the shelf into my shopping cart, few dozens ‘Mama’ soup packets, few bottles of assorted spicy sauces, freshly made chutneys and savories and then I glanced at the mushroom shelf.

A big variety of Mushrooms of different kinds seduced me. I stood staring at Button mushroom, Straw mushrooms, Maitake mushrooms, Shiitake mushrooms…all fresh and dewy packed in plastic, ready for cooking. 

I was not sure how long they would last, but I picked them and now they sit frozen in my fridge, ready for use.

Today I opened the packet to find maitake, straw and black fungi mushroom, decided to stir fry.

Chopped spinach and cooked a delicious lunch.

I decided to make Mushrooms and Spinach Stir-fries

Ingredients

1tbsp peanut oil

8-9pods of crushed garlic

2 green chilies

100gms-assorted mushrooms

100gms spinach

1 vegetarian stock cube

1tsp black pepper

1/2tsp soya sauce

1tsp oyster sauce

Every spoonful is divine

Method:

Heat oil and add crushed garlic and chopped chilies. Add the assorted mushrooms, and stir-fry.

Add vegetarian stock cube, and black pepper.

Add spinach and stir it well

Add soya sauce and oyster sauce.

Serve with steamed rice, diagonally sliced cucumber and chili in vinegar.

Great Thai Cuisine at ‘Cabbages and Condoms’

While in Bangkok, there was this interesting restaurant I went with my family for an authentic Thai cuisine. Didn’t realize that the mannequins that I saw at the entrance were dressed in colorful condoms until I touched the rubbery strips.

The safe sex message was loud and clear and screamed from every article displayed at this Sukumvit eatery, in the lampshades, flower bouquets, wall hangings, dinner plates, toothpicks, and even in the different articles sold in the souvenir shop at the entrance of this restaurant.

While Bangkok is renowned for sex trade it also has an incredible spiritual side with beautiful temples at every junction. This place is a brazen shrine to all things safe sex.

While in Bangkok, coconut water is must. It’s so sweet and delicious. I have relished it almost every day. So this was the first drink that arrived at our tables as soon as we settled down for a cool drink

The Thai cuisine served in this restaurant is excellent and authentic. Steamed crabmeat with vegetables and basil, satays in peanut sauce, spicy tom yum soup, sticky rice, stuffed fish, and there was wide selection of vegetarian Thai cuisine for my pure vegetarian family.

I specially loved ‘Mieng Thum’, that had lemon, dried shrimps, peanuts, deep fried coconut, ginger, green chili, shallots wrapped in betel nut leaf. 

On out way out I was most amused by this

It turns out that the story behind ‘Cabbages and Condoms’ is a fantastic one; it is actually an organization that has spearheaded the safe sex movement in Thailand, saving thousands of life in the process.

Do visit it when in Bangkok…..

   

Thai Street Food Festival At J W Marriott

What I like best about Thai street food is that it is cooked fresh in your presence; it is spicy, fresh and contains exotic vegetables. The dishes are less likely to be spoilt by cheap meat like in other restaurants.

 Some years ago, during my visit to Bangkok, I had an opportunity to attend Thai food workshop. I learnt few tricks there and that has benefited me a lot. It is easy to prepare, convenient, very beneficial especially when the unexpected guest arrive and the meal has be prepared in a jiffy. I had developed the taste for Thai food then and presently, it is my preferred and favorite cuisine.

So, when the street Thai food festival comes to my town, how could I miss it?

I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Suriya Phus irimongkhonchai at Spice, J W Marriott. I asked him how Thai food was different from Chinese cuisine. He said that it was less oily, contained more fresh exotic vegetables and he preferred to use roasted meat. Thai cuisine also contains fresh herbs like holy basil, lemon grass, kaffir leaves, that gives it that peculiar taste, other tropical ingredients like coconut milk and fresh fruits bring out its rich flavors.

Almost all Thai dishes are balanced in flavor; they are spicy, sour, salty and have sweet after taste. All the taste buds are aroused with every bite.

 Thai cooking is not only about the right amount of ingredients but also about correct levels of heat and the method of preparation. For instance, papaya salad has to be prepared on the spot, stir-fries tastes good only when served immediately; grinding chilies and garlic with a mortar and pestle really makes a difference in bringing out the flavor of the ingredients.

 Spice at J W Marriott was all set for the festival with different live counters in buffet style serving authentic Thai cuisine.  There were fruits and vegetable carving showcased at different cooking stations. Tuesday, being my strictly veg day, I only ogled at exotic veg food but silently drooled over non-veg dishes.

 I started with Mango salad. Perfectly prepared, (sweet and sour) it transported me back to the narrow lanes of Bangkok. Normally peanuts are used for crunchiness, but cashew nuts lent a richer taste.

Evening passed, trying out the various vegetarian dishes. There was great variety to choose from. Curries, soups, pastas, BBQ, stir fries, exotic salads There was a bigger variety of non-veg food, but I am glad there was limited selection for me or I would have over eaten.

 My favorite was Pad Thai. I stood at the cooking station and watched him prepare, directing him on the quantity of sauces and ingredients as per my taste.

This is how he prepared.

On a huge flat pan he stir-fried the soaked rice noodles, kept them aside

Fried par-boiled vegetables like broccoli, onions, cauliflower, bean sprouts, green beans, and carrots.

Added Pad thai sauce to it

Mixed vegetables with fried noodles

Added peanuts and chili flakes

Squeezed lime-juice on it.

The authentic taste is in pad thai sauce that contains tamarind paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce, cayenne pepper, white pepper and brown sugar.

 And finally the plate of exotic fruits with traditional Raum Mith

Worth a visit!! Thai food festival is on from 15^th November to 1^st December at Spice, J W Marriott, Juhu.