Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
THERELUCTANT GOURMENT
Bingeing out in Bangkok
SHONALI MUTHALALY
|
From succulent grilled chicken to traditional red curry, the Thai capital is a connoisseur’s delight
|
I'm embarrassed to say we looked for Starbucks. Bangkok seemed so uncomfortably unfamiliar early in the morning: a cock crowing its heart out in the centre of the bustling city, busy vendors rapidly roasting aromatic meat, women in aprons setti
ng out bright, unfamiliar packets of food on creaky tables in shack-like restaurants. The young Thai people seemed to have the same idea — they trundled past on scooters holding trendy takeaway cups of coffee. We finally found the source: a tea shop! The owner put three generous spoons of instant coffee in a small glass, along with three spoons of sugar. A splash of boiling hot water followed with a flurry of creamy condensed milk. Then she pulled out a couple of those familiar takeaway cups, loaded them with ice chips (stored in the gargantuan freezer behind her) and added the heady coffee concoction, topping it with a quick drizzle of more condensed milk. Delicious cold coffee – Thai style.
Bangkok’s most vibrant facet has to be its street food. We soak it in at tea stalls, from wobbly blue plastic stools as the owner’s friendly cats wind themselves around our ankles. Meanwhile they busy themselves with cauldrons of steaming sticky rice and freshly made curries, dexterously working them into neat packets. There are also boiled eggs, with soya sauce sachets. By 7 a.m. housewives in aprons, young women carrying babies and hyperactive children running errands drop by and pick them up. No wonder Jiab, who runs the home stay we’re at in bustling Phakhanong (and doubles up as our guide to all things Thai) says most people don’t bother with much cooking at home.
Vibrant variety
On Khao San road, famous for it’s Lonely Planet-style backpackers, we eat succulent chicken from skewers, skilfully grilled and basted so the skin is crisp, then dunked into a mug of spicy sauce, afloat with red chillies. Breakfast is startlingly meaty, even if you opt for a more Western bakery style beginning to your day. There are buns stuffed with pork that’s shredded like candy floss, and topped with a thin veneer of sticky icing sugar. Clearly, localised Western food works well here. At the futuristic sky train station there are rich egg-soaked breakfast sandwiches, layered with everything from pork to sweet corn. And on the road, pots of creamy pandan leaf extract are worked into dough to make sweet green bread. By evening, pots simmering with coconut-laden curries pungent with sweet basil and galangal are set up.
At the Jatajak weekend market, famous for fried locusts, grasshoppers and maggots, we settle for a traditional red curry, rich in coconut milk, wicked minced red chillies and the wonderful flavours of kafir lime and lemongrass.
For additional zest there’s a bowl of aromatic fish sauce at the table. Back on the road, we spot miying kam, a deep green leaf sold in packets along with dried shrimps, chillies, coconut and lime. A sort of spicy Thai version of Indian paan. And pad thai. And rows of pretty glass jars with desserts in startlingly flamboyant colours.
We finally settle for Bangkok pancakes. The vendor flips a medallion of dough onto a sizzling pan and as it begins to crisp around the edges, he slathers on chocolate paste and slices a banana into it – with fluid, rhythmic moves. It’s crunchy in parts, oozes chocolate in others, intensely sweet and deliciously salty. We have another. And then another.
Stray dogs look at us hopefully and cars zoom past. It’s strange how the perfect meal can turn up in the most unexpected places.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
|
