THAILAND AND BURMA

A THOUSAND LITTLE BUDDHAS

Thailand could be my second home. I would say it has to be the country I have visited most. When I first set foot amidst all that chaos in Bangkok, I could never have imagined that I would return again and again to sell paintings, design jewellery, write recipes, travel and explore the length and breadth of this amazing country. Bangkok, the lifeblood of the Thai nation, is a city so magical that it takes years to fully understand her rhythm, ebbing to the flow of the Chao Phraya River – a source of energy cutting through the heart of the city and spilling its magic into nearly every rice paddy in Thailand.

Tina Scotford and I arrived in Bangkok the day after the 2004 tsunami hit. We were en route from Cambodia to Hong Kong and needed a night’s accommodation. There are no words to describe the chaos that met us at the airport, nor the planes that littered the runway with thousands of stranded souls, awaiting rescue.

We were tired and hungry and needed a bed for the night. Being an old hand at this, I had convinced Tina that we did not need to book. We landed to find the roads congested and buses as far as the eye could see, choking the expressway. We found a Pink Taxi with a driver who spoke no English. It took him a minute to sum up our needs and off we sped with military precision. He drove around the city for almost two hours trying to find us a bed. Bangkok had reached her limit; there was no room at the inn. Eventually he turned around and smiled, and I knew something was up. A little while later Tina and I were safely camped in the reception of a very friendly brothel. As the saying goes: ‘One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble.’

Chiang Mai red curry noodle soup

This incredible noodle soup is a signature dish of the famous northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. The soup has its origins in Burma, but it is to Thailand what laksa is to Malaysia. The basis of this famous soup is coconut milk and turmeric, but what actually sets this dish apart is the presentation.
Traditionally, noodle ‘nests’ are assembled by deep-frying dried noodles in bundles. Once cooked, they take on the appearance of birds’ nests. This unique touch is practised nowhere else in Thailand and this is what makes the Chiang Mai red curry noodle soup so famous.

To serve

  1. Heat the 25 ml (11⁄2 Tbsp) oil in a large saucepan and add the curry paste, turmeric and chicken pieces. Stir-fry until the chicken is lightly browned and coated with the paste. Add the coconut milk and cook over low heat for 15–20 minutes. Gradually add the stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, seasoning and sugar. Simmer gently for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice.
  2. Pour the boiling water over the cooked egg noodles to reheat, and then strain immediately. Divide the noodles amongst 4–6 deep soup bowls. Divide the chicken equally amongst the bowls and ladle the hot soup over the top. Garnish each dish with spring onions, chillies, garlic, chilli flakes and coriander. Top with the noodle nests and serve at once.

Serves 4–6.

TIPS

• It’s best to use chicken pieces for the soup. I like to use chicken on the bone as it adds more flavour, but you can also use chicken breast fillets.

• If you don’t have lime juice use lemon juice instead, although it’s the lime in this dish that really adds the tang. Ensure you purchase coconut milk for this dish and not coconut cream.

• Pickled garlic can be purchased at any of the large supermarkets or speciality Asian food stores. Alternatively, slice up a few fat garlic cloves and deep-fry the slices quickly as the perfect garnish.

• If you’ve run out of dried noodles to fry then instant noodles will do the trick. Simply deep-fry, drain and break up to sprinkle. They won’t look like a nest but they will taste the same.

Coconut and sesame fried bananas

Fried bananas are sold at just about every bus and train station in Thailand. My cousin Sanchia had a profound dislike for the humble banana until one steamy December morning when she had the pleasure of sampling crispy fried bananas for breakfast. Quickly succumbing to the charms of Thai street food, she would later consume buckets of bananas, wolfed down with cheap coffee.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Soaking peeled bananas in a little salted water before use will prevent them from discolouring during cooking. A handy tip if you’re making a tart, trifle or salad.

  1. Sift the rice flour, cake flour, bicarbonate of soda, cornflour and salt together. Add the sugar. Make a well in the centre and add the coconut milk, water and vanilla essence. Whisk until you have a smooth batter. Stir in the sesame seeds and desiccated coconut. Leave to stand for 1 hour before using. The batter will thicken upon standing. Thin it down with water if you feel it is too thick.
  2. Heat the oil for deep-frying. Peel the bananas, cut them in half crossways and then slice lengthways into thin strips. Dip into the batter and deep-fry until golden brown, turning once. Remove and drain on paper towel. Serve hot or cold for breakfast or with homemade vanilla ice cream as a dessert.

Serves 4–6.

TIPS

• Thailand produces several banana varieties that are not available in South Africa. If you can lay your hands on the little ‘lady finger’ bananas they would be ideal for this recipe. If you use any of the larger varieties ensure that you cut them in half before slicing lengthways otherwise they will be too big. Don’t use bananas that are overripe.

• Leftover coconut milk or coconut cream can be frozen in ice trays for future use. This batter can be made with coconut milk or fresh cow’s milk, but the coconut milk will greatly enhance the flavour.

Thai beef salad

Every weekend in Bangkok the whole city seems to congregate at the Chatuchak Market, one of the largest undercover flea markets in the world. I love this place, firstly because I love shopping, and secondly because it is home to one of my favourite Thai food stalls. The family who own the little eatery – they have been at it for almost 15 years now – do not speak a word of English but they are always happy to see me. They make the best Thai beef salad in Bangkok, for which they are renowned, and although alcohol is not permitted at the market, they managed to sneak a cold beer disguised in a paper packet to my table.

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  1. Pan-fry the sirloin steak for 3–4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before slicing the meat into thin strips.
  2. Combine the sliced steak in a small bowl with the spring onions, mint, coriander, lime juice, sunflower oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, crushed chillies and fresh chillies. Use your hands to mix through and ensure the meat is well coated with the marinade. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  3. Add a sprinkling of black pepper to the steak mixture. Arrange the salad leaves on a platter and top with the steak. Give the salad a good toss, clean the platter of any marinade stains and serve with crusty French bread and a glass of crisp white wine.

Serves 2–4.

TIPS

• This salad is ideal for entertaining so double up for large quantities. Prepare the steak and marinade up to two days in advance and refrigerate until needed.

• Pork, venison or ostrich fillets may be used instead of beef. This salad is great for using up leftover meat from the Sunday roast.

Ohn no khao swè (Burmese chicken noodle soup)

In 2002, while on a trip to Thailand with my cousin Sanchia, we extended our travels to include neighbouring Burma (now called Myanmar). It was a country that had long held a great fascination for me, a mysterious and ancient land almost forgotten. One afternoon while cycling near Mandalay we stumbled upon an old woman making ohn no khao swè. I watched her for a few minutes before sitting down on what must have been a pavement during a previous regime. I remember that her fingernails were so dirty I couldn’t look at her hands, yet from those old weathered tools came the most remarkable soup I have ever tasted. As with most of Asia, the best food is not to be had in restaurants but is found in places you would least expect.

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To serve

  1. Combine the chicken, fish sauce and soy sauce in a bowl. Leave to stand.
  2. Use your food processor to blend together the onions, garlic, turmeric, ginger and chillies to a smooth paste. Add the curry powder and 60 ml (1⁄4 C) of the coconut milk. Blend until it forms a smooth paste.
  3. Heat the peanut oil in a deep saucepan and sauté the paste for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the chicken and cook until it starts to brown slightly. Add 375 ml (11⁄2 C) of the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20–30 minutes, stirring from time to time. The broth should start to reduce and thicken slightly.
  4. Mix the cornflour, brown sugar and a little water to a smooth paste. Stir this mixture into the remaining chicken stock, ensuring there are no lumps, and then slowly pour this warm stock into the broth, followed by the remaining coconut milk. Bring to the boil and cook until the broth thickens significantly, stirring continuously to prevent the broth from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Taste for seasoning and adjust the saltiness using fish sauce or soy sauce.
  5. To serve, cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. (If you like, you can do this ahead. It doesn’t matter if they become cold as the broth will reheat the noodles when you are ready to serve.) Fry the sliced onion in a little peanut oil until dark caramel in colour. This not only releases the flavour but also gives colour to the dish and is a very important part of the garnish. Divide the cooked noodles equally amongst a few deep soup bowls. Arrange pieces of chicken on top of the noodles and ladle the hot broth over the top. Do not add too much but rather just enough to cover the noodles halfway up the side of the bowl. Sprinkle chopped coriander over the top, followed by a healthy sprinkling of crushed chilli. Top with a few deep-fried onion rings. Arrange an egg slice or two on top of the onion rings and serve with a slice of lime.

Serves 4–6.

TIPS

• It’s best to use chicken thighs on the bone, as it has more flavour. However, you can use 500 g skinless chicken fillets or a few drumsticks instead.

• The use of good fresh stock will really make all the difference to this dish. For convenience, however, you can use a stock cube, but remember to taste the soup before adding any additional salt or fish sauce as stock cubes tend to be very salty.

• As with all Asian soups, the garnishes are as important as the ingredients themselves. The broth can taste bland until the final touches are added with the garnish.

• Ohn no khao swè calls for two types of noodles: vermicelli rice noodles and egg noodles. Take note, I have given the gram measurement for cooked noodles not raw.

Massaman beef curry

Massaman curry can be made with chicken, beef or lamb. It is a predominantly southern Thai dish that is heavily influenced by Muslim cooking, and is thought to have originated with the Indian and Arab traders during the previous century. I learnt to cook this dish at the Boathouse cooking school in Phuket and have been making it ever since.

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Massaman curry paste

Curry

  1. To make the curry paste, dry-roast the chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Tip the whole lot into a blender and add all the remaining ingredients. Process until you have a very smooth paste. You may have to repeat this process a few times, adding a little extra water if you feel the paste is still too thick and granular. The end result must be a smooth, fibre-free paste.
  2. To make the curry, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the curry paste over low heat for 5 minutes to release the flavour. Add the beef and brown for a few minutes. Add the coconut cream, water, cinnamon, ginger and lemon grass. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 11⁄2 hours or until the beef is tender. Add the baby potatoes, fish sauce, tamarind water, sugar (a little more if you prefer a sweeter curry) and half the peanuts. Continue to simmer gently for a further 30 minutes. The secret to this dish is really long and slow cooking. Remove from the heat, transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle over the remaining peanuts and fresh Thai basil. Serve with jasmine rice.

Serves 4–6.

TIPS

• Massaman curry paste is readily available at Asian speciality food stores and large supermarkets. However, it’s always better to make your own. The secret to any good curry paste is to purée the ingredients as finely as possible. There should be no fibrous strands of ingredients left in your paste.

• Homemade curry paste will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge if stored in a sterilised glass jar with a little oil poured over the top.

• You can double up on ingredients if you want to make a bigger quantity, but never freeze homemade curry pastes as the garlic and onions become bitter.

• Purchase Kashmiri dried red chillies from Asian speciality stores or supermarkets. They are deep red to almost burgundy in colour and have more flavour than fresh chillies. Kashmiri chillies are not necessarily very spicy.

• Cassia bark is related to cinnamon, but has much larger ‘quills’ and is far more flavoursome. It is readily available at large supermarkets and speciality food stores.

• The cardamom used in Thai cooking is not the same as the green Indian version we are so familiar with in South Africa. Thai cardamom is a small, off-white, pea-shaped pod and has far less punch than its Indian cousin. If you are unsure, always opt for less as cardamom can be extremely overpowering. Similarly, thai coriander seeds are not the same as indian coriander. The Thai variety has a much sharper flavour and is smaller in size. However, use regular Indian coriander if you are unable to find Thai.