issue18_thailand

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ISSUE 18 Summer 2015

FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO read, LOVE TO eat AND LOVE TO travelHAWAII

Expand your culinary horizons

PLUSMONTEREYACADIAHAVANAAVIGNONPROVIDENCIALES

INSIDER’S LIST CANADA

PERNAMBUCO BRAZIL

MAGICAL CAMARGUE

BARBECUE CAROLINA

UNDISCOVERED THAILAND

Big Island

by ELYSE GLICKMAN

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TASTE& TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL JULY–SEPTEMBER 2015

WHERE ON EARTH

Thailand

THAILANDOff the (Un) Beaten Path…

…one can l itera l l y bu y

food for the Gods…

PHOTOS THIS SPREAD LEFT Anantara rice paddies. RIGHT Chaing Mai temple.

T H A I C U I S I N E I S H OT, figuratively and literally. A decade after most of us discovered pad thai and satay, Anthony Bourdain and other photogenic travel show hosts are sprinting through night markets in Bangkok and Chaing Mai to convey the message that one has not experienced Thailand's culinary soul without experimenting with less familiar dishes in out-of-the-way places.

Here's an example: On my last Thailand visit, my companions were not just bent on hitting Chaing Mai’s night market, but the exact food stall where a pretty, cowboy hat-wearing cook was holding court. A few months earlier, the woman gracing the Khao Ka Moo Chang Phueak food stall had been anointed by Bourdain and Oregon restaurateur Andy Ricker on Parts Unknown. Thanks to that exposure and ensuing travel-blog buzz, there were more westerners than locals hanging on her every move.

My challenge hitting the now well-trodden food trails of Thailand was to find new treasure beyond the night

market. This I achieved with the help of Thai-born guides who had a clear sense of what they felt was good.

To get our feet wet for a journey focused on the rustic north, my companions and I put ourselves in the hands of Kitti for the first couple of days. A jovial guide with 40 years of experience, he was as determined as we were to find life beyond the Chatuchok Night Market. From his perspective, visitors have become so focused on night markets that his tours balance worthwhile, rough-hewn spots (we chose the best Hainan chicken-and-noodle soup place based on the length of the line out front) with spanking new food courts and manicured bungalow-style cafés.

After cocktails at the Vertigo & Moon Bar atop the Banyan Tree Hotel, Kitti launched our food adventure in Bangkok’s Chinatown, alive with tri-lingual signage, aromas and sights representing a compelling fusion of pan-Asian culture. Next morning, he brought us to Pak Klong Talad, the city’s principal flower market. Besides vibrant blooms, one can literally buy food for the Gods, fastidiously packaged and ready to place at the feet of various deities at nearby temples.

The Grand Palace and Wat Pho, The Temple of the Reclining Buddha, are feasts for the eyes and the biggest tourist draws in town. However, beyond the palace gates, thanks to Kitti’s keen eye, we happened on a large blue tent

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JULY–SEPTEMBER 2015 TASTE& TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL

shading a group of military wives preparing and offering passers-by khai loog kuey (deep-fried hard boiled eggs bathed in chili and cilantro) free of charge.

Kitti next spirited us through a maze of streets to Taling Pling, an exceedingly girly pink-and-purple restaurant. Our skepticism was put to rest with dishes that reconciled beautiful tapas-sized portions and rich, complex flavours. The dainty feast consisted of bean salad with curry paste, minced pork and prawn and coconut cream; stir-fried ivy gourd leaves in oyster sauce with minced pork, a vermicelli variation of pad thai with crab, bean sprout, peanuts and dumplings stuffed with minced pork and crab.

If we had read about Asiatique/The Riverfront and Terminal 21 Shopping Center rather than visit them, we probably would have written them off as too touristy and tidy — and missed out on wonderful things to eat as well as great people watching. At Terminal 21, each floor represents a major city, such as Paris and Tokyo, with retail that corresponds to public perception of that destination. Experienced and first-time visitors to Thailand alike are best advised to bee-line to Pier 21, the Thai-centric section of the ‘San Francisco’ floor’s expansive, well-organized food court. A family of four can eat for about ten US dollars, picking and choosing new things or familiar favourites amid the clean grid of stalls.

Though Asiatique, a 1907 warehouse on the Chao Phraya River, is slightly Disney-eqsue, it’s an approachable alternative to Chatuchok. Asiatique’s sit-down restaurants could just as easily exist in any American beachfront town, but the outdoor kiosks are rich in local flavour. The guide brings us to one specializing in Isaan food, a pungent, hot and spicy regional style from Thailand’s northeast. Sticky rice is ordered in abundance to quench the heavy use of different chilli peppers, hot basil and fermented flavours in the green papaya salad, larb (a salad of ground meat), grilled pork and grilled chicken.

The real discovery for food travellers is found two hours outside of Chaing Mai, inside Doi Inthaion National Park. Though it is filled with challenging hiking trails, waterfalls, and other adventure travel delights, the best find is the first Royal

Agricultural Project, established by King Rama IX (Bhumibol Adulyadej) in 1969. At that time, the opium trade had economically, environmentally and culturally devastated the region and its occupants, including indigenous tribes such as the Karen and Hmong as well as refugees coming from China.

Rama IX invested in a large swath of land to establish this breakthrough agricultural research station and to plant orchards for temperate fruit, vegetable gardens, trees and flowers as well as engage in major reforestation efforts. As a result, 45 years later, the area is flourishing economically as well as providing foodstuffs and flowers to restaurants and markets around Thailand. There are also offshoot royal projects that have opened economic and educational opportunities for the communities involved.

The project now encompasses the Royal Agricultural Station Angkhang, opened in 1979. Amid the hills, waterfalls, and rivers, hikers at all fitness levels will behold orchards, flower plantations and vegetable fields adding colour to the already beautiful landscape. Along the trails, we amble into villages to purchase simple, freshly prepared snacks and witness cultural traditions restored thanks to the monies coming in from the project. There's even a coffee roaster along one of the trails. A few feet ahead of us, we see four Italian visitors purchasing dozens of bags of freshly roasted beans — a very telling sign the coffee must be amazing. And it was.

In order to further preserve the area's integrity, The Angkhang Nature Resort, adjacent to the Angkhang Station, has

PHOTOS THIS SPREAD CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Veteran wives; Deep fried eggs; Doi Inathion Resevoir; Bangkok Chinatown; Wamlamun drinks.

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MASSAMAN CURRY reflects the Muslim influence on Thai cuisine. Unlike red and green Thai curry pastes, massaman curry paste includes Indian and Malay spices.

Vegetable Oil 2 Tbs

Massaman Curry Paste1 3 Tbs

Fresh Ginger 1” piece, minced

Skinless, Boneless Chicken Meat 1 lb, cubed

Brown Sugar 3 Tbs

Fish Sauce 3 Tbs

Tamarind Paste 3 Tbs

Peanut Butter 1/3 cup

Potatoes peeled, cubed, 3 cups

Coconut Milk 1 x 13.5 oz can

Fresh Lime Juice 3 Tbs

1 HEAT the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the curry paste and minced ginger, and then cook and stir for 2 minutes.

2 STIR in the cubed chicken, and cook until the pieces turn white on the outside, about 3 minutes.

3 STIR in the brown sugar, fish sauce, tamarind paste, peanut butter, potatoes and coconut milk.

4 BRING to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender and the chicken pieces are no longer pink in the center, about 20 minutes.

5 ADD the lime juice and cook for an additional 5 minutes before serving.

SERVES 4

Chicken Massaman Curry

1 In Canadian supermarkets, massaman curry paste is sold in jars under the Thai Kitchen brand.

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From the cooking class at the Resort of the Royal Agricultural Project.

CHILLIES AND GARLIC cloves can vary in pungency so start with the lesser amounts and taste as you go when making the dressing.

rooms outfitted with just the basics for a two- or three-day stay. The focal point is its terraced restaurant whose kitchen uses produce from the projects' farms and showcases recipes from northern Thailand.

While some travellers may insist the soul of Thai cuisine can be found at the night markets, food stands and mom-and-pop restaurants, we decide the heart and roots of Thai cuisine can be found at Angkhang. Between mealtimes, and hiking around farming sites and past roadside markets selling nuts, dried fruits and local produce, we're positively immersed in the essence of Thai cuisine.

For our final meal at the resort, we crack open a bottle of local mulberry wine (best served ice cold), which we enjoy with tom kah soup with chicken; breaded shrimp with fried seaweed; fried trout with red chillies, tom yum soup with crawfish; beef with peppercorns; sweet and sour chicken with exotic mushrooms and steamed morning glory with garlic; and the massaman curry and seasonal papaya salad we helped put together in the late afternoon cooking class.

Tippie Thepthewi, our second guide, is particularly fond of two things — desserts and restaurants with river views. The suites and food at our Chaing Mai resort, RatiLanna Riverside Spa, are perfect — yet made more memorable with the daily opportunity to give alms to Buddhist monks at sunrise. Before leaving Chaing Mai for Chaing Rai, we fuel up at Wanlamun, in every way a sibling to Bangkok's Taling Pling, down to adorable tapas-sized portions and frilly decor. Its dishes, however, are sweeter, hotter and spicier, which Tippie says defines the flavour profiles of Northern Thai cuisine. Standouts include kaeng ped

Fresh Thai Chillies 1–2, chopped

Garlic 1–3 cloves, chopped

Palm Sugar 1 Tbs

Fresh Lime Juice 3 Tbs

Fish Sauce 2 Tbs

Tropical Fruit 8 oz, diced

Roasted Cashews 2 oz, finely chopped

SERVES 2

Som Tam Phonlamai Tr o p i c a l F r u i t S a l a d

1 COMBINE the garlic and chilli in a big bowl and mix together with palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce.

2 ADD the fruit and toss gently to coat with the dressing.

3 GARNISH with the chopped cashews.

From the cooking class at the Resort of the Royal Agricultural Project.

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Tippie Thepthewi (guide)[email protected]

Taling Plingwww.talingpling.com

Queen Beewww.queenbeebangkok.com

Terminal 21www.terminal21.co.th/main

Asiatique The Riverfrontwww.thaiasiatique.com/index.php/en

Ratilanna Riverside Spa Resortwww.ratilanachiangmai.com

The Royal Agricultural Station at Doi Inthanon National Park www.royal-inthanon.com

www.theroyalprojecttour.com

Angkhang Nature Resortwww.mosaic-collection.com/angkhang

Wanlamunwww.wanlamun.com

Doi Tung Caféwww.doitung.org/cafe_our.php

Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Retsort www.goldentriangle.anantara.com

Charin Restaurantwww.chiangraiprovince.com/htl/charin

Sriwan Coffee & Restaurant Chiang Saenhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Sriwan-Coffee-Restaurant/279260135447750?fref=photo&sk=photos

PHOTOS THIS SPREAD CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Royal Project vegetable garden; Anantara sunset; Karen Village Lodging.

bped (duck curry) and poo nim thod (fried soft shell crab with papaya salad). Desserts are clearly inspired by French patisseries, but with local flavours such as tea, mango and papaya brought in from local farms.

Midway to Anantara Elephant Camp, a five-star resort known for its culinary program, we stop at Charin Garden, an inn and restaurant located in Mae Suai, along the Ruak River. Tippie admits that the desserts informed her choosing both this restaurant and Wanlamun. Here, the bakery case looks like something out of a coffee shop along US Route 66. Owner Charin Singkarat perfected the art of creating American-style pies in Los Angeles for 18 years before doing the same on her home turf. The peach and mango pies quench some seriously spicy soups and red curries that start sweet and build in intensity on the palate.

While The Anantara’s Thai and Italian restaurants, and its Spice Spoons Cooking School are posh, sophisticated affairs, we enjoyed the contrast offered by the nearby Sriwan Coffee and Restaurant which also overlooks the border towns of Laos and Myanmar. The recipes blend influences of all three countries, with a big emphasis on local seafood, in dishes such as mixed seafood curry served in a coconut, tod mun goong (fried prawn cake with plum sauce), and pan-fried steamed ruby fish, which Tippie informs us is specific to Thailand.

As Thai restaurants abound in cities across North America and Europe, it is a foregone conclusion that the appeal of Thai cuisine extends beyond borders. However, if you get to Thailand, make it a point to cross the borders of what you think you know to discover something authentic and memorable. You’re as likely to find it in a sit-down restaurant or spotless tourist spot as you are at a night market.

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