Thailand Cuisine: When Stomach Calls

The First Taste:
The first Thai food taste gripped on my taste buds when we were on-board of Thai Airways. I instantly got the secret behind the taste. Being from Kerala, my taste buds are in line with spicy and highly masala flavored dishes. And Thai cuisine is all about sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. Spice got no role over there. But yes you can get it on request. I did not have any problems with that but my wife did.

Who likes the non-spicy food?
 I have seen my directors from US / Europe, when they are in India for business visits, very much concerned about the spicy food. By mistake if they have it; end of their taste buds and their face will change its color. They can't stand that pain. And so they will love the Thai food. Perfect blend for them. I think the whole Thai cuisine evolved to entertain the visitors from those countries, who are the major tourist out there. No wonder when heard that the number of Thai restaurants went up from four in 1970s London to between two and three hundred in less than 25 years. And Thai cuisines has the top ranks in the World's 50 most delicious foods, compiled by CNN.

Rice matters:

As far as I am concerned about the food, rice is a kind of 'must' part for me. I love Kerala "Bullet Rice" and ready to travel any distance for it (My North Indian friends can't even swallow it). And rice got a place in Thai cuisine, while it can be surrounded by the varieties. Soups got a prominent place in the menu too

Usually eats with fork & spoon, you will get chopsticks almost everywhere. I even tried using it, but failed terribly. 

Sauce & Pastes:

On the second day at Pattaya, when looking around for a spicy sauce, I came across a variety. When asked the chef, he told its Fish Sauce, a very aromatic and strong tasting fish sauce. Took a couple of spoons and went well with mashed potato and beans.

When Ani was looking out for something spicy, I discovered the paste variety nearby. The Thai Chilli pastes. And saw two types of it - Thick and watery. The thick one will goes well with the marinated salads.

When we started to have the soup, it didn't have the spice in it and I helped Ani by pouring the entire paste in to her soup and must say that: "She blasted me". When I tasted the soup up on her blasting request, I realized the mistake. It almost burned my stomach line.

Kerala Style Prawns Chammanthi (Paste):

Saw one paste made with dried prawns. It almost tasted like the one which my mother makes. And must say it was fantastic with the rice.

There was a Chinese family next to us in the restaurant and I was watching their chop stick skills. Wow, that was wonderful. Like Ani, they too did not like the Thai cuisine I believe. They had a couple of boxes with packed side dish. No idea whats the reason, but they were using a lot of soy sauce. 

The sweet encounter:

I have mentioned about a sticky rice dish in this post. Sticky rice is a unique variety of rice that contains an unusual balance of the starches present in all rice, causing it to cook up to a sticky texture. Might be the cooking style made it looks transparent. Mango as a side dish, it was sooooo good with thick coconut milk. While we were having the buffet dinner at a famous grill on the Pattaya beach, I came across this dish for the first time. They've kept it 

Noodles:

On the first day, Ani decided to try the Thai noodles and it wasn't of the kind that's usually seen in south India  It was so thin, like white hair. Ani loved the dish, with squid.

You can get the varieties of it.Stir-Fried Rice Noodles (Phad Thai), Fried Rice Noodles Topped With Thick Sauce (Raad Naa), Noodles With Meat Or Fish Stock, Pork Or Beef Noodles (Gu-Tiaw Rua), Noodle Soup With Fermented Red Soy Beans & the list goes on & on...

No Durians?
When we were in Bangkok, in our hotel, we noticed a strange warning. Durians not allowed. It looked like a fruit, but had no idea why they did not allow it.

It looks like jack fruit tree. But cut open it is completely different. The unusual flavor and odor of the fruit have prompted many people to express diverse and passionate views ranging from deep appreciation to intense disgust. 

So I got to know the answer I was looking for. The smell of the fruit is so intense and it will remain in the air for a long time. So think about the areas that are air conditioned. It will be a real disgust for people. 

Poor fruit. But I saw great lovers of it buying tons of it on their truck. It was also  strange at that moment to know that Thailand each year holds the World Durian Festival in early May.

Fried Insect Stalls?ehh:

The most afraid part did not happen and I am so happy for that. The Fried Insects stalls. While watching it on Youtube, I almost puked a couple of times. And so I did not even try to raise that as a question.

Here comes my favorite dish. Tom Yam Goong.

That's a dish name. But before that, it represented me the martial arts hero: Tony Jaa. Even there's a movie with that name. But there is also a dish in that name there :) While researching before the trip, I thought it will be available in some ultra star hotels. But I could see that in a sea food hotel near to the hotel we stayed in Pattaya. The main taste maker was a giant shrimp. Delicious.

The journey in a nutshell:

I tried almost 30-35 varieties. And Ani tried her level best to control my food run. 

Here is the thump rule. Do not have that mindset that you will be getting the best dishes in the 5 star hotel. Yes, that's right. At the same time you can also get the same in the long chain sea food hotels all through the streets.

The street wonders:

I must say, it was a kind of food festival for me. There was a street near to the Bangkok Palace Hotel, which is the way to the Indira Market and various other shopping streets. Around a kilometer and I couldn't resist the delicacies around. If you are eager about the names of the dishes; then have a notebook with you. 90% of the time, you will not get what they tell you and even if you understand the name will be of a mile long. I forgot most of the names.

Ask & You Will Recieve:

If you want to make sure what you eat, then have your queries short: Pork? Fish? Chicken? Beef? either they will say yes or will echo the same word in a completely different name. In a couple of places me and the shopkeeper had a disagreement on the same name: Chicken.

If you are worried about the ambiance part, not liking the crowded area, then try the shopping malls. Siam Paragon or Central World. The only concern is the time you might take to go through the menu. It will take hours and even if you are in success in it: you will be confused. Because food is the only thing in this world which a human being deny once he is full.

You have to take the food court coupon for purchasing. So make your items ready and sum it up to take the food coupon and enjoy the creativity.

Our guide was sweet enough to provide us several thai special fruits on commute. Thank you Kitty :)

Obsessed with Indian food?

People who are very specific about Indian food in Thailand: do not worry, you got a lot of Indian restaurants there. For pure veg people: Jain food will be the best option and a safe bet.

I was not at all bound to Indian food and so I could enjoy the Thai cuisines. Food was Indian, but the price was international. For a Sivasagar masaladosa, the cost was around INR 260. But there was no option for the India food lovers.

Bubble Tea or Boba tea:

The shopkeeper spelled something similar : Oh what was that. I instantly fell in love with it. I had milk flavored bubble tea while Ani tried fruit flavored one. In Thai climate it was the best drink I had. And the black balls inside it was Tapioca Balls or they call it pearls.

Pressure on your wallet:

If you ask about the cost: it varies from 5 Baht to infinity. Seafood starts from 300 Bahts or INR 600 & up.

So if you are heading Thailand; get ready to celebrate with your taste buds.