Last weekend, two of my new co-workers came over to the house, which I currently share with the woman who I am replacing, and the four of us took part in a time-honored, cross-cultural tradition of sharing food and recipes.
We taught each other how to make a couple of dishes that we enjoyed from our respective cultures and I got to know a couple of the people that I will be working with in a more informal setting, which was really nice.
Despite what is pushed as a singular Thai identity, Thailand is full of diversity, which becomes even more pronounced when looking at the various regional dishes.
One dish that is specific to Northern Thailand is ข้าวซอย (khao soi), which is like a noodle-soup with curried broth that also includes coconut milk and is topped with deep fried egg noodles. Khao soi is similar to a dish that is featured in the cuisine of the Shan people of Burma and is also eaten in Northern Laos. Khao soi literally means “cut rice,” referring to the way the noodles are prepared – by steaming a large sheet of rice noodle and then cutting with scissors.
This dish is not typically served at Thai restaurants outside of Thailand, so if you are looking for a flavor of Thailand that you may have never had before, click inside for a recipe.
This dish is one that is found in nearly every restaurant in Thailand, is simple and filling. It’s called ผัดกะเพรา (pad ga-prao), and literally means stir fried basil. It’s made with any variety of available meat – usually chicken or pork – but I’ve personally had it made with tofu and fried egg as well.
The basil is not your ordinary Western basil, but rather, Thai holy basil. There are quite a few varieties of basil in Thailand (holy basil, hairy basil, sweet basil), and Thai holy basil can be kind of difficult to find outside of Thailand, so sometimes Thai sweet basil is substituted instead, but it doesn’t quite have the same flavor. Click inside to learn how to make your own ผัดกะเพรา.
Kanoms, or snacks, are a big part of life here in Thailand. You find them all over, packaged in clear, plastic bags sold for a few baht. My host mother in Suphan Buri was an ace kanom maker and her specialty is kanom kai blah. At school, some of the students learned how to make a different kanom, called kanom dok jok. You can learn too, by checking out the video!
I was over at my co-teacher’s house last week after buying furniture for my garage and we made some dinner together. Yom is a kind of Thai salad, as yom literally means mix. The featured ingredient for most Thai salads is not usually raw vegetables, but frequently meat or noodles. The yom that we made featured some wonderful glass noodles and really complex flavors. I thought I would share the recipe with you to make at home.