Foto Friday # 46

These Northern Thai sausages were the highlight of the street food to be had at the sunday Chiang Mai market.

Street Food Part 4 - Thailand

Street food in Thailand is where it's at. It's fresh, great and cheap. What more can you ask. The best street food we had was in Northern Thailand, especially in the two Chiangs'. Rai and Mai. 

Chiang Rai's was at the nightly food market, where at least 50 odd stalls are set up selling everything from Grilled Fish to Tom Yam. Although we were kinda fed up with deep fried foods by this point, we still managed to eat a few fried chicken wings. The best was the whole grilled fish we managed to devour in moments, closely followed by some grilled cockles, they tasted exactly how we remembered them from Vietnam. The huge amounts of perfectly grilled pork on skewers that we dipped in a sweet chilli sauce were pretty good also.

The day of our arrival in Chiang Mai blew us away. We turned up to witness the Sunday Night Street Market. This weekly street market has to be one of the best street markets I have seen in a long long time. Really, only the street markets of the Middle East beat this one on sheer scale. The quality and sheer quantity of handicrafts was really impressive. An entire road is blocked off from the Eastern Gate right through to a Wat over a mile away. Dozens of small side streets are also filled with stalls also.

I'm not sure wether this started purely for us tourists, like the other daily night market in Chiang Mai, but after a while there were many more Thai's than Falangs. And we all know that shopping is hungry work, so with a market this grand there was an adequate supply of street food to keep everyone fed, and importantly waiting times were kept to a minimum.

I think we had a good bash at trying as much as we could. Especially good were the local selection of sausages. Well I am English after all, and you can never keep a good sausage down. All were filled with pork, and some had red paste inside, others had lime, others were just down right fierce. All were grilled, and most of them were delicious. There were rows upon rows of women turning out Phad Thai and other noodle dishes. The Papaya Salad we had was nicely spicy and sour, which our throats were saved by the passion fruit juices we were consuming. 

Sushi was on offer and at only 5 or 10 Bhat a piece definitely good value, although at some attempts I saw, even I could of set up shop and made a profit. 

There were some dedicated areas, mainly inside Wats that had tables and chairs to sit down on and consume larger meals, like curries, noodles etc. I tried a green curry noodle soup which to my surprise was pretty damn good for a snack food. Must remember that one for when we get back home. Also chose a couple of portions of other curries and a plate of rice to munch on also whilst Lina was busy shopping away. 

My old Thai favourites were there also, like marinated chicken pieces, tied to some wooden sticks and grilled over live coals. This served with a sweet chilli sauce is my idea of heaven. Huge amounts of satay sticks were available also, pork, beef, squid, prawn and chicken all coated in delicious sauces and all grilled to perfection. 

It really was paradise and writing this is making me very hungry. So I have to stop and go get something to eat ........

Baan Thai Cookery School - Chiang Mai

I had been planning to do some cooking classes in Chiang Mai since before we left England, but as time wore on and the more I researched it the less I became interested in doing one. As every school I looked at had exactly the same schedule. Day 1 - Goto market, buy ingredients, go back to school, cook same dishes as everyone else. Day 2 - Repeat as day one. Same same, days 3,4 and 5. Plus you are one of up to 25 plus in every class. 

So after a while I gave up looking. Then oddly in Laos I heard of Baan Thai School, they had the basic classes as everyone else, but they also had an intensive class which they had from only 2 - 8 people. Plus the dishes were different from the others. Not just green curry and fish cakes. 

So when we arrived in Chiang Mai, I popped along to the school. It's set in a family house, which gives it a nice feel to it. They had both good news and bad news for me. Yes the class could run the next day, the bad news was that it would be the only one that week, and I was going to be the only student. As the teacher was heading back home because of Buddha day. Just my luck. Hey ho, it was meant to be, but as I was here, why not. So I signed up for the following day. 

I got to the school at 9.30am, and met my teacher for the day, Boon. She said as I was the only student I could choose 6 dishes from the weeks schedule. So after much deliberation I chose, a Chiang Mai Curry, Mussaman Curry, Chicken in Pandam Leaves, Pork Satay and Peanut Sauce, Spicy Seafood Soup and a Spicy Salmon Salad, but as the salmon needs to be brought from a supermarket not the local market, I opted instead for a plain old Papaya Salad. Always wanted to make one. 

So with basket in hand, we wandered through the quiet back streets of the old part of Chiang Mai to the local market. As we passed a tree or a bush, Boon would tell me this is a ginger plant, or this is a kaffir lime tree. Amazing to think these things we sometimes have to hunt high and low back home for are growing in peoples back gardens.

The market itself was a pretty small affair, but there were already about 5 other schools there with at least 10 - 20 students each. I felt special just having a teacher to myself. Most of the vegetables they were selling I already knew as I cooked a bit of Thai and Asian food back in London. Only a few things came as a surprise, like the oversized bright green and knobbly cucumber. Which Boon said you can stuff with minced pork and spices and cook it in a soup. So we brought all the ingredients we needed, some chicken, some pork belly and fillet, some seafood like crab, prawns, cockles and squid. Gonna love that soup. 

When we got back to the school I was put to work straight away, chopping ingredients to make the Chiang Mai curry paste and the Mussaman curry paste. Then came the hard work, no easy class this. I was plonked on a small elephant stool, heavy stone pestle and mortar in front of me, and ingredients in the bowl, pounding away whilst Boon added the different components bit by bit, until all were added. This pounding took about 15 minutes, but it is a great stress reliever. I used to enjoy making curry pastes back in London, as I used to release a lot of pent up anger pounding my stresses away. Worked wonders on my days off. 

The interesting mix was for the Mussaman curry. I had to dry roast all the ingredients in batches, the dry spices together, then the fresh ingredients and finally the shrimp paste that wrapped in a banana leaf. I had never dry roasted fresh ingredients before. My mind was buzzing with how this would make the final curry taste like. Then more pounding came. Boy was I relaxed after this. I had to marinate the pork for the satay, pork belly for the Chiang Mai curry and the chicken for the mussaman and for the pandam leaves before she would let me start the salad. By this time I was I getting really hungry. 

I had always wanted to make a Papaya salad, as I had seen it made countless times in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos from women in the street. So with clay mortar and a wooden pestle (I think it is that way around). I began to pound the chilli's, small shrimps, onions together. Just to break up not to pulverise to a paste. I did not opt for Thai style salad, as Boon popped 10 small chilli's in there. I popped 3 fresh ones, plus a dried chilli for effect. Then came the shredding of the green papaya and carrot. Thankfully Boon was not going to get me to shred these by my knife, as I had so often seen people doing this in the street. I used to wince thinking that they were going to cut off a finger or two in the process. Luckily for us, everyone now uses a simply hand held shredder, much like a peeler. I made easy work of the papaya and carrot. We added a handful of these, and with the pestle in one hand and a large spoon in the other came the difficult process of pounding and mixing in rhythm. It's not as easy as it looks or sounds. It's a knack that I imagine comes with time. But I think I did a pretty good job. Once thoroughly mixed and the papaya and carrot softened a little. It's time to taste and add last minute seasoning. I felt mine needed a bit more lemon and fish sauce. Then tossed once more to let it come together. Then popped it all on a dish and we sat down to eat. Mine was nice and sour but not to spicy. It could of done with maybe one or two more chilli's. Boon's on the other hand was certainly Thai style, as it had a powerful kick right away, the chilli just kept moving to the back of my throat, but the other ingredients mellowed the chilli hit and they all seemed to work together. They were both really nice but totally different. I preferred hers, as mine lacked that slap in the face I love so much. Sucka for punishment. 

Next we cooked the spicy seafood soup. This started off the same as most soups in Thailand. It all needs like all soups is a good base. Ours had lemongrass, young ginger, galangal and some of the chiang mai curry paste and some chicken stock. We first added some clams, when they started to open we popped in the bashed crab claws. After a little while in went the prawns and sliced squid. In moments it was finished. Served as prettily as I could get it into a bowl. This we both tucked into pretty fast. The crab meat was the highlight. It was sweet and succulent. The soup also had a great sea taste to it. T'was a yummy dish.

Then came the messy job of threading the pork fillet onto a lot of small wooden skewers. Quite an easy task and made plain sailing of it. Boon had already turned on the electric grill. I suppose a charcoal grill would have been asking to much. They were put on the grill whilst we whipped together the peanut sauce. Heated some coconut milk until the oil separated then added some of the Chiang Mai curry paste I had left over. Gave that a quick stir, then added some ground peanuts, sugar and salt. Stirred for a few minutes, so it would not stick to the wok. During all this I was turning the pork skewers over and mopping them with a badly made banana leaf brush I made. Boon's was much better so I stole hers. Really good idea. We turned the sauce onto a plate so we could cover the pork skewers with the sauce. The pork was a little over done and a bit chewy, but the sauce was awesome. Never again will I use peanut butter to make a satay sauce. 

We popped the Chiang Mai curry onto cook before we both took a well earned rest. As it contains pork belly it takes over an hour to cook, so the fat can become very tender. It's coked in the normal manner of any Thai curry. Covered and topped up with water or stock every once in a while so it would not dry out. I ventured outside, really quite shattered after a mornings hard cooking and eating. 

After our break we began the cooking of the Mussaman curry. For this we had two woks on the go. One to cook the curry in and the other to fry off the chicken pieces to crisp up the skin. This I would have done in a shallow pan to render off any fat from the skin, but as in Thailand its easier to deep fry them. I had cooked Mussaman curry before and it always amazes me how this starts off as a white liquid and by the end it has transformed to this muddy brown colour. It looks amazing as the oil separates out, this for me only adds to it. It gives it a great look, that no photo can recapture.

Whilst they were cooking it came time to insert the chicken pieces into the pandam leaves. Boon made it look so easy, to fold it twice to make a small pocket, then fold and fold over on itself to create a small triangle. This I could not do, but practice makes perfect, as the last few were pretty good. These are deep fried. I didn't really like these as they were too greasy for me. I seem to have grown to dislike deep fat fried food. Really not liking this at all. No more fish n chips for me back home. 

The last addition of seasoning to the Chiang Mai curry really brought it to life. The pickled garlic and tamarind really bursts through and adds that sour note you need with the fattiness of the pork. Really really good. 

When it came time to eat everything. There was just me. I now saw why it made sense to do the classes for 2 people or more, as there was a mountain of food to eat. We had to bag some of the satay sticks and the curry for Lina, as there was enough to feed about 3 people. 

In a way I was sad that I only got to do one day, but also happy that I enjoyed it so much, and I really want to do this as a job when we finish this trip. So looking forward to Colombia. So exciting. The freakiest thing of the day was that I had to cook and use knives in bare feet. It's a weird feeling, but by the end I got used to it. I can not imagine Gordon Ramsey allowing his chefs to work in bare feet. He should, it's liberating, but weird. 

Baan Thai Cookery School

www.cookinthai.com/index.php

Northern Thailand

Northern Thailand was a bit of a blessing after Laos. Not that we never had some good food in Laos, it's just most of the time the food was quite bland. After Laos we ate well. Even in some no name places that had their pre-cooked food on display in big metal containers and sold it by the dish with rice at lukewarm temperatures. My favourite way in these hot climes. 

I'm pretty sure the few days we were in Chiang Rai we only ate in one restaurant and that was at Cabbages and Condoms, named so as condoms are cheap as cabbages. It was started by one man, who single handed managed to lower the birth rate in Thailand through his condom company. He also has opened up several restaurants around Thailand. The interior has hundreds of the adverts they used to promote condom use in Thailand. It's a different way to decorate a restaurant. The food was pretty good also. 

The other times we ate, was at the large food night market. A large collection of stalls selling every Thai dish yo could think of. The best thing we had there was a beautifully grilled fish that was smeared in a spicy sauce. It was delish. We also had some cockles grilled that we also had in Vietnam. The market was mainly full of Thai's enjoying some good, cheap food with their families. Everything was being washed down with Thai beer or Thai whisky. There was even musical accompaniment. Some good, some not so good groups played for us, but the atmosphere was excellent. No surprising we never really wanted to eat anywhere else. 

We encountered Chiang Mai on a Sunday, which was lucky for us as the Sunday Night Market was just getting set up as we ventured out from our hotel. For a street market it was a magnificent sight. It had to stretch at least for a mile, plus loads of small streets venturing off in either direction were filled with people selling handicrafts. Of course if you have a market this big, those shoppers will soon become hungry shoppers. The sheer quantity of stalls selling everything from Phad Thai to Grilled Chicken to Curry Noodle Soups was most impressive. For the most part everything we tried was pretty darn good, and we tried a lot.

A local legend in Chiang Mai is Aroon Rai. It's own advertising states it has the best curries in Chiang Mai. Quite a bold statement. If I hadn't been recommended this place, then I would never have found it. Whilst we were inside we saw scores of people just simply walk past, looking in at it's large uninspiring open dining room full of plastic tables and chairs. The place really does not look anything special, but what a treat they were missing. The menu is quite brief although there are a few more items in Thai than in English. Wonder what they are. But basically, it's curry heaven. We ordered a Chiang Mai Curry and a Green Curry, Sticky Rice  and some Spring Rolls as a starter. Just to wet our appetites before the show began. 

The curries were both unxcious and well spiced. The Chiang Mai was thick and nicely sour, the Green Curry was full of spice and coconut. Both delicious and yummy, and with sticky rice to mop up those juices. It was fantastic, and as it was mostly frequented by Thai's and a few Farang it was pretty cheap. We were hoping that after that experience that the rest of Thailand was going to be heaven. But as always when you build something up, it always lets you down.

The following day we visited the Night Market. Compared with the Sunday Market, this was a big let down. It was like being in any touristy street in Bangkok, and this is one of Chiang Mai's major attractions. We found Food Street, as they call it. A large collection of restaurants mostly selling seafood. This looked like it promised us some glorious food. All it gave us was disappointment. We found a busy restaurant full of locals. Which is always a good sign. So after looking through the picture menu, we chose a plate of clams in a chilli sauce and the Special of the Day which was a grilled fish (Can not remember which type of fish it was). The clams were nice, but the chilli sauce was thick and gloopy and lacked any flavour at all, especially chilli. The fish was cooked really well but also lacked flavour. It was kinda bland. Which could have either been the fish or the way it was cooked. Seasoning, we found was something chefs forgot about in Thailand. Maybe this is the way they think we like their food, that we can not handle the spices or heat of the chilli's. Or maybe with the vast quantity of people visiting Chiang Mai they days, anyone who says they can cook is hired, in the mad rush to get the tourist dollar. Chiang Mai is or has become a victim of its own success. For the most part we enjoyed it but felt let down. Some of the best places we ate at, were really nothing special to look at, very simply decorated, and mostly plastic chairs and tables. There is good food in Chiang Mai, it just takes a little of exploring and with Aroon Rai, never judge a book by it's cover.