Longing for Bangkok

WOW, I just long to return to Bangkok and not just for a few days en route to another destination in Asia.

That’s what I did this time but it just whetted my appetite for more. I was just beginning to get the hang of it when it was time to leave.

I adore the frenzy of the traffic and the street life, the swirling colour, bustle, noise and the intoxicating kaleidoscope of tastes and smells.

The markets and street food alone would be quite enough to bring me rushing back, not to speak of the glittering Royal Palace complex which left me totally gobsmacked.

Don’t miss Tor Kor Market and just across the road is the unmissable Chatuchak Weekend Market, a labyrinth of about 8,000 stalls selling not just the usual tourist souvenirs but it has now morphed into a starting ground for young talent and entrepreneurs trained in Thailand, New York, London and Toyko. There’s an abundance of handcrafts from around the world, antiques, clothes, accessories, pets, plants, furniture, books and utensils. You need a ton of energy and an empty container.

The variety of street food in Bangkok simply cannot be matched anywhere else. Snacking is a way of life in Thailand. Every day, millions of people from all walks of life eat at roadside stalls or food markets. To meet the demand an army of street vendors work day and night 24/7 chopping, wokking, grilling and cleaning.

These make shift-kitchens, carts, food stalls, mobile restaurants are all over the city, on pavements, street corners, underneath flyovers, in the park, on the beach and in railway stations. It feels like one is never more than a few minutes away from your next tasty morsel. There are even floating kitchens — in boats at the food markets on the Mekong River and canals. Many of the most famous Thai dishes actually originated on these street stalls before they appeared on menus in Thai restaurants. For me the best place to really taste the food of any country is on street stalls.

Those attached to bicycles can be pedalled from place to place; meals on wheels in every guise from side car motorcycles to customise pick up trucks.

The most basic and traditional and one of the oldest forms of selling and transporting street food is the Haph, a flexible wooden pole with woven basket on either side which resembles a large balance scales. Some vendors even carry small plastic tables and chairs to seat their customers or set up a little roadside restaurant.

The main cooking methods on street stalls are boiling, grilling, steaming, wokking, frying, stir frying or deep frying in a big wok of oil.

Each stall specialises in one kind of food, sometimes just one dish which their reputation depends on.

They have specialised equipment and utensils for preparing their noodle soup, stir fry, satay, dumplings, etc.

I know it’s an anathema to many people to encourage them to eat street food in this era of food hygiene paranoia. But believe me you are more likely to have a ‘gippy tummy’ from a dodgy hotel buffet that goes in and out of the kitchen over and over again. Often the food is cooked while you wait, so pick up courage and enjoy.

Chicken and Banana Flower Salad

Banana flowers are also known as banana blossom.

They are sometimes available in Asian shops, but if you can’t find them, Belgium endives make a good substitute.

Shrimps make a good substitute for chicken.

Serves 2

1 banana flower

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Water

250g (8 ozs) chicken breast

Dressing

230ml (8 fl ozs) coconut cream

1 tablespoon roasted chilli paste

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 stalk of lemon grass — white part, sliced finely

1-2 ozs (25-50 g) toasted cashew nuts

1 handful fresh coriander leaves

2 kaffir lime leaves — shredded very finely

1 red chilli, thinly sliced

Remove the outer leaves of the banana flower.

Quarter lengthwise and remove the core.

Slice very finely and leave to soak for at least an hour in a mixture of water and lime juice to reduce the bitter flavour.

Poach the chicken on a low heat in the coconut cream for 8-10 minutes until just cooked.

Remove the chicken, save the coconut cream to make the dressing.

When the chicken is cool, slice into very fine shreds.

Mix the coconut cream with chilli paste, fish sauce, sugar and freshly squeezed lime juice.

Drain the banana flower well.

Mix with the lemon grass, toasted cashew nuts and chicken. Drizzle with dressing and mix well.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, shredded kaffir lime leaves and sliced chilli.

Grilled Chicken Satay

Satay is always served with peanut sauce and spicy cucumber relish. Pork may also be served in this recipe.

Makes 10 approx

450g (1 lb) chicken breast or pork fillet

2 teaspoon coriander seeds

½ teaspoon cumin

2 garlic cloves

4 red Asian shallots or 2 Irish shallots, chopped

2.5cm (1 inch) piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

2.5cm (1 inch) piece of fresh turmeric, peeled and chopped or ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoon caster sugar

10 wooden or bamboo skewers

Spicy cucumber relish (see recipe)

Satay sauce (see recipe)

Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour; this will prevent burning while grilling.

Cut the chicken or pork into ¼ inch (5mm) strips. Dry roast the coriander and cumin seed.

Pound the coriander seeds, cumin, garlic, shallots, ginger and turmeric in a pestle and mortar until smooth.

Add salt, oil and sugar. Marinate the chicken or pork in this mixture for at least 1 hour.

Thread the strips of meat onto the skewers. Push the meat right to the top, the skewer should be hidden in the meat otherwise it will burn during cooking.

Grill, turning regularly. Serve with cucumber relish and satay sauce.

Cucumber Relish

4 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons vinegar

1 pinch of salt

½ teaspoon chilli powder or large red chilli, julienned

4 tablespoons cucumber, julienned

2 tablespoon, shallot, sliced

1 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped

Bring water with sugar, vinegar and salt to the boil.

Turn off the heat when sugar has dissolved.

Cool.

Add chilli, cucumber and shallot.

Finish with coriander leaves.

Peanut Sauce

2 large dried chillies, chopped

2 garlic cloves chopped

1 stalk lemongrass, chopped

1 tablespoon turmeric, chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

450ml (16fl oz) coconut milk

1 tablespoon tamarind water

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons ground roasted peanuts

Pound the chilli, garlic, lemongrass and turmeric in a mortar until smooth.

Heat oil in a wok on a low heat and fry the paste until fragrant.

Add coconut milk and bring to the boil.

Boil for seven minutes.

Add tamarind water, sugar, salt and peanuts.

Boil five more minutes.

Grilled Pork

10 wooden or bamboo skewers

400g pork fillet, cut into strips

2 garlic cloves, chopped

6 coriander roots, scraped and chopped

½ teaspoon white ground pepper

4 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

125ml coconut cream

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon castor sugar

Soak the skewers in water for one hour to prevent burning.

Combine all the ingredients but the pork in a large mixing bowl.

Mix well. Let the pork strips marinate in this mixture for half an hour.

Weave the strips of pork on the skewers and grill over charcoal for five minutes, until cooked. Turn regularly.

Coriander cilantro is versatile. Here we are familiar with the use of stalks and leaves, but in Thai cooking the root is often used.

Wash and scrape it and chop it finely. If you can’t find it in an Asian supermarket, you can use the stalks of coriander, instead.

It won’t be exactly the same thing, but it’s the next best option.

Stir Fried Noodles with Pork and Soy Sauce

Serves 4

2 tablespoons oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

450g (1lb) pork cut in strips

1 handful wide rice noodles, soaked and drained

4 stalks of Chinese broccoli, cut diagonally

2 eggs beaten

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

150ml (5 fl oz) chicken stock or water

lots of white pepper

Heat oil in a wok on a medium heat, add garlic and pork and stir fry until coloured.

Add noodles and Chinese broccoli.

Stir in beaten egg and mix well.

Add soy sauces, oyster sauce and sugar.

Stir fry for 30 seconds.

Add stock/water to bring to boil.

Season with white pepper.

Hot tips

People are coming up with all sorts of exciting ideas to start a food business.

Recently, I came across a stall called Just Nuts, at Mahon Point Farmers’ market, and loved it.

It’s a new idea from Fiona Buckley, who recognised there was an opportunity for import substitution when she realised all the roasted, spiced party nuts were imported. She now sells eight homemade flavours, including sweet spiced nuts with cinnamon and nutmeg, New York nuts with fresh rosemary and cayenne, and three sugar-free options.

Phone [phone]; email [e-mail] or find her on Facebook.

Lots of tempting options on Carmel Somer’s 2012 Good Things cookery course.

You’ll have the added bonus of spending time in lovely West Cork.

Don’t forget to seek out Jaffa Gill’s Durrus Farmhouse Cheese, www.thegoodthingscafe.com/ and www.durruscheese.com

Trevor Sargent will talk on how to feed your family, and make some money, from a small organic plot, at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Tuesday, Mar 20 at 7pm; €6 Slow Food and GIY members and €10 non-members. All proceeds to the East Cork Slow Food Educational Project. Phone [phone] for more details.