Austin

I almost forgot; the most significant use of kra chaay of them all is in the curry paste for kaeng liang, a soup that combines the aforementioned root, peppercorns, dried shrimp and several other indigenous Thai/SE Asian ingredients. It's said to be one of the oldest recipes in Thailand and when done well is absolutely delicious. Austin

Hi Mike! I could be wrong, but I doubt there are any cooking schools in Laos. I would though, recommend going up to Luang Prabang and chatting with Yannick of Restaurant Les 3 Nagas. His restaurant serves upscale versions of Luang Prabang food and he's really friendly and might be willing share info or recipes. How are you getting on in China? Cheers, Austin

Susan: That's a great point, and I totally agree. I have the added advantage of living in Thailand, but I NEVER measure ingredients when making Thai food, except when making certain curry pastes, and I'm pretty sure I've never seen a Thai cook with measuring tools. Especially when seasoning things, I would encourage people to disregard their recipes, and just add ingredients by taste; if you like spicy, add a lot of chilis! If you like sour, then squeeze enough limes until its sour enough for you. Obviously this takes a bit of experience, but I think most people can start cooking this way the second or third time they make a dish. Austin

And..?

I'm a food photographer (and writer) and agree with what you have said. In particular the lack of depth of field is getting absurd; I reckon it's only a matter of time before Nikon is going to make a 90mm F/0 specifically for food photography! On the other hand, I like the trend of using natural settings and natural light (the real reason for that lack of DOF before it became trendy!). My favorite kind of food photography, and the vast majority of what I do, involves visiting weird countries, outdoor markets, home kitchens, etc., where studio lighting, slow lenses and other cumbersome equipment is not even an option. In my opinion, this kind of photography is representative of "real" food and "real" situations, basically the polar opposite of what food photography was say 20 years ago, and I think this is a vast improvement. As for this kind of photography being easy, well, take a look at some of the photos here on eGullet! There's some shockingly bad stuff here, which makes me think it's not as easy as you suggest. However trained/experienced photographer are probably loving this trend! And regarding the future, who knows. But I think this trend is nearing its saturation point, and something will change. One thing I can imagine happening, which you can already see in some mags, is an emphasis on images of the people, places etc. (the 'spirit' as you call it) rather than the actual food. Austin

Meez: The beef salad looks great, and yes, as you've been told, that's Vietnamese, a language I am not familar with!

Coconut milk is made by extracting fats and liquid from the flesh of mature coconuts. So I reckon the terms are interchangeable? Incidentally, I recently started using coconut milk in plastic pouches as opposed to the stuff in cans. The bags are available refrigerated in Thai supermarkets, so I'm not sure if they're sold in the US or elsewhere, but I've noticed that the taste is much, much better than the canned stuff. It also seems to contain more of the thick coconut milk--so much that I use it straight from the bag in cases where thick coconut milk is needed, and diluted with 50% water for thin coconut milk. Works great, and again, the taste is much "fresher" and somehow more rich. Austin

Thanks for all your help; based on consensus looks like I'll continue just to write the dishes without any extra capitalizations, italics, quotes, whatever. Austin

I think this is the closest I'll get to a forum that might be able to answer this question: What is the accepted/proper way to write a menu item in a newspaper or magazine article? Is it to capitalize every word: Roasted Pigeon Filet with Curry and Almond Pastille and Brochette of Giblets with Cacao-Scented Jus Or to capitalize the first word: Roasted pigeon filet with curry and almond pastille and brochette of giblets and cacao-scented jus Use quotes: "roasted pigeon filet with curry and almond pastille and brochette of giblets and cacao-scented jus" Or italics: roasted pigeon filet with curry and almond pastille and brochette of giblets and cacao-scented jus Or some bizarre combination of the above? Help! Austin

Krachai, which I think you're referring to, is an essential ingredient in kaeng paa, "jungle curry" and phat chaa, a stir fry with chili paste, green peppercorns, garlic, chilies and krachai. I like to use krachai in kaeng som, a very common "sour" curry, but am not sure if this is traditional. Austin

Bruce: Wonderful, did you take any photos? Would be nice to see the result! I also made it again today, here's mine (and the photo will probably go in the cookbook as well): Yes, peanuts are common in this dish, but I prefer this version. And yes, palm sugar is a common sweeter. I reckon brown sugar would be an OK substitute, although the flavors are not exactly the same. Maybe a blend of white and palm? Although honestly, I don't like sweet, so I go VERY easy on the sugar. Incidentally, doing this cookbook and testing these recipes has been wonderful for the old lady living next door to me. I'll make these dishes and give her half (or all, as with today's curry). She loves my cooking, which is a supreme compliment considering that she's obviously eaten lots of Thai food over the years! Last time I made penaeng she said she really liked it because it "wasn't as sweet" as the curries you get at restaurants! Austin

Bruce: Wonderful, I'm excited you made it and look forward seeing your results here (incidentally, I'll be making it again soon here and will post the results as well). Some of my Thai language cookbooks suggest grinding the big chilies and the salt together first. This is a good idea, as the big chilies are, for me at least, the hardest to grind up finely, and I think the salt would help this process. I usually just grind it all together at the same time. Regarding chilies, maybe I'll do a sort of intro to Thai chilies somewhere in the book. And no, I don't think my publisher is willing to pay for that (I'll be lucky to make a profit on this!). Wow, I've never actually heard of or seen dried kaffir lime peel. Might want to use less, as some dried things are actually more pungent than their fresh counterparts! The recipe refers to finely ground salt.

Jaew simply means dip or chili sauce, and can take many, many forms. What aprilmei is referring to is a specialty of Luang Prabang called jaew bong. This kind of jaew features strips of dried buffalo skin, and is usually taken with the previously mentioned sheets of Mekhong River weed, known as khai phaen. Oh, and by the way, loy naam means "to float"! Swim is waay naam. I'm not sure what the "bong" in jaew bong means, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean buffalo (khuway in Lao). Austin

Have you tried frying smaller portions? For example, rather than frying enough noodles for three people (or whatever) at once, divide it into three portions and fry them individually. This is what they do at shops here. Austin

Oh, I've got something...! Are you sure you have Thailand covered? How about letting us know where you're thinking of going; I'll bet I can recommend some places you're not aware of. And you said you're covered on Bali--I'm assuming this means you plan to visit the night market at Gianyar? In Laos, you must visit the Luang Prabang morning market. If you go there you probably will: it's become quite popular among the old-Americans-in-white-shoes-with-videocameras crowd but it's still the same old wonderful market, with illegal jungle game and amazing local produce. The evening market in the same area is also fun, with more of an emphasis on prepared foods. Whenever we go to LP, we bring or by some plates and eat this food at our guesthouse; it's better than that of any of the tourist places. In Myanmar, the morning market in Kengtung (also known as Kyaing Tong or Chiang Tung) is really fun and unusual, but not sure if you'll make it up to that corner of the country. The rotating market at Inle Lake is touristy, but interesting as well. I remember coming across a really fun morning market in an obscure corner of Yangon--sorrry I can't provide any details. I'll let you know if I can think of any more... Austin

Great post! There are actually significant differences between Lao and Thai. Thai has been very much influenced by Chinese as well as Muslim cooking. Lao food is more like "original" Thai: no stir-frying, few dried spices, more grilled food, soups and dips. Buffalo has been mentioned here, and last time I was in Laos I was really astonished at just how much of this meat is eaten there, and how little it's consumed in Thailand. This post comes at a great time, as I was just thinking of adding a recent article of mine to my blog, and have now have a real reason to do so! The piece was in a recent issue of Intermezzo magazine and is all about Lao food. It adresses many of the things that were mentioned here. I'm also going to work with a writer here to do a magazine piece about the food of Luang Prabang, a historic city in northern Laos, sometime in the near future. Will keep you posted. Austin

Nick: Actually the book is all about southern Thai food, and I think those noodles are actually a central dish. I agree with what you're saying, but I think will "stay the path" for two reasons: 1. This is a book on regional Thai cooking and I'm trying to keep it as specific/authentic as possible. 2. Again, being a book of regional dishes, the commercial versions of many of these curry pastes simply aren't available, even in Bangkok. Pontormo: Coriander and cilantro are the exact same thing. The roots are just that; the thin, white hard roots of this herb. Yes, you're right, they're usually cut off when the cilantro/coriander is sold, but maybe you can find them at an Asian grocery (I'm assuming you're in the West?)? As far as I know, the book will mostly be distributed in Asia (the publishing company is located in Singapore). So I'm assuming that most people will have access to the ingredients. torakris: Actually I just did the primer for my blog, but maybe I can include something in the book? trillium: That's an interesting suggestion--I've yet to try blender myself. Would one of those small spice grinders work? Again, I think the best compromise would be to blend/process first, then finish in a mortar and pestle.

sarensho: Excellent comments, thanks. 1. Yes, I have tried this, years ago, and frankly it was not very good at all. The texture was more similiar to something "minced" rather than "mashed", if that makes any sense. If you do have a mortar but are short on time or energy, I would recommend using a food processor first, then finishing it by a short grinding with a mortar and pestle to smooth it out. Nowadays I only use a mortar and pestle. It's time consuming, messy, boring, and noisy, but the results are the best. 2. Galangal, thanks. 3. Hmm... That's a tough one. I think I've seen regular lime peel used as a substitute (not in Thailand, however), but I imagine you would need much less, as the taste is not the same. Please do try, even if you can't make the paste. I'd appreciate some imput re. the actual cooking process. Ta, Austin

torakris: I'm not too familiar with "Western" chilies, but if you'll go to this link to my blog Phrik 101 and scroll down to the 4th pic, you'll find an image of phrik chii faa, the chili in question. They tend to be the length of, say, a pen, and aren't too spicy. Austin

I'm currently in the beginning stages of writing a cookbook of southern Thai food. The format for the recipes is already established by the series of books, but this is the first time they've done Thai cooking, and I want to be sure that my instructions are clear. Thus, if anybody is interested in making a Thai dish tonight, I encourage you to follow the one below for Panang Nuea, Panang Curry with Beef. Please let me know if it makes sense and if there's anything you feel I missed out on, wasn't clear about, or forgot! If you decide to make it, please add your comments (and photos?) to this thread. If people like doing this, I can add a couple more recipes in the future (not sure if the publishing company would like it if they found their entire book online!). (Oh, and keep in mind that the recipe is meant for four people--I only made half of it myself, and it turned out quite well.) Thanks! Panang Curry with Beef Phanaeng Nuea (Serves 4 as part of a southern Thai meal) Ingredients Curry Paste Large dried chilies 20, softened in warm water Shallots 5, peeled and chopped Garlic 10 large cloves, peeled and chopped Chopped galingale 1 tsp Chopped lemongrass 1 tsp Chopped coriander roots 1/2 Tbsp Chopped kaffir lime peel 1 tsp Peppercorns 5 Salt 1/2 tsp Shrimp paste 2 Tbsp Lean beef 500 g, sliced into thumb-sized strips Thick coconut milk* 250 ml Thin coconut milk** 500 ml Sugar 1 Tbsp Large Thai chilies 4, thinly sliced lengthwise and kept in cool water Kaffir lime leaves 3-4 leaves, finely sliced *Thick coconut milk is the coconut milk that comes directly from the can. **Thin coconut milk is canned coconut milk that has been diluted 50% with water. Method -Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor grind the curry paste ingredients together into a fine paste. Set aside. -In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the thick coconut milk to a light boil. Add the curry paste and blend well. Bring to a slight boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, until the much of the liquid has evaporated and a layer of oil has begun to form on top. This can take as long as 15 to 20 minutes. Add beef and stir until coated with the curry paste mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly, and simmer beef, stirring constantly, until meat is tender and has absorbed much of the coconut milk and curry paste mixture, about 10 minutes. (If mixture becomes too dry, add thin coconut milk, 25 ml at a time.) -Add the thin coconut milk and sugar. Simmer, blending constantly, until curry is somewhat thick, about five minutes. Season with additional sugar or fish sauce, if necessary. Remove from heat and garnish with chilies and kaffir lime leaves. -Serve hot with rice as part of a southern Thai meal. And here's what mine looked like:

If were thinking of the same recipe, then it's this vegetable above (pic courtesy of Susan in FL), called in Thai, phak khanaa. But you can do this with virtually any leafy, green vegetable. Austin

Certainly, did you look at my blog? I just did a couple recently. In particular, the fried vegetable dish is something I make very often, probably every week. I will be doing more! Someone mentioned nam phrik phao, so I'll be doing that soon, but I'm always up for suggestions. Austin

Yes, several times a week (I am in Bangkok after all!). Why do you ask? Austin

As mentioned earlier, I was in fact able to meet Mr Thompson today, and as he was both so extremely kind as well as knowledgeable about Thai food that now I feel severely guilty about being so critical of his book earlier! I didn't adress the szechuan pepper issue directly, but I did ask about the problem of writing recipes for obscure regional dishes for which all of the ingredients might not be available in the west. His reply (and I quote) was, "I had no problems in disregarding that, because I think one has to be faithful to the cuisine first, and increasingly there's more and more ingredients that are becoming available. One of the problems I've always had with cooking is, if you limit it to the ingredients available, you might as well just be opening a can [...] and that kind of cooking is at odds with good cooking [...] whether it be of any cuisine, but especially Thai cooking." So I think this is one area where we would differ. My personal opinion is that, if you can't get your hands on the right ingredients (or at least something quite close), than you probably shouldn't even try to make obscure/regional dishes to begin with, as in most cases, they won't even come close to the original. If I'm understanding what he said correctly, I think Mr. Thompson would disagree with this. In any event, as I said he was very nice, and we had a lovely hour chatting about Thai food. We have a tentative appointment to go eat khao mok plaa at a place near my house, which if it works out, should be lots of fun. Austin

Ironically enough, the author of Thai Food, David Thompson, is presently in Bangkok and today I'm going to interview him for a piece I'm working on, as well as attend a press dinner featuring his cooking on Saturday! Should I mention the Szechuan pepper thing...? Austin