Bangkok Street Food

Thailand is so (in)famous about its streetfood culture. I remember my very first trip to Thailand about 14 years ago, when my dad was still alive. I chanced upon a street vendor selling something like fishballs with vegetables with a sweet tangy sauce. I promptly bought some and loved it.

Now, fourteen years later, I am still in search for that elusive street food. I chanced upon something similar near the hotel, but it's not the same as I remembered it. The sauce 14 years ago was close to the sauce we have here in Manila but with a slight kick.





The sauce of these grilled items come close though, very similar to what I remembered.



I saw an alley near our hotel that sells rows and rows of Thai food viands, noodles, assorted fried and grilled meats. I wanted to try, but, I was under the weather and could not risk getting any sicker. The alley didn't exactly meet my sanitation standards.






I ended up having papaya salad and some shrimp-type lumpia in an airconditioned restaurant somewhere. Unfortunately, this meal was lackluster and failed to impress me. Maybe the street alley, was better afterall.






I also sampled some of Bangkok's pancakes. Each one has a different filling. Some were filled with a custard-like goo, cheese, sesame seeds, coconuts and a whole bunch of other stuff. I liked the pancakes, despite their petite size, they're quite filling. I brought my leftovers to the hotel and ate some of it the following day.

The Oriental Thai Cooking School

Our second day in Bangkok was the most fun. This is my fourth time in Bangkok and we wanted to do something different and fun (not that shop ‘till you drop activities were not enjoyable).

An officemate suggested to attend Mandarin Oriental’s cooking class, taught by its master chef, Nahrain Kiattiyotcharoen.

Cooking enthusiasts that we are, we jumped at the chance and pre-booked on Mandarin Oriental’s website prior to our arrival.

Mandarin Oriental, Bankok is one of the swankiest hotels in Bangkok. Just look at this grand flower arrangement at the lobby.



The cooking school is located across the scenic Chao Praya River, at the Oriental Thai Hotel. Our adventure began by riding a traditional boat across the Chao Praya River.



The Oriental Thai Hotel is the oldest hotel in Bangkok and it certainly provide such a welcoming and happy environment for learning Thai cuisine.

Our class starts with Chef Nahrain discussing the plate of desserts served to us prior to the actual cooking. Don’t let these desserts fool you. Each one takes a lot of effort to make and one should really know how they are made for you to appreciate the art and loving touch that go to making each one. For example, the white and green jelly dessert that you see, took all day to make, agar-agar is flavoured with pandan, put in a single layer, allowed to set, steamed and then another layer of coconut flavoured agar-agar is laid on top of it, allowed to set and then steamed again. This goes on for at least nine layers. Amazing!



The yellow mung dessert is cooked like a pudding, placed in a mold, unmolded and smoked using a special candle infused with herbs and spices. It is smoked for three hours. Here's chef Nahrain showing us the candle and explaining how it is used. Another amazing and wonderfully flavoured Thai dessert. I wish I remembered all their names!



Each student is given a copy of all the recipes that you will make plus some backgrounder on Thai herbs and ingredients. They gave us a cool apron too :-)



Our first lesson for the day was dessert, Banana in Coconut Sauce, Gluay Buad Chee made with coconut cream, bananas, and palm sugar. Palm sugar is so much more delicious than brown sugar. Tip when buying palam sugar, always buy the light colored ones because that means they are fresh and not oxidized.



The second dish that we made was Deep fried herbed Corn and Minced Chicken or Khao Phoad Thawd. You will need a mortar and pestle for this. The fresh corn, chicken and cilantro root and other ingredients are pounded together to make the patties. I’ve also learned that the healthiest oil for deep frying is Rice Bran Oil. If you can find it in your grocery store, I suggest you use that. I bought two bottles in Bangkok since I haven’t seen Rice Bran oil in Manila. If you know where to find it, please let me know!



The next dish is the most iconic dish in Thailand, Spicy Prawn Herbed Soup, Tom Yom Goong and the most difficult, I thought. Little did I know that it was so easy to make as long as you have all the authentic ingredients! Chef Nahrain’s version is the best and the most refreshing that I’ve ever tasted.



The next dish is called Stir Fried Pork with Chilis and Holy Basil, Phad Graphrao Moo, this is very simple to make with just some basic ingredients. So yummy! The fried holy basil on top provides a nice crunch to the dish.



We were divided into 3 groups and was given our own kitchen station to prepare, cut slice and cook all the above dishes. Chef Nahrain and a sous chef were on hand in every step of the way, if we had questions, they were very helpful.



Another thing that I love about the Oriental Thai Cooking School is that it is such a sensory experience, each herb and root used in the class were passed around for us to smell, touch, taste, differentiate from the many varieties available in the school's herb garden. For one thing, I realized that galangal is so much different that a ginger! A lemongrass bulb is so much more fragrant than it’s stalk. There are also so many varieties of basil, lemon basil is the most fragrant. Oh, I just want to inhale it all day long!



Each lesson was insightful, fun and full of useful information for any cook, professional or beginners alike. It was such a wonderful and fulfilling experience. I am so happy that I took that class. What a wonderful way to spend my Saturday morning (and lunch)! Yes, we ate everything that we made that day.

The Oriental Thai Cooking School is L-O-V-E!

Novotel at Siam, Bangkok Thailand

Just got back from a company trip in Bangkok. We stayed at the Novotel Siam. I highly recommend this hotel due to it's very nice location. The hotel is within walking distnce to Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery, Central World and MBK. If you have the stamina, you will not get bored with the shopping! The cutest dresses are found along the small side streets near the hotel, called Little Siam. OMG, the dresses were so cute and funky. Too bad they didn't come in my size. Darn excess weight, hmp!

Novotel Siam also has well appointed, spacious, clean and comfortable rooms. The staff are very courteous and helpful. Most of them don't speak english but, they are always ready to give you a smile :-)





The buffet breakfast at Novotel Siam also has a huge selection on local, oriental, halal and international dishes. You're sure to find something to fill you up. You will need all your energy for all the walking, shopping and sight seeing.

The most attractive come on perhaps is that Novotel Siam is just a stonesthrow away from many massage salons :-) One of them even has a funny name, "Miss Puke", he he he. I tried Chang Massage and Issey, just accross the street from the hotel. I highly recommend a Thai full body massage of at least two hours a day (while you're in Bangkok), it will recharge you and will guarantee and very restful sleep. A two-hour massage will set you back THB500 (Around P750 or US$16), pretty cheap and definitely worth it.

I Heart Caliraya

For most people, when they think of summers, they think of the beach and other exotic places. For our family, Caliraya, was our most favorite summer destination. All the kids look forward to summer because we know that we would be spending it in Caliraya.

This is the first resort that we ever stayed in. It's pretty rustic and basic but we loved it!



Caliraya is a man-made lake on top of a mountain. It is essentially a dam run by Napocor (National Power Corporation).



My uncle Florante, who has since passed, was an executive at Napocor and had privileges of renting Napocor's premier summer getaway lodge called Camarin. We hope to visit again soon and hope that Napocor is able to maintain its beauty and charm.

I remember Camarin so well. It had a grand winding driveway that led to the "bulwagan" or great room where our family spent countless meals together. The rooms were quite sizeable, have their own en suite bathrooms and airconditioning :-) (Remember, this was our youth, more than two decades ago, airconditioning was sheer luxury). We would have the whole place all to ourselves during holy week. All seven rooms in the compund!

It was a place that held wonder and adventure. Cool breezes invite for long naps on the porch, wide open spaces invite for a game of "habulan taya", mature trees provide shade for our tired little bodies after a whole day of playing. The lake, provides many hours of boating and fishing (not that we caught any) and I remember hours of conversation among the "cousins" about mermaids and crocodiles lurking in the muddy waters of lake Caliraya. Yes, we looked everytime we took a boat ride.

The grassy landscape provide great hiding places for easter eggs and many hours playing with "makahiya" (a "shy" weed that closes it's leaves when touched).

The most memorable perhaps are the lovely meals that we had there. Meals that were lovingly prepared by our mothers and aunts. Eat all you can fiesta. There were several long tables in the bulwagan and we would line them up side by side so that all of us will be able to stay in one long table, share food, share conversations and be a family.

I feel a little sad that the three male pillars of our family have passed on. My father was the youngest, who died at age 45. My uncle Florante, the instigator of summer vacation adventures, died of a heart attack a few weeks before my wedding and my Tito Boy who recently passed this year.

Yesterday, after sharing a simple meal at my brother's home, we decided to take a two-hour road trip to Caliraya and revisit our youth and to introduce to the third genration, Jay-jay and Ashley, my nephew and niece (since I have yet to produce an offspring), the magical place where their dad (my brother) and I spent endless summer days playing.

We hope that someday, they too, will have a special appreciation of the beautiful Caliraya and make special memories with family and friends.

Chicken Triangles

On our way home from the grocery, hubby requested that I make chicken flautas for lunch. The problem was, he didn't tell me this BEFORE we went to the grocery. I had just planned to make Chicken Quesadilla for lunch and I didn't have enough tortilla for the flautas.

I just made do with the dimsum/siomai wrappers I have on stock. The ingredients are very simple and basic, yet, very tasty. The bell peppers and cilantro provide a fresh burst of flavor when you bite into the chicken triangles. Enjoy!

Chicken Triangles




Siomai wrappers, large
Milk
Cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
Chicken breast fillet
Cheddar cheese, grated or cubed
Green bell pepper, sliced
White onions, chopped (optional)
salt
Egg, beaten
(notice there are no measurements, this is because you can put as much or as little as you want in the filling)

Tomato salsa for dipping

1. Marinate chicken breast in milk, cilantro leaves and salt. Leave for at least half an hour.
2. Drain and pat dry the chicken breast fillets. Boil in lightly salted water until cooked. Drain and cube.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the chicken, cilantro, cheese, bell peppers and onions (if using, I didn't because hubby hates the stuff).
4. Place about a tablespoon of the chicken mixture in each siomai wrapper. Fold in triangles and seal edges by brushing it with a beaten egg.
5. Quicklty fry chicken tringles in hot oil to avoid burning and absorbing too much oil.
6. Drain in paper towels. Serve with salsa dipping sauce.

Quick, easy and delicious!

And yes, we had the chicken quesadilla on top of the chicken triangles. :-)

Just sharing some funny stories about cheesecake

I often get calls from hubby about conversations like these:

Hubby's colleagues: "We'll go to the Alabang office for a meeting (states agenda)"

Hubby: "Sure"

Hubby's colleagues: "We'll also drop by your house, to have some of Leica's cheesecake"

Hubby: "Leica's working, she doesn't keep it on stock!"

or

Hubby goes to the Makati office:

Colleagues: "Do you have Leica's cheesecake with you"

Hubby: "No! I'm here for a meeting!"


He! he! he!

Corned Beef with Asparagus and Potatoes

Corned beef, despite having been introduced by the Americans, is a staple breakfast fare in most Filipino homes. The typical version is canned corned beef sauteed in garlic, onions and tomatoes, the trinity in Filipino cooking.

My version is a healthier alternative of the typical corned beef breakfast. It's still coned beef, but less of the grease.

Corned Beef with Asparagus and Potatoes



2 Small cans of corned beef
1 Diced potato
1 bunch baby asparagus spears, sliced, hard portions discarded

1. In rapidly boiling, lightly salted water, add the potato and asparagus. Drain after one minute or less.
2. In a separate non-stick pan, heat up the corned beef (without adding any oil). Add the potatoes and asparagus, toss until heated through. Do not add any more salt.

Serving good for 3, or one hungry husband, depends on the situation :-)