Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [109]
On Thai menus, the yam section will often be the longest. Yet when these same menus are translated into English, most or all of the yam are omitted because Thai restaurateurs harbour the idea that the delicate fà·ràng palate cannot handle the heat or pungency. The usual English menu translation is either ‘Thai-style salad’ or ‘hot and sour salad’.
Without a doubt, yam are the spiciest of all Thai dishes, and a good yam to begin with if you’re not so chilli-tolerant is yam wún sên, bean-thread noodles tossed with shrimp, ground pork, Chinese celery, lime juice and fresh sliced chilli. Another tame yam that tends to be a favourite among Thais and foreigners alike is yam Ъlah dùk foo, made from fried shredded catfish, chilli and peanuts with a shredded-mango dressing on the side. Because of the city’s proximity to the Gulf of Thailand, Bangkok eateries serve a wide variety of seafood yam, and at seafood restaurants such as Kaloang Home Kitchen these are a very good choice. Yam may also be made primarily with vegetables, such as the decadent yam hǒo·a Ъlee (banana blossom salad), at Chote Chitr.
Stir-Fries & Deep-Fries
The simplest dishes in the Thai culinary repertoire are the pàt (stir-fries), brought to Thailand by the Chinese, who are of course world famous for being able to stir-fry a whole banquet in a single wok.
The list of pàt dishes seems endless. Most are better classified as Chinese, such as néu·a pàt nám man hǒy (beef in oyster sauce). Some are clearly Thai-Chinese hybrids, such as gài pàt prík kǐng, in which chicken is stir-fried with ginger, garlic and chilli – ingredients shared by both traditions – but seasoned with fish sauce. Also leaning towards Thai – because cashews are native to Thailand but not to China – is gài pàt mét má·môo·ang hì·má·pahn (sliced chicken stir-fried in dried chilli and cashews), a favourite with fà·ràng tourists.
Perhaps the most Thai-like pàt dish is the famed lunch meal pàt gà·prow, a chicken or pork stir-fry with garlic, fresh sliced chilli, soy and fish sauce, and lots of holy basil. Another classic is pàt pèt (literally ‘hot stir-fry’), in which the main ingredients are quickly stir-fried with red curry paste and tossed with sweet basil leaves before serving. This recipe usually includes seafood or freshwater fish, such as shrimp, squid, catfish or eel.
Stir-fry chicken, pork, beef or shrimp with black pepper and garlic and you have pàt prík tai grà·tee·am, a relatively mild recipe often ordered as a ‘fill-in’ dish during a larger meal. For lovers of fresh vegetables, pàt pàk ka·náh (Chinese kale stir-fried with a fermented soy-bean sauce) is worth looking out for, as is pàt pàk bûng fai daang, flash-fried morning glory. For above-average fried dishes, the best destination is the street stalls of Chinatown (see Click here).
Tôrt (deep-frying in oil) is mainly reserved for snacks such as glôo·ay tôrt (fried bananas) or Ъò Ъée·a (egg rolls). An exception is Ъlah tôrt (deep-fried fish), which is the most common way any fish is prepared.
Soups
Thai soups fall into two broad categories, đôm yam and gaang jèut, that are worlds apart in terms of seasonings. ðôm yam is almost always made with seafood, though chicken may also be used. ðôm yam gûng (đôm yam with shrimp) can be found in nearly all Thai restaurants as well as in many serving non-Thai cuisine. It is often translated on English menus as ‘hot and sour Thai soup’, although this often misleads non-Thais to think of Chinese hot and sour soup, which is milder and thinner in texture, and includes vinegar.
Lemon grass, kaffir lime leaf and lime juice give đôm yam its characteristic tang. Galingale is also added to đôm yam and, like its friends, is not meant to be eaten, but rather simply to add flavour. Fuelling the fire beneath đôm yam’s often velvety surface are fresh prík kêe nǒo (tiny spicy chillies) and sometimes half a teaspoonful of nám prík pǒw (a paste of dried chilli roasted with gà·Ъì). In addition to the tart-inducing ingredients, coriander leaf is an important