Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [60]
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Lime juice provides the tang, while the abundant use of fresh chilli generates the heat. Other ingredients vary considerably, but plenty of leafy vegetables and herbs are usually present, including lettuce (often lining the dish) and kêun chài (Chinese celery). Most yam are served at room temperature or just slightly warmed by any cooked ingredients. The dish functions equally well as part of a meal, or on its own as gàp glâam, snack food to accompany a night of boozing.
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THE CULT OF SÔM·ĐAM
Green papaya salad, known in Thai as sôm·am, probably has its origins in Laos, but is today one of the most popular dishes in Thailand. It is made by taking strips of green unripe papaya and bruising them in a clay or wood mortar along with garlic, palm sugar, green beans, tomatoes, lime juice, fish sauce and a typically shock-inducing amount of fresh chillies. Sôm·am low, the ‘original’ version of the dish, employs heartier chunks of papaya, sliced eggplants, salted field crabs, and a thick unpasteurised fish sauce known as lah ráh. Far more common in Bangkok is am tai, which includes dried shrimp and peanuts, and is seasoned with bottled fish sauce. Almost always made by women, sôm·am is also primarily also enjoyed by women, often as a snack rather than an entire meal – the intense spiciness providing a satisfying mental ‘full’.
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Perhaps the zenith of this style of cooking is northeastern Thailand’s sôm·am (see boxed text, above).
Fruits
Being a tropical country, Thailand excels in the fruit department with exceptionally delicious sàp·à·rót (pineapple), má·lá·gor (papaya) and aang moh (watermelon) sold from ubiquitous vendor carts, often accompanied by a dipping mix of salt, sugar and ground chilli. You’ll find more exotic fruits sold in produce markets. The king of fruits is the spiky-shelled tú·ree·an (durian), an acridly pungent delicacy in Southeast Asia. The fruit smells so strong that it is banned from airlines, air-conditioned buses and some hotels. Other seasonal fruits that you deserve to meet include creamy nóy nàh (custard apple), the Velcro tennis-ball shaped ngó (rambutan), the purplish skinned mang·kút (mangosteen), and the grape-shaped lá·mút (sapodilla) and lam yai (longan).
Má·môo·ang (mangoes) come in a dozen varieties that are eaten at different stages of ripeness. Some are served green and crisp and taste like apples, while others are ripe and luscious and served in the intoxicating dessert kôw něe·o má·môo·ang (mangoes and sticky rice).
Sweets
English-language Thai menus often have a section called ‘Desserts’, but the concept takes two slightly different forms in Thailand. Kŏrng whn, which translates as ‘sweet things’, are small, rich sweets that often boast a slightly salty flavour. Prime ingredients for kŏrng whn include grated coconut, coconut milk, rice flour (from white rice or sticky rice), cooked sticky rice (whole grains), tapioca, mung-bean starch, boiled taro and various fruits. Coconut milk also features prominently in several soupier kŏrng whn, to which crushed ice is often added to cool the mixture. Egg yolks are a popular ingredient for many kŏrng whn – including the ubiquitous fŏy torng (literally ‘golden threads’) – probably influenced by Portuguese desserts and pastries introduced during the early Ayuthaya era (see boxed text, Click here).
Thai sweets similar to the European concept of pastries are called kà·nŏm. Here again the kitchen-astute Portuguese were influential. Probably the most popular type of kà·nŏm in Thailand are the bite-sized items wrapped in banana leaves, especially kôw ôm gà·tí and kôw ôm mát. Both consist of sticky