Sticky heat, a bustling city and the tantalising waft of street food on every corner. If there is such a thing as a culinary fangirl, I am it, and Thai food is my Justin Bieber. When I set out on my first visit to Bangkok (and indeed South East Asia), I had done my research, and I had a long list of things I was going to eat.
Upon arrival, our heads heavy with jet lag and lack of sleep after a 10-hour flight, Sofie and I stumbled onto the streets of Bangkok, nervous and exited at the prospect of this new adventure. Right outside our hotel, tuk tuks whizzed passed. We stopped at the first street-food stall we spotted, intrigued by a man pouring dark coffee, from a height, from one jar to another, creating a frothy liquid which was then poured over ice and served in a plastic bag. Brilliant. Two straws, a quick slurp, a strong caffeine hit and we were off.
We floated past stall after stall, each one filled with different local specialities, surrounded by plastic tables and chairs with Bangkok’s citizens lining their bellies with fresh and exciting flavours.
I’ve never had such fantastic food as I did at those makeshift kerbside restaurants. Sitting elbow-to-elbow with locals – who were chuckling at the two Westerners sweating from the heat and spicy food – was an exhilarating experience. We devoured bowls of crunchy green papaya salad with chewy, salty dried shrimp; we tackled high piles of clams coated in roasted chilli paste; and savoured spicy grilled beef and mint salad, crunchy from a dusting of toasted sticky rice. Much of Thailand’s food culture is to be enjoyed on the streets and to have visited the country without sampling its street food would have meant missing out.
While I don't regularly go in for tourist activities, a food tour in a country such as Thailand is almost essential. Very early one morning, a guide brought us out of Bangkok to visit one of the famous floating markets. It was an experience like no other. We watched as a group of Thai ladies, each sitting in their own long boat, calmly dished out speciality breakfast dishes such as mussels stir-fried with eggs, small sweet dumplings and omelettes filled with tofu, coriander, beansprouts and pickled vegetables.
My mouth waters, even now, at the thought of it all and these visits have without a doubt inspired so much of my recent cooking.
I share these three recipes, holding my hands up and admitting that they are slightly simplified, but are as close to the traditional versions as I can keep them, ingredient availability considered.
Time to stock up on your Thai store-cupboard essentials.
