Showing 11 - 19 of 19
Forking out for a feed
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 15/02/2015
» When you are considering buying clothes, electronic products such as mobile phones or computers, or other consumer goods to replace those that you already have, you can hold off if the price is too high. But the story is different when it comes to food, which is a necessity. You can’t just stop buying it because it costs too much.
The old ways of making rice nice
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 05/10/2014
» Everything evolves and changes. Even cooking rice evolves in ways to keep it tasty and appealing. Nowadays we have electric rice cookers and microwave ovens. All you have to do is push a button and let the electricity do the work. You don't need any special skill or technique. But before we reached this point, the situation was more complicated.
Fish out of water
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 29/12/2013
» For the fish-loving foodie there are two Thai freshwater fish that warrant special attention. The pla salit (gourami) and the pla kod (naked catfish) may both come from freshwater streams and ponds, but in their physical appearance they have little in common. Also very different are their availability, the way they are eaten and their flavour.
If it's not hainanese it's not really 'Khao Man Gai'
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 16/06/2013
» Few people will refuse a plate of khao man gai (chicken with rice), at least as long as a crucial condition is met _ it must be the authentic Hainanese versions of the dish. The true aficionado of this dish will probably walk away from the khao man gai sold in food courts or from roadside stalls, where it is usually prepared by vendors from Isan rather than by Hainanese chefs. Also to be avoided are the places that sell khao man gai together with rice topped with Chinese red pork or grilled duck. The cooks there are unlikely to be experts at preparing real khao man gai.
Traditional kitchen tools that helped shape thai cuisine
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 17/03/2013
» Anyone who does creative work aspires to own and use the best equipment possible. Modern designers and graphic artists want to have the latest and most capable computers and software; painters want the finest-quality canvas, pigments and brushes. Cooks are no different. When they walk into a shop that sells cooking equipment they will inevitably see things that they want, even though they may already have a kitchen full of appliances and utensils at home.
Regional cuisines redeem otop fairs
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 08/07/2012
» The latest exhibition of merchandise from the One Tambon One Product (Otop) campaign has just ended, but there will be another one in five months, before the end of the year. These fairs have been part of the scene for more than a decade and are now major events. Their organisers are civil servants who are eager to promote and create a market for works of art and home-made products made by local people all over the country.
Disharmony in dinnerware sign of a close community
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 12/02/2012
» When a merit-making ceremony is held at a provincial temple and it is the type where meals are served, it will usually take place on the pavilion called the sala kanprien, an all-purpose structure. People will eat seated on the floor in groups of four or five, enjoying dishes arranged on trays.
'Khing' of thai kitchens
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 08/01/2012
» Ginger, or khing, is one of the essentials in a Thai kitchen. Thais believe that it possesses important medicinal properties, both as an aid to digestion and as an agent to reduce stomach acid. Ginger is eaten both raw and cooked. In raw form it goes into light dishes and snacks. These include favourites, often eaten in the late afternoon, such as mieng kham, made by wrapping shallots, ginger, chillies, and toasted shredded coconut in a leaf _ usually the types called thong lang or chaphlu in Thai _ and dousing it with a tasty sauce to form a bite-sized packet. The ginger, aside from playing its part in the harmonious combination of flavours, also boosts health.
Oil from the swine still divine
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 01/01/2012
» These days people are more afraid of pork fat than they are of ghosts. It has a bad name because of nutritionists' warnings that it can clog arteries and lead to associated complications. But even though they fear it, people know that many tasty dishes either incorporate pork fat or use it in some stage of preparation. These include stewed pork leg, mu sam chan tom sai kluea (salty stewed pork belly meat), mu khem wan (sweet and salty pork) eaten with rice soup, kaeng khua phak boong kap mu sam chan (a mild curry made from pork belly meat and the shoots of a morning glory-like vine) and the sweet Chinese sausage called kunchieng.