Showing 61 - 70 of 365
Old names for a new sensation
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 10/07/2016
» When a popular food or way of eating remains a favourite over time, it lodges deep in people's memories. Even if the food in its original form changes or disappears completely, new ones that come in to replace it will often be referred to by the famous old name.
Wat's the centre of Mon tradition
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 10/04/2016
» There are only three days left until Songkran, a festival that is celebrated throughout Thailand, but that is especially significant for the Mon community. The special importance it has for the Mon may have to do with the strictness of their Buddhist belief and the firmness with which they have maintained their cultural traditions. When Songkran arrives they celebrate it in a way that preserves the original character and meaning of the festival, creating an event that we can admire or, better, take part in.
Roadside stalls step up to the plate
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 17/04/2016
» 'Roadside warriors" is a great title for the intrepid vendors that cook food-to-order at stalls and shops beside many roads and lanes in every province throughout Thailand. But not all who buy their food hold it in high esteem. Many customers don't really like this kind of eating and settle for it only when they have no other option.
Souped up broth best served hot
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 27/12/2015
» When you eat a meal in China, there will probably be an array of different dishes on the table. One thing that can never be missing, however, is some kind of dish with a broth. Here, you have to be careful to avoid being scalded. Dishes hot from the stove usually have steam rising up from them, but the broth in Chinese dishes gives no such warning. These foods appear cool and harmless, but if you aren't careful you'll leave the table with your tongue fully cooked.
Wake up and smell the coffee
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 14/09/2014
» There is no way to know how much coffee the people of Thailand drink in the course of a day. In the future, when the population grows even bigger, they are bound to consume even more. Thais and coffee are inseparably bound, and it isn't only the taste that has hooked them. One of the pleasures of Thai life is to meet up with friends in a coffee shop and relax over a steaming cupful.
Run through the jungle
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 23/11/2014
» Many people think that foods in the ahaan paa (forest or jungle food) category get that name because they are made using ingredients brought in from the wild. This is partly true: they may contain meats that people ordinarily do not eat, but they share other qualities, too. They are easy to prepare with no hard-and-fast recipes, and are often extremely spicy. Many are kap klaem dishes intended to be eaten together with alcoholic drinks.
Food for all seasons
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 12/10/2014
» Why is it that in the past Thais ate seasonally, cooking different dishes at different times of the year? One reason is that they lived much closer to nature than most of us do now. They understood the natural cycles — what ingredients would be at their best in a given season, and what things were best to eat. The changing possibilities that came with the rotating seasons brought variety to the table.
'Yam' that makes you go 'yum'
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 26/10/2014
» Thailand's cuisine spans many kinds of dishes, among them kaeng (curries and soups), boiled and steamed dishes, stir-fries, deep-fried dishes and more. Some go together well to form pairs. Kaeng khio waan (a spicy, coconut cream-based curry) with phat phak khana kap pla khem (Chinese broccoli stir-fried with salted fish), kaeng som phak boong kap khai jio (a sweet-sour-spicy, soup-like curry together with omelette), kaeng pa pla sai (a very spicy fish curry made without coconut cream) with pla chon daed dio thawt (deep-fried semi-dried snakehead fish), kaeng lueang pla kraphong (a fiery Southern variant of kaeng som made with sea bass) with moo waan (sugar-sweetened pork), and kaeng lieng nam tao (a vegetable soup containing gourds) with dried mussels fried with sugar and nam pla to make them sweet and salty, are just a few from an endless list of Thai dishes that pair up nicely.
Disobey our robotic food overlord
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 02/11/2014
» Thai food, in all of its plenitude and variety, has spread smooth as silk to every corner of the globe. But now it has come under scrutiny by a government unit that has created a device to define strict standards for recipes.
Tasty and versatile pork belly
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 17/08/2014
» The three layers that give moo sam chan (three-layer pork, or pork belly) its name are the skin, the fat and the meat. They make up the largest cut of pork and the one used in the most recipes. But what are these recipes, and what do they taste like?