Something different from the super fussy baking: this is the recipe which jolted me out of a cooking slump. Very easy, not too many ingredients, lots of flavour. It’s the silky, rich peppers which are the star here. Chicken joints are braised with them and no additional liquid: together, they release the perfect amount of … Continue reading
A soothing, simple bowl of well-flavoured rice and stock topped with fresh herbs and maybe some cooked shredded meat. This is a savoury yet light dish with lots of bright leafy herbs, but listen: sharing this dish at this time of year, for me, is about a change of palate and a hint of nostalgia. I … Continue reading
Let me be clear about what this isn’t: crystal clear chicken stock. This isn’t classic French cooking, alright? That’s not how we do things around here. What this is: a very basic unsalted chicken stock which much more flavourful than any fresh stock you can buy. The catch, of course, is the time–at least 3 hours. … Continue reading
A version of khanom jeen nam ya: lightly creamy, gently hot and aromatic curry sauce with chicken served over rice noodles with plenty of vegetables on the side. If you’re not familiar with khanom jeen nam ya, I’m sorry. Let’s fix that soon. You’ll want to get to know this versatile dish, particularly if you’re into noodles, … Continue reading
Another solid recipe from Leela’s Simple Thai Food: a very simple, comforting, and old-fashioned Chinese-Thai one dish meal. I didn’t grow up eating this, but instead I had a similar dish called rad na, smoky-sweet wide rice noodles topped with a smooth, deeply flavourful brown gravy. My Pearents made it with chicken, broccoli, and scrambled egg. … Continue reading
An aromatic, comforting soup which is like gentle sunshine in a bowl. This is similar to well-loved tom yam, only you add salinity with sea salt and there’s a finger of earthy, complex turmeric for colour and fragrance. I’ve never had this dish, never even heard of it until I was looking through Leela’s wonderful book, Simple Thai … Continue reading
The other day I found something quite droll: a recipe for what BBC Good Food calls Thai chicken skewers. Please. My people would never, ever allow chicken to become so pale and dry. If the chicken is pale, it’s probably steamed or poached to firm juiciness, as in Hainanese chicken rice. It is also often battered, … Continue reading
As Leela notes, this example of well-loved Thai street food isn’t commonly found in Thai restaurants in the U.S., and I have to say that I’ve not really found it in restaurants in my corner of England, either. It’s a shame: I think it’s a marvellous example of Thai-Chinese cuisine that is accessible to a … Continue reading
Pitchaya Sudbanthad’s article, ‘Bangkok Anew’, has got me thinking lately. Although the article is not without its problems, I can relate to a lot of it–being a foreigner native is a position which we must negotiate carefully. This passage amongst many was particularly familiar: I recently watched a Nicholas Cage movie called Bangkok Dangerous and … Continue reading
Yesterday I had a late lunch of ramen at Tonkotsu with Mr. Pear. I’m not sure about the massive ladles you get with ramen here–I’m used to eating all kinds of noodle soups with these kinds of spoons–but hey, it works, and the ramen itself was decent. After we finished, I decided I wanted something complex … Continue reading
The Furious Pear Pie 
You must be logged in to post a comment.