Published: 25/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Brunch
These days Isan food - the cuisine of Thailand's northeastern region - has become a necessity for the people of Bangkok. They love it for its strong flavours. The larb dishes made from pork, beef or duck are similar to the yum dishes, combining saltiness, sourness and chilli heat. The salad-like som tam also blends sourness, saltiness and a strong peppery bite.
HEALTHY OPTIONS: An array of vegetables with ‘nam prik’.
Grilled chicken or catfish, or other local fish that have been coated with salt and roasted on an open fire, are easy to make and delicious when eaten with a potent dipping sauce made from pounded dried chillies, nam pla ra (liquid from fermented fish) and nam pla (fish sauce).
These are some of the main dishes for an Isan-style meal. Other specialities may also be available, depending on the preferences and creativity of the restaurant kitchen. There may be jim joom, which resembles sukiyaki sauce made with local vegetables, beef or squid; deep-fried chicken wings with salt; fried duck tongue; deep-fried, semi-dried pork or grilled pork neck meat. All are served with a spicy dipping sauce.
Most Isan food shops and restaurants do business from the late afternoon until late in the evening, and often set up tables beside the road. Customers can enjoy the cooler evening weather and also drink alcohol together with the dishes. On Fridays after payday the food shops become so crowded that it can be hard to get a table.
All of this is true of the Isan cuisine served in Bangkok: It is easy to prepare, has strong flavours and makes a good alternative to the usual dishes eaten in the Thai capital. And on top of that it is ideal for eating outdoors in the evening when the weather is cooler, and ideal for enjoying together with alcohol.
It is simple to make for a reason. The people of Isan have always been farmers. But even with the introduction of new crops and farming methods, the land being cultivated has to satisfy certain conditions like proximity to water, for example. This means that whether a farming family uses traditional methods or modern ones they will still spend most of their time out in the fields.
And when they return to the house it will be time for supper. The food has to be easy to prepare and there must be enough for everyone in the family, with some to be kept over for the next day. Some sticky rice will be steamed, and a few side dishes to eat with it. In the morning the children will take some of the food to school and family members will take some out into the fields to eat while working.
Many of the ingredients are things that can be found near the home or out in the fields - herbs and climbing vines or plants that grow near water. The meat used might be squirrels, birds, frogs, certain kinds of insects or small frogs.
CHARCOAL FIRE: Sticky rice being steamed.One example of a dish that might be made consists of meat that is chopped and put into a pot then mixed with chopped chillies, shallots, nam pla ra and nam pla to make a kind of larb. Then vegetables that have been found nearby are added. Only a little amount of water is added because more will be released by the vegetables during cooking. When it is eaten, sticky rice is dipped into the broth and the vegetables eaten along with it.
Even if no meat is found during the day, there is likely to be some dried fish in the house. This can be grilled and then pounded together with nam pla ra, chillies and nam pla to make nam prik, or chilli dip sauce. Another possibility is to cut up some pla ra (fermented fish) and add some ground dried chillies to make another kind of nam prik that can be eaten as a dip with sticky rice. Both of these dips are easy to make, have a strong flavour and are fragrant with the aroma from the pla ra.
Sticky rice is very filling, and the people of Isan eat a lot of it right from childhood. Of the vegetables eaten, 80% are local species and about 20% are grown right at home. These include chillies, spring onions, mint, coriander and basil, all of which are safe and nourishing. Some are also thought to have medicinal value.
Cooking equipment in a traditional Isan kitchen is simple, too. There is a charcoal stove, although in most households a firewood stove since wood can be found for free; dry branches are brought in from the forest or the fields. An aluminium pot for boiling water and a woven bamboo basket called a huat for steaming sticky rice are essential. There will also be another aluminium pot for making larb, boiling vegetables, as well as other general uses, and a cutting board, a wooden mortar and pestle, a metal grid for grilling, knives, plus a covered woven bamboo container for steamed sticky rice.
Some items that are common in Bangkok kitchens but not needed for traditional Isan cooks include woks and oil for frying, as northeasterners in general do not like fried foods. Eggs, too, are not a favourite. These are traditional preferences that have been passed on through the generations.
Traditional ways of doing things remain firmly in place even when cooks from Isan prepare dishes to sell in Bangkok. If a customer orders larb made from pork or beef, the cook will invariably chop the meat right there at the restaurant. They will not buy any meat that is pre-chopped at the market from stalls that offer that service. Grilled meats are always available at Isan restaurants, but fried items such as fried chicken or semi-dried pork are only made in Bangkok to satisfy the particular taste of Bangkok customers.
The culinary culture of Isan is interesting for the way in which it has preserved its long-standing methods and attitudes. A few exceptions are made when making a meal for city-bred customers in Bangkok, but otherwise both the simple preparation methods and minimal equipment requirements of the past are as they always have been; they give insight into a strictly preserved tradition.
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