BY GINO GONZALEZ
Bangkok is definitely a hawker (street food vendor) paradise. Just a few weeks ago, I went on my yearly trip with my family to my favorite gastronomic spot in Southeast Asia, which is Bangkok. Every year becomes more and more exciting because I stumble across new food finds along the streets of Bangkok. Of course, I still frequent my favorite hawker stands, but there is so much to discover.
A lot of first-timers might be intimidated and not know what to order or how to communicate with the hawkers because a majority of them don’t speak a word of English. Some will even try to ignore you because they are scared that they will not understand you. It’s really easy; just keep on pointing to the food you want and say "nee, nee, nee" which means "this, this, this." If the food you bought is exquisite, you can make the day of the hawker by saying "aroy ma," which means "very delicious." I still find it hard to believe that can one have a snack for just 10 baht and a full meal for just 35-40 baht.
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fried dumplings with flavored
evaporated milk | | It was a nice, sunny yet cool afternoon (almost like Tagaytay weather) when we touched down in Bangkok. I was so eager to burn my palate with the food. I looked for one of my favorite dumplings, Kao Kriab Pak Moh Saam See, which is three-color paper-thin pancakes with a sweetish pork and radish filling topped with peanuts and sesame seeds. This is very interesting because these pancakes are cooked on a stretched piece of cloth with a steamer at the bottom. A lot of food courts serve these tricolor pancakes, but it’s still best to buy them from hawkers.
It took my Dad and me four days to locate the hawker who sold insects, from deep-fried locusts (Tuktan Thod), crickets (our favorite camaro from Pampanga), grasshoppers, dragonflies, to an ant salad with thin slivers of lemongrass, chili, and cilantro served on a lettuce leaf. This hawker, who was usually located in front of the World Trade Center in the evening, was lucky because we finished off half of his
inventory for the night, ordering enough so that we could bring it back home and let our dear relatives taste our exotic food finds. My favorite among all the "fear factor" items was the locust. Surprisingly, the flavor is very creamy and rich, bursting with umami goodness.
In the morning, it’s nice to go out along Ratchamdamri Road across the World Trade Center along the Big C supermarket area between 9-10:30 am because there is a different set of hawkers. I came across this pigskin salad with toasted crispy rice in a very light yet tart nam prik dressing. The contrast of texture from the pigskin with the toasted crispy rice just made this salad exceptional. In front of Big C is an Indian guy who prepares Cha Yen (Thai Iced Tea) and Teh Tarek the traditional way, something which is not very common anymore because a lot of hawkers have already shifted to the instant powdered stuff. Beside that stall, you can find the best Thai sausage you’ll ever taste. It is called Sai Ua or Chang Mai sausage. The flavor is slightly fermented with nuances of cilantro, lemongrass, chili, and galangal. Have it with a big glass of ice-cold Cha Yen or perhaps a few bottles of Singha Beer.
In that row of stalls, you can also buy various types of stir-fried noodles; my preference runs to the vegetarian Pad Thai and the Soba stir fry. You can walk further down Ratchamdamri until you hit the corner of Petchaburi then turn right. You will see a row of interesting hawkers, starting with the stall that sells sate with a nice sweet shallot and cucumber salad. A few stalls down is one which has fresh seafood and dried fishes on display. The most exotic for me is the Tom Yum with Smoked Knife Fish (Yup, it’s the aquarium fish I’m talking about) that is finished with a drizzling of evaporated milk, Yummmmm!
Take a few steps more and you will see a mother and daughter team who sell sticky rice and ripe mango, a perfect ending for your meal. Just a stone’s throw away is my all-time favorite Hainan Chicken house, called Kai Pratunam. The chicken is served with rice flavored with the stock of the chicken and paired with a sweet cilantro chili sauce. After eating this, you can have the sticky rice with mango. Why not grab an order of deep-fried dumplings (similar to doughnuts) with colored evaporated milk just across Kai Pratunam?
It is also nice to linger inside the Pratunam market in the afternoon (from 4 pm onwards) because a lot of hawkers start to come out in time for merienda. I was able to catch the old lady who sold a dancing shrimp salad called Yam Goong Pen Pen, and it was still as good as what I had last year. Kui Chay that was made from Kutchai with a cassava base and deep-fried was definitely a great food find. The other variations were also good, especially the one that had a crabstick filling. It is not complete without the sweet sesame soy-based sauce. There is also an omelette with ground pork and chili served on a bed of ice-cold cabbage. One can also enjoy green mangoes with a dip made from salt, sugar, shrimp paste, and chili.
During the evening, it’s nice to explore the hawkers in front of the World Trade Center. I still salivate when I fantasize about the salt-crusted dalag stuffed with lemon grass and served with a nam prik pao sauce (roasted chili). One particular stall adds some crushed pineapple; this made her sauce the best in that strip of hawkers. The hawker who sells fried chicken dipped in chili batter is a must-try as well. I suggest you buy the chicken knuckles because of the nice chewy texture.
Writing this is making me very hungry…My order of dalag and lemon grass just arrived right now. I’ll make myself a salt-crusted dalag with nam prik pao sauce the way Bangkok locals do it. Until my next gastronomic adventure…
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