Sunset at the Amanpuri, Phuket
I love vacationing in Thailand - great food, gorgeous beaches, and fabulous people. I recently went on a ladies' retreat to the Amanpuri in Phuket, during which my girlfriend, S, and I spent virtually all of four days in horizontal position - sipping wine by the beach, reading novels, and chatting about life, love and relationships under the sala at night. One of my favourite dishes from Thailand is Pahk Boong Fai Daeng or Morning Glory in Flames. Morning glory is vegetable that grows in swampy areas in Southeast Asia, and it is also known as kangkong in Malay or water spinach. While in Singapore and Malaysia the vegetable is usually fried with sambal, the Thai version uses yellow bean sauce and is lighter and sweeter. Like a bunny rabbit, I ate this for breakfast, lunch and dinner during the holiday - so much so that the restaurant staff must have thought I was a little loony.
Whenever I have this dish I'm reminded of the brief period in my life, after graduation, when I worked as a waitress at a Korean restaurant on Newbury Street in Boston. Although it was hard work (think 13-hour shifts, which tended to extend way into the wee hours of the morning on karaoke night), I enjoyed the experience thoroughly, especially learning about Korean cuisine and meeting the many colourful people that came through the restaurant’s doors. As with many restaurants in the US, the kitchen staff was wonderfully multicultural. The diversity aside, I quickly learnt that it could prove challenging in terms of communication. As not everyone spoke English, we relied on a host of fabricated hand gestures to communicate what we needed from each other. One of my best friends at the restaurant was Pedro who hailed from Mexico. He only knew one Malay word, Apa Khabar (how are you?) while my Spanish vocabulary was likewise limited to Gracias and Ola. Pedro, aside from being chief bus boy, was in charge of preparing the fuel for table-top cooking. After a few frustrating tries where neither of us understood what each other was saying, we developed an understanding that “Big Fire” meant a full set of coals, enough for a Korean barbeque of 6 while “Small Fire” referred to the gas-powered hot pot.
Me: Pedro!
Pedro: Ola!
Me: One big fire, Pedro
Pedro: Big fire? No small fire?
Me: Yes, Pedro, one big fire
In order to make this dish successfully, you will need a wok and very high heat. The flames should literally lick the bottom and the sides of your wok. Everything comes together in under 5 minutes, making this dish an ideal vegetable side dish.
Ingredients:
500 g or 1 large bunch morning glory/kangkong/water spinach
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
4 shallots, sliced thinly
1 red chilly, finely sliced
1 green chilly, finely sliced
1 tbsp yellow bean sauce (tau cheong)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
A few drops fish sauce (optional)
1-2 tsp sugar to taste
A dash of pepper
2-3 tbsp water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Pluck leaves off the vegetables and cut stems into 2 inch pieces. Wash thoroughly in several changes of water to remove grit. Drain well.
In a small bowl, combine yellow bean sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce (if using), sugar and pepper. Add about 2-3 tbsp of water and mix well.
Heat wok over high heat and add oil. Swirl to coat. Add garlic and shallots and stir-fry briefly until lightly fragrant. Add the stems of the morning glory, followed by the chilly and leaves, and stir-fry for 1 minute or so, or until wilted slightly. Add the sauce and stir well to coat. Sprinkle in water if necessary and stir-fry until vegetables are just done. Serve immediately.
No comments:
Post a Comment