Seasoned rice dishes have been a staple of rice-consuming societies almost since the first grains were cultivated. Adapted according to local resources, traditions and individual preferences, seasoned rice dishes are relished and savored across all walks of life. Within Siamese society, these dishes offer insight into the flavor instincts and eating habits across all demographics, revealing which food items were locally available and valued.
In this delicious seasoned rice recipe from the kitchens of the daughter of King Chulalongkorn, Princess Yaovabha Bongsanid (พระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าเยาวภาพงศ์สนิท) (1884-1934), the Princess uses a variety of common preserved and inexpensive ingredients, clearly drawing inspiration from the cuisine of the Central Plains with nods to the rural and coastal living atmosphere.
This rice is seasoned with a tamarind chili relish, imparting the grains with a comforting savory, sour, sweet and salty flavor profile. The relish is made from fermented shrimp paste (kapi) and the pulp of sour young tamarind pods. The simplicity of this combination evokes the essence of traditional Siamese cuisine, as the tamarind tree – a species that can grow up to thirty meters tall and live for more than two hundred years – provides shade to many traditional wooden Thai homes.
The Princess serves the tangy, savory rice with an array of elements; each adds a slightly different flavor profile but, when eaten together, the result is a pleasurable three-flavor profile. For example, she pounds the meat of deep-fried, semi-dried snakehead fish in a mortar and pestle until it fluffs up, and then caramelizes it in a pan over low heat to add a deeply sweet, silken flavor to the mix.
She adds pieces of grilled catfish meat, which brings in a fatty, moist and smoky flavor. This provides a mature and contrasting texture to the spoon-sized pieces of homemade, three-flavored pickled morning glory tips that she had fermented in a brine with cooked rice and allowed to rest for three days in the sun.
I like to add pieces of cooked pork belly coated with salted fish, a common ingredient that provides a soothing familiarity that embodies simplicity and warmth.
Last, the princess tops the dish with crumbled boiled duck egg yolk for a creamy texture and a comforting visual appeal.
Rice Seasoned with Young Tamarind Relish, Sweetened Fish and Pickled Morning Glory (ข้าวคลุกน้ำพริกมะขามอ่อน ผักบุ้งดอง ปลาแห้งผัดหวาน และ ปลาดุกย่าง; Khaao Khlook Naam Phrik Makhaam Aawn Phakboong Daawng Bplaa Haaeng Phat Waan Lae Bplaa Dook Yaang)
Sweetened and fried semi-salted sun-dried snakehead fish (ปลาแห้งผัดหวาน)
Instructions
Begin with the tamarind chili relish. This is made from fermented shrimp paste (kapi) and the pulp of sour young tamarind pods. This combination of savory, sour, sweet and salty flavors is a key element of Siamese cuisine.
Prepare the sweet salted fish. Pound the meat of semi-salted and sun-dried snakehead fish using a mortar and pestle until the meat fluffs up. Then, fry it over low heat with sugar until it caramelizes.
Prepare the grilled catfish meat. Its fatty, moist and smoky qualities provide a delightful contrast to the other components of the dish.
Prepare the pickled morning glory. This will be served alongside the dish, adding an extra dimension to its flavors.
Top the dish with crumbled boiled duck egg yolk. This imparts a nuanced creaminess to the dish.
If you wish, add small pieces of pork belly coated with salted-fish, for an equally homey feel.
Finally, combine the rice with the tamarind chili relish and mix thoroughly. Arrange all the prepared components in a pleasing manner around the rice.
Young tamarind pods chili relish (น้ำพริกมะขามอ่อน ; naam phrik sohm ma khaam aawn)
A relish from chilies, dried shrimp, young tamarind flesh, garlic and fermented shrimp paste, pounded, seasoned, and then fried in pork lard; then seasoned with palm sugar and fish sauce; and served with fresh vegetables.
On a cutting board, mince the tamarind flesh using a knife. You may need to oil the knife if the tamarind sticks to it.
In a mortar and pestle, pound the tamarind flesh, then set aside.
In a mortar and pestle, pound the Thai garlic and the grilled fermented shrimp paste (kapi) until both ingredients lose their distinctive odor.
Add dried shrimp powder.
Season with fish sauce
Add the pounded tamarind flesh.
Season with palm sugar.
Once you are satisfied with the relish seasoning fry it in pork lard.
Serve with: fried semi-salted and sun-dried fish. Leaves and flowers fried in batter. Fresh vegetables such as cucumber, white turmeric, and fingerroot, or as part as khaao man sohm dtam (ข้าวมันส้มตำ)
Keyword chili relish, naam phrik, nam prik (น้ำพริก)
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Pickled Morning Glory (ผักบุ้งดอง)
Thai morning glory (ผักบุ้งไทย), a leafy vegetable, is a popular choice for pickling, as it retains its texture and is easy to prepare. The young plant tips, along with the young stems, are allowed to sun-dry for one day until they wilt. They are then placed in a jar and covered with the starchy water collected from washing rice for cooking. The jars are placed in direct sun for three days, allowing the morning glory to develop a develop a subtly sweet tartness.
Alternatively, morning glory can be pickled in a three-flavor brine or a pickled garlic brine; it can even be prepared on the spot by massaging the morning glory with tamarind pulp and salt until it softens.
Preservation methods such as pickling, fermenting, drying and salting, are a collective body of knowledge that arose from human- and nature-caused hardships.
Queen Amarindra (อมรินทรา), the first queen of the Rattanakosin Kingdom, experienced such hardship during the turbulent post-Ayutthaya period (1767-1782) following the Burmese conquest of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, and the early Rattanakosin era which marked the establishment of Bangkok as a new capital. Living through a time of conflict and upheaval had taught her to be practical, cautious and sensible, especially in terms of food. Born in Ampawa, a region famous for its gardens and orchards, the Queen spent most of her time gardening, and is remembered for her skills in preserving, curing, fermenting and pickling foods. Queen Amarindra was also known for always having on hand ingredients such as dried fish and pickled cat’s whisker leaves (ผักเสี้ยนดอง; phak siian daawng), so that she could prepare a quick meal at any moment. You can read the full story of Queen Amarindra here.
morning glory (ผักบุ้งไทย)sliced into 1.5" (4 cm) segments
1water (น้ำเปล่า)
15% white vinegar (น้ําส้มสายชู)
1granulated sugar (น้ำตาลทราย)
1/4sea salt (เกลือทะเล)
Instructions
Prepare the morning glory: Start by drying out the young morning glory shoots; dry them under the sun for an entire day, allowing them to wilt.
Prepare the brine: In a bowl, combine the sugar, salt, water and vinegar.
Mix the morning glory with cooked rice: In a clean jar, place the wilted morning glory shoots and add 1 tablespoon of cooked rice.
Cover with the brine: Pour the brine mixture you prepared earlier into the jar, over the morning glory shoots and cooked rice. The morning glory shoots should be completely submerged in the brine.
Fermentation: Place the jar to ferment in direct sunlight for three days.
Keyword pickle (หมักดอง)
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Sweetened deep-fried, semi-salted and sun-dried snakehead fish (ปลาแห้งผัดหวาน) Bplaa haaeng phat waan
This caramelized, sweet and lightly-salty preservative is made by first pounding slices of deep-fried, semi-salted and sun-dried snakehead fish into floss. The fluffy meat is then cooked with sugar until it caramelizes and its flavors deepen. It can also be used as an all-purpose side dish when the traditional Samrub menu design requires a standalone sweet and salty element.
Sweetened deep-fried, semi-salted and sun-dried snakehead fish (ปลาแห้งผัดหวาน Sweetened deep-fried, semi-salted and sun-dried snakehead fish (ปลาแห้งผัดหวาน; Bplaa haaeng phat waan)
Sweetened deep-fried snakehead fish floss. This caramelized treat, with a hint of salt, is crafted from sun-dried snakehead fish slices, deep-fried and pounded into a fluffy texture. A versatile side dish, it's perfect for when you seek a balanced sweet and salty element.
In the Central Plains of the Kingdom, fermented rice noodles are inextricably linked to a dish known as naam yaa. Composed of a dense, coconut-based minced fish curry, the dish is infused with layers of salted fish and possesses the distinctive, invigorating and purifying notes of fingerroot. Typically, naam yaa is served with fresh lemon basil as the herb of choice along with an array of side dishes collectively known as meuuat khanohm jeen (เหมือดขนมจีน). These include blanched bean sprouts seasoned with a touch of turmeric for color, fresh lemon basil leaves, thinly sliced three colored chilies, and ground chili for added heat. More elaborate versions will add blanched Chinese bitter gourd slices, batter-fried young morning glory shoots, and fresh shrimp minced and fried with its tomalley in pork lard, as well as crispy-fried shallots as the finishing touch.
This article explores two methods of preparing Mee Fried Rice – the traditional Khao Mee Fried Rice and the lighter, seasoned rice alternative known as khaao mee yaang khlook. Discover the flavor chemistry at play and choose your preferred method for a delicious meal.
แกงต้มกะทิเนื้อโคเค็ม – In this dish, umami-charged, salted sun-dried beef is gently grilled over charcoal, adding smoke and caramelized elements that emerge in the core of the flavor profile, alongside the umami and the savor of fat. The meat is then cut into bite-size pieces, and slowly braised in thick coconut milk. The coconut fits perfectly onto the triangle of umami, fat and smoke. It brings its own umami and fatty shades, and introduces a rich sweetness that pairs seamlessly with the caramelized character of the grilled beef. The braising also rehydrates the beef and softens it. Bamboo shoots, shallots, galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves are added, perfecting the dish with a complementary sweetness, echoing the umami hues, and cutting citrusy notes while creating hidden astringent layers. The dish is finished with fresh chili peppers and hair-thin julienned kaffir lime for a fresh aroma and piquant bite.
In this dish, slices of pork belly are coated with a sticky sauce; the sauce is reduced from braising a slice of grilled salted fish with coriander roots, garlic and white peppercorns (saam gluuhr). The dish is served with a sour-leading green mango chili relish that adds tartness with fiery accents to the saltiness of the pork. The salted fish gives the pork an initial fishy aroma that, although robust, gives way to a sense of home as it merges into the sourness and fruitiness of the mango chili relish. As an ingredient commonly used in the kitchens of rice-growing communities, salted fish signifies a comforting familiarity that conveys simplicity and warmth to the table. I like to pair the salted, fishy pork with seasoned rice dishes in which sour-leading relishes are mixed with rice along with other condiments.
Fish fermentation consists of a simple salt-curing process: mixing or coating a whole fish, sliced fish or minced fish meat with salt and rice husks (or ground roasted rice). The mixture is then allowed to rest and ferment for few months. This fermentation process creates deep, intense umami flavor agents accompanied by a strong stench. It is only with culinary sagacity and skill that cooks are able to harness and direct these powerful flavors within the context of an appetizing dish, and to constrain the odor to an agreeable intensity.
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