Lon Dtao Jieow (Coconut soup with fermented soybeans)

A lot of Thai food that have coconut milk for the main of ingredient and today I’m going to present one in a hundred dishes that have coconut for main ingredient. Actually I got this recipe from my dad and he cooks really great “Lon Dtao Jieow”. Lon Dtao Jieow is the easy menu because not so many ingredients and also will be done within 15-20 mintues. So if you want to have a quick Thai soup, Lon Dtao Jieow is the one that I would recommend. Let’s start!

Lon Dtao Jieow Recipe (Serves 2-3)

- 1 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 100 gram minced pork or chicken
- 3 tbsp fermented soybeans
- 5-7 Fresh Thai chile peppers, sliced into short length
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallot
- 1 tbsp Thai Palm Sugar
- 2-3 tbsp tamarind juice
- 1 cup water

Place the coconut milk and water into the pot over medium heat until it boils. Add minced pork or chicken in coconut milk and wait until it starts to boil and pork is cooked. Season to taste with fermented soybeans, palm sugar and tamarind juice. Follow with chillies and shallot. When it returns to the boil, remove from the heat. Serve hot with rice.

The taste will be a great combination between little bit salty from fermented soybeans, sour, sweet and also spicy from chillies. It depends on what you want for your taste and can add more for your own favourite taste.

Steve likes this menu a lot because he said he likes the taste and also texture from soybean in the soup. So let me know what do you think after you try it already…

Next week please don’t miss because I would like to present Thai Style Barbeque Rib for you guys…SEE U!

Popularity: 11% [?]

Do’s and Dont’s for Happy Traveling in Thailand

Even if you’ve never been to Thailand I’m sure you know it is very different from your home countries in the west. The food, culture, religion and customs will all be strange and different to you, but very normal for the Thai’s you will meet. Since you are a guest in their country you should make every effort to behave in a way that is polite and respectful. With that in mind I have put together a list of do’s and dont’s for while you are visiting Thailand. This list is certainly not exhaustive, but will give you a good start at being a good guest to your Thai hosts.

DONT’S:

• Don’t complain about the level of spoken English in Thailand, I’m sure your Thai language skills aren’t that hot either.
• Don’t take advice from a taxi driver who recommends a good place for a naughty massage/hotel/beer bar/jewelry store/etc., he’s not taking you there because he likes you.
• Don’t buy a Buddha Image for household decoration, it’s a religious symbol, not a knick-knack.
• Don’t use your feet to point at things or move things and certainly don’t ever use your feet to point at or touch a person.
• Don’t EVER say anything bad about the king, Thai’s revere him and they rightly should as he is a wonderful person.
• Don’t whistle in public, Thai’s are generally superstitious and they believe that whistling calls ghosts or spirits.
• Don’t argue with a Pattaya songthaew driver (or any songthaew driver), you don’t want an angry Thai kicking the crap out of you.
• Don’t come here for an extended time and then start to complain about all things Thai, because the locals (rightly so) will ask “Why don’t you go home?”
• Don’t presume that you really are a “hansom guy” just because she tells you so. See the bald, fat sweaty 70 year old over there? He’s been told half a dozen times today already that he is a “hansom guy”.
• Don’t buy anything from the children beggars, you don’t want to encourage child labor and begging in general.
• Don’t walk around drinking a bottle of beer, you don’t want to be mistaken as a drunkard and more importantly I don’t want the Thai’s to think of all foreigners as drunkards.
• Don’t try on a t-shirt if you aren’t going to buy it, the vendor doesn’t want your smelly sweat all over her goods.
• Don’t go throwing your cigarette butts and trash around downtown Bangkok or you’ll be a few hundred baht poorer.
• Don’t feed the elephants on the streets, you don’t want to promote cruelty to animals.
• Don’t take advice from any Farang (foreigner) who has spent the past 20 years sitting on a bar stool at a bar-beer in Pattaya/Patpong/Nana, he knows nothing.
• Don’t touch a Thai person’s head. They will kick your ass first, and then explain it later at the hospital.
• And finally, don’t walk around Chatuchak/Silom with all your valuables in your handbag/wallet, you may come to regret it.

DO’S:

• Do take your shoes off when entering a Thai house, it is the polite thing to do and will help keep their floors clean..
• Do learn how to say a few things in Thai such as “Hello”, “Thank You”, “How much?”. The Thai’s will greatly appreciate it and it will make your visit much easier and more pleasant.
• Do learn how to say various foods in Thai, you don’t want to eat only Pad Thai and Fried Rice for your entire stay in Thailand.
• Do say “Hello” (sawasdee kup/ka) to the local kids, they love it and unlike in the west you won’t be thought of as a pervert or pedophile.
• Do buy gemstones, jewelry and gold at a reputed establishments, they can be a good value if your at the right place.
• Do dress neatly and politely, the Thai’s put a lot of emphasis on appearance and you don’t want to be seen as having no self-pride.
• Do get off the beaten track, there is a lot more to Thailand than beer bars, coconut shakes, Bangkok and beaches.
• Do keep your alcohol consumption under control, or you will enjoy a free breakfast as guest of the Corrections Dept.
• Do shower regularly, at least twice a day. You’ll be sweating a lot here and will smell quite bad if you don’t .
• Do have respect for Buddhism and the Buddha, it is the religion of 95% of Thai’s and to them Christianity is just as strange as Buddhism may be to you.
• Do be careful if you choose to avail yourself of Thailand’s nightlife. Watch out for overpriced drinks and scams. If you find a “girlfriend” in a bar use protection and don’t lose your heart. No matter how sad her story is this is (usually) a business transaction in her eyes.
• Do be patient, it is called jai yen by the Thai’s and means “cool heart”. You won’t get anywhere by losing your temper, especially over small things.
• Do speak politely to the authorities, they can waste a lot of your time if they want, but simple courtesy often goes a long way.
• Do follow these “Do’s and Dont’s” and have a great time during your stay in Thailand!

Popularity: 17% [?]

Thailand Crimes and Bangkok Scams

This weekend’s surfing of the internet and blogosphere has brought me to several sites that talk about scams and crimes in Bangkok and Thailand. And what I’ve found has simply reinforced my belief that Bangkok is one of the safest cities in the world.

First is a story from The Nation about the number of robberies in Bangkok. Turns out that in the first 8 months of 2007 there have been just 280 robberies reported to the Bangkok Tourist police. Now keep in mind that this is just one robbery a day in the 13^th largest city in the world which also has around one million tourists a month coming to visit. I would say that is pretty darn good.

If you’re still concerned about being robbed in Bangkok then here are the top seven places to be on guard:

1. Chatuchak market (85 reported robberies)
2. MBK (76 reported robberies)
3. Bus terminals (50 reported robberies)
4. Pratunam/Silom Road/Patpong (46 reported robberies)
5. China Town (11 reported robberies)
6. Sukhumvit road (7 reported robberies
7. Suan Lum night bazzar (5 reported robberies)

Bear in mind too that just 5 suspects have been arrested so far none of those were Thai’s. So basically if you get robbed consider it a complete loss and hope that your insurance will re-imburse you. Consider yourself warned.

A second site I found is called Bangkok Scams and yep you guessed it, they cover various scams to be found in and around Bangkok. Nothing really new here though, basically the same old scams revolving around gems, dual pricing, overpriced drinks in Patpong bars, and touts in general. If you’re a newbie to Thailand it may be worth a look, but really some common sense and caution will go a long way for most.

Again I want to reiterate that I feel Bangkok is the safest city I have ever been to and I can’t see how any person who is aware of their surroundings and displays just a bit of caution would have a problem. I know there is much more crime, and violent crime at that, in the U.S. even in my small town of just 250,000 inhabitants.

Popularity: 39% [?]

Old School StickmanBangkok

One of the first sites I came upon when I started traveling to Thailand in the late 1990’s was StickmanBangkok. At that time it was the definitive guide to Bangkok’s nightlife with over 95,000 words detailing every aspect of prostitution, bargirls and “naughty nightlife” that Bangkok had to offer. Even though my main goal in traveling to Thailand was not to partake in the offerings of the bargirls it was fascinating reading. It opened a window to a part of the human (i.e. western male and Thai bargirl) psyche that couldn’t be found elsewhere.

Stickman took the “naughty nightlife” section of his website down many years ago, but through the magic of Alexa you can still go back in time and read what is very likely the most definitive guide to Bangkok’s bargirls and night party scene ever written. I feel it is a must read for anyone who is planning on venturing into Nana Plaza, Patpong, Soi Cowboy and even farther a field to Pattaya or Patong Beach in Phuket. Read below the opening paragraphs of the former “Stickman’s Guide to Naughty Nightlife in Bangkok”.

“Welcome to Stickman’s Guide to Naughty Nightlife in Bangkok. This section of this website about Bangkok has slowly been put together as a guide to those seeking information about the commercial sex industry and prostitution in Thailand, particularly Bangkok. The information on this topic is put together in a single page and therefore may take a while to download if you have a dial-up modem connection. Everything is included on this one page and is not in individual selectable pages, although I have also written several other articles and also write a weekly column called Stickman Weekly which also features Bangkok’s naughty nightlife. The reason for this site, or at least this page, being so long is that the whole site has been written as a sort of single article and while it may be long, it is intended to be read right through. Reading certain sections on their own means that some things could be taken out of context. Further, as there is a lot here, I feel it is easier just to sit down and read it all, rather than have to real small sections and keep having to click on new link after new link to continue reading.

This is the guide to nightlife in Bangkok that puts content ahead of presentation. Sick of internet sites that have great presentation and lousy content? Then this is the site for you because I have put a lot of effort into the content and less into the presentation and appearance of the site. I’m sorry if you find the grey text on a black background difficult to read but as I have a nice monitor to view it all on, I do not. Also, as we are dealing with prostitution here, I find that these colours set the mood better than others.

There is a plethora of information available on the Internet about the sex scene in Bangkok already so how is this site any different? I wrote this guide as an expatriate who has been living in Bangkok for a while and who has observed the industry over a period of time. At one point in time, I did indulge a little at a time when I was new to Bangkok, but that is now a long time in the past. I have written this site largely from my own experiences and also of those close to me and the objective is to provide the sort of information that I was looking for before I came here but had to find out for myself – to answer the questions that I would like to have had answered.

This site provides factual information about the commercial sex industry but is not intended as a guide on how to get your rocks off as cheaply and effectively as possible. As much as anything, it is a study in human behaviour, and looks at the fascinating subject of how predominantly Western men who in many cases have never had a sexual experience with a prostitute come to Thailand and not only have such an experience, but even go on to fall in love with these girls! How does it happen? Why does it happen? Where do these people go? Who are the people involved? Is this common? What is it about Thai women that attracts Western men? All of these questions and many more are answered below.”

If you’re interested in reading more of what Stickman once had to say about Bangkok nightlife, prostitution and bargirls then head over to the Wayback Machine.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Naam Prik Ong (Thai tomato chilli sauce with minced pork)

 

Naam Prik Oog is a local food from North of Thailand, and also one of the favourite dish of Thai people from there. If you have a chance to travel to North of Thailand I’m sure you will have a chance to try this recipe too because it is a regular meal for Northern Thai people.

Nam Prik Ong recipe
100 gram minced pork
1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
5-7 Thai whole dried chile, soaked in water
3 tbsp coarsely sliced shallot
5 cloves garlic
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 tbsp Thai Fresh Lemongrass, thinly sliced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp Thai Shrimp Paste
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup finely chopped coriander and spring onion
vegetables : cucumber, yard long beans

Put chillies, salt and lemon grass in a mortar and pound thoroughly well. Add onion, 5 cloves garlic and shrimp paste and pound well again.
And then follow with minced pork and tomatoes. Pound lightly for each adding to mix well pork and tomatoes with chillies.
Place the oil in a wok over medium heat until it’s getting hot and saute the garlic in the oil until golden and fragrant. Reduce the heat and then add the pork mixture. Stir until fragrant and a red film from the oil surface. Add water and season the taste with sugar, continue cooking until most of the liquid reduces and the chilli paste becomes fairly thick. Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped coriander and spring onion. Serve with fresh vegetables, rice and enjoy!

For Thai people they usually have this chilli sauce with boiled vegetables, so you might try this recipe with boil vegetables like yard-long bean, eggplant, winged bean or pumpkin. They’re not too bad at all!

Next meal will meet me with “Lon Dtao Jieow” (coconut soup with fermented soybeans). Let’s see what and how is it going to be…SEE YOU!

Popularity: 8% [?]

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