Street Food

[meadish_sweetball]

Carrot is not an uncommon choice in many somtam shops catering mostly to Thais and with no English menu.

I feel it is getting to the point where people expect to be able to choose between at least mango, papaya and carrot.

[Boon Mee]

Som Tom made with cucumber is quite nice too.

[Jaffy]

In London, I won't go to a thai restaurant that uses anything other than green pappaya in it's som tam. If they can't be bothered to import it and keep the menu real then they're not getting my custom!

I have tried various recipes for what is my fav' food, including a variation in chiang mai made with pomelo, and nothing beats Som Tam Isaan ( with fermented crab).

But surely, Som Tam has gotta have pappaya???

[lomatopo]

Carrot is not an uncommon choice in many somtam shops catering mostly to Thais and with no English menu.

I feel it is getting to the point where people expect to be able to choose between at least mango, papaya and carrot.

Well, what's Cole Slaw without the carrots?

Julienned carrots are usually in my daily 'Khoa Pat whatever she has today' (Gai, Moo, Kung), along with baby corn, tomatoes and whatever else was available at Khlong Toey market today at 4 AM. I don't think green pappaya has much taste on it's own, it's more of a texture thing. I think I could substitute a few bland, tasteless, un-ripened crunchy vegetables/fruits/paper products and get the same effect?

My average "street food" meals per day is inching above 1.5. Had my worst bout of the 'trots' last week, had some sort of raw shrimp thing at a semi-street/outdoor restaurant last week. Must... resist... raw... shellfish/crustaceans/seafood in warm climates, even if there is an "R" in the month.

[sabaijai]

My point is it's not uncommon to order somtam - the green papaya kind - and have a few shreds of carrot mixed in for colour and additional taste, as in the recipe posted earlier.

To make the entire dish out of carrot is something else altogether. I know it's done abroad, but I've never seen it in Thailand.

Made with cucumber, it's called tam kwaa, not somtam. At least in Thai, if you say 'somtam' it means that green papaya is the principal ingredient. In Laos and much of Isan, somtam is called tam maak hung. Maak hung is the Lao/Isan word for papaya though you also hear Lao say tam-som. In both countries any dish made this style using other fruits or vegetables is called tam xxx, where xxx is the fruit or vegetable used as the main ingredient.

I remember seeing shreds of carrot in somtam in Bangkok as far back as 25 years ago. My wife and her family, from Minburi, almost always add a little carrot when they make somtam. In the north and northeast you don't see it as much. Somtam in Laos tastes pretty different from the stuff even just across the border. Lots of ripe orange hog plum (ma-kawk) and of course never naam plaa but rather paa daek, or what the Thais call plaa raa.

I just realised this thread has gone round in circles on this one, as the carrot topic came up on page 2.

I think somtam could be considered the ultimate 'street food' in Thailand. It's the one dish that always tastes best made in some grubby stand rather than in a sit-down restaurant. I feel fortunate to live about 200 paces from an excellent somtam stand with the words 'Somtam Udorn' splashed in red paint over a wooden plank.

[Curt]

Made with cucumber, it's called tam kwaa, not somtam.

I've always heard it called tam tang.

I think somtam could be considered the ultimate 'street food' in Thailand.

Personally, I'm a big fan of marinated slices of meat, grilled over coals!

[sabaijai]

Curt, true enough, chargrilled skewered meats have to go near the top of the list for street foods (tho it's debatable whether your photo shows shop food not street food, anyway close enough). There must be at least a dozen other foods that taste best from street vendors including some you see almost exclusively from street vendors, like khanom khrok.

Also you're right it's tam tang (or tam taeng, following conventional translit), not tam kwaa, my brain transposed taeng and kwaa from taeng-kwaa .... not enough sleep lately been doing that with English as well as Thai zzzzzzzzz.

I wonder if we'll ever see the day where Bangkok, like Singapore, corrals all the vendors into hawker centres. I still remember when Singapore was much like Bangkok, with street food everywhere. There's always talk about doing the same in BKK. At any rate I feel relatively confident the rest of Thailand will always have street vendors.

[Jaffy]

I have to agree with Sabaijai.

For me, Som Tam is the king of thai street food!

No other dish encapsultes what Thailand is all about like a freshly prepared plate of fiery som tam eaten at a busy traffic intersection. What could be more thai.....

[Curt]

That mu ping photo was taken at At Taw Kaw market.

Although not technically "street" food, it's not really a stall.

I would call it "isle" food!

[jrincon17]

Phad Thai Goong Sod(fresh shrimp)

gosh now im hungry

Noodle soup is my favorite !!!1 darn i miss it !

[englishoak]

My wife makes a great rice porridge even in the uk. ( jok )

[meadish_sweetball]

Curt, true enough, chargrilled skewered meats have to go near the top of the list for street foods (tho it's debatable whether your photo shows shop food not street food, anyway close enough). There must be at least a dozen other foods that taste best from street vendors including some you see almost exclusively from street vendors, like khanom khrok.

Also you're right it's tam tang (or tam taeng, following conventional translit), not tam kwaa, my brain transposed taeng and kwaa from taeng-kwaa .... not enough sleep lately been doing that with English as well as Thai zzzzzzzzz.

I wonder if we'll ever see the day where Bangkok, like Singapore, corrals all the vendors into hawker centres. I still remember when Singapore was much like Bangkok, with street food everywhere. There's always talk about doing the same in BKK. At any rate I feel relatively confident the rest of Thailand will always have street vendors.

Last week I heard a law proposal is being debated where they propose making it illegal with charcoal grilling in open public places in Bangkok... to be continued.

[Ajarn]

As long as they don't make the smoke illegal

In a large outside food area, the smoke is what pinpoints my interest

[NamKAheng]

I wonder if we'll ever see the day where Bangkok, like Singapore, corrals all the vendors into hawker centres. I still remember when Singapore was much like Bangkok, with street food everywhere. There's always talk about doing the same in BKK. At any rate I feel relatively confident the rest of Thailand will always have street vendors.

It will be a very bad idea to put all the street vendors in hawkers centres, street food is a big part of what Thailand is.

When Singapore did that it lost part of his soul, I also think that Singapore have no soul anymore. In fact the only soul they have now is money, money money.

[Kathe]

As living outside of Thailand, we are survive too with Somtham Kohlrueben ( dont know in English...is it Swedish Turnip ? ) It tastes like green papaya and much cheaper. For me it's more tasteful than Tam Taeng ( cucumber ).

Ate Gai Jee Kee....last time 20 years ago, it was good but later it was not like the earlier years of Jee Kee. Take away Som Tham tasted like artificial green papaya for me, papaya was too hard like carot

Many delicious street vendors, but I shall look first if they are (really clean) and using fresh products and really have enough water to clean. I shall not eat food with *Phong Churot* sorry dont know in English. And keep away from very RED(color) of dried schrimp that they put in the Som Tam. Try not to eat crushed peanuts if it looks not really fresh for noodle soup. Then go ahead and enjoy the various and tasty choices of Street food. Yummyyyyy This is our Fast Food Tradition.

[Flutterby]

Another consideration for street food fried in oil is that street vendors often use "used" oil which has broken down chemically and contains lots more carcinogens and free fatty acids. Add to fact that they use coconut and palm kernal oils which are bad for the heart and circulatory system to begin with.

For an occasional meal, it should be fine but on a regular basis could cause health problems. The nature of these fats/oils has been cited as a cause of the high rate of heart disease and stroke in Thailand.

[Mr_Know-it-All]

Visually, Khun Phen's chicken closely resembles the famous Polo chicken, but tastes a world better.

Visually it looks nothing like Soi Polo fried chicken, which is heavily battered and fried (like most kai thawt in Thailand).

I ate at Khun Phen's and followed it up, within a week, with Polo Chicken.

Visually, what what I ate at Khun Phen's would get lost on a plate of what I ate at Polo.

The difference is that I will eat often at Khun Phen's and will never go near Polo again.

So you're saying Soi Polo chicken isn't battered? Or that battered fried chicken and unbattered fried chicken look the same? I don't see how you could possibly think the two look even vaguely similar, unless you think all chicken just looks the same ....

But then again, it appears I must be mistaken.

The most likely option, in both cases. I'm starting to feel like I'm giving you a hard time unnecessarily. But when someone is wrong about Thai food, and tries to cover up the mistake with yet another mistake, it's difficult.

Stopped by Polo Chicken just the other day.

The cook said that she only fries her chicken one style, has always fried her chicken one style and will continue to fry it the same style.

Polo Chicken:

BTW

Khun Phen has had to move her stall outside her house, across the soi.

The neighbors were afraid of fire!

[monochaser]

I used to eat street food and enjoyed it. I guess I built up an immune system for it. Now when I eat it I have all kinds of stomach problems. I'm thru w/it now. It just aint clean. I really hate this concept of food preparation intertwined with money collection. most nasty

[tutsiwarrior]

Visually, Khun Phen's chicken closely resembles the famous Polo chicken, but tastes a world better.

Visually it looks nothing like Soi Polo fried chicken, which is heavily battered and fried (like most kai thawt in Thailand).

I ate at Khun Phen's and followed it up, within a week, with Polo Chicken.

Visually, what what I ate at Khun Phen's would get lost on a plate of what I ate at Polo.

The difference is that I will eat often at Khun Phen's and will never go near Polo again.

So you're saying Soi Polo chicken isn't battered? Or that battered fried chicken and unbattered fried chicken look the same? I don't see how you could possibly think the two look even vaguely similar, unless you think all chicken just looks the same ....

But then again, it appears I must be mistaken.

The most likely option, in both cases. I'm starting to feel like I'm giving you a hard time unnecessarily. But when someone is wrong about Thai food, and tries to cover up the mistake with yet another mistake, it's difficult.

Stopped by Polo Chicken just the other day.

The cook said that she only fries her chicken one style, has always fried her chicken one style and will continue to fry it the same style.

Polo Chicken:

BTW

Khun Phen has had to move her stall outside her house, across the soi.

The neighbors were afraid of fire!

[/quot

an' that's deep fried chicken?...looks more like basted and broiled to me...

[Donz]

First time I ate from the street, I was in the toilet like 5 times every hour for the whole day, Even the next day it was like a waterfall.

Second time I went to Thailand I was only in the toilet for about 2 hours then ok.

The times after that my stomach is like immune to everything. I probaly can eat bullets now.

[Mr_Know-it-All]

an' that's deep fried chicken?...looks more like basted and broiled to me...

This is "deep" fried in a wok.

Next time I pass by I will try to get some in the oil!

To date, the only battered fried chicken I have eaten in Thailand has been at KFC.

[Donz]

I used to work at KFC when i was in my early teens, Trust me, dont eat that shit. They are usually very pusy.

[somchai jones]

I have to agree with Sabaijai.

For me, Som Tam is the king of thai street food!

No other dish encapsultes what Thailand is all about like a freshly prepared plate of fiery som tam eaten at a busy traffic intersection. What could be more thai.....

The complete street food meal.

Khao Neow, gai yang and somtam, whether it be som tam thai or som tam boo dong.

Food made in heaven!

[steve w]

anybody had one of these things(horseshoe crab) ,i have from a stall on a small soi off soi bangla

[p_brownstone]

anybody had one of these things(horseshoe crab) ,i have from a stall on a small soi off soi bangla

Just to make you feel better - this is not actually a Crab, it's more closely related to Spiders.

That said however I do like "Yam Khai Maeng Da" .

Patrick

[tutsiwarrior]

Visually, Khun Phen's chicken closely resembles the famous Polo chicken, but tastes a world better.

Visually it looks nothing like Soi Polo fried chicken, which is heavily battered and fried (like most kai thawt in Thailand).

I ate at Khun Phen's and followed it up, within a week, with Polo Chicken.

Visually, what what I ate at Khun Phen's would get lost on a plate of what I ate at Polo.

The difference is that I will eat often at Khun Phen's and will never go near Polo again.

So you're saying Soi Polo chicken isn't battered? Or that battered fried chicken and unbattered fried chicken look the same? I don't see how you could possibly think the two look even vaguely similar, unless you think all chicken just looks the same ....

But then again, it appears I must be mistaken.

The most likely option, in both cases. I'm starting to feel like I'm giving you a hard time unnecessarily. But when someone is wrong about Thai food, and tries to cover up the mistake with yet another mistake, it's difficult.

Stopped by Polo Chicken just the other day.

The cook said that she only fries her chicken one style, has always fried her chicken one style and will continue to fry it the same style.

Polo Chicken:

BTW

Khun Phen has had to move her stall outside her house, across the soi.

The neighbors were afraid of fire!

[/quot

an' that's deep fried chicken?...looks more like basted and broiled to me...

my wife useta deep fry chicken in a wok until we got a cooker with an oven an' the deep fried stuff never looked like that...that's why I ask if it's broiled or not...

moot point...ain't no one selling food on the street got an oven...

[Mr_Know-it-All]

my wife useta deep fry chicken in a wok until we got a cooker with an oven an' the deep fried stuff never looked like that...that's why I ask if it's broiled or not...

moot point...ain't no one selling food on the street got an oven...

I replied to your comment because you started the "looks like" theory again.

People often cling to what they remember or think, rather than to what is presented.

Early on, a picture of Khun Phen's fried chicken was posted.

Someone insisted that it had to be grilled because fried chicken is battered in Thailand like Polo Chicken's fried chicken.

It was even suggested that this was all made up.

Not only is there plenty of non-battered fried chicken around, according to the cook, Polo's has never been battered.

[tutsiwarrior]

my wife useta deep fry chicken in a wok until we got a cooker with an oven an' the deep fried stuff never looked like that...that's why I ask if it's broiled or not...

moot point...ain't no one selling food on the street got an oven...

I replied to your comment because you started the "looks like" theory again.

People often cling to what they remember or think, rather than to what is presented.

Early on, a picture of Khun Phen's fried chicken was posted.

Someone insisted that it had to be grilled because fried chicken is battered in Thailand like Polo Chicken's fried chicken.

It was even suggested that this was all made up.

Not only is there plenty of non-battered fried chicken around, according to the cook, Polo's has never been battered.

I believe that I have been misunderstood (not to worry...it happens a lot)...I said basted and broiled, not battered. If basted it would account for the reddish color on the skin...something not attributable to deep frying

[Mr_Know-it-All]

The mind wobbles......

The last time the subject of kai thod came up, we went off on a tangent because someone believed a photo of FRIED CHICKEN looked like kai yang, not kai thod.

It seemed that that cycle was beginning again.

Trust me, it's fried.

It's been marinated in a garlic based marinade and fried.

[magic]

Of course, I was astonished at this attitude and told them that I really think they missed out!

Hmmmmm... I would NEVER recommend visitors to eat streat food, espaecially the soups.

I tried my luck many times with the wonton noodle soups, etc, and have paid the price. Not everyone is immune to the water here. I have lived here for 1 year, & if I temp my fate at the free water or some of the soups, I can be suffering for 1-2 days with no sleep. Not to mention the site of skinned chickens hanging from the stalls, which scares me as to how long they have been there..

Since, I have used only bottled water & avoided the street soups, & have been MUCH better off.

Edited June 1, 2006 by magic