Typical Thai Meal

One of the highlights of our stay in Railai Beach was the meal cooked for us by the local cook. Noy negotiated a veritable FEAST of southern Thai dishes with her the day before. By noon the next day she had returned by boat with the fresh, fresh fish and veggies. From noon until 2:30 she was busy getting things all set up for our 7:30 PM meal.

First there was the soup Tom Yam Talay that was chock full of tasty shrimp and squid. I had eaten a Tom Yam with pork in it in Luang Prabang ... but Jim told me it was a pale imitation of the Tom Yam I would find in Southern Thailand. He was right. The cook did hold off on the spices for my sake. We each had little bowls and ceramic spoons and Noy served us out of the communal bowl. It was a very traditional serving.

Also at the table was a Pak Bung Fai Daeng. It is a stir fried version of the fresh water morning glory blossoms that I have come to love. This one was made particularly special by the addition of fermented soy beans. Outstanding!

There was also an "experiemental" dish for western tastes: Gaeng Tai Pla. It is curried fish innards and I have to admit it was tasty ! Very rich but very tasty. I think that like sausage, Gaeng Tai Pla isn't something you should watch being prepared.

And finally Cow Phad Poo was the crab fried rice. The cook said the secret was to have a very very hot wok into which to toss the fresh crabmeat and that our stove was not up to the task.

Thank-you Jim, Fah, Chow and Noy for arranging this wonderfully authentic taste of Thailand.