Home again

Khao Yai, one of Thailand’s largest national parks (nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site), was where I got a formal education in the culinary ways of the Thais. The verdant plains extend across four provinces: Saraburi, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Ratchasima and Prachinburi, and are easily accessible from Bangkok by a couple hours’ drive. Sure, it’s famous for a breathtaking three-tiered Heo Suwat waterfall that cascades from a 200-metre cliff, but the food is equally awe inspiring. Had I visited earlier, I would have moved to be closer to the fresh air, natural surrounds and Auyudhya Restaurant’s crisp fried barnyard chicken, and stir-fried beef with hot basil. I’m almost certain the trick to the latter lies in a good dose of garlic which enriches the dish yet mollifies its heat.

The streets of Khao Yai are littered with stalls and stands but I would usually home in on Pennlao, a Laotian establishment, where chatter around the dining table always fades in favour of the Grilled Breast of Pork with Spicy Roasted Chilli Sauce. Thai cooking is the result of the masterful juggling of disparate elements, where taste structures are built to a perfect balance. At Larb Lu Shop, you’ll find fantastic freshly made sticky rice and Isarn Larb, meat flavoured with fish sauce, lime juice and fresh herbs, then mixed with chilli, mint and served with assorted raw vegetables. Two ingredients define this dish: toasted ground rice called khao khua, which lends mild, nutty aromas, and fresh Thai holy basil called bai kraphao.

Excerpt from the December issue of epicure.