Food & Drink - Thailand - page 1476

Staples & Specialities
Rice & Noodles
Rice is so central to Thai food culture that the most common term for 'eat' is gin kôw (liter-
ally, 'consume rice') and one of the most common greetings is Gin kôw rĕu yang? (Have
you consumed rice yet?). To eat is to eat rice, and for most of the country, a meal is not ac-
ceptable without this staple.
There are many varieties of rice in Thailand and the country has been among the world
leaders in rice exports since the 1960s. The highest grade is kôw hŏrm má·lí (jasmine rice),
a fragrant long grain that is so coveted by neighbouring countries that there is allegedly a
steady underground business in smuggling out fresh supplies. Residents of Thailand's north
and northeast eat kôw nĕe·o ( sticky rice), a glutinous short-grained rice that is cooked by
steaming, not boiling. In Chinese-style eateries, kôw đôm (boiled rice), a watery porridge
sometimes employing brown or purple rice, is a common carb.
Rice is customarily served alongside main dishes like curries, stir-fries or soups, which
are lumped together as gàp kôw (with rice). When you order plain rice in a restaurant you
use the term kôw þlòw ( plain rice) or kôw sŏo·ay ( beautiful rice).
You'll find four basic kinds of noodle in Thailand. Hardly surprising, given the Thai fix-
ation on rice, is the overwhelming popularity of sên gŏo·ay đĕe·o, noodles made from rice
flour mixed with water to form a paste, which is then steamed to form wide, flat sheets.
The sheets are folded and sliced into various widths.
Also made from rice is kà·nŏm jeen, which is produced by pushing rice-flour paste
through a sieve into boiling water, much the way Italian-style pasta is made. Kà·nŏm jeen is
a popular morning market meal that is eaten doused with various spicy curries and topped
with a self-selection of fresh and pickled vegetables and herbs.
The third kind of noodle, bà·mèe, is made from wheat flour and egg. It's yellowish in
colour and sold only in fresh bundles.
Finally there's wún·sên, an almost clear noodle made from mung-bean starch and water.
Often sold in dried bunches, wún·sên (literally 'jelly thread') is prepared by soaking in hot
water for a few minutes. The most common use of the noodle is in yam wún sên, a hot and
tangy salad made with lime juice, fresh sliced prík kêe nŏo (tiny chillies), shrimp, ground
pork and various seasonings.