Today finds StKildaFlaneur hard at work amid stream on the Thai Burma border. Mae Sai to the left of me. Tachileik to the right. Here I am stuck in the middle..... of the Nam Sai river.
Saturday 25 June 2011
Thursday 23 June 2011
Tuesday 21 June 2011
Monday 20 June 2011
Sunday 19 June 2011
Friday 17 June 2011
And Now For The Grilled Seafood
Having travelled 7,639 km for a bowl of soup it would be a shame not to sample a bit of grilled seafood while we are here. When we left off on our earlier blog the boys were firing up the charcoal BBQ. Time to take a closer look at the succulent seafood selection chosen by Khun Noy.
The sparks flying off the charcoal tell us we're almost good to go.
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The sparks flying off the charcoal tell us we're almost good to go.
Fanning The Flames!
Cooking technique could not be more simple.
Nothing more to be said. Beautiful fresh seafood such as this speaks for itself.
Bon Appetit
Wednesday 15 June 2011
Tuesday 14 June 2011
Saturday 11 June 2011
7,639 km For A Bowl Of Soup!
It’s been a trek - tram, airport bus, plane, taxi, tuk-tuk, sky-train, bus, ferry and song-taew. About 7,639 km all told. For a bowl of soup. But what a bowl of soup.
Alighting from our song- taew at Bang Bao pier we head directly to Nok Noy Seafood on a wonky wooden jetty far out over the water. Having achieved our destination, there is now time to savour the thought of what awaits. Taking a seat at a table with a commanding view of the fishing boats bobbing in the cove, StKildaFlaneur slakes his thirst with a large icy cold bia chang.
Time for the main event. First to consult Khun Nok to discover what’s fresh today. A selection of shrimp (goong), squid (pla muk) and scallops (hoi chen) is made, and the boys are instructed to fire up the charcoal grill. Rest assured we will return to this. But for now its time for the soup.
A further selection of fresh seafood is made by Khun Supachai who has kindly offered StKildaFlaneur an exclusive Private Masterclass in his open plan kitchen.
Herbs and spices are chopped then ground in the mortar and pestle, then added to a bowl. A tomato is chopped and the gas burner is fired up.
Earlier the stock and fresh seafood has been added to a saucepan together with a further array of herbs and spices. It calls for a high heat and we get a crescendo of flame engulfing the saucepan. No gentle simmering here!
Don't try this at home!
In no time at all the soup is finished and gently ladled into our bowl.
Time to head to the tasting table, taking in the panoramic vista as we zoom in on that Spicy Seafood Soup -
Dtom Yum Talay.
The soup presents with a red earthy hue, matching the terroir, here in South East Thailand. A rustic dish it is packed full of fresh seafood with squid, scallops and prawns being the highlights of todays catch. Vegetables include sliced tomato and soft mushrooms as well as shallots.
The trick to a top dtom yum is in getting the balance of the spice spot on. The only way to eat this is “thai style – phet.” It needs to pack a punch and produce a mild numbing of the mouth, but without overpowering the fresh seafood, which of course is the hero of this dish. If the numbness lingers between mouthfuls it’s overdone. It must also be sour. As usual Supathai has cooked this broth perfectly, rounding out all that spice with a creamy dollop of coconut milk.
Having devoured the beautiful fresh seafood and made inroads into the broth, it is time to delve between those fibrous stalks of lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and slices of galangal in search of any remaining delicious morsels. We are rewarded with a shitake mushroom here and there and a couple of slim squid tentacles.
Scooping up the last remaining molecules of liquid, we are finally left with a colourful residue of the elements that provided the bags of flavour.
Far from a consomme, I’m sure you’ll agree.
Smells waft from the charcoal grill as we await the next instalment in this lunchtime feast.
Friday 10 June 2011
Everything Has It's Price
Everything has its price as StKildaFlaneur discovered during a recent visit to Buddha View, on Bang Bao fishing village pier. Fruit shake - Bt70
Thursday 9 June 2011
Wednesday 8 June 2011
A Private Masterclass At Nai Mong in Yaowarat
Here is an exclusive glimpse of the Private Masterclass StKildaFlaneur was treated to at Nai Mong when he dropped in for a mid morning snack during his walking tour of Bangkok's historic Chinatown.
Nai Mong is justly famous for its Hoy Tod (a Thai-Chinese delicacy of oysters, eggs, shallots and a special homemade batter) which is just as well because its the only dish they serve. The only choice for the hungry punter is whether the batter is cooked crispy crunchy in a pancake or to a soft glutinous chewiness.
StKildaFlaneur opted for the soft version, served with a deep red chilli sauce which was quickly polished off.
Tuesday 7 June 2011
Perambulation Diem #5
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| Looks Like Monkey Business |
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| But Which One's The Candidate? |
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| It's Enough To Give You A Headache |
From Masterchef To The Mekong
StKildaFlaneur hopes you have enjoyed our series of Masterchef critiques. If your appetite has been whetted, you can continue to follow all the developments in the Masterchef Kitchen at the Masterchef website:
We wish the remaining contestants every success.
If anyone figures out who owns the motorbike periodically parked out the front of the Masterchef Kitchen, please let us know!
Over the coming weeks StKildaFlaneur will be taking a well earned break in the Lands of Smiles and A Thousand Elephants. We hope you will share the journey with us as we enjoy the best that Thailand and Laos has to offer.
Stodgeball – Jay Gets Battered
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| I said stodge ball. Not dodge ball! |
Masterchef Recap – 5 June 2011
First to the Masterchef House where we find the contestants sharing and caring. Hayden learning the cello under the tutelage of Craig. Kumar leading a tai chi Masterclass, and in a sign of things to come Jay giving Personal Trainer Arena’s boxing gloves a “battering.”
Eighteen contestants remain, but there is only one Masterchef Title up for grabs. To the Masterchef Kitchen where an Invention Test awaits. To the rules. A Spanish Challenge – Viva Espanol! Three pairs of core ingredients:
1. Lamb / Anchovy
2. Sherry / Oranges
3. Squid / Chorizo
Eyes light up. We know Jay will go the squid / chorizo option. He thinks he can create “a cracker” 15 ingredients allowed and 75 minutes cooking time. Everyone pretty happy as Jay leads the charge into the pantry, snatching his shopping basket as he goes. But…. we know its never this easy as Matt Preston confirms. Its needs to be a “Supercharged Challenge.” Gary and George roam the room and sure enough it’s the big basket swap as baskets are redistributed by the sadistic judges.
Everyone is dismayed. None more so than Dani. She has to come up with “a Spanish dessert, that’s Spanish,” she decides on a Spanish trifle. She knows “it’s not right but my brain doesn’t register this.”
Gary tells us there’s one hour to go “time to grab the bull by the horns.”
Jay, forced to relinquish his beloved squid and chorizo, is working on a churros dessert. He has batter from one end of his workbench to the other.
In the worst pun of the series thus far George notes that “more than a few of you are in a world of Spain.” 15 minutes to go.
Jay continues to battle with his batter. Gary notes a gap in his culinary skills has been exposed. Jay can't make donuts. StKildaFlaneur recalls Jay in boxing gloves back in the Masterchef House. Is this the cleverest of analogies? Jay now copping a battering? Perhaps we need to get out more.
With only five minutes remaining George reminds everyone that they’ll be facing a Spanish Inquisition at the judging table.
Tasting commences with Danielle’s tapas, which taste of warmth and sunshine. Dani’s trifle is adjudged a disaster by Gary. Michael’s trio tapas of lamb gets a wow from Matt.
Jay approaches with his churros. We know it won’t be good. Gary confirms this. A disaster – heavy stodgeball. Chocolate and whipped cream delicious, but as Gary reminds us – his 9 year old daughter can make these.
Arena momentarily stems Gary’s vitriolic flow. Her best dish of the competition so far. Gary is soon back to Mr Nasty with Ellie’s Stuffed Peppers with Orange. He takes sadistic pleasure as her pronounces her dish “strangely unpleasant.” Tears flow. George steps in with some timely philosophy and there is a group hug.
Next up to present is Mat who wants to put his dish in the bin. Gary continues to dish it out – accusing Mat of trying to “dress something up which can’t be dressed up – looks horrid – unacceptable.” Last up is Shannon who thankfully has done a good job.
Judgement time.
Good news for Arena, Danielle, Shannon and Michael. Especially Shannon who will be cooking for immunity.
We await the bad news. Three to face an Elimination Pressure Test. Fronting up tomorrow will be Jay, Ellie and Dani.
Finally we would like to congratulate the sciptwriters on their restraint. StKildaFlaneur though it was only a matter of time before a “Hasta La Vista” was dropped. Muchas Gracias it wasn’t.
Sunday 5 June 2011
Friday 3 June 2011
What's A Massa? Man
Masterchef Recap – 2 June 2011
Dawn breaks over the Masterchef House on the day of another Elimination Challenge. Andrew gazes at the Masterchef symbol for what we know could be the last time. In a brief backstory we learn more about the work place incident that “crushed his soul” - apparently a bus was involved.
Meanwhile Kumar who is entering his fourth Elimination Challenge remains calm, practising tai chi by the waterfront. In a nice piece of juxtaposition the cameraman captures the alignment of Kumars head with a sacred Buddha image. We don’t yet know it, but this is a link to a theme.
Hayden is for once sedentary and in a sombre mood. He knows “someone’s not coming home.”
As Andrew and Kumar don their aprons, we see last night’s winners Billy and Shannon about to board a chopper to whisk them off to their reward Private Masterclass. Soon they are flying over Sydney’s northern beaches. We know this because there is a second chopper filming their flight.
Andrew and Kumar enter the Masterchef Kitchen and in step approach the judges. Their fate is to be decided by one dish. It’s “make or break.” A pot is produced. Kumar is bending over it sniffing at the lid. Soon even the other contestants viewing from the gallery above are sniffing the air. We can only imagine what it will be like when the lid is whipped off, which soon occurs to astonished gasps….it’s a Massaman Curry! But we learn it’s not a great one. In fact it’s a bad one. It’s a “Fix That Dish” challenge.
Each will have eight steps to add a single ingredient and ten minutes each time to progress the dish. Once used an ingredient cannot be used again. They will undertake each step sequentially. Before starting its time to taste. It’s a soupy horrible mess – one of the worst things Andrew has tasted in his life. Kumar thinks the meat is as tough as old boots.
Who will have the edge? It should be Kumar with his Sri Lankan background and love of curries, but he’s never cooked a Massaman before. Andrew, looking smug boasts he makes it all the time - even making his paste from scratch. He sums up the challenge – “I just have to beat Kumar.”
The Massaman style of curry arrived in Siam with the first Persian envoy to the Court of Ayuthyia, Sheik Amed, in the 16th century. It is the most complex and time consuming Thai curry to make – but we digress.
Let’s see how it unfolds as the mind games begin. Kumar wins the toss and elects to start.
Kumar #1 – blitzes some cashew nuts which he reserves
We hear from Peter who recounts that Kumar is known in the Masterchef House as “the Panther” – you never know when he’ll pounce!
Andrew #1 – Adds turmeric to his sauce.
Kumar #2 – Blitzes some shallots to a paste. Tactically he’s telling Andrew nothing.
Andrew #2 – Selects some ginger, preferring this over galangal, which has some heads shaking.
Kumar #3 – Galangal
Andrew #3 – Shallots
Kumar #4 – Coriander root
Andrew #4 – Shallots – for sweetness
Four steps down, four to go. Andrew finally puts his meat back into the sauce. Matt likes Andrew’s sauce. Gary likes Kumar’s sauce.
Upstairs the others have realised there’s a couple of core elements that are yet to appear.
The boys are soon matching each other every step of the way.
Kumar #5 – Lime for acidity, but could it be too early?
Andrew #5 – Palm sugar
Kumar #6– Palm sugar
Andrew #6 – Fish sauce
Kumar #7 – Fish sauce
Andrew #7 – Limes. At this point Andrew is supremely confident. Doesn’t think he’ll bother with an eighth step.
Kumar #8– With only one step remaining, Kumar’s in turmoil. Really doesn’t know what he should do. He doesn’t want to put a foot wrong. Finally he opts for coconut cream playing safe.
Andrew #8 – Decides to add another ingredient after all - coconut cream.
As the dishes are brought forward to the judges, Andrew realises he’s forgotten the potato (hasn’t yet remembered that he also forgot the peanuts). But didn’t he tell us he makes this all the time? He remains positive commenting that Kumar’s dish looks “pale and porridgy.”
What will Matt and George think?
Andrew’s meat is dry but the sauce nicely reduced. There are “big vibrant gutsy flavours.”
For Kumar his ground cashews add creaminess but also an unexpected texture. The meat is tender but the real issue is that “squeaky texture.”
It’s going to be a close one. The curry that Matt would most like to eat is Kumar’s, whilst Gary would rather eat Andrew’s. But they need to decide who has done the best job. It’s Kumar – he’s captured the creaminess and oiliness and cooked his meat right.
Right now Andrew is feeling “a real sense of loss but no regrets.”
As Kumar once again walks back into the Masterchef House, Shannon is “mortified that Andrew’s not back.” Kate can’t help but feel disappointed for Andrew because “he especially wanted to be in the competition.”
The last we see of Andrew he’s stroking his cat as he ponders a search for a job in a commercial kitchen.
Thursday 2 June 2011
Spam In A Can!
A quiet morning in the Masterchef House as the contestants recuperate from their big week in W.A. Shannon puts on her lucky necklace and decides it’s time for her to “mix it up.” We have an inkling she could be in for a big day.
Entering the Masterchef Kitchen, Dani observes benches set up and concludes it looks like they’ll be cooking. With his reward from last night’s Immunity Challenge Jay is safe from elimination. He heads upstairs to observe from the gallery.
The rules of engagement are explained by Matt Preston resplendent in shades of mauve. No core ingredient, no theme, a pantry chock full of ingredients and as much as you like in 10 minutes, followed by 90 minutes cooking. The contestants are excited. It’s too good to be true. Of course it is.
Entering the pantry the waiting camera captures the bewilderment. Dani “chokes up and can’t breathe.” Sun is “surprised no one burst into tears, because it’s a horror story.” Shannon “has no friggin’ idea what to do.” Danielle’s “heart has sunk a little” and Ellie is wondering where’s all the fresh produce? Oh yes, one thing Matt forgot to mention – it’s a tinned and frozen food challenge.
Hayden brings us to back to reality recalling the challenges of grassroots everyday cooking, as everyone wonders what to do with their piles of cans. The smart amateur cooks have chosen deserts and are underway. Alana is feeling really frazzled and Dani seems to be planning a smorgasbord -she has three dishes on the go as Gary announces “it’s canned chaos – one hour to go!”
Shannon is fully invested in her ice-cream but with two burnt batches of caramel is concentrating hard on her final attempt. Gary has spotted Andrews tinned clams and crab and already knows he’s in trouble. Gary’s countdown continues – “15 minutes, time to pop the lid off this challenge and cook us something delicious!”
Time to plate up. Dani’s mind is in a fluster and she can’t think straight as she drops her soft shell crab dish on the floor. Good thing she has two spare alternatives. It’s all starting to come together for Alana. She’s put her foam into the flask, piped it down, squeezes the trigger and...explodes her desert! She thinks she’s automatically into the bottom two.
Alana is first to be called forward. She has done her best to recover her Layered Lychee and Chocolate Jelly Dessert, disguising it with some Tuilles. It’s well received.
Next up is Andrew with a Crab and Clam Mousse Tart which appears to be surrounded by a moat of Green Lentil Salsa. His comedic presentation is the least of his problems. Gary doesn’t even want to taste it. “Oooh,” the mousse is “ghastly gag material.” At least the lentils were OK.
Billy presents his Coconut Panna Cotta with Chocolate Mousse and Guava Sorbet. Matt loves it. George pronounces it “sex on a plate.”
It’s a hard act for Kumar to follow with Salmon Crusted with Wasabi and Lemon Myrtle served with Stir Fried Vegetables. Matt’s sad shake of the head says it all – oily, slippery, mushy texture. Arena gets a smile and a nod for her Blueberry Custard Tart, and the hero of Adams Seafood Curry dish were the accompanying Spring Rolls which George thought were “a cracker.”
We continue with Rachel and her Salmon En Croute which George didn’t think was his cup of tea. Dani wants to go and hide in her bedroom rather than present her dishes but fronts up with a Tom Yum Soup and Guava Custard Tart. Questioned by Gary, we learn it’s “Sad Dani” not “Happy Dani” today. She’s knows it’s bad and “feels like she’s spinning in a giant tornado.” As a tear rolls down her cheek it’s time for some philosophy from George “you have to clear your mind when you cook, because when you’re mind is full of stuff, you can’t cook straight.”
Finally we get to see Shannon and her chocolate and cherry ice-cream sandwich. Matt likes the crunch in the biscuit. George thinks it’s “the day that you shine.” Shannon is proud of “having cooked without fear.”
Five contenders for the top two as Billy, Arena, Alana, Adam and Shannon are called forward. Billy has produced the cleverest dish by far. Joining him for the reward Private Masterclass is Shannon.
Time to discover who will cook off in tomorrow’s Elimination Challenge. Andrew and Kumar are summonsed. No build up here – it’s them. Rachel and Dani have dodged a bullet.
What’s Making News In Oz? (An Exclusive StKildaFlaneur In Depth Investigation)
With all three commercial television networks offering us their take on current affairs in the all important 6.30pm lead into the peak rating timeslot, you would think Australians must have their collective fingers right on the pulse of world events.
To put this hypothesis to the test StKildaFlaneur took a look at what was on offer on a randomly selected recent evening.
As a benchmark we firstly noted the top 10 news stories on SBS’s World News Australia, which in order were:
1. Government appointed Climate Change Commission releases report “The Critical Decade”
2. Growing death toll feared in Missouri tornado
3. Afghan Taliban deny reports of death of Mullah Omar
4. President Obama prepared to order further missions against high value targets
5. 10 killed in siege at naval base in Karachi in revenge attack
6. President Obama defends latest strategy for peace in the Middle East
7. New volcanic eruption in Iceland threatens European airspace
8. Yemeni political crisis deepens raising spectre of civil war
9. EU formally establishes diplomatic relations with Libyan rebels
10. Thousand join funeral procession in Syria after 8 mourners killed at earlier funeral
Some pretty major and meaty stories there, as I am sure you will agree. Let’s see how these were addressed by the leading journalists in the land.
First up we join the Today Tonight team on Seven.
Leading off in a “Today Tonight Exclusive” was a “Wiggles Bombshell” featuring Greg the former yellow skivvied Wiggle. We learn about his “life and death battle with a mystery illness”, and a possible return (perhaps in a different coloured skivvy). Greg also “for the first time speaks openly about blowing a fortune.” Although in fact he actually tells us he didn’t blow a fortune.
Next up is a “power bill price shock.” With power bills expected to double in the next 6 years we get “an exclusive look at what’s new that promises to slash your bills” Although in fact the device only tells you how much power you are using, and you slash your bills by turning off light and power switches. This is most helpfully illustrated by vision of a number of different people....turning off switches.
For story three we get “Dancing With The Stars Fresh Controversy as Manu The Popular French Chef Defends His Sexist Comment”. After recapping the latest episode, we learn that Manu is in hot water for commenting “that suddenly I am being told what to do by a woman” when he was surprised by a visit from his dance partner (who happened to be accompanied by a film crew) whilst at his restaurant. It may not surprise readers to learn that Dancing With The Stars is also featured on Channel 7. (more about blatant network cross promotions in a future blog).
Fourth up is an old favourite – the greedy conman! The culprit having just been sentenced to 10 months imprisonment provides the opportunity to recap on the story of “Blind Joey” a conman posing as vision impaired to trick people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. We enjoy the vision as Joey brandishing his cane runs from the camera, whilst the intrepid journalist chasing him calls out “Joey, Joey, you’re supposed to blind mate!”
The last story for the evening relates to “Secret Q Score Ratings Leaked.” We learn that the television network ratings record the popularity of the high profile network celebrities, and that this is useful for advertising purposes (who would have imagined), although this “secret bible on who’s hot and who’s not” has never before been published. Again you may not be surprised that this is accompanied by more network cross promotion.
We finish with a preview of tomorrows show – “What happened to the lucky country? Desperate times for forgotten pensioners living in squalor – a battle they should not have to fight.”
Current Affairs Relevance - 0/5
Next it’s over to A Current Affair on Nine.
First up is “a $400,000 project in just one week by an army of volunteers.” We meet Heidi who was a happy mother of two before becoming a quadriplegic in an accident in which her car was struck by a falling tree. The family had been building their dream home for eight years whilst living in a shed and caravan. As a result of the accident they have no money left to finish the house.
Time therefore to introduce the army of volunteers donating their time and money to complete the task. There is no water for the pool. Fortunately the fire brigade is only a phone call away! A tractor gets bogged and we meet some girls driving trucks and excavators. Throughout we have a soundtrack of the Village Peoples “Macho Man” playing and some hilarious shots of tradies hamming it up for the camera’s. I should also mention we also saw 24 (that’s right 24) blatant promotions (complete with logo’s and telephone numbers) from the generous tradies (including the likes of IKEA and Beacon Lighting). Regrettably StKildaFlaneur will not be covering part 2 tomorrow night when the family arrive back at their new home.
Only enough time remains for one more story covering “soup recipes to help you lose weight.” We learn that “soup diets are back on the menu” and how three different soup diets helped three different women. An expert provided comments on each of the diets and we learn that the cabbage soup diet is high in cabbage.
Current Affairs Relevance - 0/2
Finally we take a look at 6.30 with George Negus on Ten.
Leading off is a follow up on the Christchurch earthquake, where we hear from “the woman who ran and lived” on how she is coping with lost friends and workmates.
Next up is the Battery Sheep Factory, where sheep reared for ultra fine wool are kept indoors in wooden pens.
The third story investigates the long term impact of brain injuries in contact sports, which provides a great opportunity to relive some of those great bone breaking tackles and collisions in rugby and Aussie rules.
Just as we are giving up all hope of a story relevant to the days major news events, we get an interview with a member of the Climate Change Commission (SBS’s lead story of the day!!!!). We learn that “polarised political debate is holding us back” and that with respect to the climate “no doubt human influence is significant.”
Next up is Obama. Could we be on a roll, given he featured at #4 and #6 in SBS’s top 10 news items? Regrettably this was not to be. Instead we visit the Irish village of Moneygall, ancestral home of Obama’s great great great grandfather on his mothers side, ahead of his forthcoming stop off. One of the locals tells us she used to call him “Abracadabra” (although this apparent reference to a Steve Miller Band song is not explained). We see a lot of Guinness being drunk.
We close with an “exclusive behind the scenes peek” at the National Gallery of Victoria’s 150th anniversary preparations.
Current Affairs Relevance - 1/6
Channel 10 was therefore the clear winner with the only relevant story out of the thirteen featured.
So what does this tell us about Australians and current affairs? I’m not so sure we want to go there.
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