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.
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