A News Room Guide to Chinese Cuisine in Thailand
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A NEWS ROOM GUIDE TO CHINESE CUISINE IN THAILAND Please click on the item to select Many people who emigrate to new countries melt into their new-found ways and soon forget the traditions of their motherland. In Asian cultures, especially Chinese, not only are traditional values the most important aspect of one’s social and cultural existence, it is the only aspect. Sino-Thai trade and cultural ties span the centuries. As trade between the two countries flourished, permanent settlements of peoples of various ethnic Chinese origin were soon established in several parts of the kingdom – provincial southern Chinese in the northern part of the country, Cantonese and Chiu Chow (Tae chiew) in Bangkok and mainly Hokkien in Phuket. Early immigrants and settlers quickly adapted to their new way of life and adopted Thai ways. However they also continued to diligently practice customs and traditions observed by their forefathers. Bangkok’s well-established China Town, located on Yawarat Road and Sampeng Lane, and Phuket’s Chinese section, stretching along the downtown core of Phang Nga, Thalang and Yawarat Roads, are living proof. From north to south, Thailand offers an endless feast of fabulous, authentic Chinese cuisine. In fact, some connoisseurs say that the gourmet creations served are more delectable here than in major cities at home in China. CANTONESE According to an ancient Cantonese belief, any animal, whose back faces the sky can be eaten. Fish, translated as “yu” in Cantonese, - meaning “wish” and “abundance” --, are served whole, including the head and tail, to suggest a favourable start and finish, – or completeness. Thank the Cantonese also for dim sum (– “touching your heart”) -- minute delicacies served in plentiful, tasty portions including steamed prawns, spring rolls, pork ribs and chicken buns. EMPEROR’S FEAST The best cooks were summoned. The finest fish and meat were used. The highest quality ingredients grown by the peasants were collected by appointed persons. Delicacies were designed ‘fit for royalty’. Cooks in the royal kitchens were commoners, celebrated for the talent and creativity of the appetizing dishes based on their simple cuisine. Because of the thriving economy, royal chefs had an abundance of ingredients at their disposal - over 130 plants, 30 typical vegetables, dozens of fruits and nuts, like persimmon, pear, melon, cherry, hazelnut and chestnut, as well as fowl, animals, reptiles and hundreds of fish. The dishes were endless, as were the banquets. For these opulent affairs, the standards of excellence in service and cuisine were in accordance with rules set by the ‘Rites of the Zhou Dynasty’. A staff of 2,200, representing some twenty-two departments, was responsible for the culinary masterpieces. Imperial cuisine flourished during the Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties (1122 B.C. – 220) and, even today, remains a greatly valued aspect of the Chinese heritage. The Sui and Tang Dynasties (581 – 907) created a greater variety of dishes emphasising tasteful, artistic presentation. Seafood was favoured more as a delicacy in crab rolls, fast-fried prawns and steamed Mandarin fish with soy sauce, which remains popular today. The freshest and most expensive foods were served in honour of banquet guests, a tradition that continues to this day. Abalone, considered a delicacy by Thais of Chinese ethnic origin, is one such food, as are lobster salad in musk melon, steamed crab claw in soy sauce and the stir-fried Four Friends or Four Season vegetables that combines mushrooms, seaweed, asparagus and white cabbage lettuce in conpoy (sun-dried scallop) sauce. The imperial cuisine of today has evolved from the ancient recipes of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912); great care is taken to ensure the authenticity of the dishes. Venison, black chicken, mushrooms and ingredients believed to impart vitality are stewed for hours. 'Monks Jump Over the Wall' (Phra Kradot Kampaeng in Thai) is one such famous dish. A folk tale, describing the origins of the dish, is passed on from generation to generation. “A Fuzhou scholar went picnicking with friends in the suburbs and had put all the ingredients he had with him in a wine jar, which he heated over a charcoal flame. The tantalizing aroma spread all the way to a nearby temple and was so inviting that the monks, who were supposed to observe vegetarianism, could not resist and jumped over the wall to partake in the hearty dish. One of the friends wrote a poem in praise of the delicious dish, in which one line read: "Even Buddha himself would jump over the wall to taste this dish." Double-boiling is a feature of Cantonese-style imperial dishes such as soups, syrups and desserts. Food is placed in an air-tight ceramic jar, covered with water, and steamed for hours. The essence of myriad expensive ingredients dissolves in the soup and the final dish is consumed as an elixir. Historically monks, being vegan, enjoyed the Cantonese dish Buddha’s Delight. Served on special holidays, it includes bok choy (white cabbage), shiitake mushrooms, fried or dried tofu, lotus roots, bamboo shoots, tree ear fungus, cabbage and gingko nuts. Gingko holds great status in Buddhism and, at one point, was thought to be extinct. It is grown in only a few small areas of western China and is beneficial for many ailments, from blood thinning to infertility. Other Qing specialities include edible bird’s nest, which was brought from Southeast Asia in the early Ming Dynasty; revered vegetables and delicacies such as wax gourds or winter melons, bamboo shoots, chives and turnips. The warming Winter Melon (Dong gua) soup is served in its own elaborately carved hollow shell (never carved with dragon or phoenix designs in the palace as these symbolise the Emperor and Empress and could not be eaten). The double-boiled clear chicken broth is delicately enhanced with 'kow kee' (equivalent of the French bouquet garni), aromatic herbs, white and black fungus, and black chicken. Sea cucumbers and prawns are native to China, but dishes such as Sea Cucumber Soup and Crystal Prawns (fresh prawns are whipped with salt, rinsed and the process repeated to make the flesh crispy) only gained imperial status much later. HAINANESE (OR HAKKA) CUISINE Historical and archaeological studies suggest that there is a direct correlation between the indigenous cuisine of various cultural groups and their natural surroundings, beliefs and ancestral traditions. The food of the Hakka people, who overcame the hardships of mountain farming through their parsimony, is a fine example of this. Wasting nothing, the Hakka’s methods of food preservation and aromatic seasonings continue to be an integral part of Chinese food. From the Qin dynasty (221-206BC) to the Song (960-1297), Northern Chinese Han resettled in the South. These Hakka, or ‘guest people’, not only retained their ancestral heritage but used the best from other ethnic groups to create a scintillating cuisine that was both original in taste and high in nutritional value, -- but without particularly colourful or visually appealing dishes. They were farm labourers who traditionally stayed healthy through a combination of salty, fatty and aromatic foods. To replenish body salts lost through daily perspiration, they regularly used soy sauce and ate vegetables preserved in salt. Their main source of food was pork and pork fat. They used mint leaves and other herbs. One Hakka speciality is fried pork belly with fermented bean curd. Marinated, then deep-fried, the pork is stewed with wood’s ear mushrooms and water. Hakka-style soups, stewed for hours with Chinese herbs, deliver many health benefits. CHINESE CUISINE IN PHUKET HOKKIEN CUISINE TAE CHIEW (OR CHIU CHOW) CUISINE At the the Laem Thong Restaurant in Phuket Town, fish in soy bean sauce, fried oysters with pepper, and their speciality of Suckling Chicken, rather than duck, are common fare at this popular place “because it’s different”, explains Khun Somkit, the manager of the restaurant which boasts a clientele that is eighty per cent Chinese and Thai. “Though Tae Chiew dishes may be considered a bit oily,” he adds, “Chinese flavours, outside the homeland tend to assimilate but still are concerned with balancing sweet, sour, spicy and salty, like Thai food.” Managing the body’s ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ to promote health, longevity and beauty is a main consideration in many locations, including Thailand, and gives rise to such exotic offerings as tasty scrambled eggs with frog’s glands. SHANGHAI CUISINE CHINESE REGIONAL CUISINE Several famous dishes native to the northern province of Shanghai are also included in the standard menu. Thousand-Year-Old Eggs – duck eggs are aged about one hundred days; these are then peeled and served with thin slices of pickled ginger and a squeeze of lime. Da Zha Xie, or ‘Hairy Crab, is tied with string and steamed in bamboo containers. The use of brandy (Cognac) or Chinese rice wine is also common in dishes such as ‘Drunken Chicken’. Pieces of boiled Hainanese chicken, Crystal Prawns, raw fish or eel, and other seafood are soaked in brandy and served as an appetizer. The use of dark soy sauce mixed with a sprinkle of fine-grain sugar crystals to create a savoury dipping sauce is another common characteristic of this style of cuisine. CHINESE CUISINE IN CHIANG MAI, NORTHERN THAILAND Confucius said, "Eating is the utmost important thing in life," and with China’s huge diversity of climate, ethnicity and culture, it is little wonder that a cornucopia of cooking methods and cuisines, so varied and so adored the world over, has emerged. Story by Lori Ashton & Nikki Phanichkarn
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