Real Phat Thai
Posted Tuesday, December 26, 2006, 7:07 PM by Lonely Planet
Austin Bush keeps it real in Bangkok...
One of the most common sights along Khao San Road is of backpackers eating phat thai from foam dishes with bamboo skewers. I sidled up to one of the numerous vendors, ordered and was handed a tray of vegetable-laden, egg-free, vegetarian 'phat thai'. One bite and I ditched this abomination and boarded a tuk-tuk, but more on that in a moment.
Despite the name, phat thai is essentially a foreign dish. Noodles and the concept of stir- frying were introduced by the Chinese. Thai cooks combined them, added a sauce containing fish sauce and tamarind, as well as dried shrimp and eggs, then deemed it sufficiently different to add the word 'Thai' to its name. It stuck, and now this example of early Asian fusion is the most famous Thai dish in the world.
I knew that crimes against phat thai were being perpetrated on Khao San Road, so ordered the tuk-tuk driver to rush to Thip Samai, by all accounts the most famous phat thai restaurant in Thailand (and probably the only one with a website). Located a five-minute drive away, Thip Samai has been making phat thai for 40 years. Those only familiar with the Khao San Road variety of phat thai will notice several differences here. Firstly, phat thai doesn't normally contain vegetables, other than a scattering of Chinese chives and some bean sprouts. Secondly, tiny bamboo skewers are out of the question; use a fork and spoon, or occasionally, chopsticks. And finally, vegetarian phat thai is an anomaly. Although the true dish almost never contains beef or pork as it often does abroad, it must contain eggs, fish sauce, dried shrimp and perhaps a few fresh shrimp.
As we pulled up to Thip Samai I shouted my order at the cook before even reaching my seat, and in seconds was rewarded with a steaming dish of fried noodles. I dug in, and trading bites with the obligatory side dishes of banana flower and chives, was in phat thai heaven.
Thip Samai - 313 Mahachai Rd - 02 221 6280
Labels: Culinary culture
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11 Comments:
Thipsamai, Thank you for this address! Going to try tonight ;-)
My version is pretty bastardized-it includes lime juice, chili flakes, and a small amount of ketchup, and sometimes I will top with a grilled chicken breast-marinated in lemon grass- but it sure is good!
P.S.-How your blog,Real Thai, did not get on the short list of best food blogs I'll never know! Best in photography and best Asian for sure!
Another question Austin...what's the noodles made of? They are sticky...is it glutinous rice?
Great post, Austin! I need to check out that pad thai-only restaurant here in BKK...
thai tv: Let us know how you liked it.
frank: Thanks, Frank--please spread the word!
rasa: They're made from plain rice, not sticky.
newley: Do check it out if you happen to be in that part of town.
Austin, great post! (I nominated you for a bloggie by the way!)
Frank, your version sounds rather disgusting....hehe :)
Hi, I have a "technical" question: Is it paT thai or paD thai...I went in thailand 2 months ago and I eat quite a lot of this dish..."same-same but different" depends where in thailand ;-) Nice post
Cheers
Claude
claude-olivier: There's no difference between a final "t" or final "d" sound in Thai, nor is there any universally accepted system of transliteration from Thai to English, so you can write it any way you like!
Great post & great suggestion, I'lll try it this summer. Right now I always went with food-court phad thai (street stalls are a little bit scary).
Try the slushy coconut drink there at Thip Samai. Delicious, and it complements the Pad Thai well.
so did you accucaly go there or not coz my teacher went there and she does a international club and she shows us her pics there so cool!! :) :P
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