By admin | February 15, 2008
This is an exquisite Thai dessert. Jackfruit stuffed with sweet sticky rice and covered in sweetened coconut cream (khao niaw kanun [ข้าวเหนียวขนุน]). The different jackfruit pieces also have different flavors of sticky rice in them (notice the colors?) but I’m not sure what they are. There’s not much else to say about this one except […]
By admin | February 15, 2008
This here is one of my favorite Thai desserts. I call it pumpkin pie, although technically the filling is a custard. Thai’s call it fak tawng sangkayaa [à¸à¸±à¸à¸—à¸à¸‡ สังขยา]. The cool part, as you can see, is that it is actually cooked in the pumpkin itself! This works out great for me because I always […]
By admin | February 8, 2008
Sorry about the photo. I guess I was hungry. This is my leftover yam bplaa salid [ยำปลา่สลิด], which basically translates as a sun-dried fish salad. There’s nothing too interesting about the salad, just your typical yam (Thai style sour and spicy). The fish is what’s interesting. Basically, this is deep-fried pieces of fish, bones and […]
By admin | February 8, 2008
To go along with the post on durians, here’s a bin of jackfruit for sale. While not as dangerous as durians, they are generally larger. A single jackfruit weighs quite a few kilos, so it is not common to purchase one for yourself. Usually, you purchase smaller bags of the fruit that has been scooped […]
By admin | February 8, 2008
Frog meat (gop [à¸à¸š]) is served in quite a few restaurants although I wouldn’t consider it a common item. I know of one or two places where you can get the whole frog grilled, but more often it is served in basic Thai dishes as a substitute for chicken or pork. Apparently it is a […]
By admin | February 8, 2008
Here’s a large crate of the durians I previously mentioned. The previous post didn’t show the outside so here it is. Notice the very sharp and hard spikes. Yes, people do get injured from durians. When the vendors open them they wear very thick gloves and use a huge machete. Before they open a durian […]
By admin | February 2, 2008
Here’s a really interesting beer that I found in Hanoi as we were leaving. Â I like beer, I like chilies, and it sounded quite strange so of course I had to buy it. Â After purchasing, I was happily surprised to find a real chili (serrano I believe) floating inside. Â I was even more surprised when […]
By admin | January 30, 2008
This is a famous fish dish from Cha Ca La Vong restaurant in Hanoi. It is the only dish they serve although serve is used rather loosely here since the patrons end up doing the cooking. I must admit, this fish was extremely tasty–my best meal in Vietnam. A simple mix of fish with dill […]
By admin | January 29, 2008
Well, I just posted about  and now I had a chance to try them myself. Interesting, but I won’t be seeking them out again. This dish was at a fancy Chinese restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. First of all the texture wasn’t too appealing. A bit crunchy and a bit rubbery with some […]
By admin | January 28, 2008
Pictured here is a rose apple tree. Rose apples, called chompuu [ชมพู่] in Thai, are very common when in season around here. A tasty fruit, they are very juicy with a firm flesh, but not too sweet. I have never seen them in the US. Supposedly it grows quite easily and is almost considered a […]
