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L.A.'s Best Burger May Be Thai

If you like Thailand's green papaya salad som tam, then run, take a tuk-tuk or fly to Thailand Plaza Restaurant in Hollywood.

Not even in Bangkok would you find anything like the som tam the restaurant is serving now.

This dish is so prized in Thailand that a national contest was staged to explore its potential. Culinary students in each region competed in two categories, sweet and savory.

The regional winners went on to finals in Bangkok. And the champions are here now, preparing their prize dishes at Thailand Plaza.

Even if your fantasies run really wild, you'd probably never dream up a som tam hamburger. But Bucihta Sudsenphom, a culinary instructor from Surin in northeastern Thailand, did. And it could be L.A.'s best burger of the moment. 

It's a crisply browned chicken burger, speckled with shredded kaffir lime leaf and served in a bun with tomato and lettuce.

A martini glass on the plate holds sweet, spicy som tam dressing, which just might beat out catsup as a burger partner

And if you think tempura is only Japanese, imagine tempura som tam, each strand of papaya and carrot coated with fluffy batter and arranged with tempura shrimp around a bowl of som tam dressing.  It's a handsome plate, decorated with fried Thai basil leaves.

There's also a shrimp and salted egg som tam.  In this one, the shredded papaya looks like traditional som tam, accompanied by crisp raw cabbage to munch on between spicy bites. What makes it different is the salted egg.

And when the restaurant can arrange for a suitable oven, there will be a som tam cake--yes, a dessert made with som tam.

The winners cooking at Thailand Plaza along with Sudsenphom     (center) are Suchada Manyu from Surat Thani in the south (left) and Anooth Saenghuachang from Nakaornpathom in central Thailand.

If you can't get to Thailand Plaza today, this week or next, don't worry. Their stay has been extended to January l. 

Thailand Plaza Restaurant,  5311  Hollywood Blvd. (2nd floor), Los Angeles, CA 90027. Tel:  (323) 993-9000. Call first so that you don't go when the visiting chefs have a day off.

Korean Food Takes a Test

Eating 40 dishes in a couple of hours wasn't as tough as it sounds. And the goal was important.

The Korean government wants to make Americans more aware of Korean food and arranged the tasting in order to test reactions to a wide range of dishes.

Asked to judge were food writers, restaurant chefs and managers, cooking teachers, media people, representatives from Asian organizations and other Asiaphiles. 

The place was Yong Su San in L.A.'s Koreatown. And the program was directed by Sook-Ja Yoon of the Institute of Traditional Korean Food in Seoul (at right).

A lot of work went  into this. The portions were (fortunately) so tiny that later I was hungry. But they were garnished carefully, to appear at their best. 

That rated applause, but we were a tough group, and our checklist allowed us to say if we really disliked anything, disliked it just a little or thought it was only fair.  

The food ranged from traditional, such as bulgogi, cut into fine shreds to give it a new look, to fusion to light, delicate things that I suppose would appeal to Americans scared of foreign cuisines. A chicken and kiwi salad could have turned up at Spago and no one would have guessed it was Korean.

But altering Korean food to please the American palate (whatever that is) isn't a good idea. Take out the kochujang, fermented soy bean paste, anchovy broth, garlic, kelp and hot red peppers in favor of pretty, bland tastes, and you lose the soul of the food. 

We already have Thai stir-fries full of bell peppers, Mexican plates smothered in cheesy sauce and Peruvian ceviches that are actually Mexican. Just imagine lightly spiced cabbage slaw masquerading as kimchi. 

On the other hand, Korean restaurants could offer a greater variety of dishes. But taking chances can be risky. That is why owners of Mexican, Indian, Thai and other ethnic places stick pretty much to what they know is acceptable.

At the tasting, we ran across some odd things, like kimchibap pizza. That was a mound of kimchi fried rice topped with shreds of cheese--no crust underneath.  Noodles with pine nut sauce and seafood would have been delicious, if you were in an Italian restaurant. 

But traditional, lightly sweetened pumpkin porridge was a hit. Rice with fresh herbs and delicate pine nut sauce was lovely. Gelatinous knuckle bone and vegetable salad was first-rate. Squash stuffed with ground shrimp and pan fried was another winner. And broiled chicken with garlic and mango was delightful, although not very Korean.

At the end, we were asked to paste red dots on a chart to indicate our three favorites. Although I don't care for tofu, I had to choose dubu (tofu) steak. That single compact bite of tofu mixed with pork and circled by a ring of fresh onion was perfectly seasoned. And the contrast of meaty with crunchy onion made it stand out.   

Another top choice was prepared by Sook-Ja Yoon herself. She had blended tofu with mango, peach and kiwi for a richly creamy sorbet.

My third choice was andongjjimdak--braised chicken wings with sliced pumpkin (kabocha) and sweet potato starch noodles. I want a recipe for that one.

At the end, we toasted each other with makgulli, a tangy, milky rice wine. Having valiantly worked our way through so much food, we felt we deserved to celebrate. 

Easy, Quick: Thai Rice Soup

Rice soup for breakfast is an Asian thing.

My hotel in Bangkok offered it as one of two Thai options. (The other was an omelet accompanied by a sweet, spicy dipping sauce.)

I liked it so well that I came up with my own version--for dinner, not for breakfast.

It's so easy, you can put it together in 15 minutes, as long as you have cooked rice on hand. And if you have to cook the rice, it doesn't take much longer.

You can dress up rice soup with a variety of garnishes, but my hotel kept it simple, and so do I. What it has to have is a generous dash of pepper, not a pinch. This aromatic spiciness makes it interesting.

My hotel added diced pork.  I put in chicken, and it would be delicious with shrimp or fish.

The recipe makes one big bowl. For me, that's a complete meal, with a simple plate of sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes on the side.  But you can divide it into two servings, then eat it with something more substantial--like Thai takeout.

THAI RICE SOUP
Khao Tom

3 tablespoons jasmine rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup ground chicken
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 slice gingerroot, cut in half
Salt, if needed
1 green onion, white part and some of the top, chopped
A few cilantro leaves, chopped

Combine the rice and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Set aside.

Heat a wok over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat.  Add the garlic and cook until golden, then add the chicken and cook and stir until no longer pink.

Add the pepper, fish sauce, ginger and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add the cooked rice and bring to a boil again. Taste and add salt if needed.

Turn into 1 large or 2 medium soup bowls, removing the ginger if desired. Top each serving with green onions and cilantro.

Makes 1 large or 2 medium servings. 
 

Tod Kathin at the Wat Thai

The annual Tod Kathin festival brought crowds to the Wat Thai in North Hollywood this past weekend.

In Thailand, this festival occurs at the end of the rainy season and provides Buddhists with an opportunity to make merit by offering new robes and other necessities to the monks.

The Wat Thai was festively decorated for the observance. Near the entrance was an altar dedicated to Thailand's ailing monarch, Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). I saw a similar altar in a hall at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, where books are set out for wellwishers to sign. It was a moving experience for me to be able to sign too.

Celebrants at Wat Thai applauded performances of classical and pop Thai music and shopped at booths selling sarongs, decorative pillows, wall-hangings, elephant-decorated purses, umbrellas typical of northern Thailand, Thai music CDs and Buddha images.

And they made the most of the return of the food booths. No longer allowed to operate at the temple during the year, the food vendors were back just for the weekend, selling sate, fried bananas, noodle soups, desserts and Thai tea and coffee.

One booth was devoted to mangoes and sticky rice. Another offered "the original" boat noodle soup. And three sold som tam (green papaya salad), sticky rice and pork and chicken sate for $1 a stick.

Sticky rice, which is typical of northern Thailand, came either in plastic-wrapped containers or enclosed in banana leaves and grilled. 

For som tam (that's the Thai word in the photo at the right), women pounded shredded green papaya in enormous wooden mortars, adding crabs and dried shrimp, peanuts, tomatoes, long beans and tangy dressing.

What was in the dressing? I watched one salad maker spoon in tamarind liquid as well as fish sauce and lime juice. Her salad was a perfect balance of acidic and sweet, with crunchy raw cabbage to set it off.   

Other booths sold groceries, fresh fruit and packaged snacks. And a plant stall had kaffir lime trees, which are so difficult to find in Los Angeles that I had to have one sent down by a grower in Fresno. At the temple, a small tree was only $5.

The plant stall also had Thai eggplants, chiles and basils, including Thai holy basil (bai grapao) as well as the more common horapha basil.

Costumed classical dancers and a zany singer with multi-colored hair and huge silver-studded boots brought out photographers, including a monk who was perhaps recording the performances for temple records.

Most visitors found a moment for a quiet observance before a golden Buddha inside the Wat.  Although the festival is over, Wat Thai is open daily, and you can enjoy the quiet grounds and admire a temple structure that looks just like wats (temples) in Thailand.

Wat Thai, 8225 Coldwater Canyon Ave., North Hollywood, CA 91605. Tel: (818) 785-9552.

A Personal Best of Bangkok

Was it good to get back to  Los Angeles after 10 days in steamy Bangkok? No. I miss the  soft, warm evenings, the scent of jasmine, the lush gardens, the magnificent palaces, the golden Buddhas, the friendly people who responded when I asked for directions in lame Thai. And most of all I miss the food.

It's everywhere, in restaurants, food courts and on the street, where hawker carts  present endless temptation.

The best of Bangkok? It's presumptuous to make such a list. There's just too much to explore. So here are a dozen personal highlights. Details about restaurants will come later.

1. The most beautiful restaurants (that I visited): The Blue Elephant is in a colonial style building with the antique charm of the old Raffles hotel in Singapore. The address is 233 S. Sathorn Road, Yannawa; Patara occupies a refurbished teak house at 375 Soi Thonglor 19, which opens into Sukhumvit 55. Baan  Khanitha (in the photo)  is in an elegant Thai house at 36/1, Sukhumvit Soi 23.  

2. The most beautiful place to have lunch: The restaurant at the Jim Thompson House and Museum, Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama 1 Road.  Get a table on the porch beside the fish pond. 

3. The best non-alcoholic drink: A young coconut, hacked open so that you can drink the juice and then scoop out the tender flesh. Pick one up on the street, or ask for nam maprao in a restaurant.

4. The best alcoholic drink: The Lychee Pirinha at Patara. This blend of lychees, lime juice and rum  is sweet and fruity but not cloying, because the bartender doesn't stint on the rum. 

5. The best desserts: Durian and sticky rice anywhere. I also liked a taro and coconut pudding in a handmade clay dish.  I bought this at a market on a klong, expecting to eat it and turn in the container. However, the dish was part of the price (about $1) and traveled home in my carry-on.

6. The oddest after-dinner "mints": The guess-what handed to diners at Cabbages & Condoms, a restaurant founded by the Population and Community Development Association to promote safe sex with frankness and humor. The food is excellent. The restaurant is on Soi 12, off Sukhumvit.  

7. The Most Fun Night Out:  Eating with friends at rickety tables set out in the streets of Chinatown. We had Teochew style peppery pork soup, duck wonton, barbecued duck and Chinese sweets, including black sesame-stuffed rice balls in spicy ginger syrup and kao tung yen, a bowl of syrup containing gingko nuts, chestnuts, longans, jujubes and more. The bowl was heaped with ice, which melted immediately in the hot night.

8. The most thoughtful gesture: Sinks of superhot water in which to dip utensils before eating at the food court in Mahboonkrong. You'll probably spend hours in this enormous shopping mall, working up an appetite like the two girls in the photo, who are sharing a quick lunch. 

There's a great variety of food to choose from and a good selection of Thai sweets, including durian and sticky rice. You can walk right into the building from the Sky Train. The food court is on the 6th floor.  

9. The Best bacon: It may seem odd to put bacon on a best of Bangkok list. But it's so rare to find really good, crisp bacon in a hotel buffet that I had to include it. The place is the Centara Grand at Central World, where the breakfast buffet is on the 24th floor.

But the best coffee was at my bed and breakfast, the Baan Sukhumvit in Soi 20. You couldn't help but have a good day after starting with something so rich, strong and wonderful.

10. The best market in Bangkok: Or Tor Kor, located across from the Chatuchak weekend market. The city's elite come to shop in this spacious, clean, cheerful market, where you can see everything that is in season, buy curry pastes and cooking equipment and eat delicious grilled meats, curries, soups, noodles,  sweets and many other typical dishes.     

11. The best market outside Bangkok: A narrow, cramped market on a train track at Mae Klong. When the trains come through, vendors pull in their awnings to make room, but not the trays of food that are flat enough to pass under the cars without damage.

My friend Jet Tila got scarily close  to take a video of the train, which he has posted on his Facebook page, but I hid in an aisle. 

12. The best foot massage (and you will need this): Massage places (legitimate) line the streets, so comfort for aching feet is never far away. At  OAY, you're greeted with a cup of lightly sweetened, pandan-flavored Chinese tea. Then comes an hour of expert massage that will soothe and restore the most weary tourist. The address is 3/3 Sukhumvit Soi 18. Ask for Pla. The price? Just under $6, so give a nice tip.

A Thai Guessing Game

What's that yummy, crunchy dish in the photo? Answer: It's one of the most popular Thai dishes in the United States, but you'd never recognize the way it's been transformed by a restaurant in Bangkok.  

What restaurant? And what is the dish? You'll find out when I get back to blogging. Just home from Thailand, I'm coping with jet lag, a toe bashed at a boat landing outside Bangkok and other post-travel issues. 

I've hit that in-between stage, not quite here and wishing I were still there so that I could return to restaurants I liked and eat a lot more delicious street food. A 15-cent stick of sate on the street was superb, and seafood noodle soup dished up by a boat cook on the klongs was anything but humble.    

Although Bangkok is far more urbanized and westernized than when I last saw it, the food is as appealing as ever. Thai food in the United States may be good, but it's just a pale hint of what's over there. 

One example: Right now, pomegranates are in season. Our markets display the usual red globes, but in Thailand, you can choose from Indian, Chinese and Thai pomegranates, not to mention rose apples, dragon fruit, pungent durian, mangosteens, rambutans, papayas and giant mangoes.  

Fresh tamarind leaves? Betel leaves? Not in our markets. Imagine living where ginger, galangal. sweet, aromatic pandan, banana trees and coconut palms can grow in your yard. Wherever you look, there is something to excite the taste buds. Even in the middle of a broad, traffic-clogged street, a woman hawks some of the best fried bananas in Bangkok.

McDonald's and Starbucks are there. So is Lenotre and more Italian bistros than I could count. But that's not all bad. Swensen's ice cream has adapted to Asia with a pleasing dessert, a sundae composed of vanilla ice cream and translucent palm seeds, topped with corn kernels and jackfruit, whipped cream and a cherry. 

Even though it may be fiery with chiles, Thai food is refined, ornamental, fresh and full of flavor. What I've been cooking at home looks plain and lumpy in comparison. There's no choice but to try cooking Thai now, and when something turns out well, I'll put it on the blog. 

Aharn Thai aroy mak mak. That's my attempt to say in Thai something we already know:  Thai food  is very, very delicious.