Family-owned Chao Krung is one of the oldest Thai restaurants in Los Angeles, open since October 9,1976. The food is consistent, because it's prepared by Supa Kuntee, who has been cooking there since 1989. The golden boat above is from a mural in one of the rooms, decorated to make you feel as if you're in Thailand.
With Kuntee in charge, you get genuine home-style Thai food, prepared with special care. Right down to the coconut ice cream, made from freshly squeezed coconut milk. And look at the lime on this plate of pad Thai. It's a Thai variety called manao hom, meaning fragrant lime.
Abundant in Thailand, it is not available here, unless you have access to Kuntee's tree, which she grew from seeds that she brought from Thailand.
The flavor is light, bright and not sharply acidic. It's what makes Chao Krung's som tam (papaya salad) different from any other som tam in town. And it's what you'll taste in chicken larb (above), which you eat like a wrap with the lettuce leaves in which the larb is nestled.
Kuntee gave me a few of the limes (above), and I hope to raise a tree myself. If I succeed, I can make Chao Krung's larb, because I have the recipe, from a story about the restaurant that I wrote years ago for the Los Angeles Times. Click here for the story, which includes the larb recipe. Slightly tweeked, it also appears at the end of this post.
That same lime juice is in tom kha gai, the famous chicken coconut soup that Chao Krung presents in a chimney pot. Kha is galangal, which is sliced and added to the soup along with chicken, straw mushrooms, lemon grass and red chiles.
House barbecued duck breast goes into the creamy red curry above along with pineapple and cherry tomatoes.
After so many years in business, Chao Krung has a handle on the sort of Thai food that appeals to non-Thais. It's a bastion of classics such as crying tiger (above), marinated ribe-eye steak cooked to an appetizing pink and piled on a bed of grilled sweet onions, zucchini and green beans.
Shiitake salad with mixed greens is not your usual Thai salad. The mushrooms give the illusion of meatiness.
And here is the coconut ice cream, garnished with roasted cashews.
Many Thai restaurants offer bargain lunches, but Chao Krung sets out a buffet so that you can look at the dishes and pick what you want. Available Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., it's $8.99, a good deal because with Supa Kuntee supervising, the food is bound to be good.
Chao Krung, 111 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles CA 90036-2110. Tel: (323) 939-8361.
CHAO KRUNG CHICKEN LARB
Adapted from a recipe that appeared in The Los Angeles Times
1 pound ground chicken
Water
1/2 red onion, cut into slivers
2 tablespoons sliced green onion
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons ground roasted rice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground dry red chile
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Mint sprigs
Lettuce leaves for wrapping
Place the chicken in a saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes, turning to cook evenly.
Drain the chicken and place in a bowl. Add the red onion, green onion, fish sauce, lime juice, roasted rice, sugar, ground chile and lime leaves. Mix well. Top with cilantro and mint. Accompany with lettuce leaves for wrapping.
Makes 4 servings.
Note: Ground roasted rice is available in markets that stock Thai ingredients.
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