Singapore Sling

"No gum? Then, I'm not going." My daughter huffed and sat cross legged at my feet as I threw a swimsuit into a backpack. That is exactly how my most recent Saturday morning began. 

After hearing that we were taking a quick "vacation" to Singapore and learning about the country's strict "no gum allowed anywhere" rule, my four year old decided that this was not the type of vacation she wanted to participate in.

Chewing gum is a new thing in our family and exclusively used for enticing young children onto various modes of transportation. (It began with an innocent enough two hour flight to California and has found its way into their mouths during difficult flights and tricky Bangkok Skytrain rides since.) Mentally smacking my hand upside my head and attempting to limit an eye roll, on this particular Saturday morning, I wish I could have taken back every nibble of gum I have given. And, so our quick dash for Singapore began. 

While my husband's passport had been stamped many times since our initial entry into Thailand, the kids and I needed an update. So, it was off for a quick stay in Singapore where we would be granted, upon return to Thailand, shiny new stamps in our passports allowing us to continue our adventure in Bangkok.

After a fairly uneventful flight and a few train rides on yet another world-class public transportation system (why don't these exist everywhere?), we threw ourselves down into an open air cafe sporting huge green awnings and bearing the famous siren's logo. Sipping blissful refreshment, we soaked up cafe culture, Singapore style, and surveyed the scene. 

The sidewalks alone were enough to make my mind spin. Having grown used to Bangkok's crumbling pathways, I was shocked to remember that smooth, wide, easy to navigate ones exist in other places. And, after our elevated train ride into the heart of the city, I would not be shocked to learn someday that yoga really is practiced, or at least sold, on every corner of Singapore and that the papayas growing in the trees beside the tracks are among the largest in the world.

As for the anti-gum upset? My daughter completely forgot about her protests when she laid eyes on the slide leading into our hotel's cool, blue swimming pool.

Cooking in Thailand, entry no. 20:

Fried Bee Hoon

I tried this Singapore noodle dish at breakfast yesterday (in Singapore!). I loved it so much that I came home and created the following recipe so I could replicate the dish in my own kitchen. A yummy alternative to fried rice, it makes for a complete meal at any time of the day.

Ingredients:

1 package thin rice vermicelli noodles (bee hoon)

5 dried mushrooms 

3 cloves of garlic, finely diced

4 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons oyster sauce

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1-2 bird's eye chilies (optional, to taste, chopped into rounds)

pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon veggie oil

vegetables of your choice, cut into thin strips (carrots, cabbage, bean sprouts, etc.)

meat of your choice, cut into thin strips (or extra firm tofu, cubed)

egg, cooked omelette style and cut into thin strips

Method:

Reconstitute vermicelli by soaking in warm water for about 15 minutes, strain and set aside. Reconstitute dried mushrooms by soaking in 1/2 cup of warm water for about 15 minutes, then cut mushrooms into thin strips and reserve water. In a bowl, mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, reserved mushroom liquid, sesame oil, bird's eye chilies, pepper, salt and chicken stock. Set aside. Heat a large wok, add vegetable oil. Stir fry garlic, mushrooms and vegetables until tender. Add meat or tofu and toss until cooked and seared. Add vermicelli and just enough of the sauce mixture to coat the bottom of the pan. The sauce should sizzle and evaporate. Toss well and add a bit more stock. Continue this process until the noodles won't soak up anymore sauce. You want the pan to remain fairly dry to achieve a toasted flavor (you don't want the noodles soaking in sauce, they should be dry and "fried" a bit crispy on the edges when done). Serve and garnish with egg strips and extra sesame oil, if desired.

The kettle that could have killed me (sort of)

Our kettle. Upon return to the States, it will be dipped in gold and forever remembered as the most problematic acquisition of our early days in Thailand. We had already purchased a paring knife (never mind that it was a folding thing that snapped closed almost every time I went to use it), a really great sharp chef's knife, a frying pan and some reusable plastic plates. 

Which, if I'm being honest, were never really intended to be reused. Instead, they were intended to be taken on a picnic and thrown out. But, becoming increasingly upset by the amount of paper plates we were going through, I switched to what I will refer to as 'reusable plastic plates.' They lasted a good two weeks before warping into almost unrecognizable disks.

Quickly, it became apparent that if we wanted to extend our cooking repertoire, we would need a large kettle. And, we weren't picky... any good size pot would do. We just needed something that would allow us to simmer some curry, heat some soup, cook some noodles, boil some water. The search was on. We hit every grocery store, convenience store and would-be housewares store we had access to. We even visited stores that new friends referred us to. But, after three days of searching we were empty handed and really, really wanting a kettle (any kettle!).

With T and the kids sharing a Starbucks moment, I made my way into yet another grocery store. Using a clever combination of charades, the few Thai words that I knew and a dash of English, I was led to a corner around a corner of a section just outside the grocery store. Aha.... four kettles sat before me. Cha ching! I returned to my family clutching my heavy bag, with what I'm sure looked like a smile appropriate for someone who had just received an Olympic Gold Medal.

All was going quite well until the next day. While simmering a curry, I lifted the lid to check on it and ka-pow. I closed my eyes in horror as the sound of what I thought was a gunshot going off in our kitchen. When I opened my eyes and stopped shaking a bit, I was standing in a giant spray of "safety" (how ironic) glass. If I hadn't had my wrist tilted in the manner that it was, I guarantee that the outcome would have been different. 

One defective lid later, I still had my kettle and, very luckily, didn't suffer any injuries. The same can't be said for my curry.

Cooking in Thailand, entry no. 8:

Easy Chicken Stock

Once a fun activity to do, this has now become a necessary task in our Bangkok kitchen. Spend a little extra time making your own stock and you'll have a freezer full the next time you need it in a recipe. Yes, it takes some time, but if you can boil water, I guarantee you can make your own stock: it's really and truly easy. And, it's surprisingly satisfying knowing you added a homemade stock to your recipes.

Ingredients:

1 roasting chicken*

water

2 onions, sliced in half, skins still on

3-5 peppercorns

salt

optional: assorted veggies like celery, carrots, herbs or other favorites, scrubbed and roughly chopped with stems and peels intact**

Method: 

Place the chicken, onions, veggies, the peppercorns and a good palm full of salt into a large kettle. Add water just until ingredients are covered. Bring to a boil and then turn down to low. Cover and simmer gently for at least 2 hours. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Then, place a strainer over a large bowl and dump the stock into strainer. Discard the veggies and bones, reserving the shredded meat, to freeze, for use in a future recipe. Set liquid aside and allow to cool completely. Once cool, either skim the top layer off (this will be an opaque film that just covers the top of the stock) or pour into a gravy separator and use to remove the fat. Pour into small containers, add to your freezer and congratulations: you've got a stockpile of homemade stock!

*You can use this same method to make a shrimp stock or a veggie stock. Just replace the chicken with shrimp peels or a good amount of veggies. When making veggie stock, my gramps used to serve the very well cooked veggies (that contributed to the stock's flavor) with a side of buttered noodles instead of throwing them out. As a kid, I remember them being delicious!

**I keep an enclosed container in my freezer where I can place food scraps, suitable for stock, throughout the week. That way, when its time to make stock, I just add the carrots, onions, ginger, herbs, etc. that would have otherwise gone into the garbage. It's a great way to reduce food waste and add more flavor to your stock.

Serenity is here

Serenity is here: lush tropical foliage, golden wats (Thai temples), inviting swimming pools, deliciously scented wafts from street side food stalls, and peaceful looking, fabric swathed monks are all common place. But, that being said, Bangkok is also anything but serene. Bangkok is hip and trendy and fast and colorful and LOUD: a complete sensory overload. 

Bangkok is truly a city of unbelievable contrasts. Prior to departure, I read similar phrases in travel journal after travel journal. But, never did I grasp exactly what that phrase meant. I am now beginning to comprehend and understanding that the contrasts exist makes everyday life a bit easier to navigate.

Bangkok is both dirty and dusty, while also sparkling and pristine. It is deliciously scented, at times, and horribly stinky at others. It is full of traditional open air markets and sleek, modern, glassed-in mega centers. And, birds chirp, foliage waves in the morning heat, all the while giant construction sites are full of pounding and sawing. And, while pickups full of produce and meats display their goods in a movable feast of sorts, the Skytrain zooms overhead and cars stacked sometimes six or seven rows deep (on streets built for three or four lanes!) honk and idle in the sun. 

It is an amazing experience for your brain to take in all at once. Today was a perfect example of the city's contrast and how it affects us. 

T started breakfast at the other end of the house, while the kids and I stretched slowly out of bed this morning, waking up to 'mama's bird'. Yes, I now have a bird named after me. It's the little bird that sings 'Woo-Hoo!' when the sun rises and when the sun sets. And, like every other day so far in Bangkok, the kids opened their eyes and said 'Mama, it's your bird!' I am convinced that this little bird was created to shout 'woo hoo' purely for my enjoyment because I can't help but smile when I hear it calling out. I love that little bird. 

After stretching a moment more, we made it to the dining room and were treated to a flavorful concoction of fresh, local ingredients. If I didn't already know it, I do now... T is a genius. His spin on French toast was absolutely delectable and one that you should treat your family to this weekend (see below).

After what was a completely peaceful weekend morning, we loaded up our day pack (which mainly consisted of water and our son!) and were off to Skytrain. The quiet, fresh tropical morning of our neighborhood sub sois (side streets) was gone and we entered the dusty, humid, noisy intersection where we ascended high above the traffic to catch the sky train. Just as our cheeks start to grow red in the heat, ahhh... the train arrived, we entered and were greeted by blasts of air conditioning. Zoom... we are off to Siam Paragon, a mega, mega, mega shopping complex that is all glass and glitz and manufactured water falls (a relatively short distance in miles, but a long ways away from the look of our neighborly sub sois!). And, much to the kids excitement, home to Siam Oceanworld. This is our second visit to what is the best aquarium I have ever visited.

After rendezvousing with the gargantuan sea turtles, staying far away from the Python (that our daughter enjoyed petting!), seeing a giant fish that can actually survive a draught (by crawling into a hole and breathing air), and wondering why nutria (the giant rats... i mean rodents... really they look like giant rats... and people were all gathered around for their feeding time... hmmm... I'm obviously missing something because I don't get it) exhibit even exists, we went in search of lunch. 

Bangkok's sensory overload was completely apparent over lunch. Sitting in a food court type environment where at least 5o different restaurants sit side by side, music pounds, light shows flare across the walls, giant fish tanks and media screens compete for your attention while a loud speaker announcement requests your attention please (to something that I'm sure was important, but I couldn't hear it!). While trying to have a good (scream) conversation, I started to laugh and realized that this was what Bangkok is currently all about... preserving the serenity of past cultures, while attempting to also develop into a modern, competitive world. Sometimes it's hard to feel at home in both environments, but when I can learn to transition between the two, I think serenity will be mine.

p.s. The picture above is of the view from our home towards the our neighborhood Skytrain station. The station is towards the back of the picture. The foliage covers our sub sois that lead us to the station.

Cooking in Thailand, entry no 3:

Thai Toast

Today, T woke up early and concocted this dish for our family. It is delicious and is sure to be repeated again and again and again.

Ingredients:

1/2 inch thick slices of fresh french bread, at least two per person

1/4 cup coconut milk

the juice of one orange*

4 eggs, well beaten

salt, to taste

butter, for the skillet

mango or papaya, finely diced, and shredded coconut for garnish, optional

Method:

Mix the milk, orange juice, eggs and salt in a large shallow dish until frothy. Place the sliced bread into the mixture and flip to coat completely. Melt a couple of pats of butter in a skillet and heat until hot. Add the bread slices and cook over medium heat until lightly golden on both sides. Serve hot with desired garnishes.

* T used Thai oranges, which are slightly bitter. You could use regular oranges and add a few drops of Angostura bitters if you want to achieve a similar flavor.