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If I had to choose one type of seafood to have for the rest of my life, it would be squid.
My guess is most people are likely to gravitate towards premium items like sea urchin, oysters and lobsters. For me however, nothing beats the universe of umami embedded in the squidâs flesh and ink. It also doesnât have the saltiness that is part and parcel of certain ocean-dwellers. Instead, a primal sweetness permeates. One that is showcased to stunning effect when cooked right. Ineptitude is punished hard though (quite literally) with rubberiness.
An all-time favourite of mine is the âSotong Assamâ by my mum. She marinates the squid in assam (tamarind) before stir-frying and it becomes something I can easily demolish a huge heap of, accompanied by a plate of rice.
On a recent trip to Bangkok, I chanced upon a stall in âTalad Rot Fai Marketâ selling grilled baby squid. Naturally, I pounced on it and got my order with a generous splash of very spicy and sour ânam prik noomâ sauce. It was supremely tasty with the smokily-done squid.
My friendD-Jin had wanted to visit âTalad Rod Fai Train Night Marketâ because thanks to famous foodblogger @migrationology, he had found out about the existence of a special version of âTom Saabâ (essentially pork ribs in a spicy and sour clear soup that isnât unlike a clear Tom Yum). What makes theirs a little more special is that they use the spine instead of ribs. Gnawing on those massive pieces of pork bones to get at the sweet meat in the nooks and crannies takes work but it is also half the fun (I felt like Fred Flintstone while at it). Just donât forget to wear the plastic gloves provided because with fresh chopped chilli padi as far as the eye can see, that broth is lethal. It is far from one-dimensional though as itâs also saturated with galangal, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and shallots. All those herbs guarantee that you get a good whiff of its heady bright fragrance once you walk close to the eatery.
We ordered the Medium size (good for 2 to share) but portions go up to the one-heck-of-a-mountain XXL.
The food section was plentiful, and the mouth-watering array of street food very enticing.
There would some common âhipster foodâ that you could find repeated at several stalls â Salt Crusted Grilled Fish (the NEW IN food at night markets), slushies in fruits, boneless flavoured fried chicken and Korean Fried Chicken.
Check out what else they offer > http://danielfooddiary.com/2017/11/26/newtaladrodfai/ #DFDBangkok
A crossover of a giant bowl of wanton noodles with additional ingredients not commonly seen in this dish such as crab cake, crispy tofu skin, huge fishball and an half-boiled egg, this is a unique combination. Underneath the noodles lies a sweet sauce that requires you to mix it well with your noodles before eating. However, this is something that I wouldn't order again.
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Stall name unknown
Address: The New Rot Fai Market Ratchada, Ratchadaphisek Rd, Khwaeng Din Daeng, Khet Din Daeng, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
It's sure a rare thing to find such a huge bowl of noodles with an arsenal of ingredients but only the meatballs were truly tasty... the rest was not... I was pretty sad that the porridge shop was no longer in this mini train market...
I'm not usually a fan of glutinous rice but was drawn to the ridiculously pretty rainbow colours and the cute, round balls of rice. Thought I'd just have a few bites but ended up devouring the whole cup all by myself!! *gasp* It was sooooooo soft and yummy! Perfect balance of salty-sweet rice, topped with a drizzle of fragrant coconut milk and sweet chunks of mango. So so good!!