Thursday, November 29, 2007

Land of Extremes


An old friend once said to me, "When you go to India, the most important thing you can pack, is your sense of humour!" After some time on the road, you begin to understand how very important this is. India is a place of contrasts. You must also come here with an open mind and an open heart. Don't try to understand it and don't try and change it, and whatever you do, never judge it.

India's contrasts are as varied as it's population of 1.3 billion! You can be walking knee deep in monsoon rain in the south, while there are millions of people in the north wondering if they will ever see another drop of rain in their lifetime. You can stand at the railway stationand watch an orderly, quiet, well dressed few hop into an air conditioned 1st class compartment, while at the other end of the train, a manic crowd symbollic of an all out riot, fight their way to a seat in the 3rd class carriage. But rest assured, the poor farming family, rich in generosity and smiles, will be the first to offer you some of their delicious home prepared meal, a refusal will not be accepted. You will be walking down the street wafting in open air sewerage, and just before you start dry wretching, the air will be thick with the sweet smell of sandalwood or some freshly cooked samosas.

India is a land of extremes, it is, hot, wet, green, dry, colourful, noisy, smelly, clean, manic, calm, disorganized, methodical, spiritual, friendly, confronting, hilarious, harsh, povert stricken, happy, graceful, historical, powerful, optimistic, India is absolutely everything!

And everwhere there are cows.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Ran Thammachat (natural restaurant)


Many restaurants in Phuket entised return visits. Of these 'Ran Thammachat' on Soi Phuton and the 'Hokien Noodle Shop' on the circle fountain roundabout were stand outs.

The relaxed atmosphere of dining in a tree house, with quirky alcoves and tv set fish tanks, makes Ran Thammachat worth a mention; not taking from the food in any way. Served up is traditional Thai fare from all regions; the Tom Yam served in a coconut shell with fresh young flesh was out standing.

A good range of dishes for meat lovers to try:

Duck Larp: Duck mince fried with chilli, lime and roasted rice (served with greens on the side).

Marinated bbq pork neck: A rich, juicy, tender, sticky cut. Lingering smokey flavour left you hankering for more.

Crispy catfish salad: The drying of the fish is a slow drawn out process. Taking days to produce a fluffy, flossy, airy flesh, mellow in flavour for such a strong tasting fish. We were all suprised by this dish, not really knowing what to expect. The texture was crisp, crunchy and slightly chewy. A typical garnish for this dish is mango salad (see LAM bits).

Hor Mok: Steamed fish mousse wrapped in banana leaf (cup like). A light mixture of fish, egg, red curry paste, lime leaf and coconut milk is steamed to a spongy consistancy.

'Hokien Noodle Shop', as the name states, serves up fresh hokien noodles wet or dry. Dry seemed to tickle our fancy and we returned for a daily dose of the hearty goodness.

A noodle dish consisted of; fresh home made noodles, bbq pork, crispy crackling (always the best part and always found at the bottom of the bowl), shrimp, chives and bean sprouts. A good drizzel of soy based malasis gave the noodles the edge. Garnish was always a spoon of black pepper and crushed peanuts. Served on the side was a bowl of lightly prawn flavoured broth, peppery and aromatic.

The shop is the front room of their house complete with family photos and antiques.