Famous Grilled Chicken – Huai Thap Than Gai Yang Mai Madan (Si Sa Ket, Thailand)
Thai marinated grilled chicken (Gai Yang) is the most common food eaten with sticky (or glutinous) rice by the local people of Northeastern Thailand. Beside Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad), Thai people love Isan-style grilled chicken so much that you can find it on every street corner in Thailand. This is a classic dish everyone needs to try when in Thailand.
The chicken is grilled on madan (Garcina schomburgkiana Pierre) wood (Si Sa Ket, Thailand)
Huai Thap Than district in Si Sa Ket province is the home of the famous gai yang Huai Thap Thanaka gai yang mai madan. The chicken, which was first served some 80 years ago at Huai Thap Than railway station. The chicken is grilled on madan (Garcina schomburgkiana Pierre) wood so the chicken absorbs the delightful flavour and fragrance contained within the plant. The meat is pleasantly dry and aromatic due to marination with Si Sa Ket’s famously strong garlic.
Huai Thap Than Gai Yang Mai Madan (Si Sa Ket, Thailand)
How much does it cost?
Whole grilled chicken – 150 THB (S$6.50)
Grilled chicken on a stick (depends on the size of the chicken) – 50 THB (S$2.00) or 70 THB (S$3.00)
Do you know that the Hungry Ghost Festival or Zhong Yuan (Por Toh) Festival is an important merit-making event for the ethnic Chinese in Thailand. Since ancient times, the Chinese believe that the gates of hell are open between the 1st and 30th day of the Chinese lunar 7th month. During this period hungry ghost are allowed to wander on earth to look for food. People made offerings to the ghost in the form of special food, flowers, paper money and candles to please the beings. All the Chinese Shrines in Thailand have their own Hungry Ghost Festival celebrations.
Food offerings (Thailand Hungry Ghost Festival)
This year, the Hungry Ghost Festival starts from August 10th and ends on September 7th. The festival celebration is underway in Poh Teck Tung Foundation, the place where people go to donate coffins located in Bangkok’s Chinatown (Yaowarat). It is interesting to note what do people donate to accuminate good Karma for present and next life:
Offerings at Poh Teck Tung Foundation at Yaowarat (Thailand Hungry Ghost Festival)
Straw hat symbolising a house for your next life
Rice symbolising that you will always have abundant food to eat
Noodle symbolising long live
The Hungry Ghost Festival is an annual ritual that iscelebrated by many people in the world. Today is the15th day of the 7th lunar month. Have you make your offerings???
There are hundreds of Thai dishes and each dish has its own characteristics in flavor and feature. The south has a very strong flavour of food with spicy herbs, like turmeric (Curcuma longa), and tend to contain coconut milk. Turmeric is a popular spice in many Indian and Asian dishes and a critical ingredient of curry. The food of southern Thailand is noted for its sharp, intense flavors such as Kua Kling.
Kua Kling is a signature dish of the south that you must try if you are in Phuket, Samui or Krabi. It isan extremely spicy, dry curry dish like Rendang, one of the more popular Indonesians dishes in Singapore and throughout Asia. There are numerous recipes that you can try out. You can use minced pork, beef, chicken or fish at your choice. Garnish it with some finely chopped Kaffir lime leaves and served it with fresh vegetables and jasmine rice.
Kua Kling is one of my favourite Southern Thai dishes and this is a dish you just want to try again and again despite the “tongue burning sensation”. Yummy!!!
