After my fiasco of trying to build a home in Chiangrai last year I happened upon a piece of land which was right on the river in Taton district, Chiangmai Province. It is a very beautiful piece of land, which juts out into the river that happens to turn at that point. Silt and sand collect at the turn of the river and added a sandy beach and more land to the existing property. I am very lucky that the erosion of the river takes place on the other side of my property. I actually did not want to buy any property in Chiangmai. As I every year during the cool season, I’ve always taken a trip to visit my friends whom I have grown to love and respect and look upon them as my relatives at Tha Ton River View Resort. I have written about them and about their food a couple of years ago. Their resort is not grand but very comfortable and totally unpretenscious. It sits right on the river Kok with lots of trees and wooden decks. Apart form the wonderful and warm feeling one gets from being there, the food has gotten even better with new items being added on the menu but I still like the old dishes which make then famous in that area. Talk about their Pad Thai, I think Tha Ton River View Resort makes the best Pad Thai in the North! Every plate of Pad Thai tasted the same.

            It is delicious and not too sweet with the right amount of sourness and the scent of tamarind. Quality control is assured by the fact that Chef Sak who is from the south of Thailand has created a recipe of pre-made Pad Thai sauce. That is why every plate of Pad Thai tasted the same. Their braised pork shank served with steamed Chinese buns is still wonderful and while having breakfast we were treated to very light delicious fried dough which most Thais called Pa Ton Go or in Mandarin Chinese it is called Yo Tiew. I am sure most of you are familiar with this fried dough that all Thais eat with condensed milk or Sankaya.

            To our surprise they did not make it themselves but it is bought from a stand near the bridge which crossed the Kok River in the village of Tha Ton. I had to see this for myself so early the next morning I went into the village to this stand called Sapha Ga Fare which translated means coffee Parliament! Form this little side walk push cart stand, its owner mixed the dough allow it to rise and rolled it out and fried these pieces of dough right there at the back of the stand and sell them with coffee. His stand serves this fried dough early in the morning with breakfast, which consisted of coffee, tea and ovaltine. Three-minute eggs and Sangkaya are also offered. There is not much to the stand and the eating area. He just erected four poles made of wood and covers the top with plastic sheets. Tables were of the folding kind made of cheap metal and the stools are just plastic. I really enjoyed this kind of simple country eating stalls. As long as they are clean I would prefer it from big restaurants. I also feel that I am experiencing the real thing. It is real and raw and very comforting.

            While at the buying Pa Tong Go I had a thought about fried dough in other cultures. This Pa Tong Go is a Chinese import because Thailand does not produce wheat. We can’t grow it that is why bread is not part of our staple diet. Rice has always been our form of starch that we eat. Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam were influence by the French; therefore they have wonderful baguettes on sale right on the street. In cooking with wheat flour Thais are still confused about the many kinds of flour sold in the market. To make cakes they have to use cake flour, to make bread they have to use bread flour and to make other pastries they can use all-purpose flour. The difference in the flour used is in the amount of protein or gluten that is in the flour. Cake flour has low protein or gluten, which allow cakes to be soft and flake easily while bread flour has high gluten, which gives bread dough its stretchy character.

            French bread which has a crispy crust and a soft and stretchy interior has to have steam or water sprayed over then while at the first stage of baking to form the hard crust. All-purpose flour is created as a mixture of the two kinds of flour for general use. I can use the analogy of the petrol. High Gluten flour is like high octane 95 and cake flour is like diesel and all-purpose is your ordinary 91-octane gas! Pastry chefs are taught to understand the properties of the various flours and create recipes for them according to the character of each baked item. Once you learn and understand the properties of the various ingredients which go into the making of each baked item you will be able to create your own bread and baked goods. It is not the recipes that is the most important but your understanding of the importance of the properties in each recipes.

            The Pa Tong Go at Sapha Ga Fare at Tha Ton is light airy and delicious. The man who makes the dough not only just memorize the recipes but also understands the how and whys as well. Should you want to try his Pa Tong Go, just go and spend the weekend at Tha Ton River View Resort. Ask them to take you to have a cup of coffee and fried dough in the morning at Sapha Ga Fare or you can ask them to go buy them for you and enjoy it at breakfast by the river at the resort. For me I would just take that short morning walk and go get them myself and eat them while they are still piping hot.