Last week I was doing a television show and was cooking with products from the Royal project. I did not know until fairy recently that the Royal Project in Chiangmai had been raising brook trout in the fresh and clean waters from the stream of Doi Inthanon. The young fish came from abroad and raised on the Doi Inthonon until it reaches the weight heavy enough for sale which is around 250 to 300 grams. The fish is then harvested and packed in ice and sent immediately for sale in Bangkok. The royal project had asked a private company called Good Foods Company Ltd. to be the distributor and marketing arm for this product. Should you be interested in purchasing these trout you can find them at most super markets especially Villa but if you have trouble finding them do try calling or visiting the Royal Project shops which are located next to the Or Tor Kor food market at Chatuchak or at Kasetsart University.

       On the day of the television taping, I prepared the trout very simply because Thais are not familiar with this kind of fish. The flesh of brook trout is not similar to any fish that is locally available. The color of this flesh is pink rather than white and there is more natural oil in the meat of the fish than in Thai fish. Being from the same family as the salmon and rainbow trout this fish has a wonderful flavor. The oil in the fish is full of Omega 3, which is good for reducing cholesterol in your blood.

       Before I go into the preparation of the fish which is indeed very simple I need to give you some information on how to clean, thaw and take care of the fish so that you get the best quality fish. You can buy these fish fresh or frozen depending on the market demand and availability. If you can get the fresh look carefully at the eyes of the fish which should be very clear and the gills should be reddish pink. This should be enough to ensure that your fish is fresh. If you bought them frozen there are basically two correct ways to thaw out any kind of frozen products. The first way is to bring the frozen fish out of the freezer 24 hours prior to using it and allow it to thaw slowly in the refrigerator or to bring it out of the freezer on the day of use and place it under cold running water. Since in Thailand we do not have “cold” running water the best way to thaw frozen fish is to take it out of the freezer one day ahead and leave it in the fridge to thaw slowly. In this way the flesh of the fish does not go into shock from abrupt changes in temperature.

       The fish that came that day came already scaled but I had to gut the fish and cut the tip of its tail off just a little. I cleaned the fish in clod water and mop ot dry with paper towels. The whole fish is then immersed and soaked in milk for about 20 minutes, while soaking leave keep this fish in the fridge. I them prepare flour by seasoning it with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a pan large enough to hold the fish on the stove and heat up peanut oil in it. I did not use too much oil only about one quarter inch in depth.

       Using peanut oil in important because peanut oil has a very high smoking point which means that peanut oil can absorb quite a lot of heat before the quality of the oil disintegrate. Peanut oil also has a wonderful aroma. Once the oil in hot , bring out the marinating fish and without wiping excess milk from the fish dredge the whole fish with flour, shake off excess flour and fry the fish on one side. Reduce heat to medium and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until the fish is done on one side. The length of time it takes to fry the fish depends on the thickness of the fish but do remember that fish should be cooked just done to retain its moisture and sweetness, don’t cook fish like most Thais do which is to cook it to death which consequently makes the fish taste like paper. Turn over the fish and cook the same way until fish is done. Transfer the fish to a warm platter or plate and keep the fish warm. Discard all the cooking oil and wipe the pan with paper towel. Put the pan bank on the stove and add salted butter; two tablespoons per fish, and melt the butter until it turns slightly brown, add chopped parsley, stir and immediately pour this butter sauce over the fish, garnish the top of the fish with lone or lemon slices and serve immediately. The skin of the fish comes out very easily and this dish is great eaten with just plain boiled potatoes and lime or lemon wedges. Before I go on to another subject, I should say a few words on the affect of milk on the fish. Milk has calcium, which acts as de-odorizing agent for the fish. Should you buy fish that does not appear to be too fresh but still usable; you can soak the fish in whole milk for a while before using it. The milk will absorb most of the smell and freshens your fish.

       I had the opportunity two weekends ago to go to Nakorn Rachasrima to an opening ceremony of Krieng Krai Plaza, which was located at Galley White Hotel on the main road to the Ancient City of Pimai. Khun Krieng and I are friends. He had helped me a great deal with many business ventures and had gotten me out of a few jams and it was with great pleasure for me to join him at the opening ceremony of his shopping center, which has all the gifts and products from all over the country. In Thailand, at any party or celebration, the most important thing has to be food.

       We Thais like to eat and eating we did at this party. Nakorn Rachasrima is known as the gateway to Isan or Eastern Thailand. Isan is known for spicy foods and of course, Som Tum our famous papaya salad. I must confess that when I first came back to live in Thailand 6 years ago, I drove by myself to this gateway city and got lost because this town has two names! I was looking for signs for the city of Korat, which was the old name for Nakorn Rachasrima and not finding it on the road, I called my father’s secretary who was waiting for me at Korat and asked for directions. He told me to look for the sign for Nakorn Rachasrima, I argued that I wanted to go to Korat not Nakorn Rachasrima, he promptly informed me that it’s the same city and that I was stupid not knowing my own country. Feeling rather sheepish, I arrived in Korat to taste some of the most wonderful foods I have ever tasted.

       At this party, they had laid out a veritable feast for all the guests. The were many kinds of Kanon Jean, which is white noodles made from fermented sticky rice flour eaten with all kinds of sauces; Green chicken curry or Nam Ya sauce. But most of my attention was turned towards the last food stand in the parking lot of the Hotel Galley White. They were serving the famous Yai Yang Ton Tor (Grilled Free Ranging chicken ) with the softest steamed sticky rice in the world and Nam Prik TaDaeng. They also Pla Rah Bong which is basically Thai fermented anchovy pound together with fresh herbs and spices and fried into a paste. I think I need to write slowly about these dishes because my imagination runs wild when I think of the taste of these items mentioned. Let talk about the chicken first. Grilled chicken from this shop is doen so simply but it tastes so wonderful. In the olden days we never had farm chickens in Thailand. We only had free ranging chickens whose meat is a little tougher not at as tender as farm chicken but the flavor of the meat from free ranging chicken is sweeter and more flavorful. Each chicken weighs about one kilo and the whole chicken simply cut in half from the neck to the belly. In the west we would cut the chicken at the back but as I discovered there is a reason why they cut the chicken this way. The marinate for the chicken consisted of very few ingredients; soy sauce, sweet soy, salt garlic, pepper corns and cilantro roots pounded together. The chicken is marinted or rather rubbed with this marinate and allow to sit for atleast three house before tying it to one piece if bamboo stick. The way in which the chicken is tied to the stick ensures that the surface area for grilling is even is that every part of the chicken is cooked at the same time and that was the secret of cutting the chicken on the breast side. The chicken is grilled over charcoal, very low heat and it takes about 45 minutes before the chicken is completely cooking. The resulting product is a grilled chicken like no other. The meat is not too dry and has a wonderful smoky flavor. The meat is tender but when your eat it the flesh give your teeth a little fight which should be the characteristic of a good barbeque item. Dip a piece of this chicken into the Pla Rah or Jaew and grab a piece of sticky rice, ball it into the palm of your hand and dip this also in the sauces, put it in your mouth and all the texture and flavors comes together as you chew. Grilled chicken and Thai fermented anchovies should be eaten with your hands. This ritual takes will take you back to the simpler times in the Thai countryside. Eating like this takes me back to my roots and gives me that warm feeling about the closeness and kindness of Thai society. To the time when Thais are not so materialistic and there was still a sense of community and caring; to the times when we knew who we were and united as one for country and King.

       Should you be traveling to Korat in the near future, do go sample the many delicacies available in this fine town. Go pay respect to the statue of Ya Mo and go eat. If you have problems finding places to eat, go see Khun Vilas at the Galley White Hotel and ask for advice. Khun Vilas is like a brother to me and he was the one who introduced Isan food in Korat to me. Korat is not very far from Bangkok, it took be about 2.5 hours to reach Korat driving. The roads are very good and the food that is waiting for you there is worth a trip.