On my travels south to the town of Rachaburi, passing the highly revered pagoda at Nakorn Prathom, I went to visit a restaurant called Na Wat which means in front of the Wat (temple). This place is appropriately named because it sits right in front of the entrance of a Wat. We had to take a detour route from the main road to Petchaburi to get to this restaurant which serves wonderful local Thai food. There is no air-conditioning. Big shady trees and two or three large tents cover the seating area of the restaurant. There is a large pong beside the restaurant, which had lotus plants growing along the temple fence. Although it seems like an out of the way place but everyone in the area know it. The owner and chef like to cook. He and his family cook food as if they cook for his own family. Being a drinker as well, Khun Seri the owner likes his food highly seasoned.

               The food here is fairy basic. It is very fresh and uses all the ingredients that are available fresh in the area. Fresh Pla Grai, a fresh water fish prized for its sponginess and bounce when made into fish balls or fish cakes. We ordered dishes, which use this fish in various recipes. There is the simple Pla Grai fish balls poached and topped with garlic oil and crispy garlic. This dish the fish balls did not resemble small balls which tells us that they are made by hand and flatten to ensure even cooking.

               We dip each piece of poached Pla Grai in a spicy garlic, chili, lime and fish sauce dipping sauce. It bounced in our mouth. It’s a wonderful snack, eaten with beer or wine! Then, fish cake Pla Grai made into Tod Mun (curry fish cakes). It had a wonderful flavor of fresh curry paste, extra scent of shredded kaffir lime leaves and saltiness that had the aroma of fish sauce. Of course you have to eat it with cucumber salsa to cut the greasiness if the fried cakes and to help reduce the hot and spiciness of the fish cakes by the cooling effect of the cucumber.

               More Pla Grai done another way! This time the Look Chin Pla Grai Or fish balls are poached and the sauteed in a spicy chili sauce. Lots of holy basil is added to the dish in the last minute to give it a wonderful smell as well as using it as vegetable in the dish. This had to be eaten with rice or else you will definitely burn your tongue. You feel the heat from the chili peppers in your mouth yet this dish is very fresh tasting and light.

               Fresh snake head fish deep-fried and serves with long egg plant stirfried with fermented soybean, chili peppers, garlic and soy and basil. A touch of vinegar is added to lighten the dish and compliments the fried fish. To cool our mouths down we ate a large pot of steamed savory egg custard with fresh shrimps. It is call in Thai Kai Toon. It is delicious and very velvety when you eat it.

               The flavor of the custard had a touch of very good stock and smell of good quality fish sauce. What made this dish sparkle is the freshly sauteed garlic and its oil which is poured over the custard. Ah heavenly! They find local free ranging chicken and marinade them. Then they cut it into pieces and deep-fry them. Finally they make a salty sweet sticky sauce from palm sugar and fish sauce and some herbs and throw the chicken pieces in to over every piece with this wonderful sauce.

               In eating this dish, you need to use your fingers or you would lose the feel and flavor of this dish! There are many more dishes here than I have room to write but if you are the type of person who likes really local food and like the atmosphere of the local countryside eatery, then you should try it because it is quite rustic and raw.

               There are so many dishes in Thai cuisine that uses the same ingredients in as in Thai curry. Tod Mun Pla Grai is another example of another use of Thai curry. What makes Thai curries so different from other curries around the world is the fact that Thai curries are fairy light and fresh tasting. Eating Thai curries do not give you heartburn or indigestion. The fresh herbs used in the curry paste were used in ancient times as medicine for your stomach. Thai curry is not starchy; therefore they are easily digested. Many people want to cook Thai curry but they complain that they cannot do it well. I will write as few lines about the trick and the cooking procedures for cooking a proper Thai curry. First you will need to understand the raw material you use. In this case it is the curry paste itself.

               Good quality curry paste can be bought but what makes a good curry paste in the quality of the raw material used. Another important factor is that they do not use too much salt in the curry paste and the also good quality shrimp paste. Nittaya curry paste is quite good and this is a very well known brand. There are many type of curry paste and it depends on what curry you want to make but there is a very basic but important procedure you need to understand and follow when making a good Thai curry.

               Coconut milk plays a very important role in making curry. We usually tell cooks to take cream of the coconut milk, heat it up until it has a sheen on the surface to the boiling cream before adding the curry paste without letting you know what the cream of coconut is and where you can get it if you were using coconut milk from a can abroad. Well, it is very simple. Coconut milk is just like milk, which consists of two ingredients, milk fat and water. Coconut cream is the fattiest part of the coconut milk. If you are using can coconut milk, put the can in the refrigerator and let the fat rise to the top and solidify.

               Open the can and spoon off the solid mass at the top of the can and bring it to boil before adding fish sauce. Use medium heat when cooking coconut cream and once this sheen is achieved (this means that the fat in the coconut cream is beginning to separate from the cream) the temperature of the liquid is increased because oil can absorb more heat. Add the paste about 2 tablespoonful for 300 grams of meat. Spread the paste out do not let it lump if there is not enough liquid to make it spreadable add a little more coconut milk.

               Cook stirring constantly over low to medium heat. Do not allow the paste to burn or your curry will have a bitter after taste. Be patient, cook slowly you can tell that a curry paste is cooked properly and is ready to have meat added to it when it usually change color. Red curry at first will have a brown color and if you taste it will taste like raw vegetables and herbs being warmed but after it is slowly cooked out it will taste quite well rounded. It is at this point that you add the meat cook it in the paste to seal in the juices.

               Some liquid will come out of the meat that is being cooked. Add just enough coconut milk to thin out the curry and bring back to boil. Add fish sauce for saltiness and coconut or palm sugar for sweetness to correct seasoning. The last ingredients you should add to the pot should be the fresh herbs. In the case of green curry you will add basil last and take the curry immediately off heat. Most Thai curries are have a slight sweetness to it this is because of the sweetness from coconut milk so don’t assume that all that food especially have to be sweet. You don’t have to add heaps of sugar into a curry to make it Thai and don’t believe a Thai who tells you that Thai food has to be sweet. They don’t know anything about Thai food nor do they understand the natural flavor of the ingredients. I wish you all luck in cooking a Thai curry at home.

Ran Na Wat
Address 67/2 Moo 3 Tumbon Kubua Muang Rachaburi 7000
Telephone number 0-3232-5847, 0-3231-4924