The Culinary Delights Of Thailand

You would be a fool to think, even for a brief second, that you could resist a plate of sticky mango rice in Thailand. Oh, you say you are full? You just downed an entire bowl of rice and green curry? You think you are bursting at the seams with all that pad Thai you relished? Think again. When you steal a sly glance at that dessert menu (big mistake already. HUGE.) , your stomach muscles find a way to wilfully contort themselves to make space for that one last hurrah before you die of happiness.

This delicately flavored sweet coconut sticky rice is crowned by the king of all mangoes, the Namdokmai. Mango mafia would sneer inwardly if you served them any other kind. Maybe the OkRong mango will lend you some respect. Otherwise, you can crawl back to whichever corner of the world you came from and leave your foodie card there.

While you are there, best leave your spice card at home too. Because don’t think that Green Curry let you off easy either. Ever tried a free fall ride that drops you from a height, accelerated by gravity? This is the moment you are pushed off your spiciest woman alive winner’s podium and are turning red with embarrassment after ordering a “medium” spice dish because you think you can handle it. You are lucky you are turning red from embarrassment, because it hides the deep crimson your tongue is flaring up to, on the inside. Takes you a second before imposter syndrome comes crashing down on you and you question your deepest identity — was I faking all along that I could handle spice? Yes. Yes, you were. The tactful thing to do is swallow your pride, take mercy on your tongue, your stomach and the rest of your digestive tract and settle down to ordering low spice and it is already more than you can handle. Trust. You have finally met your match.

If there was one last thing I would leave you with, that would be the holy basil. So delicate, yet so potent. Maybe its my indian roots that draw me to anything cooked with holy basil, but I will bow down to this almighty, ubiquitous flavor powerhouse anyday.