JP/6/thai

Spice up your life with some good Thai food

JAKARTA (JP): Admittedly the best place to find authentic Thai cuisine in the city until Wednesday is the Teratai Cafe at the Aryaduta hotel in Central Jakarta.

Chefs and artifacts, the recipes and herbs, condiments and tons of explosive red and green chili peppers have been "imported" through the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, "to make sure everything's Thai."

Food lovers know the taste of Thai food, its enormous range of dishes that run the gamut from outright feisty to spicy, and mild to sweet.

Then mention Tom Yum Kung soup, and drop buzz-words like "perfectly pungent," "piquant" and "gutsy," and people will postpone an appointment just like I did to have a taste.

The soup is a wonderful reason to make humans act impulsively.

It seems simple to make - consisting of a boiled salad with shrimps floating in it.

Visiting chefs Orathai Husaryoon and Supote Phothong reveal that all it takes are the correct proportions of lemon juice, salt and the fire of demonic chili peppers highlighted with a flavor of lemon grass and coriander root (which has won a place of honor in Thai cuisine).

This harmonizes into a creation called yam, or salad, and it is best eaten with unadorned boiled or sticky rice.

That's a trick to remember because it is a meal in itself.

But Thais are known for their graciousness and there is a wide range of salads to choose from for starters.

Plaamuk Thawd Krathiem Prik Thai is lightly stir-fried squid in garlic and black pepper; Homok Talay a seafood mousse and Nua Phat Namman Hoi is beef in oyster sauce.

I agree with Thai diplomat Anchalee Saifah that they are mediocre and the chefs have gone slightly overboard with the vinegar, salt and chili pepper.

But you'll enjoy Hoi Jor Gai - fried, minced chicken with bean curd skin.

Noodles anyone?

Diners can enjoy a variety of curries such as Gaeng Kiew Warn Gai, a hot, green curry with chicken chunks addressed to the adventurous, devil-may-care diner.

Thom Ka Gai, on the other hand, is a mild chilied coconut milk soup with chicken.

The faint-hearted, less sporting and cautious novice would sigh in relief.

For those who "just cannot manage without noodles" there is a flat noodle dish topped with a thick, yellow coconut gravy that looks promising.

I'm sure it's good, like all high-risk, cholesterol-boosters cunningly are.

Be sure to try the harmless looking Choo Chee Kung, which is steamed prawn in red curry sauce. It is devilish.

Indonesian friends like this dish as its taste is close enough to "the heart of Padang food."

As you may know, not all Thai dishes are pungent. Some can be sweet as they are cleverly designed to bring temporary relief to "taste buds on fire," and to get one ready for the next onslaught.

A heavenly way to dine and pile on extra kilograms.

Another sip of water and a glass of house wine prolongs the recommended 10-minute interval before the rich desserts are brought in.

All are coconut-milk based, including the Ice cream Kathit, Klauy Baud Chee Haeng or honeyed banana and Tub Tim Krob, water chestnut in flour balls.

The only hiccup in this experience of pure Thai magic was the distinctly indifferent service offered by the Teratai staff. Maybe they can learn something from visiting Thai hostess, Yaowalu Sawangwan, and that is to smile and say "you're welcome" when a diner says "thank you."

-- Marianne Pereira