Joanna James
Hua Hin is "where city the meets the sea". So seafood can be found aplenty here in a variety of forms-deep fried, curried, roasted and put into tasty salads and soups. Read on to see what they are.
Claimed to be originated from Laos, Som Tam Pu Ma is a zesty salad that will make you feel like you have a mouthful of the tropics. It's created by mixing together julienned raw papaya with the raw blue crab, chopped tomatoes, Chinese long beans, peanuts, bird's eye chillies, yardlong beans and garlic. Coconut palm sugar, fish sauce, salt, and lime juice are added to season the salad. The chunks of the raw blue crab, the sweet and sour seasoning and the pleasing crunch from the papaya and the peanuts make such a wonderful experience.
Tom Yam Goong is one of the most famous varieties of Tom Yum soup. The soup is recommended for those suffering from a cold due to the zest of the infused lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and the kaffir leaves. In addition to these, Tom Yam includes fish sauce, white onions, chilli paste, tomatoes, fresh cilantro, tamarind paste and of course the succulent shrimp. It's such a favourite that you can find Tom Yam Goon anywhere in the city from the small street stalls to high-end Hua Hin restaurants such as the ones at Anantara Hua Hin Resort.
If you thought that only the French are good at cooking snails, you haven't had Hoi Wan Pad Cha, a dish of stir-fried Babylon snails in roasted chilli oil. Also referred to as Leopard or Tiger Nassarius, Babylon snails are found in the sea are quite a delicacy in Hua Hin. The snails are thrown into a wok together with wild ginger, garlic, peppercorns, sweet basil and bird's eye chillies. It's quite feisty and not for the fainthearted.
Though it's not the usual type of pancake, Au Suan is a delicious dish that has a bit of depth to it due to the rich tropical ingredients that go in. First off, raw egg and juicy oysters are thrown into the wok. A few stirs later, diluted tapioca solution is added along with oyster sauce and then it's served in a sizzling hotplate.
Not only is Haw Mok Talay pleasing to the tongue it's also quite pleasing to the eyes. Prior to making the dish, you first cut banana leaves into 5-6 inch rounds and pleat the edges and secure them with toothpicks to form little bowls. Then at the bottom of the 'bowl' place pieces of Thai basil leaves, shredded cabbage and chunks of a freshwater fish of your choice (best is tilapia or catfish). Next, make the custard using fish, red curry paste, egg, palm sugar, fish sauce and chilled coconut milk. Pour into the banana leaf bowl and steam for about 15 minutes. Garnish with a bit of coconut cream and then- Bon Appétit!
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