On The Move

It feels good to be on the move again. We left Koh Samui's sympathetic open air airport when it was raining heavily and after a short flight arrived the busy Bangkok. We visited a local street festival and it was nice to see and do ordinary Thai things, not just something made for the tourists.

Today we learnt how to cook Tom Yam Soup, Fried Vegetables with Ginger and Cashew Nuts, Pad Thai, Massaman Curry, Green Thai Curry, Pumpkin Humus and few other delicious vegetarian Thai food items - and we also ate them all!

Here's a recipe for the easy vegetarian Tom Yam Soup (1 portion), cooking time is only 5 minutes (it doesn't include the time when you are looking for the galangal roots...):

Step 1: In the wok, boil 1 soup bowlful of water (300 ml).

Step 2: 2 cut kaffir lime leaves, 2 slices of galangal, 2 half-inch pieces of lemon grass

Step 3: 1 tablespoon chopped carrot, 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped onion, 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped tomato, 1 tablespoon tofu, 1 small handful of mixed vegetables (mushroom, baby corn, broccoli, cabbage..)

Step 4: Once boiling, add 1 tablespoon dark soya sauce, 1 table spoon light soya sauce, 1 table spoon brown sugar. Turn off the heat once the vegetables are tender, but before water is all gone. 

Step 5: Add 1 tablespoon of mixed chopped spring onions and coriander leaves, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon Tom Yam chili paste, 1 tablespoon coconut milk. You can add 1 tablespoon of fresh chili and 1 teaspoon of fresh garlic for a stronger and spicier flavor.

We will travel next to Myanmar (Burma), where I traveled fifteen years ago. I am excited to see how it must have changed over the years. It was the time when Aung San Suu Kyi was still in a house arrest, just recently things have changed into slightly more positive direction.

Here are some pictures of the beach vendors in Koh Samui and street vendors of Bangkok: