Tastes of Bangkok’s Barbecued Best

This is a tale of two cities--and of two barbecues.

The first embodies the privileged world of Somerset Maugham, of the jet-setting gentry who frequent one of Asia’s grandest hotels.

The second reflects the gritty realities of a Third World metropolis, the economic woes that drive peasants from their impoverished villages to a city infamous for its traffic, congestion and pollution.

Both take place in Bangkok, Thailand’s political and cultural capital. And both reflect the Thai love of explosive flavors and their profound reverence for food.

Everywhere you go in Thailand, you will experience grilling--on the beaches of Samui Island, in the highlands of Chiang Mai, on the crowded streets and back alleys of Bangkok. So strong is the Thai love of yaang (live fire cooking) that they reserve it not just for special occasions, but for everyday fare.

Everyday fare? Well, that’s a mundane way to describe my first experience with Thai grilling: the riverside barbecue at the Oriental Hotel. The Oriental is one of those pleasure palaces built in the last century on the banks of the Chao Praya River. Joseph Conrad resided here, as did Herman Melville and Maugham. My room in the Writers Wing is a veritable two-story townhouse, with every architectural nuance and electronic convenience known to modern man.

But what has me dropping my jaw at the moment is a torch-lit barbecue on the riverside terrace. I’m seated at a pink granite table with teak chairs, surrounded by pedestal globe lights entwined with bougainvillea. Here, a whiff of frangipani; there, the perfume of jasmine. The longtail boats skimming the river seem close enough to touch.

As with everything at the Oriental, barbecue is done in a grandiose way, with banks of grills and a buffet line stretching a good 50 feet. There’s a seafood station that fairly sparkles with spiny lobsters, slipper lobsters, fresh and salt-water prawns and a fishmonger’s assortment of fish, neatly bedded in ice. There are poultry and meat stations, where chicken, duck, squab, beef and pork emerge sizzling from the grills.

But don’t be fooled by the fancy surroundings. The basic preparations are really quite simple. The marinades are variations on a mixture of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and garlic. The accompanying table sauces range from a mild, sweet lemon-honey-garlic sauce to an incendiary tincture of chiles, shallots and fish sauce.

I could spend a couple of paragraphs describing the side dishes--the salad spreads, elaborately carved fruit displays, dessert stations where young women in sarongs cook coconut cakes called kenoms. But what really impresses me is the straightforward manner of the grilled fare, the elegant simplicity of the fish.

A few days later, I experience a similar barbecue in a considerably more downscale setting: a hawkers’ center on a tiny side street off traffic-clogged Silom Road. Centers such as this one are where the ordinary Thais eat, in a motley assortment of food stalls and pushcarts selling every imaginable street food, from stir-fries and soups to noodle dishes like the famous pad thai. The air is thick with smoke from charcoal braziers.

I stop at the cart of a tiny woman for a popular snack--squid on a stick. She fishes the tiny sea creature from a jar in which it’s marinating in an aromatic mixture of fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, garlic, chiles and lemongrass. The squid goes on a tiny skewer for a two-minute sizzle over the coals. It’s sweet, salty, tender, smoky and absolutely delicious. These, of course, are the same flavors I experienced at the Oriental. But this feast costs all of 10 baht (about 45 cents).

It’s no accident that fish sauce is a recurring theme in Thai barbecue. This condiment--made from salted, fermented anchovies--is as essential to Thai cooking as soy sauce is to Japanese and Chinese. Fish sauce has a wonderful way of reinforcing the briny flavor of seafood. I suppose this is the reason it’s so popular in Thailand as a marinade and dip for grilled fish.

Talk to Thais long enough about barbecue and you’ll hear the word “Isan.” The term refers to both a region and a people: the province in northeastern Thailand adjacent to the Laotian and Cambodian borders, whose inhabitants speak a dialect of Thai close to Laotian.

The Isan makes up almost one-third of Thailand, but it’s a region beset by drought, chronic crop failure and crushing poverty. As many as 60% of Bangkok’s construction workers, “tuk-tuk” drivers and street vendors have come from the Isan to earn a little cash (about $5.50 a day) while they wait for the rains to return to their farmlands.

My guide, Nilcharoen Prasertsak, said the Isan became masters of grilling by simple economic necessity. They couldn’t afford the oil necessary for stir-frying. So they turned to cooking food over the one commodity even the poor in Thailand have plenty of: coconut-shell charcoal. Isan street vendors are famous here for their gai yaang (grilled chicken) and pla yaang (grilled fish).

The first thing that strikes most visitors to Bangkok is the frenzied, cacophonous traffic, which made my next destination, an Isan neighborhood in the Dusit district, all the more astonishing. Houses open directly onto the sidewalks, where women sit cross-legged, washing dishes, clothes and children in plastic tubs on the ground. Sun filters through the leaves of scraggly trees and mangy dogs lie in the middle of the street. The scene is more reminiscent of a village in the jungle than of a neighborhood in an Asian metropolis of 7 million.

To judge from the smoke in the air, we’re in barbecue central. Every square foot of sidewalk seems to be devoted to some sort of culinary activity. On one street corner a man fans a charcoal fire in a hubcap. Elsewhere, women are pounding garlic and spices in mortars and pestles and shredding green papayas to make som tum, a crunchy, fiery salad.

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Our destination is Raan Kun Noi (Mr. Noi’s restaurant). It’s clearly a class joint--you can tell by the flashing jukebox. There are also a framed picture of the king of Thailand, plastic chairs, pink-clothed tables and scrawny kittens foraging for scraps on the floor. There’s even air conditioning, a rare luxury in these parts, although there’s a 5-baht charge per person for the management to turn it on.

Noi specializes in the sort of simple but pungent fare for which the Isan is famous: a som tun so laced with chiles that it all but melts your molars; an oxtail soup that soothes your soul while it scorches your gullet; grilled chicken, all smoky and crisp, redolent with cilantro and garlic. The basic seasoning is an aromatic paste of garlic, salt, pepper and coriander root. As with most Isan grilled meats, the chicken is accompanied by a platter of cabbage and celery leaves, basil sprigs and green beans. The sticky rice comes Laotian-style (steamed in a hollow length of bamboo). And, in Isan style, we devour it with our fingers.

Incidentally, there’s one grilled dish you don’t have to risk your gastrointestinal tract to enjoy, a dish you’ll find wherever you go in Thailand--high-style restaurant or down-home street stall, in city and countryside, north and south.

Of course, I’m talking about satay. Satay consists of tiny pieces of chicken, pork or other meat grilled on bamboo skewers. Satay has become quite popular in North America, but nothing there can rival the tiny size and delicate flavor of Thai satays. The sweet soy sauce marinade of Java has given way to a fish sauce-coconut milk mixture (the oil-rich coconut milk keeps the meat from drying out). Thai satay is traditionally accompanied by a creamy peanut sauce and a tart, tangy cucumber salad.

Thai barbecue makes the perfect alternative to the meat-laden cookouts of the West. Seafood and vegetables play a major role in Thai grilling. When meats are eaten, it’s in small quantities, with a high proportion of vegetables and rice.

The flavors of Thai grilling are both similar and different to those in the West. Most grilled dishes feature nam pla (fish sauce) in the marinade, dipping sauce or both. The saltiness of the fish sauce is delicately balanced with a souring agent (lime juice, vinegar or tamarind) and a sweetener (cane sugar or palm sugar). As in North America, there’s often a sweet element in this style of grilling. The sugar serves a dual purpose: It helps the meat and fish juices caramelize and it moderates the effect of the chiles. Thus, to pare Thai barbecue to its essence, you have a flavor triangle of salty, sour and sweet.

Coriander is another popular flavoring in Thai barbecue; indeed, all three parts of the plant are used: Seeds are added to meat and poultry marinades; the roots are often pounded with garlic to make spice paste; and the aromatic leaves are sprinkled on the finished dish as a garnish. As in most of the barbecue countries in the world, garlic is a popular seasoning in Thailand. Here it’s often paired with the incendiary prik kee nu, a chile whose name literally means “mouse excrement.”

Finally, many grilled dishes are sprinkled with chopped roasted peanuts or roasted rice powder, which adds a pleasantly nutty flavor and crunch.

CHICKEN SATAY

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons honey or sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

Serve with Peanut Sauce.

Cut chicken into 4x1/2-inch strips.

Combine coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, honey, garlic and turmeric in mixing bowl. Add chicken and marinate at least 20 minutes (ideally 2 hours), stirring several times.

Soak small bamboo skewers in cold water 20 minutes (this will keep them from burning.) Thread chicken strips lengthwise on small bamboo skewers. Grill satays over high heat until cooked, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to plates or platter and serve.

Makes 16 kebabs or 4 to 6 appetizer servings.

* Nutritional data not available.

PEANUT SAUCE

2 teaspoons minced ginger root

1 to 2 Thai, serrano or jalapen~o chile peppers, seeded and minced (for spicier sauce, leave seeds in)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 green onions, minced

1/3 cup chunky-style peanut butter

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk or as needed

2 tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce or to taste

2 tablespoons lime juice or to taste

2 teaspoons sugar or to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Simmer ginger root, chile, garlic, onions, peanut butter, coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and cilantro in heavy saucepan until richly flavored, about 10 minutes. Sauce should be thick but pourable. Thin with additional coconut milk if needed. Correct seasoning, adding fish sauce, lime juice or sugar to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

* Nutritional data not available.

GRILLED THAI EGGPLANT WITH SHRIMP

4 Asian eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Thai chile paste

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 to 3 Thai, serrano or jalapen~o chile peppers, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 shallots, thinly sliced

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

4 to 6 whole Boston or bibb lettuce leaves, washed and dried

Grill eggplants over high heat until skin is completely charred on all sides. Let cool, then scrape off burnt skin with knife. Cut eggplants into 1-inch slices.

Combine fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chile paste in small bowl and whisk until mixed.

Heat wok until almost smoking and swirl in oil. Add chiles, garlic and shallots and stir-fry 20 seconds or until fragrant. Add shrimp and cook 1 minute. Stir in fish sauce mixture and cook 1 minute or until shrimp are cooked.

Remove wok from heat. Stir in eggplant and mint leaves, reserving few leaves for garnish. Correct seasoning, adding lime juice or sugar to taste. (Mixture can be served either hot or at room temperature.)

To serve, line small plates or platter with lettuce leaves. Spoon eggplant mixture on top. Garnish with reserved mint leaves. Or, if desired, eat eggplant mixture rolled up in lettuce leaves.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

* Nutritional data not available.

SPICY GRILLED BEEF SALAD

BEEF

1 pound round steak

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger root

Place round steak in baking dish. Combine soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger in mixing bowl and whisk to mix. Pour mixture over steak and marinate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, turning several times.

DRESSING

3 cloves garlic

1 to 4 Thai, serrano or jalapen~o chiles, thinly sliced (for milder flavor, seed the chiles)

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Pound garlic, chiles and sugar to paste in mortar and pestle. Work in fish sauce and lemon juice. Alternatively, dressing can be pureed in blender.

SALAD

1 head Boston or bibb lettuce, broken into leaves, washed and dried

1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

1 sweet onion (such as Maui or Vidalia), very thinly sliced widthwise

12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

12 fresh mint leaves, optional

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts

Roasting brings out flavor of peanuts and other nuts. To roast, place nuts on baking sheet and toast at 350 degrees until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Alternatively, nuts can be roasted in dry skillet over medium heat.

Place lettuce leaves on platter. Arrange cucumber slices, onion, tomatoes and mint leaves on top. (Salad can be prepared ahead to this stage.)

Preheat grill to high and grill steak until cooked to taste, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, turning once. Transfer steak to cutting board and let cool slightly or completely. (Salad can be served warm or at room temperature.) Thinly slice steak across grain on the diagonal. Dress salad. Arrange beef slices on top of salad. Sprinkle with cilantro and roasted peanuts.

Makes 4 servings.

* Nutritional data not available.