China soups up thai cuisine
'Kaeng jued' and 'khao tom' might be imports but over the years they have come to occupy an essential spot on the country's menus
The soup-like dishes called kaeng jued (bland soup) and khao tom (rice soup) are both Chinese dishes that have gradually established themselves deeply in Thai culinary culture. There are dishes of foreign origin that Thais have welcomed with open arms and that are now staples on tables here, while others have never quite made it. But these two Chinese dishes are among the success stories.
Kaeng jued and khao tom first became widely popular in Bangkok. One reason for this was the large Chinese population in the capital, which was proportionally even higher two centuries ago. At first Thais were not quick to accept these two dishes because they preferred food with stronger flavours. Thai curries, even though they were clear and made without coconut cream, had intense flavours. They included dishes like tom yam pla (a lime-sour, chilli-hot fish soup), tom yam pla yang kap bai makham awn (a similar soup made with grilled fish and tender tamarind shoots), kaeng pa pla (a very hot fish curry), and tom pla ra sai naw mai sai pla (a stew-like dish made from fermented fish with bamboo shoots and fresh fish).
The entry point to appreciation of these dishes for the Thais was kui tio nam (noodles in broth), or pork noodles, a Chinese dish. If ground peanuts, ground dried chillies and lime juice are added to the noodles they become the spicy dish called tom yam, but if these ingredients are left out when making the dish for children or other who want to avoid the strong seasonings, the result is tom jued. One of the things that made this dish appealing was the broth, made by slowly simmering pork bones.
In time, Thais began cooking their own tom jued, modelled on the Chinese dish. At first they made it with pork ribs, as these had to be simmered for a long time before the meat became properly tender, and this made for more delicious broth for kaeng jued dishes like one made by simmering the pork bones with pineapple and adding a little nam pla. The result blended the flavour of pork with a slight sourness and saltiness.
A similar dish was kaeng jued made with fresh bamboo shoots, pork ribs and peanuts. After that others appeared, like a version made with minced pork and tamlueng vine shoots. This vegetable was used because of the belief that it had medicinal properties that made it good for people with colds, especially children, who had to eat something that was hot, simple and nutritious. Thai-style kaeng jued dishes evolved, like one made with grilled fish, and pumpkin squash, which combined the appetising aroma of the fish with the sweetness of the squash and saltiness from nam pla.
One kaeng jued that was very popular with Thais in the past was made with a duck egg omelette. The eggs were fried in a wok until they were slightly brown around the edges, then the omelette was broken into large pieces with a spatula while still in the pan. Water was added, and a little nam pla, and the soup that resulted had a rich flavour from the oil used to fry the eggs. In some households onions were also added, or makhuea prio (a sour fruit that looks like a tiny tomato). If a housewife had a bit of extra time, she might hollow out some cucumbers, stuff them with seasoned, minced pork, and cook them slowly in water to make another kind of kaeng jued.
By the time these dishes came into being, Thais had accepted kaeng jued so completely that it had become an essential part of a full meal. Of the dishes prepared for a traditional meal, some would be spicy, such as nam prik kapi pla thu thawt (a hot, salty, sour chilli sauce served with fresh vegetables and fried mackerel), pla pad prik (fish fried with chillies), or nuea sap pad kraprao (chopped beef stir-fried with fresh basil, chillies and other seasonings), and these needed to be balanced with less aggressive foods that helped counteract their heat. The fact that kaeng jued were throat-soothing soups made them required dishes at big meals, especially in the Central Region.
These dishes never caught on in Isan, however, where people prefer a regional variety of vegetable soup called kaeng awm, made by cooking local vegetables in a little water to extract their juices and then adding fermented fish and fresh chillies. In Isan, people eat kaeng awm to enjoy the vegetable juice by dipping sticky rice into it. It is not eaten as a soup, the way kaeng jued is in the Central Region.
It took Thais time to accept khao tom as a viable alternative way to eat rice. For one thing, it was not suitable for eating together with spicy Thai dishes. Then there were drawbacks to it as a food for farmers to take out into the fields. With all the water it contained, farmers who ate it would feel full for a short time, but would become hungry again once they were back at work.
Khao tom first became popular in Bangkok in the form served in shops that sold khao tom kui - rice soup together with a big selection of side dishes to eat with it. These places also had plain rice on hand for customers who did not like khao tom but liked the Chinese-style side dishes, of which there were many tasty kinds.
Later, Thais began to take to the rice soup because it was easy to eat and was served hot. When people ate it they perspired, which was considered to be healthy because of the belief that the body was getting rid of waste water.
Khao tom found favour in many homes, where it was thought to be a good breakfast for children before they left for school. It was easy and quick to make and didn't require much time to eat. The easiest version to make for children was just minced pork mixed in with the rice soup. Later shrimp and fish variants evolved, sometimes with egg added.
Originally khao tom was considered to be a morning food, but as time passed people began eating it at all times of day. Many khao tom pla (fish rice soup) restaurants opened and did business in the evening. At first the most popular places were on Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Road. Customers could choose the kind of fish they wanted - snapper, or local types such as pla kao and pla insee, among others. The more expensive restaurants also offered pomfret.
The fish, which had been freshly cooked in hot water, was put into a bowl with rice that had been cooked until fairly soft, and then the water in which the fish had been cooked was poured in as broth. Thin chips of dried, crisp-fried tofu were added, together with dried shrimp, ba-teng (small cubes of pork that had been simmered in soy sauce and sugar), powdered galangal, the preserved vegetable condiment called dang chai, and chopped khuen chai (Chinese celery) leaves. The salty fermented soya bean sauce called tao jio was used to season it.
Today there are also ''instant'' versions of duck and minced pork khao tom for sale. They can be made in a hurry by putting rice in a bowl and then adding duck or minced pork together with hot broth and khuen chai.
In seaside provinces like Chon Buri and Prachuap Khiri Khan, khao tom made from the fish called pla insee, which has firm, white meat, is very popular.
Anyone who goes to a province with a shoreline and doesn't have a bowl of khao tom pla insee is missing something essential.
Khao tom has not been able to find a place in the cuisine of northern Thailand or Isan, because people in those parts of the country prefer to eat sticky rice pressed by hand into bite-sized balls, an important part of the regional culture. Sticky rice is also more filling, and relieves hunger longer, than khao tom.
So much for the history to date of khao tom and tom jued dishes. From their beginnings in the Chinese community they developed, learned how to be Thai, and are now such a basic part of Bangkok food life that it is hard to imagine getting through a week without them.