Hidden Wonders - Phetchaburi: Food-Lovers Haven

In times past, Phetchaburi, or Mueang Phet, was an important port in the Gulf of Siam. The ancient town served as the gateway to other important towns such as the ancient capital of Sukhothai in the North, Ayutthaya and Suphan Buri in the central region, and Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south.

As early as the 9th and 10th centuries, Phetchaburi province played a vital role in the economic, political and social history of Siam. Many traces of its ancient past can still be found in this culturally rich and varied province, but one of the strongest impressions it imparts to visitors is the special character of its delectable cuisine. Restaurants, shops and roadside stalls offer such a vast and interesting variety of food that every trip to Phetchaburi is guaranteed to produce a few discoveries.

Often described as the Thai province with the largest number of sugar palms per plot, Phetchaburi is the country’s leading palm sugar producer. As a result, Thais associate Mueang Phet with sweetness. However, in addition to its sugar palm groves, salt pans are also very much a part of the scenery.

Each of Thailand’s four regions has a culinary style that is distinct. A traveller exploring the fare served in the north, northeast (Isan), south or central regions will discover many differences.

The cluster of provinces that make up the central region — Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Ang Thong, Singh Buri, Chainat, Suphan Buri, Uthai Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Songkhram and Phetchaburi — all share the same basic cooking techniques in ingredients, with a single exception. Phetchaburi is different in having a unique culinary style that sets it apart.

Several factors work in harmony to provide the province’s cooks with a vast variety of fresh ingredients. The great variety of edible indigenous plants are harvested in the actual countryside or from plantations, orchards and herb gardens. Nearby is Prachuap Khiri Khan, a province noted for its abundant fragrant coconuts and pineapples, and long beaches that are home to numerous fishing communities. The province’s cooks have a huge variety of ingredients to work with, and produce an array of singular dishes.

Kaeng som — a hot-sour-sweet, soup-like dish
One of the classic dishes of the Central Region, kaeng som is made by pounding dried chillies together with shallots, garlic and fermented shrimp paste. The paste is then boiled in water, seasoned with sour tamarind juice, palm sugar and fish salt until an ideal balance of sourness, sweetness and saltiness is achieved. The meat and vegetable ingredients are then added.
One of Phetchaburi’s signature versions of kaeng som is made with a sea crab called puu maa and the tender shoots of an indigenous herb called chakhram that thrives in the saline soil near the sea. Another local version is made with a shellfish called hoy siab and young tamarind shoots.

Kaeng phet — a chilli-hot curry
Kaeng phet is a central region speciality. Dried chillies, galangal, lemon grass, the zest of kaffir lime, shallots, garlic and fermented shrimp paste are pounded together. When these ingredients have been pounded to a fine consistency, the paste is fried in coconut cream until the fresh ingredients release their fragrance. Then meat, usually beef, pork, or chicken, is added and the curry is seasoned with palm sugar and fish sauce. Finally kaffir lime leaves, small eggplants, sliced chillies, and Thai basil are added and the standard, central region kaeng phet is ready to serve.

Another possibility is kaeng phet pet yaang, a relatively mild curry dish prepared with grilled duck and pineapple, sour little tomatoes, and sometimes ma-uek, a sort of eggplant.

But once again, Phetchaburi has its own take on the dish. The curry paste is similar to those prepared in other central provinces, but seafood replaces the usual meats. Variations feature alternative ingredients such as mussels with hearts of coconut palm, or crab meat with pumpkin squash.

Kaeng khua
Kaeng khua is another variation of the spicy curry, kaeng phet. Once again preparation begins with frying the pounded mixture of ingredients in coconut cream, but this time there is also a sour component, in addition to the saltiness and sweetness of other kinds of kaeng phet.

The sour tang comes from one of two sources — the addition of sour tamarind juice or a fruit or vegetable with a sour taste.

Sour tamarind juice is used to make a curry that includes a morning glory-like vine called phak boong and a fresh-water fish. Kaeng khua made this way is a standard central Thai dish.

The second way to add sourness to the dish is by using vegetable ingredients that are sour in themselves.