“Ina typicalThaimealyou’llhavesomethingthat’s
onthesweetside,somethingthat’smoresavoury,
somethinga littlebitbitter,somethingspicy– usually
a condimentthatyoucanuseona fewdifferentthings- andthensomevegetables,”saysAnderson.“When
youeata littlebitofeverythingthedishesbalance.”
Witheverybitea newflavourhitsmytastebuds:
sweet,sour,saltyandbitterfollowedbya generous
whackofspice.It’sauthenticThaifoodmadewith
thefreshestofproduce.
Appetitessuppressedandtonguestingling,
Andersonencourageseveryonetoexploretheproperty
andexperimentwithingredients.Thefarmis a chef’s
versionofWillyWonka’sChocolateFactory.
ChefLennoxHastieheadsstraightforthefield
infrontofthekitchenwheretwopigsarestretched
acrossa bamboostructureandsuspendedovera pit
ofcoals.Hebastestheirskinwitha chilli-basedsauce
usinga brushmadeoflemongrass,thestalksplucked
freshfromtheearththatmorning.
Cookingoverfireis Hastie’sdefaultsetting.It’s
a techniquehemasteredafterspendingfiveyearsat
AsadorEtxebarriinSpain,thenat hisownrestaurant,
FiredoorinSydney.Buttodayhefeelswellandtruly
outofhisdepth.
“I didn’tgrowupwithanyAsianfood,soI find
thiswholeexperienceveryhumblingbecauseI’m
completelyoutofmycomfortzone,”saysHastie.
“Therearelotsof thingsherethatlooklikesomethingyou
know,buttheytastecompletelydifferent.Especiallya lot
of theleaves,whichlooklikeanygreenleaf,untilyoutry
one and realise that it’s intensely bitter or really sour.”➤
Clockwise,fromtop
left:Freshlypicked
herbs;ChefLennox
Hastiebastesthe
pig;ChefAndyRicker
carrieschickenready
tobebakedinhay;
A bastingsauceand
brushmadefrom
lemongrass;Farm
staffusemotorbikes
togetaroundthe
property;ChefBen
Devlinpicksfresh
herbsfora salad;
PalisaAnderson
peels a mango.
GOURMET TRAVELLER 57