B
ackinthekitchen,chefAndyRickeris
poundingingredientswitha pestletomake
a namphriksauce,orspicychillisauce.
Ricker,whoownsPokPokThairestaurants
inPortland,Oregon,livesinChiangMaiinnorthern
Thailandfivemonthsoftheyearandhasbeen
instrumentalinintroducingAmericanpalatesto
authenticThaiflavours.
“I prefernottocallmyselfanexpertonThai
food,insteada dullbutpersistentstudent.I feellike
I’mstilllearningeverysingleday,”saysRicker.
Insidethemortaris chilli,garlic,galangaland
corianderroot.Rickercrushestheherbsandspicesto
a pastethenseasonswithlimejuice,palmsugarand
fishsauce.Thespicynampriksaucewillaccompany
hay-bakedchicken.“It’scalledopfaanginThai,which
meansbakedinhay,”saysRicker.“It’slikea DIY
backyardoven.”Thebirdis firstmarinatedingarlic
theninvertedontoa beerbottleandconcealedina
recycledoiltin.Thetinis coveredwithricehaywhich
is thensetalight.“It’sfunandit’sa fuckingspectacle!”
Corianderrootis usedinmostThaidippingsauces
andasa baseinmanyotherdishes.It’sa crucial
ingredienttoThaicooking,somuchsothatChanta
growsfivevarietiesonthefarm.“There’salways
corianderinseasonnomatterthetimeofyear,”says
Anderson.“I likenThaiflavourstoItaliansoffritto:the
Italianshavecarrot,onionandcelery,whileThaishave
corianderroot,garlicandchilliesinalltheirforms.”
It’slateafternoonandbeforethesundisappears
behindthepalmsAndersonjumpsintoa rowboatat
theriver’sedgeandpaddlesouttothemiddle.She’s
harvestinglotusstemsforchefBenDevlin’ssalad.
“Discoveringa newflavouroringredientis pretty
exciting,”saysDevlin,chefandownerofcontemporary-
coastalrestaurantPipitinPottsville,northernNSW.
“I feelfortunatethatI gettoworkwithPalisabackin
Australia.Shegrowsthingsonherfarm(BoonLuck)
thatI wouldneverotherwisegetorwouldn’thaveeven
knownaboutandit’sona wholeotherlevelhere.”
Hecombinestheslicedlotusrootwithfresh
coconutandwingbeansforcrunch,thentopsthe
saladwithgalangalflowers,cowslipcreeper– another
fragrantedibleflower– andholybasil,allofwhich
hepickedfromtheplantminutesearlier.Theend
resultis a texturalandcolourfulsaladthatwillpair
wellwiththeroastpigandhay-bakedchicken.
“That’swhatgoodcookingis about– it doesn’t
matterwhereyouare,you’reabletomakedelicious
foodif youhaveaccesstofreshproduce,”saysAnderson.
“I thinkthepeoplewhocookreallyamazingfood
areoftenoutsiderstoa cultureorcuisinebecause
theyfeeltheneedtoexploresomethingdeeper,”she
adds.“It’sabouthowmuchrespectyouhaveforan
ingredient– andit’salwaysbetterif youunderstand
thecontextofwhereit comesfrom,becausethen
you can use it in a more intellectual way.”●“Ithinkthepeoplewho cook
really amazingfoodareoften
outsiderstoa cultureorcuisine
becausetheyfeeltheneed to
explore something deeper.”58 GOURMET TRAVELLER