Chatuchak - Famous for something else

Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok is famous for their bargains. But few tourists know that there is an equally famous food outlet - Chatuchak Pig Trotters.

Oddly enough, the outlet is located in a gas station… Yes, right on the same premises as a gas station. Not the best location as parking is always a challenge there. But I can tell you that the place is a revelation really. We arrived at around 2pm and it was still rather crowded.

The air-conditioned outlet is spacious and clean.

When we sat down, they immediately placed 5 bowls of soup, 5 bowls of rice and then started taking order for the pig trotters and organs.

The soup is a pork based soup with seaweed, minced pork balls and liver. The seaweed adds a sweetness to the clear soup and it was so good, I had 2 portions!

Then came the highlight - the pork trotters. Braised till soft, the deboned trotter meat is soft and tender as one would expect. Nice taste of spices too - star anise, cinnamon and ginger.

Then there was another plate which is probably the trotter itself with bone and cartilage in. Plus some innards to go with. In our rush, I had forgotten to take picture of the chili sauce which is the vinegar type we have when we eat kway chap in Singapore. The trotters were so tender and meat fell off the bone and the cartilage was excellent too.

After my 2 bowls of soup and one bowl of rice accompanied by the pork trotters, I noticed they were putting aside the recently cooked trotters out to cool down.

Notice the amount of spices they use? Galangal, lemongrass, panda leave, garlic and many more.

Don't scoff at this pot - may not look appetizing but I can tell you the taste is wonderfully aromatic. Even the innards are flavorful and very tender.

So as far as I know, this is one place I will be going back to whenever I hit Bangkok and I go to OrTorKor Fruit Market for my fill of fruits. In fact, we went to OrTorKor right after our lunch here. Here is my previous post on OrTorKor. Stay tuned for a new report coming up.

Bangkok Fruit Market, Or Tor Kor - Part 3/3

My earlier years eating mangosteen was not really pleasant - a hit and miss, mostly miss. When you get poor quality mangosteens, they are sour and I dislike sour... Until I was introduced to the Thai variety at Or Tor Kor Market.

Mangosteens are supposedly "cooling" in property as opposed to the heath fruits like durians, mangoes and lychees. So when one eats too much heath stuff, one needs to balance it with mangosteens. Because it is in season, several stalls sell mangosteens and the purple skin are a sight to behold.

You can see from the green stems that the fruits are fresh.

When you peel the mangosteen, be careful the purple sap. They stain your clothes and it cannot be washed off.

The flesh is soft, juicy and sweet. You can taste a tinge of sourness but overall, they are sweet. The correct way of eating is to wait for the green petals to turn slightly brown and that is when it is at its sweetest.

I was told the rambutans are also nice. But alas, my luggage can only take that much fruits. And I am also not a fan of the rambutans even though I was told these are superbly sweet and in this case, grown by the seller in their orchard.

Rambutans remind me of my childhood years when we used to have a rambutan tree growing in our backyard. Plenty of black ants when the fruits are in season. But when there are no fruits, a good place to practice climbing. Way before rock climbing became a sport!

And I am looking forward to returning to Or Tor Kor Market for another marketing trip. Who knows what's next.

Bangkok Fruit Market, Or Tor Kor - Part 2/3

I have been going to Or Tor Kor Market in Bangkok for my local fruit fix for years and I never knew it was so close to the famous Chatuchak Market. Chatuchak is where one goes for a bargain for everything from household items, to clothing to just about anything you might want.

Between Chatuchak and Or Tor Kor, I take Or Tor Kor hands down. Not as crowded and always full of seasonal fruits. How can one forget about the mangoes in Thailand. They have several types of mangoes including some varietal imported from Australia and now grown locally. Red skinned and almost oval in shape, I was told they are grown in the northern parts of Thailand.

Then the regular mangoes. And again several types and sizes but the kinds they have are just so sweet that it is like drinking honey. The flesh is yellowy orange in color and each fruit is about 350 grammes - pretty large and much flesh. The kernel is rather flat so you get a lot more flesh.

And my favorite dessert… Mango with sticky rice and coconut milk.

And the star of this season must be the lychees. These are the varietals from Thailand. As juicy as the ones from China but their seeds are much larger. The Thai varietal are not as sweet as the China ones but they are just as juicy.

The China lychees are packed in a cane basket and weighs about one kilogram each.

And my are they sweet, fleshy and juicy!

Next up will be the post on mangosteens. Stay tuned!