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Real Taste of the Island

20 April 2009 185 views No Comment

Story: Amornpan Somsawasdi
Photos: Amornpan Somsawasdi & Gaid Phitthayakornsilp

The coconut is a perfect fit as the logo of Samui as it represents and reflects the local way of life in every aspect. Because of the amazing surge of development over the last five years, it is difficult to find the perfect coconut plantation on the island. Yet, the coconut still acts as a symbol of this tropical island paradise.

As a way of taking a journey back in time to discuss local Samui cuisine, I recently visited a lady, Chortip Promrak, who was born on the island and has lived there for more than 60 years. The Samui native told me her story about homemade cooking in an ordinary family, in her cheerful voice and with a smile on her face. She told me that an ideal simple meal at that time was produced by collecting what she could find in her own backyard and in the surrounding nature, such as fresh fish caught from the sea and fruits and vegetables from her garden. There is no doubt that coconut trees are certainly top of the list of hand-picked items in the garden. As such, people try to invent recipes using all types of coconut byproducts, from coconut milk to coconut flesh, as well as its juice.

Now it’s time to show you two simple recipes revealing how we can affect an efficient usage of natural products in an eco-friendly way. The first dish is called ‘Keuy Jae,’ or coconut-shrimp paste. It is made from grated coconut flesh mixed with shrimp paste and pressed into a coconut shell. A slow, charcoal-grilled coconut shell filled with the mixed paste will brown and smell oh so welcoming, boosting our appetites. It takes around 15-20 minutes to grill. This dish can be served as a starter to go with fresh vegetables (i.e. cucumber, long beans), or it goes well with steamed rice, too.

The second dish gets its name from the way it’s cooked: Fried Coconut with Chili Paste or, in Thai, ‘Ma Praow Paad Kreung Kang’. It may sound very spicy, but the true flavor is not too hot. It just has some of the aroma of chili paste with other herbs. The cooking method is very easy, it’s just a mix of Thai herbs, including lemongrass, shallot, garlic, galangal (Siamese ginger) and red chili peppers. Put all the ingredients into a mortar, grounding it to a paste. When all ingredients are nicely blended together, put the paste into a pan over low heat – no need to add vegetable oil. Add grated coconut flesh into the pan and stir fry it until the paste mixes well with the grated coconut. That’s it – serve with hot steamed rice. Fresh vegetables are good to complement this dish.

Another example of traditional Samui cuisine is called ‘Wai Kua,’ or Thai Octopus in concentrated coconut cream. This dish is derived from a mix of coconut cream, octopus, lemongrass and shallots, and is seasoned with a pinch of salt, Kaffir lime leaves and shrimp paste. The major flavor is sweet and creamy with an aroma of herbs from the thin-sliced Kaffir lime leaves. It goes well with steamed rice and fresh vegetables.

If you want something a bit more hot and spicy, Tamarind Dip, or ‘Nam Prik Makam,’ would be another simple local dish. The traditional recipe is a pure mix of shrimp paste, grilled fish, tamarind and red chili peppers (as much as you like or can stand). Some people use dried shrimp instead of grilled fish. However, this recipe has been expanded from time to time by frying the mixed dip to strengthen the smell and make it dry. Some may also add a few poached prawns into the fried dip. Fresh vegetables go well with the dip.

I asked some senior citizens and they told me that coconut rice is a very good complement to Tamarind Dip. You may wonder what coconut rice is. It is rice which is cooked in coconut cream instead of water. I have tried it and the taste blends extremely well with the Tamarind Dip. It is quite sad that the coconut rice is rarely found in local restaurants around the island. However, ‘Wai Kua’ and Tamarind Dip are still available in some restaurants.

These are a few dishes derived from the coconuts which are available around the island. This makes me think back to a simple way of living and cooking from my parents’ generation. It has its charm in itself, without need of retouching or added-on decoration.

These dips and fresh vegetables, with their traditional flavors and ingredients, are also quite healthy. To complete the chapter of Samui Cuisine, I hope you find that the coconut will not be just a symbol of the island if the local community helps preserve the cooking knowledge and skills. This will also assist the next generation as well as travelers to learn how to appreciate a gourmet heritage and make existing natures be a more treasure thing.

Among hundreds of international restaurants around the island, some restaurants offer good local food for tourists to try the real flavor of the island. Here are a few in the list: