Ban Na Ton Community and Khao Perb Noodle

If you know anything about Thailand you’ll know it’s full of the world’s most amazing luxury resorts, but if you want an authentic local Thai experience you’re not going to get anything more authentic than a home stay.

Experience a very different kind of culture and relax and partake in some of the traditional daily activities and the local’s lifestyles.

Watch the women of the village create a unique local product – mud fermented fabric. This concept was discovered when people realised that washing their mud stained clothes changed the colour and texture to soft and flowy. This is now a widely used technique in fabric production.

As part of your experience you can also come down and watch some traditional Thai weaving. You can also get involved in this and try it out for yourself if you want to!

One thing you can’t miss is the local Thai food. Theo and Sujet check out wood fire burner and make Fresh Rice Noodles with Mixed Vegetables.

Rice Paper

For the cooking method of the rice paper, white rice is soaked for a weeklong period until the grains are completely softened. This is to be strained on white muslin and dried up into flour. It is then made into a mixture with a pinch of salt and water, and spread on white muslin stretched tightly over a boiling clay pot to cook.

Khao Perb Noodle
(Fresh Rice Noodle with Mixed Vegetables)

Ingredients

• 1 Egg
• 25g. Bean sprouts
• 25g. Water spinach
• 25g. Cabbage
• Mung Bean noodles

Method

• Place egg onto steamer, cover and leave to fry.
• In a separate steamer, add scoop of rice paper mixture and allow to steam for around 2-minutes to harden.
• Add sprouts, spinach, cabbage and mung bean noodles on top of rice paper mixture while cooking.
• Once noodle is cooked, wrap ingredients.

Thai Pork Broth

Ingredients

• 2kg. Pork neck bones or spare ribs
• 1 head Garlic, whole and unpeeled
• 28g. fresh Ginger, unpeeled
• 1 stalk Lemongrass, outer layer removed, halved lengthwise and crosswise
• 4 slices Daikon Radish, cut crosswise into 1-inch slices
• 3 Scallions
• 3 sprigs fresh Cilantro
• 3 Celery ribs
• 1 Tbs. black or white Peppercorns

Method

• Rinse the pork bones well and put them in a 10lt. pot. Cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a bare simmer, covered, over high heat, uncovering once to skim off any foam and stir. Lower the heat and cook at a bare simmer, skimming occasionally, for 3 hours.
• Using a pestle, a meat mallet, or the side of a chef’s knife, bruise the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass to release their fragrance. Add them to the pot along with the daikon, scallions, cilantro, celery, and peppercorns. Simmer for another 30 minutes.
• Strain the broth into a large container (don’t press on the solids). Discard the solids. Let cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate until the broth is cold. Skim off any fat from the surface; the broth may be cloudy, which is fine.
• Add rice noodle with vegetables into a bowl and surround with broth. Add egg on top along with fried garlic, pork belly, minced pork and pork blood jelly, sliced spring onion and coriander.

*Note* You can refrigerate broth in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.

Steamer

Recipe is made with steamers made of white muslin, stretched tightly over a boiling clay pot and covered with a bamboo lid.

The home stay experience is amazing and you’ve got to check it out.

For more information about Amazing Thailand and the stories featured in Explore TV episode on Thailand, visit the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s website: www.tourismthailand.org/au.

Explore TV team recommends flying to Thailand on Thai Airways. For fares and schedules, visit their website,
www.thairairways.com

Also visit Flight Centre when planning your next trip to Amazing Thailand
www.flightcentre.com.au