Songkran, the Thai New Year on 13 April, is a vibrant and joyous celebration marked by a famous water festival that symbolises the cleansing of the past year’s misfortunes through playful water fights and anointing one’s elders with water at the hottest time of year. Traditional Thai dishes play a central role, reflecting the culinary heritage that unites families and communities at this auspicious time.
Fried pork with salt (pictured top)
Variations on this dish are found on street carts throughout Thailand. It’s served for breakfast to smoosh into sticky rice, or late at night with chilli dipping sauce and beer. For the days of the Songkran festivities, it’s a real winner when you start to flag from all the celebrations. Fish sauce does incredible things to good-quality pork, so think of this as a delicious Thai sort-of bacon.
Prep 10 min
Marinate 1 hr+
Cook 5 min
Serves 3-4
500g pork belly or shoulder, skinned
2 tbsp fish sauce, or 2 tbsp salt
1 pork or chicken stock cube, crumbled
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus a little extra for frying
4 tbsp tempura flour
Chilli dipping sauce, to serve
Cut the pork into 1cm-thick batons – keep them as uniform as you can, so they’ll fry evenly. Put the pork, fish sauce, crumbled stock cube, oil and flour in a large bowl or zip-lock bag, give it all a good (Thai) massage, then set aside for an hour, or put in the fridge overnight.
In a shallow pan, gently stir-fry the pork in a little oil for about five minutes, until golden all over but still juicy. Tip into a bowl and serve immediately with your chilli dipping sauce of choice and ice-cold beer.
Mild yellow curry
Most Bangkok locals would consider this a green curry, but it’s actually yellow, and very mild and fragrant, rather than spicy. It’s normally made with ready-pounded fresh red chillies and garlic, which you can buy alongside the curry pastes in Thai markets, but here I’ve used a tablespoon of red curry paste instead. I’d recommend you eat the wings with your fingers, then mix the noodles into the sauce and slurp away.
Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 3-4
400ml tinned full-fat coconut milk
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp red curry paste
2 tbsp green curry paste
1 tbsp palm sugar
12 chicken wings
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp ground white peppercorns
1 yellow squash, or 3 yellow courgettes, cut into large chunks
1 small handful Thai basil leaves
200g round rice noodles
Sliced mild red and green chillies, to garnish
Open the tin of coconut milk, then use a spoon to lift off the puck of heavy cream on the top. Put two tablespoons of this cream and the vegetable oil in a hot wok and stir to combine on a medium-high heat. When the oil separates, add both curry pastes and fry gently for a couple of minutes, until they start to separate, too. Add the palm sugar, raise the heat and, once the mix thickens, add the chicken wings and fish sauce.
Pour in enough water to half-cover the chicken, add the peppercorns, then leave to bubble on a medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is almost but not fully cooked. Stir in the pieces of squash and simmer for another 10 minutes, until everything is cooked through.
Top up the curry with the coconut milk from the open can, so the sauce is the consistency of thin cream, then check the seasoning and add fish sauce and salt, if necessary.
Cook the rice noodles in boiling water according to the packet instructions, then drain. Festoon the curry with the Thai basil and sliced chillies, and serve with the rice noodles alongside.
Mackerel rice
This dish of cold fish and warm rice is rather affectionately known as “cat’s rice”. While there is excess and fun at Thai New Year, it also marks the start of the Buddhist year, and this rather frugal dish speaks to that, though Thais can’t help but turn something so simple into something so delicious, too.
Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 3-4
Salt
1 mackerel (250-400g), cleaned and gutted
250g cooked Thai jasmine rice, either freshly cooked or leftover
1 red and 1 green bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced
5 tbsp fish sauce
1 lime, cut into segments
1 small red shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
Fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
Generously salt the mackerel inside and out, then roast in a 200C (180C fan) oven for about 20 minutes, until fully cooked. Remove, leave to cool a little, then pull the flesh off the bones and tear it into shards.
Mix the fish with the rice – if you’re using leftover rice, leave it cold, but the warmth of freshly cooked fish will accentuate the flavours more.
In a small bowl, combine the chillies, garlic and fish sauce.
Divide the fish and rice between three or four bowls, then garnish each portion with a lime wedge, some sliced shallot and a little coriander, and serve, leaving your guests to mix everything together and to anoint it with the chilli fish sauce and lime juice to taste. It should be fragrant, delicate and sustaining.
Luke Farrell is creative director of Plaza Khao Gaeng and Speedboat Bar, both in London
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