dining
by Andrew Dunaway
The Best Meal I Ever Ate: Thai House
Mao Tod Gathim Prik Thai from the Thai House will make your taste buds happy.
Mao Tod Gathim Prik Thai ranks high as one of Jackson’s “Best Meal I Ever Ate” because of the combination of fried, palm-sugar-sweetened pork and the pungency of Nam Prik Pla. You can be timid
and dip the pork into the sauce and enjoy the dish with a side of white rice, or you can use my method: Pour the Nam Prik Pla over the pork and rice and dig in. Your taste buds will thank you.
by Andrew Ousley
LAUREL FAN
Just Brew It
Nam Prik Pla is made with limejuice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and Thai chilies—lots of Thai chilies. One thing that really sets this dish apart from other Thai offerings is its rarity. I’ve eaten at my fair share of Thai restaurants, and the Thai House is the only place I’ve seen Mao Tod Gathim Prik Thai. When I asked the Bunnirans, owners and operators of The Thai House, about the dish, I got an interesting answer. Tim Bunniran says it’s a custom creation from the Thai House kitchen. While the origins of Mao Tod Gathim Prik Thai are debatable, there’s no doubt where Thai House chef Toon Bunniran learned to cook such excellent Thai cuisine. His mother, Tim, taught him but, interestingly, her mother didn’t teach her. According to Tim Bunniran, her mother was constantly in the kitchen, always working on the next meal, but she never passed the secrets on to the next generation. As a result, the flavors we all know and love at the Thai House are the result of Tim Bunniran recreating the flavors of her mother’s dishes.
ANDREW DUNAWAY
W
hen it comes to dining in Jackson, the Mao Tod Gathim Prik Thai from the Thai House (1405 Old Square Road, 601-982-9991) is a solid entry into the category of the “The Best Meal I Ever Ate.” It’s an unassuming menu item, falling near the back at No. 68. Consisting of fried pork served with a Thai dipping sauce, it’s often lost in the sea of Larbs, Paht Priks and Pad Thai. Actually, Thai dipping sauce is a vague term. At the Thai House, that sauce is a kaleidoscope of flavors; it has elements of spicy, sweet and fishy. Fishy? That’s right, the Thai dipping sauce is actually Nam Prik Pla, a condiment based largely on fish sauce. Few things may be more foreign and possibly even repulsive than a bottle of fish sauce. I’ll admit that the idea of eating the extract of fermented anchovies doesn’t sound too appealing, but it is simply delicious for those with a predilection for Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. In its most basic form, Nam Prik Pla is simple mixture of sliced chilies and fish sauce often with other components added. At the Thai House, the
A “proper cuppa” is easy to brew any time of the day.
I
n the early, crisp days of winter, after a morning run to unknot my muscles and jolt my brain, my body needs its caffeine fix. Coffee, however, is too harsh and heavy for me after exercise. I prefer a steaming cup of tea with my breakfast. Although it is the second-most widely consumed beverage in the world (after water, of course), tea in the South is usually associated with the cold, syrupy, saccharine goodness we call sweet tea. Hot tea is a staple in many cultures and boasts numerous health benefits—not to mention how tasty it is. Some people are confused by the myriad tea choices at the supermarket, but since it’s relatively inexpensive my advice is
to just try out different brands and flavors until you find the one you like. If you are going to do this, though, make sure you know how to properly brew a cup of tea, or as the British call it, “a proper cuppa.” Here are some simple rules for the perfect cup of tea. First, bring fresh, cold and, ideally, filtered water from the tap to a boil in a kettle or pot. “Prime” your teacup or teapot with warm water to help keep the tea warm longer. Next, take your water off the boil and quickly pour it over your tea bag or loose tea leaves. Different teas require different steeping times, but usually a breakfast tea or black tea takes three to five minutes; the longer it steeps, the
stronger your tea will be. Don’t steep for too long, or your tea will be bitter. Finally, add sugar and milk if you fancy it. For more flavor, try adding lemon, honey or a cinnamon stick. Tea isn’t just for breakfast, either. Some special teas are designed to promote relaxation, for example, and others delight the senses with floral or potpourri scents. Some people like to serve tea with lots of ceremony and flair, but others, like myself, gulp it down in a regular coffee mug while reading the Jackson Free Press and eating cheese grits. For more information about tea and techniques, check out adagio.com or enjoyingtea.com.
voted best coffeeshop in jackson
November 23 - 29, 2011
2003-2011
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Historic Fondren Art District www.cupsespressocafe.com