Stay at The Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Le Club

The trip between the United States and SE Asia is long no matter how the flights are booked and the best airfares are usually ones that begin and end in Bangkok.  We spend a fair amount of time in SE Asia and, at first, I dreaded the flight; well, I still do, but I have turned it into something I look forward to – not the flight but the Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport at the end of the flight.  For those heading into the city of Bangkok keep in mind that it is an hour by taxi and who, after flying for twenty or more hours, wants to take a flight to another destination. Not me. I book a night (sometimes two) at the Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Hotel.
After collecting my baggage I walk to Gate 4 where a gentleman the Novotel Greeter’s Desk takes my bags and leads me to the complimentary shuttle. In a few minutes I am at the Novotel, someone takes my luggage, tags it, and tells me it will be delivered to my room. Just walking into the bright, airy, elegant atrium I feel better – no longer cramped in a metal tube.

There is a lot to like about the Novotel.  Guests can arrive anytime and check-out 24 hours later. The choice of five restaurants and bars off the lobby make dining a pleasure.  The hotel has one of the nicest roof top swimming pools I have had the pleasure to enjoy. It breaks the mold of airport swimming pool with its Thai design and plenty of trees.  Adjacent to the pool is a workout room.  The spa is also wonderful with special massages designed to relieve jet lag.  When I arrive after a long flight I like to spend a day getting adjusted to the time change, going to the pool, and getting a spa treatment.  The hotel also

has an open-air “garden room” where it is possible to relax surrounded by greenery; a wonderful place to chill out with a book. I usually book a night or two at the same Novotel when it is time to return to the States so that I feel ready to endure the long flights.
I am a fan of the Novotel’s Le Club Level and find it value-laden. Checking in at Le Club is a sit-down experience and swift.  The accommodations are large and Le Club includes complimentary internet, breakfast in Le Club or at The Square’s massive buffet. We prefer breakfast in the serenity of the Le Club at “our” table by the window.  Le Club bookings also include discounts at the spa and other benefits.
We like the friendliness of Le Club and have come to know some of the staff and they often remember us. A nice touch.  On our last visit we noticed the chef checking out Le Club’s evening offerings. When I complimented him on the delicious selections and mentioned my husband’s favorite was the Thai Fish Cakes  Executive Chef Maximilian Schwaighofer offered to have his Thai sous chef, Banyon Malalek, show me how to make them.  Amazed, I accepted.

Thai Fish Cakes Recipe

7 ounces white fish meat similar to Tilapia
10 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 egg
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
10 fresh coriander leaves, minced
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp pepper
3 kaffir lime leaves
7 ounces cowpeas trimmed, diced (or string beans)
1 cup vegetable oil for deep frying

Dipping Sauce
2 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp roasted peanuts pounded
1/2 cup diced cucumbers

In a bowl mix thoroughly the fish meat with chili paste, egg, soy sauce, sugar, coriander leaves,
garlic, ginger, and pepper. Add cowpeas and kaffir leaves, mix. Take one handful at a time and slap it down on the mix, grab a different handful and repeat. It will make it stickier. Put some oil on hands (gloves) and shape the mix into balls or rolls; the fish can be formed into various shapes using a cookie cutter dipped in oil; only pack the form halfway full. Drop into hot oil for about five minutes.  They will rise to the top and when toasty brown remove, and drain.  Lightly mix chili sauce, cucumbers and peanuts.  Serve with dipping sauce on the side.

Making Goong Makham at the InterContinental in Thailand

Hua Hin is about 125 miles south of Bangkok in an area favored by the Thai Royal family.  It is where King Rama VII built a beautiful summer palace on the beach which is now a tourist site. Nearby is where the current king made his residence until his poor health required him to move to a Bangkok hospital.  Hua Hin is a popular beach destination for Asians and Europeans.

One of the things we love about InterContinental Hotels is the many ways they share the local culture with their guests.  One morning we got up early and went down to the beach so we could be there at sunrise to offer the Buddhist monks alms of food and drink.  The hotel had prepared packages of food for us to offer the monks who were on their morning walk. We presented the offering and in return we received a blessing. Offering food is one of the oldest Buddhist rituals and giving food is not seen as charity but as “making merit” that leads to spiritual growth. The hotel’s offerings were all prepackaged food items.  It is common to see the monks walking in the early morning. The Thai people come out from their homes with a pot of rice and ladle it into the monk’s alms bowl. Other people offer a curry-like mixture in small plastic bags that they add to the bowl.

The IC hotels also offer Thai cooking classes.  In the morning we

got into a tuk-tuk, a motorized open-air vehicle popular in Thailand, with Chef Worawut and visited the Chatchai Market. Asian markets selling fresh produce are called “wet markets” because the floor is wet from the melting ice that keeps the fish fresh and from misting the fresh vegetables.  At the market we bought tiger prawn and other ingredients needed for our recipes. The variety of fruits, vegetables, fish and other items in Asian markets is amazing. Chef Worawut explained that

most Thai homes have very small refrigerators so people shop daily for fresh ingredients. One of the items in our recipe was tamarind which is pod-like fruit but Chef Worawut explained that we will use bottled tamarind juice. One of the bonuses with a cooking class is that we get to eat what we make.  The class included preparing three items one of which was Goong Makham (Prawns with Tamarind Sauce).

Goong Makham

1 ½ (one half) tsp coriander 
3 cloves of garlic 
¼ (one-fourth) tsp white pepper
1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
2-4 tiger prawns or 4 oz shrimp, deveined
1 tbs tamarind juice 
2 ½ (one half) tbs palm sugar or brown sugar 
1 tbs Fish sauce
½ (one half) tsp Dark Soya sauce 
½ (one half) stem lemongrass, crushed
2 leaves kaffir lime, finely sliced
¼ (one fourth) cilantro leaves or other garnish

In a mortar pound coriander, garlic and white pepper to make a paste.  Heat oil over low heat in a stir fry pan. Add paste and stir fry for about two minutes until the aroma develops.  Add prawns, tamarind juice, palm sugar, fish sauce, dark soy sauce and lemongrass.  Stir fry for five minutes until sauce thickens. Add kaffir lime leaves. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with cilantro leaves.  

Cooking Thai with Dr. Yingsak

In Thailand just mention the name Chef Yingsak and everyone breaks into a smile. Flamboyant Dr. Yingsak is the best known chef in Thailand. He is the owner of the Thai & International Food Academy and has his own TV cooking show. Cooking at his academy is an international experience as people come from all over to study at his school. Green Curry is popular all over Thailand but especially so in Bangkok. Mothers often recommend Green Curry when someone has a fever. Clear Spicy Soup is good during the cold season and for new mothers.
Green Curry with Sausage
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons green curry paste
16 oz can coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon palm sugar (palm sugar substitute: 1 C dark brown sugar + 2 teaspoons
molasses)
2 sprigs coriander – chopped
1/ 2 teaspoon curry powder
1/ 2 teaspoon ground pepper
12 chicken cocktail sausages scored
2-5 oz snow peas or broccoli florets
2-5 pumpkin or squash – peeled and cut into strips
5 red and/or green chilies sliced
5 kaffir lime leaves torn
1 teaspoon sweet basil leaves - crushed
Preheat frying pan with vegetable oil then fry green curry paste until fragrant. Add coconut milk and simmer. Add stock, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Bring to a boil and add coriander, curry powder and pepper. Mix in sausage and veggies, simmer until it bubbles. Garnish with chilies, lime leaves, and sweet basil.
Serve hot with rice or rice noodles

Bangkok, Thailand: Cooking at the Peninsula

"Good Morning, Madam. Here is your chilled bottle of water. The Sam Yan Wet Market is only 15 minutes away," said the liveried driver of the Peninsula’s Mercedes. And, so began our lesson on how to make Phad Thai with Egg Net. Our guide led us through the wet market where we learned about the red skin dragon fruit and black skin chicken. It quickly became obvious why it is called a "wet market." Vendors were constantly spraying their produce to keep it fresh looking. The Peninsula Hotel’s Academy offers a variety of cultural programs including several cooking options that range from a one-hour Thai Tea Appreciation class to a Peninsula cooking class that includes dining at the hotel’s riverside Thai-style Thipara Restaurant. One of the hotel’s highly trained chefs teaches the lesson in a gleaming stainless steel kitchen. I found the egg net fun and simple to make. It can easily be adapted to make rollup hors d’oeuvres by placing julienne meat and/or veggies on the egg net. For more information check http://www.peninsula.com/ or http://bangkok.peninsula.com/.

Phad Thai – serves 2
7 oz rice noodles (softened by letting noodles soak in boiling water for 10 minutes)
6 oz Shrimp
2 oz chopped dried shrimp
2 oz chopped peanuts
2 oz bean curd, cut small
4 eggs
¾ oz chopped shallot,
3 ½ oz bean sprouts
2 oz chopped chives
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 oz cooking oil
1 lime sliced

Stir-fry the shallots, bean curd and shrimp. Add eggs and noodles, stir well until cooked. Add tamarind sauce and cook to the desired consistency. Add chopped peanut, dried shrimps, bean sprouts, and chives. Place on the serving plate. Garnish with fresh chives, bean sprouts, a piece of fresh lime, and chili powder. Cover with egg net.

Egg net
4 eggs
oil
salt
pepper
Heat a wok with a little oil. Whisk eggs in a small bowl add salt and pepper. Hold bowl over the wok, dip fingers into the egg mixture and drizzle egg mixture in a tic-tac-toe formation into the wok. As soon as the egg net is set, remove carefully, transfer to a plate. Cover with wax paper and repeat the process until you have used up the egg mixture.