Rice pudding
Anyone who has ever been to Isaan knows it. The endless rice fields, stretching from village to village. Often small plots, surrounded by an earthen wall where - depending on the season - you can see the rice stalks swaying in the wind. Or a cow trying to outwit a few blades of grass among the stubble. It is hard work for the rice farmer, because planting and harvesting is done manually almost everywhere. A saying goes that every grain wickerit costs a drop of sweat.
Thailand is not the largest rice producer in the world, that is China. It is the largest exporter of rice, so it is an important source of income for the country.
As in many surrounding countries, rice is also the main food for the Thai; it is used for all daily meals in several variations, of which the jasmine rice (khao hommaliek) and the glutinous rice (khao niao) are the most famous.
Baked rice
Now that I live in Thailand, I also eat more rice than I used to in the Netherlands, about 3 or 4 times a week. Usually the plain white rice with some Thai side dishes and occasionally my Thai wife makes fried rice, which we in the Netherlands for convenience Nasi to call. When it's dinnertime, I'm called with the phrase gin khao, which literally also means 'eat rice'. My favorite dish is fried rice with chicken and cashew nuts, without the chillies, of course, because I only eat 'mai pet', not spicy. Rice is very nutritious, but also easily digestible, which makes me hungry again after a few hours and then open another bag of chips. Thais also know that problem, but they solve it by eating 5 or 6 times a day instead of three times a day and then also at the most impossible times. Just go out on 'Walking Street' and you'll see throngs of Thais still eating a meal at the food stalls at two in the morning – when most bars close. We Dutch have become accustomed to rice over the years, but I know enough farang, who can't even get a grain of rice down their throat and already show 'allergic' tendencies when they see those food stalls.
Supermarket
The rice we use at home does not come from the supermarket, but directly from the Isaan. Large 50 kilo bags. That seems like a lot, but you will be amazed at how quickly such a bag can be empty again. No rice at home is an unthinkable situation in Thailand. Yet it happened not so long ago that the rice was gone and my love asked me to buy a bag of rice at the supermarket. I had to think about that again this week when I read an article in a new English weekly (Pattaya One) about a farang, who also wanted to buy a bag of rice and got into a fight with his Thai lady about it. Almost the same thing happened to me.
Of course you go to the supermarket for that bale of rice, because such a bag is hardly bearable for a Thai woman, you think. You forget for a moment that she used to wear 2 of those bags on each hip in her village and, if necessary, another one on her head. So I go to Carrefour for a bag of rice. It took some searching, but then suddenly a whole new world opens up for you. A whole street with countless rice bags in all kinds, brands, prices, flavors and packaging. Fortunately, my wife hadn't asked for fish sauce and oil, because the choice was possibly even greater. Anyway, which bag of rice should I take?
rice milk
You may eat rice here, but obviously you don't know anything about it. I'm from the Netherlands and apart from our former ties with Indonesia, we don't exactly have a rice history now, at least not in my family. At home – in the XNUMXs – it was usually potatoes, vegetables and a piece of meat (or bacon) that mothers scooped up in a deep plate. You had to eat the plate well, because the porridge was then eaten from the same plate and sometimes that was rice porridge. A 'special' dish that we occasionally ate thick rice, simple plain, somewhat sticky rice topped with a knob of butter, no sorry margarine, sugar and cinnamon.
Now my mother could prepare a middle-class meal, but rice was always a problem. She cooked rice in a pan on the coal stove and one of two things could happen, or she used too much water, creating a sticky mess that could not be used as a main meal and then we had rice porridge. Or she forgot the pan on the stove, so that the water evaporated and a thick layer of rice caked on the bottom. The undamaged rice was scraped from the pan and placed on the table, giving the whole meal a smoky coal flavor.
In the Navy
I learned to eat real rice in the navy, but that didn't go well at first. On Wednesdays there was rice table and we novices were 'forced' to take at least a few bites of it. That was done with much horror and nose closed, but then as the weather went to the canteen to stuff yourself with filled cakes and canoes. However, you got used to it, on Wednesday rice table, on Monday nasi (with a bowl of chowder next to it) and at sea or abroad also on Sunday rice table. Also regular rice table on Friday, but then Zeeland. That was our name for the capuchins with pieces of bacon, onions, gherkin, etc. I don't remember whether that included real rice.
That rut of the same thing every week, where you also ate nasi with chowder in the tropics, after a number of years it became quite objectionable. After my military service I have not eaten nasi or chowder for at least three years. That changed, because my wife (cooking teacher) could make fried rice and rice table like no other. You have to make rice table for several people, so we regularly had a number of blackheads visiting. The Thais drink water and the Chinese drink tea with their meals, but as a true marine man, that rice table meant a good ditch of beer. When I went on my first big business trip of 3 weeks in the early eighties, my wife and one of her colleagues prepared a rice table for up to 30 people. A grandiose festive meal, which those present will remember with great pleasure for years to come.
Rice variations
On my many journey abroad for holiday or work, you will of course come across many varieties of rice. The black rice en paella in Spain, the Risotto in Italy, the pilaf rice in India, in Arab countries sweet rice with honey in a fig leaf, the Sake (rice wine) in Japan, the many delicious varieties of rice in Indonesia (my favorite is Padang rice) and of course the tasty Thai cuisine.
Married and at home in the Netherlands, we no longer only ate potatoes and vegetables, but rice was also regularly served on the table, usually nasi goreng. I even make it myself without my wife's help. Not 'ordinary' rice, but the so-called magic rice. Bring water to a boil, add an amount of rice, bring back to the boil and then simmer at half gas for 8 minutes. If you ensure that the water in the pan is about 2 centimeters above the rice beforehand, that water will have almost evaporated after that time. Let it steam for a while with the lid on the pan and Kees is ready.
no good
Back to modern Pattaya and our kitchen. I had made a choice and put the bag of rice on the kitchen table. “What is this?” my lovely Thai wife asked. "Rice of course, you asked for that, didn't you?" I said, avoiding a sarcastic undertone.
“No good”, she screamed and walked out of the kitchen. Not good? What does that mean "no good". I drag that heavy bale all the way from the supermarket and that's it thank you?
I asked my darling why she was not happy with my purchase. She explained to me that I had made the wrong choice, not suitable for her way of cooking rice. I objected that the bag of rice was not the cheapest in the shop and therefore would not contain small stones. I had heard that the cheap rice was dried on the street, then swept up and immediately packed. The immediate answer was that there are NEVER stones in Thai rice. OK, sorry! But this rice looked just like all the other, I don't know, 80 kinds. No, she said, the grains are too long, more suitable for Indian food than for Thai food.
I wasn't convinced and challenged her: "Good, cook it now and I'll decide whether it's good or not". She turned angrily, cut open the bag and turned on the rice cooker.
Living with my lovebird in Pattaya is wonderful, but there's one thing that really annoys me and that's when she's right. Fortunately it doesn't happen too often, but when it does I get furious. The rice she cooked was indeed more suitable for nasi goreng or saffron rice than for Thai dishes. I've had to accept that she walked around all day with a "I told you so!" look.
The positive thing about this story is that I never have to buy rice again.
About this blogger
-
Bert Gringhuis (1945), born and raised in Almelo in the beautiful Twente. Later lived for many years in Amsterdam and Alkmaar, working in export for various companies. I first came to Thailand in 1980 and immediately fell in love with the country. Been back many times since then and moved to Thailand after my (early) retirement as a widower. I have been living there for 22 years now with my somewhat younger Thai lady Poopae.
My first experiences in Thailand as a kind of newsletter sent to family, friends and acquaintances, which later appeared under the name Gringo on Thailandblog. Many, many articles followed those first stories and that has grown into an almost daily hobby.
In the Netherlands still an avid footballer and football referee, but the years are starting to tell and in Thailand still avid, but the pool billiards is really of inferior quality, ha ha!
Read the latest articles here
IsaanJanuary 15 2025Chaiyaphum, also Isan
Food and drinkJanuary 9 2025The pomelo in Thailand
SightsJanuary 7 2025The caves of Pang Mapha
SightsJanuary 3 2025Phetchaburi, a brilliant diamond
Haha recognizable, but I must admit they know everything about rice,
Well, they know a lot about rice, but they don't know Japanese rice, which has a much rounder grain and sticks more, but is not glutinous rice. This rice has a sweet aroma and is irreplaceable in Japanese dishes. Unfortunately, the Thais sometimes think differently. The Katsudon you can get in a food court is tasty, but if you've eaten it in Japan or also in a Fuji restaurant, you know that the rice makes the big difference.
I myself have been used to eating rice almost every day for the last 26 years. I was first married to a Brazilian for years: main course in Brazil: black beans (feijão) with rice.
In Thailand I eat rice about six times a week... and sometimes onigiri for breakfast in the morning... just for variety... now also available at our 7/11 and they are made from seaweed leaves and rice - the good rice that is. to hear…
When looking for suitable rice in the supermarket, it sometimes takes fifteen minutes before we find the right one. At home my wife often mixes the white rice with brown (with membrane)… so we have the brown bread variant of rice…. still soft, but rich in fiber…
The only potatoes I eat are usually in the form of fries or chips…
And it can be quite spicy… we avoid the restaurants where tourists often come, because they serve it al mai pet and you have to add chili yourself. Or I eat ahan Farang there… that is nice for the variation…
I especially laugh at your last sentence. A beautiful story.
I once went with my Thai mother-in-law to buy a bag of rice. We went to the market where there were 10 different types for sale. She knew exactly what she wanted.
When I'm in the Netherlands I prefer to use Surinamese rice. Has a somewhat neutral taste and is actually suitable for everything.
Am I glad I was born in the time of the rice cooker. Dry or overcooked rice, the idea alone makes me cringe. I love rice, I often eat rice dishes 3-4 times a week. When I still had my sweetheart, she was often the one who had to say that something other than rice could be served on the table. Most evenings there was either something Indian (made by me) or Thai/lao (made by my late teerak) on the table. You can take the potatoes from me, but don't touch the bag of rice.
I didn't really pay attention to what kind of rice that is, sometimes a bag from Thailand, or from Laos or Cambodia. Or unknown (rice with some Chinese characters on it and “restaurant rice” on the bag). I did hear from some other couples that it always had to be Thai hom mali rice, but that was never a problem with us. Although we found the rice sometimes better than other times.
If you forced me to choose between eating only rice, potatoes or pasta dishes for a year, the choice would be easy for me. You can go in any direction with it, although I prefer my dishes to be peth. Which makes me think my honey didn't want spicy one time and ordered a dish of peth and mai-peth. The service naturally assumed it was not spicy for me, that look and reaction when that assumption was incorrect, priceless. 555
A few years ago I got a whole explanation of the rice thing in Vietnam and there are more types of rice than just the famous Dutch magic rice. They thought it was funny that I brought a packet of magic rice. Well, I think that tourists want less spicy as standard is becoming a hype that I have to pay close attention to. So I now ask not to make it a bland tourist bite in the restaurants. Medium spicy please! For a tasteless bite, I'll go to McDonalds.
Nice story Gringo, but the fact that your wife has been lugging 3 bags of rice of 50 kg seems strong to me.
Nice rice table, but was from 1957 for number in the navy and did not hear anyone complain on Wednesdays, the professional chefs were able to enjoy it!. After Hilversum we liked to go on a business trip to Hilversum or Doorn.
Furthermore, as always, nice story Gringo but had to give the chefs a compliment
To pick up on the rice in the Navy: I, too, was introduced to rice for the first time at the age of 16 – in a form other than porridge – at the Royal Navy, in the training camp near Hilversum. Every Monday Nasi Goreng and chowder - what a combination - and every Wednesday rice table. Until then only familiar with the Dutch prakje, I initially found it horrifying the first times; it took me a while to start appreciating it. Now it's everyday fare......
Incidentally, the navy pot at the time almost always had capuchins on Thursdays, with bacon and onions. We called that a 'Zeeland rice table'…………..
I was now curious which one it must be. Have also ever been on the track with the wrong person. On the market
there are 20 species. The cheapest I think is chicken feed and from the others I'm looking at white rice at an average price.
I have rarely seen or used the dark or mixed ones. I now eat every day. The first lady cooked the best but was out of service for a long time due to a broken arm. I found another she also makes good food but often the same. Now I eat with her because I think she needs the money more.
Who can tell me which rice to buy to make rice pudding? They can't answer me in the shops. Thank you in advance and hope to make a nice plate of rice porridge or rice cake. Hmmmm…
Seems most likely to me the rice you make sticky rice from.
Just had a look and yes suitable, a lot of starch (for the creamy) present and round grains of structure.
This is already cooked in such a way that it sticks together, seems easiest to move on from this to a plate of rice pudding. You have to heat it longer and quietly and be careful that the milk does not curdle.
Burning is also not a success, so stir regularly.
My first encounter as a Belgian with rice tables (Bitterballen too, by the way) was with the Royal Navy. I, then a 17 year old Sailor Radiotelegraphist-Coder, was invited by a Dutch college Telegraphist, on one of their ships.
Later I found out that if you were invited by people from the Dutch Navy, there was always a rice table on the menu. Usually that ended well, especially on the ships and indeed usually topped with locks of beer ….
From 2008 to 2011 I was part of the Belgian delegation in the Dutch/Belgian Operational School better known as the NL/BeOpschool in Den Helder. Every Wednesday there was still rice table on the menu in the restaurant of the Marine Base.
I always knew it was known to Marine people as the "Blue Bite". But who knows, maybe that is no longer socially correct to call it that,
Tip: If you have to buy rice for a Thai, take the empty bag with you so that there can be no mistake.
Sometimes eating out isn't a success! The kind of rice was not good.
A kind of Cheap Charlie rice because most farangs don't notice the difference! Shame!
Indeed.
That's the first thing my wife would never let me do… That's buying or ordering rice.
haha Gringo,
Your account reminds me of my boyhood. An ETNA 4-hole coal stove in the kitchen. And spooning up that layer of "burned" rice with syrup, because throwing food away was "sund", a shame!
Years later I cycled with the group of Fritz Bill, from the “Fietstourist”, Thailand-China-Laos-Thailand. And on one of those mornings there was only lukewarm white rice. I could only detect that sweet condensed coffee creamer and something v currants / raisins. I cooked rice porridge from that. You should have seen those dirty faces!!
Hahaaa, but the pan was “spooned out”
Of course by age / cycling enthusiasts
Speaking of rice porridge, I make it myself in Thailand (my grandmother's recipe).
Coffee cup of porridge and 1 liter of whole milk. 2 eggs.
Rice in the pot then milk on a low fire (induction hob on 3) slowly cook.
Almost no need to stir.
Split eggs into yolk and egg white.
Beat egg yolk and egg white with sugar (a lot of sugar) until foam.
When the rice is done, cook the milk for a while, then fold in the egg yolk and then fold in the egg white foam.
Add sugar if desired.
Enjoy your meal.
Ben
During my marine training in Doorn I learned to eat nasi, afterwards in Curacao the sergeant major chef Rieteco always made a delicious nasi snack with liver and kroepoek etc., I often think about it 1967/1968