Street food in Krua Nong, Thailand (PART-03)

Story: Travel by Mark Wiens

And I think the next thing that he'll make is these giant prawns. So he was just saying that he can make up to like 300 or 400 different dishes out of his head but just the combinationof all the ingredients. Okay, and here goes in the shrimp. Yes. (upbeat music) (metal clanging) For the tiger shrimp, he's gonna be making (speakingin foreign language). (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) And they're ready but he's still fried it with garlic and chilies and what else did you put? - There garlic? Simply garlic.

- [Mark] Ah, okay. (upbeat music) - Okay. - [Mark] Okay. I think I'm going to go eat now. (laughing) (upbeat music) (speaking in foreign language) I can't remember if this is all thedishes we ordered or not or if this is all we're going to get but we have to begin now. Especially like I justcannot take it any longer after he fried those shrimp fresh, the aroma, the chilies. Wow. That is a beautiful plate. They're huge. Food has all arrived I think. I'll begin with the the king mackerel which was fried and then he made that sauce. It looks incredible and it's sitting right before me. And again this is the fish that he bought this morning at the market. It is as fresh as possible. Deep fried and then with that sauce that he made to go on top of it. This would be the bite thatI break into my rice with. Add a little bit more of that sauce. It's also really awesome because P'aey for lunch today, he got really busy. Some big groups came so he's just flying on the work. He has a lot more orders to make. Oh wow. Oh, that's wonderful. Just the fresh fish which fried till it's crispy and not too sweet, but salty from the soy sauce, a hint of sweetness, just forming a glaze on that. All that's just likecomforting on your rice especially with the rice and fish.

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Okay, next up for the(speaking in foreign language). Again, this is the (speaking inforeign language) fish, that big fish that we got, which they say is one of the best fish for (speaking in foreign language). Look at the thickness of that curry sauce. A water based curry but just with all the turmeric and we also got it with coconut shoots. I'll put a bunch of this on my rice. Try some of that fish plus a coconut shoot and rice. Wow. I love his (speaking in foreign language) because it's such a clean, such a pure taste. Sour from lime juice.

You've got that sharp acidic touch to it and then there's like so much turmeric in that curry paste, in his(speaking in foreign language) that it's like, I mean you just, vibrancy of the Turmeric is just, it literally is like liquid turmeric. Spicy to perfection.

The fish it's very firm. It's good soup, especially because it's very firm like that and just the thicknessof it at the bottom, you can see how how thick, how rich that curry paste is. Yeah. And that actual fish is incredible. Next issue is the (speakingin foreign language), which is like the spicy stir fry with shrimp with stink beans, with green peppercorns, he added in a bunch ofherbs and spices in here and that's just like athick curry sauce reduction. (plate clanging) With all the stink beans and the green pepper, I couldn't even fit the shrimp on this but I'll come back for it. I'll chase it with the shrimp. (car engine blaring) And a long with the spicy, just full of flavor curry paste. I got one leaf of the sweet basil, which is like contrast that flavor. The harmony, the balance.

Wonderful. Pull off the deal off the shrimp and I'll just chase that with the shrimp and another peppercorn. (plate clanging) Perfectly cooked. These are also the shrimp that we bought at the market this morning. Fresh wild caught, the texture you can taste that texture. You can feel that texture. Like not too soft, slightly muscular. There's amazing flavor. Next up, I'm moving in for the shrimp. Okay, I just got to put this on the side here but you can see him friedit down with chilies, with garlic and with I think some green onions as well. Look at that with thesauce and build up on that and the size of these. If you were to stretch it out, they're like completely curled but if you were to stretch it out, that's definitely the size of your face. Take off the head. I don't even know how to navigate this. Okay, take off the head. You're gonna cut it down the... he took out that vein, you can see.

So you can kinda just peel I believe, just kind of, but I want to I want todo this over my right so that I save all. Preserve all of those goodies but then you can kinda just peel back the shell because it's been deep fried, peel back this shell on this side. Look at the thickness of that meat. And then make sure you keep that tail so that you can you can have a little handle and next I think I'll actually scoop up all of that garlic and garlic and goodness and chilies to put back on it. This may or may not work but it will be fun. Oh yeah, it didn't work. Okay, I'll just take a scoop of it to chase. (upbeat music) (mumbling) (upbeat music) Oh wow.

The meaty muscularnessof this Tiger prawn. Okay, now I'm going to take a bite of that. Take a spoonful of garlic. (upbeat music) The sweet caramelization of that garlic there, chilies in there, the green onion. And the muscularity. Outstanding. For my next bite, I'm gonna dip in the (speakingin foreign language). Oh yes. The combination, that flavour, stunning. (plate clattering) Wow. And the rice with all ofthat garlic-chili topping, amazing. Then the final dish we got is the (speaking in foreign language), which are the the foot shells, the sea snails and he has huge ones. And normally what you do, you can grab it by that foot. Now hard foot. Work it out. Oh yes. And then dip it into the (speaking inforeign language) seafood or drench it. I prefer to drench it. Making sure not to eat that little foot on the end a that little hard bone. They're just always good. They really taste, Yeah, I guess I say thisevery time but they do. They have a similar texture to squid, when the flavour is even more nutty, slightly rubbery in a good kind of way. And then just wrap it upwith that seafood sauce, the garlic, the chilies in there, the lime juice. And I think those are the main dishes that we are trying today.

But again, P'aey at Khrua Nong restaurant. He can cook up to 400 different dishes and if you look over there on the wall, there's a menu, there's probably 100different dishes on that menu, written in Thai but then he can do different combinations. Like for instance, you could get the (speakingin foreign language) with your meat of choice, with 10 different meats or 10 different items. So the different combinations that he can make are limitless.

Yeah, I can guarantee you that no matter what you order here it will be fresh, it will be cooked by P'aey and his amazing team and then it will be true, authentic southern Thai taste. And truly delicious, amazing flavour. (upbeat music)(plate clattering) Oh yeah, I'm starting to sweat after that meal from the humidity, the spices, everything together. All that's left now are some empty sea snail shells and some tails, all those feet, those hard feet. What a meal that was delicious. And just so satisfying and P'aey, his cooking skills, his knowledge, his like warm, friendly kindness. He's such a passionate, such a friendly guy and then being able to go with him to the market this morning buy some fish. That was a highlight. Just an amazing restaurant, especially if you're in Khao lak. If you come to Panga in Thailand, this is a place you can come for your guaranteed fresh seafood, delicious food, delicious Southern Thai food. And he was also saying that he can cater to you if you like less spicy also, he can make three different spicy levels, the less spicy, medium and spicier version. So just tell him what you like. He will hook you up. He's an awesome guy and the restaurant, his restaurant is Khrua Nong in Takua Pa, it's just like an about a 10minute drive from Khao Lak. (upbeat music) (speaking in foreign language) And then this is awesome that he was in the Michelin Guide for Panga, Khrua Nong. That was an amazing meal. (speaking in foreign language) That was an amazing day. (speaking in foreign language) Thank you so much. Oh yeah, it is a blazing hot afternoon in Panga and again, I want to say a huge thank you to P'aey and his wife and their entire team at Khrua Nong. Come say hi to him when you come to Panga when you're in Khao Lak. Come eat at his restaurant and that's going to wrap up this video, I want to say a huge thank you for watching.

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