Cucumber carved in the shape of a leaf
For the second Thai banquet in our UBC ‘eating’ course we went to Baan Wasana Restaurant, 2143 W41st Ave, Vancouver. It featured a menu of typical dishes from northern Thailand.
To begin they brought out one traditional home-style meal for the entire class to share. Served on a pretty tray, it was a mix of cooked and raw vegetables along with sticky rice, and although interesting I wasn’t overly fond of it.
traditional family-style meal in northern Thailand
Then we had a wonderful mix of some of my favourite Thai dishes. First off, crispy vegetarian spring rolls, known as Por Pia Tord.
vegetarian spring rolls
Everything else came all at once, along with a selection of condiments (peanuts, sugar, fish sauce, chiles) typical of northern Thailand.
“Watch out for those, they’re dynamite!” warned the waitress just as I bit into a dish that I’d smothered in the chile peppers (top centre). Her warning came too late for me, my mouth was exploding! Sugar and peanuts (left and centre bottom) help to cool the flames, at least a little.
Here is the rest of the meal:
- iced tea done Thai-style, smoky like oolong tea and very sweet from the condensed milk. It was way too sweet for my liking but many in the class enjoyed it enough to order it at all the following banquets.
iced tea Thai-style, smoky and very sweet
- Pad Thai done authentically with tamarind sauce instead of ketchup.
Pud Gra-Prow, ground pork sauteed with green beans, onions and Thai basil. This was my favourite dish of the evening, and I got to take some away for homework!
Pud Gra-Prow, ground pork sauteed with green beans and basil
- Tom Yum Goong, a spicy prawn and mushroom soup fragrant with cilantro and lemon-grass.
Tom Yum Goong, a spicy soup
- chicken curry in coconut milk done Panang-style (Gang Panang Gai, sometimes transliterated as PENANG KAI)
Gang Panang Gai (aka Penang Kai): red chicken curry in coconut milk done Panang-style
- and of course, sticky rice to soak up all those wonderful sauces…
