0:00:03 > 0:00:04'We've packed our passports...'
0:00:04 > 0:00:07'..and bought our phrase books.'
0:00:07 > 0:00:09HE TRIES TO SPEAK JAPANESE
0:00:09 > 0:00:14'Because we're off on our biggest, craziest adventure yet.'
0:00:14 > 0:00:17- ALL:- Delicious! Delicious!
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Meow, meow! Eee!
0:00:20 > 0:00:22HE BELLOWS LIKE TARZAN
0:00:22 > 0:00:25'We're travelling further than we've ever done before...'
0:00:27 > 0:00:31'..to uncover the authentic roots of Britain's favourite takeaway foods.'
0:00:31 > 0:00:35I've always wanted and know how to make proper sweet-and-sour sauce.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36'Going off the beaten track
0:00:36 > 0:00:40'and being welcomed into some of Asia's hidden worlds.'
0:00:40 > 0:00:42How marvellous is this?
0:00:44 > 0:00:48'From the high-rises and hot woks of Hong Kong...'
0:00:48 > 0:00:50The heat on this is really, really intense.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52But, listen, it's like a jet engine.
0:00:52 > 0:00:53GAS BURNER ROARS
0:00:53 > 0:00:55I love it!
0:00:55 > 0:00:57'..to the sweltering tropics of Thailand...'
0:00:57 > 0:00:59We love a tuk-tuk!
0:00:59 > 0:01:02'..where they say it's impossible to eat badly.'
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Thai food's arrived in Britain
0:01:04 > 0:01:07but, by crikey, it's only the tip of the iceberg.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11'And we fulfil a lifelong ambition to explore Japan.'
0:01:12 > 0:01:15- That is perfect.- Wow, look at that!
0:01:15 > 0:01:17I've just had a sushi-gasm.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20'We finish up in South Korea,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23where the spicy cuisine is sensational.'
0:01:23 > 0:01:25This would go down a bomb down the local.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30'So leather up and take to the road...'
0:01:30 > 0:01:32'..for one extremely hairy...
0:01:34 > 0:01:36BOTH: '..Asian Adventure!'
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Ah, mind, it's lovely here, Dave, in Thailand, isn't it?
0:01:57 > 0:01:59The place where us Brits have come to know and love
0:01:59 > 0:02:00for a bit of quality R & R.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Ah, we came here, tasted the great food
0:02:03 > 0:02:05and that's how we developed our palate,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08the love for Thai flavours that we adore at home.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11We've got a taste for the coconut and the spicy curry
0:02:11 > 0:02:12and the old exotic fruits, haven't we?
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Ooh, aye, but there's more to exotic fruit than just pineapple!
0:02:15 > 0:02:19I mean, we've got custard apples, durian, mangosteen,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22pawpaw, rambutan to name but a few.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24- Fancy a "paw pi ped"?- No.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27That's baked tiger king prawns, red curry in crab sauce with green veg.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28Will you shut up?
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Thailand has a wildly varying landscape
0:02:32 > 0:02:35and a rich multicultural past.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Its place on the ancient spice routes between East and West
0:02:40 > 0:02:44brought traders and ingredients from all over the world to its shores.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49The result? One of the most varied cuisines on the planet
0:02:49 > 0:02:53and we can't wait to try as much of it as possible.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56We are starting in Phuket,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59the largest of all the islands in the South.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01It used to be the perfect stopover
0:03:01 > 0:03:03for traders sheltering from the monsoons.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08This coastline would have been the first to see the spices
0:03:08 > 0:03:13and produce from places like Persia, India and, of course, Europe.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16It's a melting pot that's typical of Thai cuisine.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19The re-occurring theme of adopting and adapting over the years
0:03:19 > 0:03:22is what has given us the flavours of Thailand
0:03:22 > 0:03:24that we've known to come and love at home.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26You're absolutely right.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Today, Phuket is the destination of choice
0:03:29 > 0:03:34for many of the 22 million visitors who come to Thailand every year.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42We're catching up with one person who remembers it like it was.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45He is Mom Tri, a food lover and architect
0:03:45 > 0:03:47who built some of the first hotels here.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Mom Tri, good morning. I'm Si. Very nice to meet you.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53- Very nice to meet you. How are you this morning?- Nice to meet you.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Well, what a great day for walk on the beach.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58You live in Bangkok most of the time, or...?
0:03:58 > 0:04:02I live in Bangkok, in Chiang Mai, in Phuket and in...
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Maine, USA.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- Oh!- Oh!- A nice life!
0:04:07 > 0:04:09What was it like, Mom Tri, when you first arrived?
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Because you are responsible for bringing tourism to Phuket,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- aren't you, really?- Yes. And, um...
0:04:15 > 0:04:17maybe ruining it, too!
0:04:17 > 0:04:20- From my point of view. - From your point of view, OK.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25Because, when I arrived here 40 years ago, there was absolutely nothing.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Nothing except for naked, beautiful, young hippies.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- The hippies always discover the best places in the world first.- Yeah!
0:04:33 > 0:04:36I bet, though, in the village, there are still some casualties there.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38I bet there are still some of those original hippies.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Or is it just you?
0:04:40 > 0:04:44They've all gotten very rich and fly private jets now!
0:04:44 > 0:04:46- THEY LAUGH - Really?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49There's nothing like a hippy that's got rich.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58'There are restaurants and hotels catering to all tastes in Phuket.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00'But we're after the real deal,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03'so who better to service up an authentic Southern Thai breakfast
0:05:03 > 0:05:06'than our new foodie friend, Mom Tri?'
0:05:06 > 0:05:11- This is a very grand breakfast.- It is a very grand breakfast, isn't it?
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Well, it's a common breakfast but it's set very grandly.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17It's the curry that is the main part.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- Wow!- Good grief. Crumbs!
0:05:20 > 0:05:24I feel like the King of Siam at the moment, faced with this.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25Beautiful.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Is this what people would have and eat for breakfast in Phuket?
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Yeah. At home, it's probably simpler,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34but people would choose one or two or three curries.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- So there's eight curries here.- Yeah.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Each one of them you'll find it's a quite different taste.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43This one is made from shrimp paste.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45That is beef curry.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47And that's chicken curry.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50This is simply Thai food we wouldn't get at home.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55That's a sweet one with some nuts.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57I think there's maybe some tamarind in there as well.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00'The spice, tamarind, is originally from Goa in India.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02'You can taste straight away how the spice trade
0:06:02 > 0:06:05'has influenced the food here!'
0:06:05 > 0:06:07In the old days, it used to be all very hot.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12These days, because of mainly Bangkok and tourists coming to Thailand,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14I've noticed that the degree of hotness
0:06:14 > 0:06:16has been reduced quite a bit.
0:06:16 > 0:06:22- But in the old days I couldn't eat this. Too, too...- Too hot?- ..potent.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26The fresh pineapple I use as a fire extinguisher if it gets too hot.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30This is AMAZING food! It's amazing.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32- But they all balance together really nicely.- Yeah.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34You know, one flavour, complements another.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38It's the most exciting gastronomic experience I think I've ever had.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Because you build all sorts of little flavours to your own palate.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46It's also representative of how food-obsessed the Thai people are.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Look at this for breakfast.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53And that's the mad thing - all this is normal food.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57- It's just like...- Everyday food. - ..everyday food. In a grand setting.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59- Bacon and egg. - This is the bacon and egg!
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Yeah! The bacon and eggs of Thailand.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04THEY LAUGH
0:07:04 > 0:07:07'You know, Si, I love the fact that the spices in each curry
0:07:07 > 0:07:11'are like a little taste of Thailand's history.'
0:07:11 > 0:07:13'Now, enough of this blathering, Dave, I'm roasting.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16'So let's get in the pool and work out what we're going to cook.'
0:07:22 > 0:07:25DAVE LAUGHS
0:07:25 > 0:07:27I think we should cook a tribute to Mom Tri.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- I mean, he's really inspiring. - Squid! Let's do squid.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Let's do the best salad you've ever tasted.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- Right.- Mom Tri style.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Cor! Look at this, Kingy. It's a piece of paradise.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Isn't it just, dude? Isn't it just? Look at it, beautiful! Beautiful!
0:07:45 > 0:07:47You know, so much so that, in 2005,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Fortune Magazine declared Phuket to be amongst
0:07:50 > 0:07:54the top five retirement destinations in the world.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56What a place to come and pop your clogs!
0:07:56 > 0:07:58A place to grow crumbly.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- Right.- We start off by making the dressing.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Don't forget, Thai cuisine - pestle and mortar is king.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06That comes before the knife.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10'Thailand has about 80 different types of chilli
0:08:10 > 0:08:14'and the hottest is here in the South, the bird's eye chilli.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16'Southern Thais love their food hot.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20'You start your salad dressing by crushing up some of these.'
0:08:20 > 0:08:21Do your worst, Hercules.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Just leave the seeds in, don't worry about that.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26We want heat, we want fire, we want passion.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27'Add a clove of garlic.'
0:08:29 > 0:08:31The squid part of the salad is hot.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33We throw the dressing in the hot part,
0:08:33 > 0:08:34mix that with the cold part
0:08:34 > 0:08:37and, actually, you've got a kind of hot and cold as well in this salad
0:08:37 > 0:08:40as well as the four elements of Thai cookery,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42which are salt and sweet...
0:08:42 > 0:08:43'..hot and sour.'
0:08:44 > 0:08:46'The chillies are the hot part.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49'Now add a dollop of palm sugar to give a little sweetness.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53'Not to mention a luscious caramel flavour.'
0:08:53 > 0:08:54'Add some Thai fish sauce,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57'the most important flavouring in Thai cooking.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01'And used in nearly every dish. That's the salty.'
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Take a lime. Roll it. You get more juice out of it that way.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09And there's some sour, and that's the dressing done.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12These are beautiful baby squid,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and this is how you get them from the fishmonger.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17What you do is, take the squid,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21then you've got its head, its tentacles, the guts and the bit you want to eat, the tube.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Just kind of pull that out.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28I want to cut the tentacles off below the head, and we discard the head.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31So that's the bad bits.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Now, in here you'll find a quill.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Extraordinary, it's quite beautiful in a way.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40it really looks like plastic. Obviously you can't eat that.
0:09:40 > 0:09:41Discard.
0:09:41 > 0:09:47Now, I'm going to cut it into two. Trim the bottom off...
0:09:47 > 0:09:49I scrape the inside,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52and I want to peel the skin and the fins off.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57And a lot of time you have squid it's rubbery, that's because people don't bother to peel it.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59You need to take that membrane off.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04And just score it like a diamond. But don't cut all the way through.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07When you cook it you get those lovely curly shapes
0:10:07 > 0:10:09that you get in Thai restaurants.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12You just keep on till you have a nice bowl of meat.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14Now for the salad.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Slice up a bunch of garlic chives.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22They're more garlicky and less oniony than normal chives, you see, unsurprisingly.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26As well as some sweet basil. It has a beautiful aniseedy flavour.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Tear up a handful of that along with some mint.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36Now you see, a lemon zester will give a little bit of Thai class to your chopped cucumber.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41Half some plum tomatoes and chuck them into your salad, along with some sliced garlic
0:10:41 > 0:10:44shallots and spring onions.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49Right, we're ready to cook the squid along with some ginger to give it a delicious kick.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50Boom!
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Now, that's how hot you want your wok.
0:10:53 > 0:10:58Look at that, lovely. Great. Aww, the smell, man, the smell!
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Now, the squid goes in.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06If you work it a little bit the tubes will start to curl up.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Look at that, mate.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09At home you might look and think,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12"Those two lads, they've got some job, haven't they?"
0:11:12 > 0:11:13You're not wrong.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16We're there, aren't we? Beautiful!
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Take it off the heat and then we put in the dressing.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Look at the colour of that, mate.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30We're going to dress this with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, for flavour.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Lush. Get a little spoon out, my old mucker.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Right. And we just put that in.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41But what a salad dressing.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Just turn it in gently.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54And the leaves are yielding just a little bit with the heat, but not too much.
0:12:00 > 0:12:01Wow, mate.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Beautiful.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08The whole thing now is about room temperature.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Well, about 36 degrees.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15- Cold beers.- Definitely. Sit, chat, nibble on
0:12:15 > 0:12:18- as they would in Thailand. - Who said salads were boring?
0:12:24 > 0:12:29You know, there are 562 islands dotted around southern Thailand.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Ooooh, someone's been reading his guidebook!
0:12:33 > 0:12:37We're heading off the beaten track to the tiny island of Koh Yao Noi.
0:12:37 > 0:12:43But we've heard on the grapevine that is the place to find really authentic southern food.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Koh Yao Noi is just a 30 minute hop from Phuket.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58I feel just like Roger Moore, Kingy!
0:12:58 > 0:13:02These islands were where they filmed The Man With The Golden Gun.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04And it's where Danny Boyle filmed The Beach, dude,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06I could be Leonardo DiCaprio.
0:13:06 > 0:13:07Wooah...
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I bet Leo and Rodge didn't tip up in the rainy season!
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Kingy, looks as though the monsoon has caught up with us at last.
0:13:20 > 0:13:21Trust us, trust us.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Never mind. Got a change of shirt with you, right?
0:13:27 > 0:13:31You know, Dave, Southern Thailand has only two seasons. The dry season
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and the green season.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36So called for very good reason.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38It chucks it down between May and October,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40giving the plants a window to grow.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Koh Yao Noi is 18 miles around the circumference, so it's not a big island.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53It's a small little pinprick in the sea.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55It's a proper island paradise.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Most people here on Koh Yao Noi make their living from the island's natural resources.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Some work on the rubber plantations,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Thailand is the biggest producer of natural rubber in the world.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16With so much coastline, many earn their living from the sea.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Fish is the most important protein in southern Thai cooking.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24We're here to meet Song Pong Num Wa,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27who is an islander who has lived here all his life, and like many of the islanders,
0:14:27 > 0:14:29he's a local fisherman.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34Every morning at 6am he gets up to go fishing in his traditional wooden boat,
0:14:34 > 0:14:38for fish and shellfish to sell at the local market
0:14:38 > 0:14:39and also to eat.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42And today he's invited us to go with him.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Tell you what, it's blowing up a hoolie!
0:14:44 > 0:14:48Here, Dave, I hope we've got our sea legs on.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Right, I'm going to sit here!
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Crab fishing by JR Hartley!
0:14:55 > 0:15:00The fishermen here have preserved their traditional small scale sustainable fishing practices.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Here we go, Kingy!
0:15:03 > 0:15:07We're heading out to sea to inspect Baht's stationary gill nets.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10These nets are a popular, low cost method of fishing
0:15:10 > 0:15:14and they are simply weighted on to the ocean floor.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21- Whoa! Is that a swimmer crab?- Yes. - How long are the nets, how big are the nets?
0:15:21 > 0:15:23- 100 metres long.- Oh, right!
0:15:23 > 0:15:26So they're big nets then.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29We've got a long way to go before we've got supper.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Big style!
0:15:31 > 0:15:33They're starting to come now!
0:15:33 > 0:15:35- There we go, look! - Him and his missus.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38You get a lot of value out of the crabs.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Oh, yeah, for sure. And they're flamin' tasty!
0:15:41 > 0:15:45How many crabs do you reckon you catch in one day?
0:15:45 > 0:15:48HE SPEAKS THAI
0:15:50 > 0:15:51About 40, 40 crabs.
0:15:51 > 0:15:5240 crabs!
0:15:52 > 0:15:56OK, I think it's time we went back inside.
0:16:01 > 0:16:09After just an hour at sea, we were in serious danger of needing to use those flimsy looking lifejackets.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15So, we head back to shore,
0:16:15 > 0:16:20with a few crabs and an invitation to join Baht and his family later on for dinner.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28As well as seafood, the other staple of Thai cuisine is the coconut
0:16:28 > 0:16:30and many families grow their own in the back garden,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32just like we might grow apples.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37So, we've come to meet housewife Oi, and her English-speaking friend Nok,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40to find out more about this hairy little fruit.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42I'm not talking about Kingy!
0:16:42 > 0:16:44- Very nice to meet you. - Very nice to meet you, Nok.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49Do you have enough coconuts to keep yourself self sufficient in coconut, coconut milk?
0:16:49 > 0:16:51SHE SPEAKS THAI
0:16:51 > 0:16:55- About 20...- 20 trees?- 20 trees.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58How many coconuts per tree?
0:16:59 > 0:17:02- About 50.- About 50! Wow!- That's a lot of coconuts.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06It is, innit? That's 1,000 a year.
0:17:06 > 0:17:071,000 coconuts a year.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09What does she use the coconuts for?
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Some she keeps for cooking,
0:17:12 > 0:17:14and then some she sells.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19One family would struggle, I suspect, to get through 1,000 coconuts a year!
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Now, coconut trees grow up to 80 foot high, so,
0:17:23 > 0:17:28I bet you're thinking, how do they get the coconuts down?
0:17:28 > 0:17:29It's dead easy.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31You hire an expert coconut picker.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33And here he comes now.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40- BOTH:- # I wanna walk like you, talk like you, ooh, ohh... #
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Oi hires the monkey and his man two or three times a year to pick the coconuts,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57rather like us calling out the window cleaner.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58Let's go.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01I'm excited to see this, it's good, come on.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08The Thais use pigtailed macaques to pick the coconuts.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12They have the only school in the world that teaches the monkeys how to do it.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Incoming...boom!
0:18:16 > 0:18:17There we go, incoming!
0:18:19 > 0:18:26An experienced monkey can chuck down up to 300 coconuts in a day, which is 10 times faster than a man could.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31They are trained to spot the ripe coconuts by smell.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Does the monkey ever fall out of the tree?
0:18:33 > 0:18:37That would be a crap monkey, wouldn't it? Do you know what I mean?
0:18:40 > 0:18:45They've got...flamin' notch! Give us a shout, son, would you, when it's coming?
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Another one.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52It's a very useful tree, the coconut tree. Not only can you eat part of it,
0:18:52 > 0:18:57you can make roofing out of it, you can use it for houses, spoons...
0:18:57 > 0:19:01And the water from the coconuts is good for you, too.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03It's very good for you. Low in cholesterol, low in fat,
0:19:03 > 0:19:07- 43 calories a cup, you know. - Look at that!- Wow, that's gorgeous.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Time to pay the worker.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Cheap at the price of a sweet yoghurt drink.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Oh, get in, son.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27- Thanks, monkey!- Thank you!
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Dave, you know what, you know how they use monkeys to pick the coconuts?
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Well, they need another one to scrape out the flesh.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40I can't say I've ever ridden a coconut device before.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44The flesh from inside the coconut is what Oi will use to make the coconut milk
0:19:44 > 0:19:48and this is the traditional way to get the flesh.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51What to do with a redundant cowboy's spur.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52Yeah.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01You could, so easily, take the skin off your thumbs doing this.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06And once the coconut is grated you just add water to get the milk.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14So basically you squeeze all the moisture out of the coconut into the water.
0:20:14 > 0:20:21Coconuts, loaded with oil. Most of which is saturated fats, which give the milk its thick colour and taste.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24The first pass of water is the richest.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28It's a bit like first pressed olive oil and second pressed oil, isn't it?
0:20:28 > 0:20:34- Yeah, fascinating.- You get your best off your first press, that's your cream de la crop.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39By the time the water goes through a second time, much of the coconut fat has already gone so
0:20:39 > 0:20:40the milk is much lighter.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50- The light one first. Ah, I see. - The cream in Indian.- I understand.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52- More coconut in this one.- Ah, right.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53More cream.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58It's a much more sophisticated use of coconut milk than we have at home.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02The thinner milk starts the cooking and the richer milk is used to thicken the sauce off.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- It tastes fresh and creamy.- Creamy.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08- The monkey has done his job well. - He has.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11You see, people talk about food from source to table,
0:21:11 > 0:21:17you know, you don't get much more from source to table than that, do you?
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Just 5,000 people live here on Koh Yao Noi.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Although 90 per cent of the Thai population at large is Buddhist,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28on this island nearly everyone is Muslim.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35That's because they came here from the Malay peninsula in the 1800s,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and they brought their culture and cuisine with them.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43We're here during one of the most religious times of the Muslim year, Ramadan,
0:21:43 > 0:21:45when they fast during the day.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50In the evening the Ramadan market opens up,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52selling food for the evening feast.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Oh, mate, it is absolutely amazing.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Better not eat too much, Kingy, we've been invited to
0:22:02 > 0:22:06our friendly fisherman Baht's house for Ramadan meal,
0:22:06 > 0:22:07cooked by his wife, Wah.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Hey, hiya, hi.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Come on down, the price is right!
0:22:12 > 0:22:13Hello, Nok.
0:22:13 > 0:22:14Hello.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Nok is here to act as our interpreter again.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19- Wah.- Wah.
0:22:19 > 0:22:25Wah has been rustling up a feast and just has a couple of dishes left to cook.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Now we start to make a yellow curry.
0:22:29 > 0:22:30- A yellow curry.- Yay!
0:22:30 > 0:22:32We're looking forward to that.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36First, Wah prepares the crabs we caught earlier.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- Is this the crabs?- It's nice to see how they prepare a crab.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42- Nice.- Back off.- Back off, yeah.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47It's just about our favourite food, this, isn't it?
0:22:48 > 0:22:53Then she begins her yellow curry sauce by warming some coconut milk.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57OK, for the coconut milk...
0:22:57 > 0:22:59What a great privilege this is.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- It is great. - Thai home cooking again, brilliant.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Is this the first coconut milk?
0:23:04 > 0:23:06- No, this is the second. - That's the second one.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11So we start off with that, and this is the thicker one, the first.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14- At the end. - And we finish that. Look at that.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- Are you going to put red curry paste in here now?- Yes.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20- In with the second coconut milk. - Yeah.- Right.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31The spiced turmeric gives yellow curry paste its characteristic colour.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34It came to Thailand on the spice road from India and
0:23:34 > 0:23:38is now the most widely used spice in Southern Thai cooking.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41It doesn't matter what the crab tastes like, the gravy's gonna be ace!
0:23:43 > 0:23:45And of course, look at those lovely prawns.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Those prawns are destined for a delicious red curry.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55The paste's fiery colour and taste comes from copious amounts of red chillies.
0:23:55 > 0:24:01I wish you could smell the smells in this kitchen.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03- Yeah.- It's unreal.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05The yellow curry and the fried red curry
0:24:05 > 0:24:07the colours of the Thai sunshine.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21- This is so exciting. - It is, isn't it?
0:24:21 > 0:24:23The sun's going down.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26- And everybody is really hungry. - Yes, starving!
0:24:26 > 0:24:28OK.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29DISTANT SOUND
0:24:29 > 0:24:32- For now...- Is that the call from the mosque?
0:24:32 > 0:24:33Yeah, from the mosque.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- Take a seat, please. - Thank you, thank you.
0:24:39 > 0:24:40Five times today.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45The evening call to prayer tells us that it's time to break the fast.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Wah and Baht haven't eaten since dawn.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49So they are more than ready for this feast.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52- Enjoy your meal.- Aww, thank you.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Aww, stinky beans for me.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Stinky beans, or sataw, as they're officially known
0:24:58 > 0:25:00are another feature of southern Thai cooking.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03They get their name from their strong flavour,
0:25:03 > 0:25:08and the fact that they can have a, well, let's say, lingering effect.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Red curry with these wonderful prawns and stinky beans, it's superb.
0:25:16 > 0:25:24- I've just got the first real reality of how hot, hot, hot, the cuisine is in the south.- Really?
0:25:26 > 0:25:30I've just had the first reality of how sweet a crab can taste.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32That yellow curry is fantastic.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Can you ask where she learned how to cook? Because it's very good.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39THEY SPEAK THAI
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- It's the same for cooks the world over, isn't it?- It is, Dave, yeah.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11I better watch myself with these stinky beans. I do love them,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13but I might have to live with myself later!
0:26:22 > 0:26:24- I'm ready for my bed now, don't know about you!- I am.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27- What a day. - What a day, what a privilege.
0:26:27 > 0:26:35Yeah. That, for me, that epitomised Thai hospitality and Thai people
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Yeah, me too.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42You know, coconut is in everything here in Southern Thailand,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44so in honour of this humble, hairy ingredient,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48we're headed to the beach to cook a delicious Thai dessert.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53What the hell have you come as?
0:26:53 > 0:26:56We're meant to be funky young things on the beach!
0:26:56 > 0:26:58You look like an organ grinder!
0:26:58 > 0:27:01- You know what you look like, don't you?- No.- The monkey!
0:27:01 > 0:27:04I've just come back from yoga - it's loose, it's comfortable.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Enables me to get into the positions where hitherto I couldn't.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Anyway, down to business, we're going to be cooking a
0:27:10 > 0:27:13coconut sticky rice salad cos coconut's been
0:27:13 > 0:27:14the motif of these islands.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17And what we're going to do is - going to have a lovely papaya
0:27:17 > 0:27:22and lime, mmm... "Gorgifousness", cornucopia, melody!
0:27:24 > 0:27:27'One of the most popular desserts in Southern Thailand is
0:27:27 > 0:27:30'mango and coconut sticky rice pudding.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34'But we found a lovely, ripe papaya and decided to use that instead.'
0:27:37 > 0:27:39- I think it will work a treat. - I think it will too.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42It's going to either work well in Phuket or in Peterborough.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45- Indeed.- Yes, I'd better get started.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Sticky rice is a glutinous rice. It's basically a short-grain rice
0:27:49 > 0:27:53and it tends to go mushy. And you soak the rice in water
0:27:53 > 0:27:56for about four hours and it tends to go glutinous.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Now, a lot of people say you should wash that rice before you do it
0:27:59 > 0:28:01but the idea of sticky rice is that it's sticky
0:28:01 > 0:28:05so, I think, keep the starch in. When it's soaked
0:28:05 > 0:28:07pop it in a steamer...
0:28:07 > 0:28:08like this...
0:28:08 > 0:28:12and just steam it for half an hour. We've just made this lovely, little
0:28:12 > 0:28:15woven mat of bamboo leaf as well. At home you could use greaseproof.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Just leave that to steam until it looks like...
0:28:18 > 0:28:21well, a jellyfish that's been out in the sun.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24We want it sticky - boing, boing, boing.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30'And, while the rice is cooking, prepare the papaya.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31'Or pawpaw as it's also known.'
0:28:34 > 0:28:38'Next, add the zest of an unwaxed lime and squeeze in the juice.'
0:28:39 > 0:28:43Ready to be served with Mr Myers' coconut sticky rice - I thank you!
0:28:48 > 0:28:51'And just when it was all going so well...'
0:28:51 > 0:28:54- The monsoon's kicking off. It's just gone dark.- Flamin' Nora.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00- Me hat, Kingy! - How's your rice pudding doin'?
0:29:00 > 0:29:01Me gas has blown out!
0:29:02 > 0:29:04SIMON LAUGHS
0:29:04 > 0:29:05Hold on.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08'We're cursed! First the boat now the beach.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10'The wind and rain are following us around - not the
0:29:10 > 0:29:13'exotic Thai experience we signed up for.'
0:29:24 > 0:29:27'Fortunately, as quickly as they arrive the clouds pass.'
0:29:32 > 0:29:35'And the sticky rice is done! So we can crack on.'
0:29:35 > 0:29:37We need to do an infused coconut milk.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39- SIMON EXHALES - And you kind of mix that with the sticky rice.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43It's a two-part cookery. So I've got coconut milk...
0:29:44 > 0:29:48Mmm. And you can use half-fat coconut milk if you are a porker.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51It is better for you. Some salt,
0:29:51 > 0:29:55some palm sugar, kaffir lime leaves, that's all you need.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57And it's like this wonderful...
0:29:57 > 0:29:59taste of paradise.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02'Let's get started - light your hob.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05'Pour some coconut milk into a saucepan.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10'Add a pinch of salt, some palm sugar
0:30:10 > 0:30:12'and kaffir lime leaves.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15'You can get both of these at the biggest supermarkets
0:30:15 > 0:30:18'and just keep stirring until the palm sugar's dissolved
0:30:18 > 0:30:21'and it comes to a gentle simmer. Then leave to cool.'
0:30:24 > 0:30:26I wonder if me rice is getting sticky?
0:30:26 > 0:30:28Here, what's going on with the dogs?
0:30:28 > 0:30:32- SIMON WHISTLES - Aren't they beautiful? It's like me and you that, know what I mean?
0:30:32 > 0:30:35Hey, dude, maybe that's it, maybe it's been sent by the spirits
0:30:35 > 0:30:37- of the island?- Yeah. It's a Buddhist version of us.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Freaky, dude, freaky.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44'Once your rice is nice and sticky it's time to pour in the coconut
0:30:44 > 0:30:47'mixture. But keep a little back.'
0:30:48 > 0:30:52'Now we're going local. And using little bamboo baskets
0:30:52 > 0:30:55'lined with banana leaves as our bowls.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58'Load them up and drizzle the remaining coconut milk over.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03'And a little lime leaf finishes it all off nicely.'
0:31:05 > 0:31:08'And that's your coconut sticky rice pudding with papaya
0:31:08 > 0:31:10'drizzled in lime juice.'
0:31:15 > 0:31:19- Sporks!- Sporks!- Pudding. Papaya.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Look at that, it's unctuous, it's sticky.
0:31:22 > 0:31:23It's rice pudding!
0:31:23 > 0:31:26That's what you call a balanced meal!
0:31:27 > 0:31:29Mm, papaya mixed...
0:31:30 > 0:31:34Mm, that flavour combo goes together very well.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37You know, Kingy, I don't think I'll ever eat papaya without lime
0:31:37 > 0:31:39juice again.
0:31:39 > 0:31:40No. Genius.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44If you could put that in a chocolate bar you'd make a fortune.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47So, there you go, our version of Thai rice pudding.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49Comfort food - Thai style.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55Now, you can see, can't you, how the cuisine's been shaped
0:31:55 > 0:31:57by what they have a lot of.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59Namely, coconuts.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03And by the people who migrated here hundreds of years ago.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06True. Now let's head North to see what culinary treasures
0:32:06 > 0:32:07are hidden there.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10700 miles North to be precise
0:32:10 > 0:32:11where the climate is cooler
0:32:11 > 0:32:14and the landscape couldn't be more different.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16It's all mountains and jungles.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23And it has a very different multicultural heritage too.
0:32:23 > 0:32:28The North borders Laos and Myanmar, or Burma as it used to be known.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31Over the centuries people from as far afield as China
0:32:31 > 0:32:33have made this area their home.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37I can't wait to see what the food's like up North, Kingy.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49Here we go, Kingy, the gates to the city of Chiang Mai!
0:32:49 > 0:32:53- The ancient city and the gateway to it, fantastic.- Hey, hey!
0:33:03 > 0:33:05We're in the Northern capital of Chiang Mai.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09It was once the ancient capital of the Lanna kingdom.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13Before Thailand as we know it even existed, the North was part of
0:33:13 > 0:33:16the mighty Lanna kingdom which also extended into neighbouring
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Laos, Burma and China.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23In the 15th century the Lanna kingdom was powerful
0:33:23 > 0:33:26and prosperous, dominating trade routes between Southern China
0:33:26 > 0:33:31and the Burmese seaports. By the 20th century it no longer existed
0:33:31 > 0:33:34and Chiang Mai had become the Northern capital of Thailand.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40But the Lannas left a legacy of food unique to the region.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44Chiang Mai is the fifth biggest city in the whole of Thailand
0:33:44 > 0:33:49and it's said to have some of the best food in the whole of Asia.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53So much so, that Thais will make the pilgrimage North to explore
0:33:53 > 0:33:56the local markets and sample the Lanna delicacies
0:33:56 > 0:33:58and there's one animal that takes pride of place
0:33:58 > 0:34:00on the Northerners' plates and that's...
0:34:00 > 0:34:02BOTH: The pig!
0:34:03 > 0:34:06In the South there's not much pork due to the Muslim population
0:34:06 > 0:34:10but here in the North the Chinese influence means most people
0:34:10 > 0:34:13are Buddhist and pork is one of the most popular meats.
0:34:17 > 0:34:22- Oh, Kingy, look. Markets, our natural habitat.- Love it!
0:34:22 > 0:34:25I'm dead excited!
0:34:26 > 0:34:29The locals do their food shopping here and also pop in at the
0:34:29 > 0:34:32end of the day for a post-work beer
0:34:32 > 0:34:34and a snack that's strangely familiar.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41It's a living, breathing, mountain of pork crackling.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45It's like The Blob, isn't it? A 1950s sci-fi film.
0:34:46 > 0:34:51HE OINKS
0:34:51 > 0:34:53# I hear the sounds of crackling pork... #
0:34:53 > 0:34:55That is Valhalla for us.
0:34:55 > 0:34:56# All I need...
0:34:56 > 0:34:58# It's fingers or a fork. #
0:34:58 > 0:35:00It came, it saw, it took over Chiang Mai -
0:35:00 > 0:35:03the 40-kilo pork scratching.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07Pork scratchings are made from deep frying the skin of the pig.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11Making little curls of bite-size crunchy, piggy "gorgifisness".
0:35:11 > 0:35:14This is the first piece of Lanna cuisine.
0:35:14 > 0:35:15BOTH CHOMP
0:35:15 > 0:35:17Aww! Hey, man, it's epic.
0:35:31 > 0:35:32These are epic.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39But there's more to this food than pork scratchings.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42We're meeting local food writer, Anne, to find out.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46What, to you, is Lanna food?
0:35:46 > 0:35:48So, Lanna food...
0:35:48 > 0:35:51- we don't use coconut in the food. - Right.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55- Because up here we don't grow coconut.- Uh-huh.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59So the taste is a little bit of bitterness but not so much.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03- And, er, salty.- Right.- But no sweet.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07- Oh, now...! Anne, what's this? - This is Kan Hun Lai.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11This one is from Burma but it's a little bit sour
0:36:11 > 0:36:15- because we put tamarind juice in there.- Yes.- Yes.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Kan hun lai, we use like pork...
0:36:18 > 0:36:21- like sirloin. Like the side of the pork.- Yes.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24With some of the ribs mixed together. Many, many herbs
0:36:24 > 0:36:28and many spices and then what's in here is...
0:36:28 > 0:36:30- what you call...? You call it pickle, yeah?- Yeah, yeah...
0:36:30 > 0:36:35- A little garlic.- Lovely. - And then ginger in here
0:36:35 > 0:36:38and then some of the crushed peanuts.
0:36:38 > 0:36:39ALL GROAN IN DELIGHT
0:36:39 > 0:36:42'It's thought that kan hun lai originated with the
0:36:42 > 0:36:45'Sian tribe who arrived in Thailand from Burma in the late 19th century.'
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Do you think that Lanna food is the best in Thailand?
0:36:51 > 0:36:53Well, because I live here, I was born here, I would say yes!
0:36:53 > 0:36:55LAUGHTER
0:36:55 > 0:36:56- I have heard it said...- Yes?
0:36:56 > 0:36:58..that it could be some of the best in Asia.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00Yes, thank you!
0:37:00 > 0:37:01SHE GIGGLES
0:37:11 > 0:37:14Next, we're heading further North into the mountains towards
0:37:14 > 0:37:16the Burmese border.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27These roads are a biker's dream but in days gone by the Thais would
0:37:27 > 0:37:28have used a different vehicle.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33The elephant!
0:37:33 > 0:37:37Today, most of Thailand's 2,700 domesticated elephants
0:37:37 > 0:37:40find gainful employment in the tourism industry.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46They live in camps and are cared for by their trainer or mahout.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50And we just had to meet them, didn't we?
0:37:50 > 0:37:52But before we can swap two wheels for four legs
0:37:52 > 0:37:54it's back to the classroom.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58THEY REPEAT
0:38:00 > 0:38:02Say "who".
0:38:02 > 0:38:03- BOTH:- "Who."
0:38:03 > 0:38:05- "How."- "How."- "How."
0:38:05 > 0:38:07"How" means stop.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09- Stop.- It's like learning to drive, isn't it?
0:38:13 > 0:38:15- Map long.- Map long.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19Map long! It's impressive to see man's mastery over beast, isn't it?
0:38:19 > 0:38:22- Map long.- Oop...
0:38:22 > 0:38:24Grab an ear first. Grab the ear.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30These animals are so graceful.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Feels like you're riding something so old
0:38:34 > 0:38:37and so part of the planet that we all live on.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41It's a very spectacular feeling.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44- Here, Kingy...?- Yeah.- You can tell the elephants are Thai
0:38:44 > 0:38:46because they're snacking all the time.
0:38:46 > 0:38:47SIMON LAUGHS
0:38:47 > 0:38:49- Aren't they?- They are!
0:38:49 > 0:38:52One minute bamboo the next minute a bit of sugar cane.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54It's like elephant street food.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57Now, it's time for our lunch, mahout-style.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01We've got a treat. We've got Pad Thai
0:39:01 > 0:39:05which is something we know, we're familiar with in Britain.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09This is real Pad Thai, chicken kebabs and sticky rice.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11All cooked over a fire. I mean, you don't get that at
0:39:11 > 0:39:14- Charnock Richard services up the M6.- That's true.- No.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19Kingy, I love the way they do the sticky rice.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23Get bamboo, pour your rice in like loading a muzzle-loaded
0:39:23 > 0:39:24- shotgun...- Water...
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Water, mineral water. Plug it up with a bit of banana leaf,
0:39:27 > 0:39:29leave it to steam.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33- It's going to stay sticky cos of the bamboo.- Oh, here we go, look.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39- OK, you want to try?- Yes. - Yes, please.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42- Oh, wow!- Now, that's sticky.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44Sticky, compressed...
0:39:48 > 0:39:51That's it in its entirety.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54- Is it amazing?- Yeah, that is amazing. Fantastic.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57- That's the stickiest sticky rice I've ever "stucked"!- Hmm.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02See the jungle, it even gives you a tablecloth, something to sit on,
0:40:02 > 0:40:07- some plates, bamboo skewers, bamboo steamers...- Wow.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10- We've got the lot.- Look at this, man. Cor, look at that.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13Now, that's Pad Thai.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15Phwoar!
0:40:15 > 0:40:17'Did you know, Mr King...? Pad Thai was invented
0:40:17 > 0:40:20'because rice was in short supply after World War Two.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23'So, the Thai government ran a competition to find the best
0:40:23 > 0:40:25'noodle dish.'
0:40:25 > 0:40:26Look at this...
0:40:28 > 0:40:30- Oh, by God, that's good. - Tastes good, tastes good...?
0:40:30 > 0:40:33Do you know what... I often think... you know, like, on telly
0:40:33 > 0:40:36in England and you've got, like, Ray Mears or Bear Grylls
0:40:36 > 0:40:40out in the jungle and drinking your own droppings, you know...
0:40:40 > 0:40:44It doesn't have to be that way. This is jungle fare, natural style,
0:40:44 > 0:40:45Thai style...
0:40:45 > 0:40:47So, Bear Grylls, forget where you go,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51you need to change your travel agent, know what I mean?
0:40:51 > 0:40:55So, guys, is there for the mahouts a tradition of cooking in bamboo?
0:41:13 > 0:41:16In Thailand, what is the tradition of mahouts?
0:41:16 > 0:41:18How do you become a mahout?
0:41:34 > 0:41:37After a nice ramble in the jungle there's nothing
0:41:37 > 0:41:39the elephants like better than a nice, cool bath
0:41:39 > 0:41:42and a bit of Thai pop music.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44THAI POP MUSIC
0:41:54 > 0:41:58I tell you what, he could certainly do with some exfoliation.
0:41:58 > 0:41:59HE CHUCKLES
0:41:59 > 0:42:04LAUGHTER
0:42:14 > 0:42:17You're going to have to leave your elephant behind, Kingy,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19because our road trip's not quite finished yet.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22THAI POP MUSIC
0:42:25 > 0:42:28We've been invited to meet a hill tribe.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30Mate, is that one of the hill tribes that migrated into
0:42:30 > 0:42:32Northern Thailand over the last three
0:42:32 > 0:42:35centuries from countries like Burma, Tibet and China?
0:42:36 > 0:42:38Yes.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41And their village is so remote the food hasn't changed for centuries.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46- I tell you what, this looks an inviting dip.- It does.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49The waters of the mountain ranges...
0:42:51 > 0:42:53I'm going to have a sluice.
0:42:53 > 0:42:54That is amazing.
0:42:55 > 0:43:00Look, that's an example of hill tribes' people's bamboo plumbing.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03Cos the villages are set up in the mountains where there's a waterfall
0:43:03 > 0:43:06and they're well known for constructing bamboo plumbing
0:43:06 > 0:43:09and guttering so they've got water on tap in the villages.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11Look at that, Si!
0:43:11 > 0:43:14- Now we know we are in the mountains.- Yeah.
0:43:14 > 0:43:15Oh, wow, look...
0:43:15 > 0:43:18- It's all a bit Arthur C Clarke, isn't it!- Yeah!
0:43:19 > 0:43:22- The Lost World.- Oh, it's fabulous.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24Just superb.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27It's always lovely to get out of the city and the hustle and bustle
0:43:27 > 0:43:30of the city and come to the peace of the country, because I kind of think
0:43:30 > 0:43:34that the true heart of the country and all its cultural
0:43:34 > 0:43:37emotion comes from the rural areas.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40'There are six main hill tribes in Northern Thailand
0:43:40 > 0:43:44- 'scattered over 3,500 villages.' - Look at that!- Yeah...
0:43:44 > 0:43:46'We're meeting the Lisu tribe.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51'They migrated from Tibet nearly 200 years ago.'
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Most of them settled in Burma but about 28,000
0:43:54 > 0:43:58came to Thailand, some settling here in this spectacular
0:43:58 > 0:44:00mountain range.
0:44:01 > 0:44:05'And since then their way of life has remained almost unchanged.'
0:44:05 > 0:44:07Hello!
0:44:07 > 0:44:09HE SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE
0:44:09 > 0:44:11'The Lisu mainly survive off the land
0:44:11 > 0:44:14'or earn money working for local farmers.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17'About 30 families live here in houses made from bamboo.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24'We're meeting Sam and his family along with a family friend Del.'
0:44:25 > 0:44:28Sam...? Sam...?
0:44:28 > 0:44:29- Hello...?!- Hello?
0:44:29 > 0:44:31Hello.
0:44:31 > 0:44:32- BOTH:- Hello, Sam.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34- Nice to meet you.- Dave... Dave.
0:44:35 > 0:44:39- Del?- Del.- Hello, Del!- Hello. - Hello, how are you?
0:44:39 > 0:44:41All right, how are you?!
0:44:41 > 0:44:44Your name Del... is it short for something in Thai?
0:44:44 > 0:44:46My Thai name's Derek.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48'When was Derek a Thai name?'
0:44:48 > 0:44:49Del Boy...
0:44:49 > 0:44:51LAUGHTER
0:44:51 > 0:44:53So, from Only Fools And Horses?
0:44:53 > 0:44:55They say that...
0:44:55 > 0:44:57LAUGHTER
0:44:57 > 0:44:59Mange tout!
0:44:59 > 0:45:01LAUGHTER
0:45:01 > 0:45:02Well, shall we get trekking?
0:45:07 > 0:45:08Just like their ancestors,
0:45:08 > 0:45:11Sam and his family forage for food in the forest.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16Meat is scarce here, but as the North is so fertile, there is
0:45:16 > 0:45:21an abundance of veg plus leaves, shoots and plants for flavour.
0:45:22 > 0:45:27HE SPEAKS A LOCAL LANGUAGE
0:45:27 > 0:45:33Ah, that can be made into chilli paste.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37- It is the same family as aubergine. - We call them pea aubergine.
0:45:37 > 0:45:38Pea aubergine?
0:45:38 > 0:45:41- Yes, like little peas.- Oh, yes.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44You can smash it and it can be stir-fried.
0:45:44 > 0:45:49Tell you what, Si, this makes a difference to going brambling with your mum!
0:45:49 > 0:45:52So, does everybody live from the land here?
0:45:52 > 0:45:56They live on cultivation, what they grow.
0:45:56 > 0:46:01They grow ginger, peanut, corn and rice.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04And what they can't grow,
0:46:04 > 0:46:07they get from a weekly market an hour's journey away.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11Rice is the staple diet for the hill tribes.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14The ground needs to be flooded for the rice to grow.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18But in the North, where the land is so steep, the water simply runs off.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22So they have to wait for the rainy season to plant it.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26And then they head out with an unfeasibly large stick.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31I can see the purpose of a bamboo pole. It is pinging the soil out.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35The length of the pole makes it vibrate and flick the soil out.
0:46:35 > 0:46:36Genius!
0:46:36 > 0:46:40It's just flicking it out, with the minimum of effort. So you're not having to dig it.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42Because the gradient is pretty steep.
0:46:42 > 0:46:43And his wife pops the rice seeds in.
0:46:43 > 0:46:48- It must be such a hard life, farming on this gradient.- Yes, it is hard.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50But for them, they are used to it.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54Is there any problem with young people wanting to leave the village?
0:46:54 > 0:46:57Are they attracted to go to Chiang Mai or to Bangkok?
0:46:57 > 0:47:01- The young generation, they go to study.- Yeah.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05And then when they graduate, they may not come back.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08So do you think there is a danger that the traditional ways
0:47:08 > 0:47:10of the hill people could die out?
0:47:10 > 0:47:15Yes, that is dangerous for the way of life and culture.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17I mean, God forbid these lands became
0:47:17 > 0:47:20- a tourist resort or a golf course. - Well, quite.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25These jungles have helped shape northern Thai cuisine
0:47:25 > 0:47:28and in the days when it took people weeks to trek through
0:47:28 > 0:47:29the forest, they gathered roots
0:47:29 > 0:47:34and herbs to use as a substitute for their normal curry ingredients.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38And thus, one of Thailand's most delicious curries was born.
0:47:38 > 0:47:42Kaeng Pa, or jungle curry, as we know it at home.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48HOWLS LIKE TARZAN
0:47:48 > 0:47:51There's a rumble in the jungle!
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Yes, it is our Thai jungle curry, you know.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57- If you are going to cook a jungle curry...- Where do you come to?
0:47:57 > 0:47:59The jungle! Look at that!
0:47:59 > 0:48:03This is a great recipe and you know one crucial ingredient that
0:48:03 > 0:48:07- you need while making a jungle curry? You need...- This. Kachai.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10You might find it in the UK labelled up as rhizome root,
0:48:10 > 0:48:12because that's what the Chinese call it. It's lovely.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15It's like a mixture between lemon grass,
0:48:15 > 0:48:16ginger and a bit of galengal thrown in.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19It's mild, it's lovely and that is what gives its jungle curry
0:48:19 > 0:48:21its distinctive character.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24That and loads of green chillies, green peppercorns - blows your head off! Right.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27Now, the first thing we have to do is to make the curry paste.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30What do you need for a curry paste? You need a pestle and you need a mortar.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33- I am here to be pestle and mortar and operator thereof.- Yes.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37First thing, chop six Thai shallots, or two British ones
0:48:37 > 0:48:39and chuck them in the mortar.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41Turn Geordie on.
0:48:41 > 0:48:42Nnnnnrrr!
0:48:42 > 0:48:46- And watch him go.- Oh, hold on.- What? - I have got a problem on here.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49- This veranda is not feeling secure. - It's not.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51I'm going to have to get a chair.
0:48:51 > 0:48:56- Is that your bunking chair?- I've got a... Yeah. That's it, you see.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00- Right. Now. This has just killed the cameraman.- I know, but never mind.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04- He is all right. - We have three cloves of garlic.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07You could of course do this in a food processor,
0:49:07 > 0:49:10but it's fantastically more entertaining, isn't it?
0:49:10 > 0:49:15Pop the garlic into the mortar along with some galengal, which is
0:49:15 > 0:49:18similar to ginger, but slightly stronger.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20And then, grab some lemon grass.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23I kid you not, we found a tarantula before.
0:49:24 > 0:49:25It was a Thai tarantula.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28Apparently, Thai tarantulas are more aggressive
0:49:28 > 0:49:29than your average tarantula.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32And the bite from them is a little bit more than a sting.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34It will immobilise you for 24 hours.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37But the thing about jungle curry is,
0:49:37 > 0:49:39it originally was made with wild boar.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42Because obviously, up here in the hills, it was wild boar time.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45It is more commonly done now with pork or chicken.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47But actually, there is so much flavour in it,
0:49:47 > 0:49:50you could get away with a vegetarian jungle curry.
0:49:50 > 0:49:55Add your chopped lemon grass to the mortar and some hot green chillies.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58Chop them roughly and pass to Geordie.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01Stop! And green chillies.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07Then add in some kaffir lime leaves and some coriander root.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10Del! Del?
0:50:10 > 0:50:12Sit there.
0:50:17 > 0:50:23- I'm going for a swim.- Well, it's me and me old mate Del boy.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25We're going to get on with the curry.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28Half a teaspoon of shrimp paste.
0:50:28 > 0:50:29Stop!
0:50:30 > 0:50:32Thank you.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37One teaspoon of cracked white peppercorns.
0:50:37 > 0:50:38And that's it.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42All we have to do now is wait until Del has reduced that to a paste.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45And that'll be our curry paste. Thank you.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50While Del knuckles down to business,
0:50:50 > 0:50:53our Lisu hosts are preparing the other food for tonight's dinner.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58This will be accompanied by the obligatory Thai chilli paste
0:50:58 > 0:51:01which the women are preparing.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03Hello.
0:51:03 > 0:51:08- Hi, how are you? - Hi. How are you doing?
0:51:08 > 0:51:15Oh, um, this is a very lovely special roasted chilli paste.
0:51:15 > 0:51:20- It is basically Thai garlic... - Yeah.- Small chillies...- Yeah.
0:51:20 > 0:51:21And then salt.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24SPEAKS A LOCAL LANGUAGE
0:51:24 > 0:51:27And you were telling us that there is a lot more spices
0:51:27 > 0:51:30and herbs in the North than the central belt of Thailand?
0:51:30 > 0:51:33Yeah, I think it is because of availability.
0:51:33 > 0:51:38Basically, we have so many areas that are still quite foresty,
0:51:38 > 0:51:41so you have a lot of herbs from the forest.
0:51:41 > 0:51:46- If you don't have it, you go to your neighbour's.- Done!- Done! Chim.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49- Taste.- Oh, Dave!
0:51:49 > 0:51:51It's a seasoning, basically, isn't it?
0:51:51 > 0:51:55- Yeah, just to add that "mmm" into your meal.- That would give
0:51:55 > 0:51:57"mmm" to anything, wouldn't it?
0:51:57 > 0:52:00- You could season a beer mat with that and enjoy it!- You could!
0:52:00 > 0:52:03- Thank you.- Thank you.- Here we go.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05That's another recipe.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08I have seen the future, it is Thai-shaped.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11I'm loving it, dude, I'm loving it!
0:52:11 > 0:52:16Now, how is Del getting on with our jungle curry paste?
0:52:16 > 0:52:19- Del has got a lovely action. - Shut your face!- Look at that.
0:52:19 > 0:52:23- Oh, no, that is good. Del, thank you very much.- Thank you very much.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27That is very kind. 'Del has pounded our jungle curry paste to a pulp. Perfect.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31- 'So it is time to light the wok.' - Now, here is a little tip.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33Lift the pan off the ring before you light it.
0:52:34 > 0:52:35Told you.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39Now, fry off all that paste for a few minutes.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41These little pea aubergines are fantastic.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44They are kind of like a bitter pea, not like an aubergine.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46But they give the most amazing texture.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49And again, with Thai food, it's the texture.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52You can get pea aubergines in jars at big supermarkets,
0:52:52 > 0:52:55but if you want them fresh, you need to head to the Asian shops.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59The main thing about the jungle curry is that it is in the North.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03It is not cream or coconut-based. It is water-based.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06Sometimes, in our job, you feel quite cool.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09And cooking jungle curry in a jungle, is one of them.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12My legs are full of fluid, they are swelling up with water retention.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14But am I bothered? Am I heck?!
0:53:14 > 0:53:17Now, take a lump of Chiang Mai's finest, a fillet of pork.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21Cut it into medallions and then add to the pan.
0:53:21 > 0:53:25- Just to seal the pork. - And now for the heat.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27Let's cut the chillies Thai style.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29It's kind of shardy chunks like that.
0:53:29 > 0:53:30Seeds and all.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34Once the pork is sealed, add in the aubergines, chillies,
0:53:34 > 0:53:38some chicken stock, some Thai fish sauce and let it all simmer.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42Remember we said there was a tarantula on here? We've got him.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45Do you want to have a look? There it is.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47Look at that.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50Now, you don't get that at Television Centre,
0:53:50 > 0:53:51lurking in your kitchen.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55I'm not letting him go, though, until we have finished cooking.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57I'm not good with spiders.
0:53:58 > 0:53:59Right, we are boiling.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05Don't even think about it.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07Now it's time for the second wave.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11Toss in some chopped kaffir lime leaves, diced squash,
0:54:11 > 0:54:16some wonderful kachai, green peppercorns, palm sugar
0:54:16 > 0:54:19and finally, some long beans and sweet basil.
0:54:19 > 0:54:20Phew!
0:54:22 > 0:54:25That's it, Kingy. It's done. The perfume is fantastic.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27The basil has really lifted it at the end.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30But by crikey, there is a lot going on in there.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34Time to see if our jungle curry lives up to Lisu standards.
0:54:34 > 0:54:35SPEAKS A LOCAL LANGUAGE
0:54:37 > 0:54:41- She says she wants to taste now. - Great.- Great.- Go on. After you.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43Please, after you. Ladies first.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45SPEAKS A LOCAL LANGUAGE
0:54:48 > 0:54:49The pork is too big.
0:54:51 > 0:54:52What do you think?
0:54:52 > 0:54:53SPEAKS A LOCAL LANGUAGE
0:54:53 > 0:54:58- Delicious. And spicy. - 'She likes it! Get in!'
0:54:58 > 0:54:59That's good.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03That's a real good old-fashioned Friday night curry.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05What would you think of as a jungle curry?
0:55:05 > 0:55:09- Is this pretty close? What is it here?- I...
0:55:09 > 0:55:12The flavour is really quite nice, you know.
0:55:12 > 0:55:17Um, but there is many different style of doing a jungle curry in Thailand.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20But this is perfect with sticky rice like this. I loved it.
0:55:20 > 0:55:21SHE GIGGLES
0:55:23 > 0:55:25More?
0:55:25 > 0:55:29- That's the best compliment you could give us.- Yes, it is.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31- I tell you what, Si, soon we will have a party.- Yeah.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33- Got your dancing shoes?- I have.
0:55:36 > 0:55:37And Sam has lent us
0:55:37 > 0:55:42a couple of pairs of traditional baggy trousers to wear for dinner.
0:55:42 > 0:55:43I cannot sit like that.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45HE BEATBOXES
0:55:45 > 0:55:46Wow, here is the food.
0:55:48 > 0:55:49Oh, yes!
0:55:49 > 0:55:54- This is superb.- It is, isn't it? So what have we got?
0:55:54 > 0:55:58- Well, there is ours.- There is a vegetable they grow themselves.
0:55:58 > 0:56:04This is the main meat, here. This is a minced pork with spices.
0:56:04 > 0:56:09- Oh, lovely.- Oh, great.- This one, chilli. Little aubergines, yeah.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13Little aubergines. Long beans. And...
0:56:14 > 0:56:18- Soya bean.- Oh, wow.- Wow.- Do you cook, Sam, or does your wife cook this?
0:56:18 > 0:56:23- This, Sam cooked. Those are Sam's wife. Sam's wife.- Brilliant.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26- Thank you. - What a team effort. Excellent.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29- What a feast, thank you. - What a fantastic feast, thank you.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32- No chilli, no yummy. - Yeah, no chilli, no yummy.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34What's interesting, there is just enough chilli.
0:56:34 > 0:56:38- It's not overpowering. - It's not overly hot.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40We came looking for authentic food.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43- It is very, very honest food, isn't it?- Yeah, it is.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45Sam, has the food that you eat changed
0:56:45 > 0:56:48much in the course of your life?
0:56:48 > 0:56:51SPEAKS A LOCAL LANGUAGE
0:56:51 > 0:56:55It's like the same as back in the generations.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58- Like our grandfathers, great-grandfathers...- Yeah.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01I think one of the stars of this meal is the rice.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05To eat with somebody who has grown their own rice on a hillside,
0:57:05 > 0:57:07in Northern Thai, it's special.
0:57:07 > 0:57:08It's really tasty.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11Dead right. What's wonderful about the dishes,
0:57:11 > 0:57:14the ingredients that they are made with are so good and so fresh.
0:57:14 > 0:57:19- Fresh, yes.- There is just this fabulous flavour.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22And once dinner is over, Sam is happy to show us
0:57:22 > 0:57:27how they celebrate a special occasion, which, for us, this is.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31Sam is the village musician and makes all his own instruments.
0:57:33 > 0:57:38- What a wonderful end to a wonderful day,- Si. How marvellous is this?
0:57:38 > 0:57:39What lucky men.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44You know, Dave, I don't take I have ever met such a welcoming
0:57:44 > 0:57:48people as the Thais and their food is a reflection of that.
0:57:48 > 0:57:50For centuries, they have embraced the flavours
0:57:50 > 0:57:53and spices that outsiders have brought in.
0:57:54 > 0:57:58What I have discovered, mate, is just how much more delicious
0:57:58 > 0:58:01Thai food we have yet to experience back home.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03Now, there is something to look forward to!
0:58:03 > 0:58:05THEY LAUGH
0:58:06 > 0:58:11- Oh, Sam, that was fantastic. - Fantastic.- Thank you.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17Next week, we are fulfilling a lifetime ambition -
0:58:17 > 0:58:19we're heading to Japan.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23It's like pushing against a tree, and the tree is pushing back!
0:58:23 > 0:58:26To uncover the secrets of our all-time favourite food.
0:58:26 > 0:58:30- This is very good.- Thank you very much, you're so kind. Thank you.
0:58:30 > 0:58:32Better quit while I am ahead!