Southeast Asia Travel News

Haven’t posted a recipe for a while but here’s an absolute cracker – laap tord or spicy Thai-style meatballs. Great as a snack/appetiser or as a part of a Thai meal and surprisingly easy to make. (We realise not all ingredients will be available so suitable alternatives have been suggested below.) Ingredients: 300g minced pork 2 tbsp lemon juice 2…

Prior to a recent Java trip, we confess to not having travelled in Indonesia for a long time and last time we did, it was to some further-flung parts of Sumatra where frankly, the Indonesian food on offer was rather limited. Well, no offence to the friendly residents of the neighbouring island – and apologies to chefs on the 13,000…

Although far less well-known than the justifiably reputed cuisines of neighbouring Thailand or Vietnam, we reckon the rich and varied Cambodian, or Khmer, cooking more than holds its own amid Southeast Asian fare and local food is generally a serendipitous and tasty discovery on any of our Cambodian tours. Here then is just a short a selection of some of…

Khmer Red Curry Khmer red curry paste (kroeung) can be made in advance and any leftover can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days or, it freezes well Curry paste ingredients 2 sticks of lemongrass, outer leaves discarded and roughly chopped 4 cloves garlic, peeled 2 shallots, peeled and chopped 2 kaffir lime leaves Zest of half…

Fish Amok – a lovely mild fish and coconut curry, fragrant, zesty and full of flavour. An easy version which can be cooked using ingredients many of us will have already, without the need for specialist shops.  Made it, ate it and did the washing up in less than an hour and there’s spare curry paste in the fridge for…

Mohinga – Burmese Noodle Soup Questionably the national dish of Burma, Mohinga is a comforting noodle soup available nationwide but especially in Yangon and the Southern Delta region where fish is plentiful. In posting this recipe, I apologise unreservedly to anyone in Burma/Myanmar for whom it is not traditional or “as mother cooked it”, but it works with Western ingredients…

A brief run-down on what are considered polite table manners in Thailand. Don’t mean to sound snobby but we reckon many people are put off by the sight of other restaurant customers consuming their meals like total pigs! However whilst every culture in the world has their own accepted eating etiquette these differ widely from culture to culture and what…

Not any old Cambodia tuk-tuk pizzeria but one with a wood-fired oven no less! One of the most extraordinary sights we’ve seen of late in Phnom Penh – and it’s a city where the extraordinary is commonplace – is this mobile pizzeria that sets up every evening on the Khmer capital’s 51st Street. The complete pizzeria fits into the back…

As we maintained in our recent – ‘Cambodia tours – what’s the food like post’ – after having taken a backseat to its more culinarily illustrious neighbours Vietnam and Thailand – Khmer cuisine is making great strides of late so, without further ado, here’s a selection of 10 Cambodia dishes to try among the kingdom’s varied and surprisingly tasty food…

Khmer cooking has traditionally takes a backseat compared to the more prestigious and much better-known cuisines of its neighbours Thailand and Vietnam and obviously, the population have had far more serious concerns during much of their recent history but Cambodian food is making a strong come back of late and more and more excellent eateries are appearing in larger towns…

Another Asian cuisine that’s sadly little-known outside of the country so here’s a list of 10 Burmese dishes not to be missed on any Burma (Myanmar) tour. You’ll find all the fresh herbs of Thai cooking; lemongrass, ginger, galangal, coriander, chillies, the spices, pulses and bread of Indian food, distinct Chinese influences and plenty of unique local flavours which, combined,…

Had this recipe for Burmese Chicken Curry for over 20 years (it was originally given to me as a Thai Chicken Curry recipe – but I knew it wasn’t that and until Wipaporn Ord visited England last week, I wasn’t really sure it was Burmese). Its easy, cheap and tasty. (Lesley Schofield) Ingredients 8 Chicken Quarters or 16 chicken thighs…

Nga Tong -a delicious kind of spicy fish dip or paste that’s served as a side dish or accompaniment to Burmese meals and which is actually exceptionally easy to make. Now we’re talking about a fresh fish dish, bearing no resemblance whatever to, for instance, Cambodia’s notorious fermented fish dip, prahok. Prahok is infamous for its main ingredient – a…

“But the coffee doesn’t taste the same as at home”. How manky times have we heard that? Funny, (funny peculiar), how someone travelling half-way around the world would expect certain things to be different yet hope, (assume), that other things would be the same. Now the people have to be different; the photogenic orange-clad monks are essential, heaven forbid if…

Now beer – there’s a good subject and one that’s close to our heart so here’s a brief rundown on some of the commonly found beers of Southeast Asia you’re likely to come across in this part of the world! International brands aside there’s actually a very limited choice of locally made ales in most Southeast Asian countries so it’s…

As with, for example, Malaysia the wide ethnic mix of Burma (Myanmar) leads to a wide range of Burmese food. Along with regional ethnic groups such as Karen, Shan, Kachin, Thai, Mon etc that contribute towards the indigenous mix, there were, during the British period, large numbers of Nepalese, Indian ((Bengali and Tamil for instance) – and in more recent…

We were going to call this post ‘Thailand – meals and eating habits’ but the following goes for pretty much anywhere in Southeast Asia. For those of us brought up in ‘Western’ countries meals traditionally come at set ‘mealtimes’ and consist of foodstuffs and items considered appropriate for that particular meal time.  i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner. Obviously there isn’t…

As we see it a tour of Laos or Vietnam, should include a tour of Lao and Vietnamese food so here’s a brief rundown on the All Points East meal thinking, or as we’ve titled it, responsible eating in Southeast Asia. Local food and meals are an essential part of any culture therefore an essential part of enjoying new and…

There are never going to be zero health risks from eating market or street food in Southeast Asia but then there’s never a zero risk anywhere. (One of our customers recently ended up in the hospital with food poisoning after dining at a 5* Hotel in Bangkok !) However, there are a few precautions to take and factors to bear…

So, weird food of Southeast Asia!? Well, durian, rats, birds’ nests – fair enough, but there are a host of other weird and wonderful food and drink items to be found in S. E. Asia. Some that will have you asking where you can buy a kilo to take home, some that will leave you totally indifferent and others that…