As Bangkok elevates itself as the gastronomic capital of the world, its restaurant scene increasingly caters to affluent travelers. There, you can now visit restaurants that have not only one Michelin star, but also two, as well as three stars. Still, many Bangkok regulars will reliably tell you that the city’s best food is still served in the same humble places it always has been, or at least in places where rents haven’t gone up too much. But some people have been around long enough to own property, even in hip areas like Ekkamai Road. For example, Wattana Panich has been serving beef noodle soup in their building for more than 50 years, and in fact, they’ve been using the same soup all along.
You can see the process Great Big Story video at the top of the post. “Eternal Soup, also known as Eternal Stew or Hunter’s Pot, is enjoying the moment when adventurous cooks and intrepid diners rediscover an ancient method that allows soup to simmer for weeks, months, or even years,” writes Shan Li. recent wall street journal article.
“Ever since it was rescued 20 years ago, I have been caring for the soup from morning till night. During the day, the soup is covered with lava-like concrete and the grass is covered with lava-like concrete. He whisks the soup in a giant stainless steel pot about five feet in diameter and about a foot deep, heated by a steamer. He tweaks the flavors by adding fresh ingredients like fish sauce, soy sauce, chunks of beef, and sachets of herbal medicine.
Perhaps you already feel that you can taste it. But patrons might argue that you can’t really understand the flavor of the restaurant’s eponymous soup, which has been crafted and refined night after night for 50 years, until you try it. This prospect may worry some Westerners who don’t feel comfortable eating even last night’s leftovers. But don’t worry, our solid ingredients are always fresh. The soup itself, strained every night and simmered daily, continues to be used, linking this establishment to its past as much as inherited ownership. Of course, as with any family business, each generation will be completely replaced sooner or later, just as in theory all the molecules of the “eternal soup” are consumed at once. Is the soup Wattana Panich uses today really the same as the one he started with in 1974? That’s a philosophical question best saved for after dinner.
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Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages ​​and cultures. he is the author of the newsletter books about cities books as well Home page (I won’t summarize Korea) and korean newtro. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
