I’ve been craving Thai food for weeks and my friend finally said to me, “let’s go!” and we’re off! We normally go to Thai Gourmet to get our fix. It’s one of the popular Thai restaurants in Houston, but sadly they’re closed on Sundays. Then I remembered an article I read back in December via The Houston Eater about a new restaurant opening highlighting northern Thai cuisine, with Executive Chef PJ Stoops at the reins.  Chef PJ lived and cooked in northern Thailand for several years and with this under his belt, gave him immediate credibility with me. This also excited me at the same time, as I just returned from a trip to Thailand which I spent a chunk of it in the northern region called Chiang Mai. Since the article, it’s been on my list of places I wanted to check out and what better timing than this. So, we ventured into the Heights and found Foreign Correspondents. At first look, the exterior did not suggest a Thai restaurant whatsoever. My friends looked at me and began to doubt my pick, but they were wrong!

The menu placed in front of us was a simple one-sided page with about a little over a dozen entrees. My eyes went straight to a dish called khao soi. Khao soi is a traditional northern Thailand dish – a light coconut milk curry with egg noodle and chicken, typically with a drumstick, topped with crispy fried egg noodles – served with pickled mustard greens, shallots, and onions. In fact, it was one of my first meal I had in Chiang Mai. The young gentlemen in the tour guide shop next to my hotel suggested I try khao soi from this tiny food stand in an alley a few blocks away, which I found with ease. Surprisingly it was a small stall in front of a home with a few tables and a cooking area. Right away, I felt this meal was going to be home cooking at its best. I sat down at the end of a communal table and proceeded to order khao soi and Thai iced tea.

I can smell the khao soi as it made its way to me. The spices were so fragrant I could hardly contain my excitement. When it comes to any type of broth based dish, I like to taste the broth by itself first to truly experience its flavor. I can taste the sweetness of the coconut milk – just a perfect balance with the curry. The egg noodle was cooked just right and the drumstick was tender. I finally squeezed a bit of lime and added the plate of pickled mustard green and shallots to my bowl. Let’s just say that it was love at first bite. I didn’t think all of these different flavors and textures would go so well together but yet again proved me wrong. This was simply delicious.

While in Chiang Mai, I signed up for a cooking class at the Pantawan Cooking School. It wasn’t surprising to see one of the dishes I was going to learn was khao soi. What’s surprising is how many ingredients it took to make such a simple dish. We first made the paste, which is the bulk of the flavor. The paste alone had 9 different ingredients: dried chili, garlic, shallot, turmeric, kaffir lime zest, finger root, lemongrass, shrimp paste, and yellow curry powder. The paste was then added to the coconut milk and chicken stock, seasoned with palm sugar and fish sauce. The curry is poured over the cooked egg noodle and topped with crispy fried egg noodles. The khao soi was so good. This was one of my most favorite experiences in Chiang Mai. I can’t wait to cook this dish for my friends and family in the near future.

Fast forward to Foreign Correspondents, I excitedly pointed to khao soi on the menu to my friends and told them this is what I’m going to order. I told them how much I loved it when I was in Chiang Mai and this would be the true test if Foreign Correspondent gets it right. All I have to say is Chef Stoops did an absolutely amazing job staying true to its northern Thailand roots with this dish. It even came with the pickled mustard greens, shallots, and lime. I was in heaven when I took that first bite. It was love all over again. I shared this dish with my friends and loved it so much we ordered a second bowl. My friends ordered chicken curry with rice and the beef waterfall salad, which were all good but didn’t stand out as much as the khao soi did for me.

When you travel to other countries and eat their food, it holds a very special place in your heart. I’m sure the stateside version will never measure up because you’ve experienced its true flavors cooked by the people who invented the dish. For me, this is exactly how I feel about khao soi and thought I would never find the same feelings again, but Foreign Correspondents surprised me. Their dish brought back good memories from my trip to Chiang Mai and I look forward to coming back for more.

 

Foreign Correspondents

4721 N Main St. Suite A

Houston, TX 77009

(713) 864-8424

Pantawan Cooking School

201 Moo.2 Mae Hia Muang, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Tel: (66) 85 032 2007

Tel: (66) 53 111 274

pantawancooking@gmail.com

www.pantawancooking.com