Thai Soup #1: SUKI (yaki?)

Usually foriegners think that the most popular 'soup' in Thai culture would be 'Tom Yam Kung' or 'Tom Ka Kai' - the seems to be our national dish ...well, it is not exactly true. (I even got scared with the idea the I have to eat 'Tom Yam Kung' or 'Tom Ka Kai' regulary. In fact, I don't even remember when was the last time I had them!) Although the two 'Tom' (boiled in Thai) dishes are very good and sophisticated, they are not that popolar or common for Thai people.

The most popular 'soup' for contemporary urban Thai middle class would be this one called 'Suki'. Supposedly it was from 'Sukiyaki' in Japanese, although apart from being also a soup, it does not have much in common. This 'Suki' is actually closer to 'Nabe' or hotpot in Japanese cusine. However, it is also believed that Suki is a mixture between Thai and Cantonese cusine... In Thai contemporary culture, having Suki together is a kind of social event. It is more than a meal, because everybody has to help each other cooking the soup!

How to make / eat Suki:
You arrive to a Suki restuarant - of course, with friends or family, never alone.. it would be very weired if you are there by yourself. On the table, there is a big pot. A waitress comes with a broth pot, she fill the big pot, and begin to heat it up.

On the table, there are set of utensils: a cup, a spoon, a small plate, a chopstick and a small thing you will use to cook your own meat/fish. Then there is a special source. Of course it is a bit spicy, and if it is not spicy enough, they already prepared some freshly crushed garlic, a piece of lime and a lot of grinded chilli. The usual drink is a cold U-long tea, but you can always order whatever you like for your drink.

Then you make an order. The menu gives you all kinds of fresh ingredients: 20 kinds of vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, glass noodle, eggs, fish, shrimp, chicken, beef, pork, and many kinds of fish ball...


When the broth is hot enough, you put vegetables first... the hard ones before, the soft one after. At this point, if you come with your family, usually it is ok, because in the same family you are trained to eat the same kind of food and the same way it is cooked. But if you come with friends, colleagues or not-so-close-relation people, this point could be very delicate, because different people have different ways to deal with their own Suki :O. So you will have to ask your table mates, of how they want the vegetables to be cooked and so on...


The you prepare the meat. Here is a personal method, some likes to have a thick soup, so eggs is beaten and mixed with meat or chicken before to put into the cooked vegetable in the soup. This is also another delicate moment... some people hate to put eggs into the soup.. (but I love it!)


With the other kinds of meat and fish, each one could put some pieces in the small personal utensil and cook them in the soup... Another thing to be careful here: you have to ask your tablemate if anybody does not eat beef or pork. You might need another pot for her/him...if you want to have those meat.


Then.. when the meat/fish is cooked, enjoy your meal... with the spicy source.


Here we go... everything is finally gone...


As you can see, this kind of restuarant is very popular among all kinds of social situations: family, friends of all ages - kid, adult, elderly. Moreover, it is rather light and healthy (if the ingredient is fresh and there is not much MSG in the source).


Well, when are we going to have Suki together? Next week? :)