No need to think too much about menu planning here in Chiang Mai - just wander through the local Thai markets, see what the indigenous, itinerant vendors have on offer and you can be SURE you are eating sustainably, locally, fair trade and in season. And getting some extra karma points. Plus you'll be supporting some gritty, courageous, marginalized, indigenous people who defy the odds and travel to the city to sell their farming surplus to feed their family. Next level above "fair trade". After you have the 'spoils' in hand, you work out a dish that uses most or all of them.
This week? The man I often buy from is down from Mae Chaem (along Thailand's western border with Burma) again - I THINK he's Lahu (judging by his bag and facial features) but his Thai is negligible, his English is worse and we communicate in smiles, finger pointing, gestures and money handed over. His friend is sporting obviously Lahu pants.
I buy some of everything they have. They NEED to sell having invested scarce Thai baht in the long schlep down from the mountains and with people needing cash back home, so it would be petty to quibble about not needing something. Plus there is a certain challenge to buying disparate ingredients one didn't know one needed, and creating a delicious, original, organic meal from them.
What did I buy from them this week?
Cape Gooseberries, locally called "kep berry", only you have to say it in the sing-song Thai way: "kep-be-reeeee". Think small, tart, nutritious mini-tomato like fruits. I mostly just use them as an alternate and nutritious tomato, but I've seen some really creative uses for them including a spicy berry-chili condiment. We really DO like our spicy condiments here in Thailand!! Kep Berry is super high in both vitamins A & C, and rich in anti-oxidants, calcium and phosphorous, making them a good addition for anyone with inflammation, bone issues or chronic disease.
And 2kg of newly harvested black beans. If there is a nuclear holocaust, you can always count on organic black beans on offer at our house - we have LOADS as I can't walk past a hot, depressed, broke farmer without buying a bag. They keep for literally years if stored well. There is so much to love about black beans, especially the high protein levels and the amazing anti-cancer anthacyanins in their seed coat. WE eat them often in a variety of ways, adn they are sooooooo easy to prepare - just toss in the slow cooker overnight with water and some excellent mineral salt and voila - all done in the morning. If you'd like to read more about these amazing beans, there's some great information here.
I also bought Young Ginger. In Thailand, Ginger is not just Ginger. Young Ginger, is the fresh, juicy, mild ginger harvested after one growing season and is used mostly for cooking, as it has a milder flavour. The real medicinal ginger stays in the ground for 2 years, has a distinct SPICY HEAT about it, is hairy and stringy and too strong in flavour for cooking, but commands a much higher price.
And I bought some sweet potato.
Not the deep yellow-orange variety I prefer, but a common local white variety. I can work with that. And learn to prepare them in a way that pleases even the fussiest palate.
And so there you have it. A week of organic, delicious, in-season-in-northern-Thailand abundance.
My plans for my spoils? In the next 1-2 days a back bean salad with oregano-roasted-sweet potato and cape gooseberries and grooved along with lots of fresh coriander, red onion, green capsicums and some fresh but not hugely spicy chili. Probably served with Ginger-Anchan-Lime-Honey iced tea. I will grate the ginger into stir fries, and use it to make ginger tea - a daily staple in our house (warm or iced) and a wonderful decongestant and immune boosted during the Thai "burning season" where the air is smoky and sniffle-snuffles are everywhere.
Enjoying the natural abundance and the feeling of regularly supporting the local vendors who do it hard. And remembering always that the best medicine is the fresh food we choose to eat.
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