POTENT pairings

NOW IN ITS third successful year, Mekhong Elite Table returned recently with the first in its cocktail pairing feasts for 2016 at So ASEAN Cafe on Ratchadapisek Road featuring three stellar dishes from Southeast Asia prepared by Thailand’s renowned chefs.
Sansiri Yodmuangcharoen, senior manager of Thai Beverage Marketing, was obviously delighted that the campaign was back, noting that this year’s edition would be highlighting artistic pairings between Thai cocktails and Asian food.
“This should resonate well with the new generation whose lifestyle revolves around having food and drinks that go together at parties and events. Moreover, the campaign highlights Thainess as well as the drinking and culinary cultures of each of the Asean members.”
Dinner kicked off with the fragrant, nutty and delicious chicken rendang, prepared to perfection by Tanarak Chuto.
“This is a favourite dish in both Indonesia and Malaysia,” the chef said as he prepared to cook the curry dish right in front of the guests.
“This is where we Thais get our recipes of massaman and panang curries, so what you can expect is the combination of both.”
The rendang paste is lightly fried with oil to allow the herbs to release their aromas, and is then joined in the pain by chunky chicken thighs and coconut milk. The dish is served with the Indonesian-style condiment sambal, a mix of chilli, tangy lime and savoury shrimp paste.
Accompanying the creamy, peppery and rich curry was a Mekhong Mantra, a light and cleansing blend of Mekhong, lime juice and ginger ale that refreshed the palate and enhanced the aroma of the dish with ginger.
The next dish, lah pet, prepared by chef Chumpol Jangprai hails straight from the streets of Myanmar. This super healthy, crunchy and tasty snack is a salad of mixed nuts, chilli, pickled tea leaves and seasoning that is well-rounded and appetising. Because it is heavy on herbs and seasoning, the pairing cocktail should not overpower but rather subtly complement the dish. Selected for the job was the delicate and herbaceous Mekhong Thai Sabai – a Thai-style whisky sour drink with Mekhong, simple syrup, lime and sweet basil to garnish.
Chef Parida Teerapong was last to present her creation, Osha Ocean & Floral Salad, a Thai fine dining dish. The visually stunning offering is a deconstructed salad that sees flower petals served with fresh scallops. The highlight is the use of sweet gourd juice. The creamy, orange squeeze from the fruit is high in vitamins and beta carotene and an excellent base for spicy Thai-style dressing with fresh lime, chilli and garlic. The scallops get the sweet gourd treatment too, soaked in the juice until the texture is salmon coloured and guaranteed to melt in the mouth.
Such a flavourful and spicy dish needed something soothing and light and the Mekhong Hanuman proved the perfect match. A simple recipe of Mekhong and fresh coconut juice soothed numb tongues while at the same time lightening the heavy seasoning of the dish. The fragrance of the coconut water helped ease the potent alcohol and made it very easy and pleasant to drink – not a bad choice if you’re not totally into Mekhong’s unique fragrance and mouthfeel.
The specially crafted Mekhong Elite Table menu and the list of Mekhong cocktails are available at So ASEAN Cafe at The Street Ratchada, Vivarium by Chef Ministry on Rama IV Road, OSHA Bar & Restaurant on Wittayu Road and Paste at Gaysorn Plaza.

Check out the next dates for Mekhong Elite Table at www.Facebook.com/ MekhongThailand.