The Floating Market of Amphawa
Monday, July 5, 2010 at 4:00AM 
By Sandy Hu
We have been eating our way through Thailand. From the excellent breakfast buffet at the Sheraton Hua Hin hotel and resort, with its remarkable array of tropical fruit, Thai rice porridge with condiments and traditional Western breakfast food, to various restaurants and street stalls in Bangkok and surroundings, it’s been an exciting culinary adventure. It helps to have a Thai friend who is a real foodie as a guide.
A highlight was the Amphawa Floating Market, where stall after stall offered tempting snack foods – delicious tidbits grilled or deep-fried in large woks bubbling with hot oil. You can walk through the market, sampling wares as you go, mingling through crowds in the sweltering heat.
Everything is made to order, served in banana-leaf-lined throw-away, mini- bowls with bamboo skewers used as picks. There were all sorts of sweets, too. Often they are steamed and made with coconut milk. We bought a beautiful miniature collection of fruits that looked like marzipan, but was made with soy bean paste – delicate and delicious.
The real attraction, though, were cooking boats docked at the Maeklong River’s edge – the floating part of the market — from which cooks stir-fried noodle dishes, grilled scallops, giant shrimp, squid, octopus and other delicacies, and kept boiling vats of broth going for soup noodles. Sitting on the stairs, the customers called down their orders to the boat cooks.
Our group of 11 took a river boat and approached the cooks from the river side – bowls of delicious soup were passed over the side of the cooking boats to our boat. Stir-fried noodles, an omelet, scallops in the shell – we enjoyed a real feast on the water. Then the boat took us to a restaurant where we sat down to a full meal outdoors, watching the other river boats go by.
Here’s a Thai home-style dish that’s quick and easy that can be made with ingredients found in many American markets or from Asian markets in the U.S.
Tuna Kra Praw: Heat oil over medium heat; add minced garlic and minced Thai bird chiles and stir-fry until fragrant. Add chopped onion and sauté until just golden. Add drained can tuna and season with a little fish sauce and a bit of sugar; heat through, stirring. Add a few handfuls of whole Thai basil leaves; toss until just wilted and serve over rice.
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Reader Comments (3)
Sandy,
Loving the blog and REALLY enjoying your tweets from afar. Reading through your adventures in food in Thailand has left me ravenous... can't wait to hear more about Hong Kong.
Roisin
Thanks for your kind words. Our travels have been a great culinary adventure, but it's also good to be home!
Sandy
wowowow