The Market on Soi 2 and Richard's Infamous Bread!

Well here I am again and happy!  I still don't have my new camera but that is only a few weeks away so I will apologize for the clarity of some of the pics here but I hope that you will enjoy them.
Although there are some big department stores in Pattaya, I like going to the markets and there are a lot of them on Soi 2.  I went there today and here are some of the shots I took for you.


Sorry about the spacing between the pics, but I will have it down eventually!

As you can see parking is tight. This is mid afternoon and the place is busy.  At night time you will see a lot of food stalls on the street up to about three in the morning for feeding people from the bars and late shoppers.  I won't say what category I am in!

Here are some samples of food that are ready to eat on the spot or take home.  No matter where you are in Thailand you can find somewhere to sit and eat.  A place will magically appear!

More food...anything you can imagine will be found if you ask and look around.  That is a basket of mangoes on the ground.

Those are different pieces of fish and pork ready to go into the wok.

Like I said, almost everything is available. These are, I believe, different varieties of mushroom.  And yes, those are Coca Cola stickers.

One of the great things about Thailand is the availability of fresh fruits and veggies available year round at a low cost.

These flowers are for the Buddhist altars.

This lady really didn't want her picture taken, but when I told her she has the best dried fruit in the world she said ok.  Very unusual for a Thai not to smile.

There are also street tailors available.  She charges me about 30 Baht or about US$1 to alter my pants.

And now for the fun!  LOL  Here is the recipe for Richard's Infamous Bread.  Especially for my friend Malcolm who has a GREAT blog on Thailand, "Retired in Thailand and Loving it"!

1.

As usual, when I am cooking anything, the most important ingredient is "having fun".  I am showing two baking pans and two bowls (actually one is a pot and that shows you that you can utilize almost anything).  Take a little oil and lightly grease the bowls and pans.  The recipe is for TWO loaves so you really only need one pan and one bowl.

2.

Add four cups of regular old cheap flower and not quite one tablespoon salt to an un-greased bowl.  The salt part is tricky as if there is too much, it is terrible and if there is not enough the bread taste flat.  So just a little less than a tablespoon works for me.

3.

Now take one tablespoon of yeast and one teaspoon of sugar in a little glass.  That stick in the glass is actually a bamboo chopstick which I use to mix.

4.

Pour about 0.6 L water (isn't that great! Actually it is about 1 1/2 cups) in a pan and heat it until it is not cold, but not hot either. I guess it would be luke warm +.  Notice that I use only the finest available temperature gage.  I think it should be just a little bit warmer than milk that you would feed a baby.  If really in doubt Google it!  Fill the glass with the yeast/sugar about half full and wait a few minutes.  The stuff should start to bubble a little bit.  If it doesn't either use newer yeast or the water was too hot.  If you see a few  bubbles it probably is ok.  If not, you will find out soon enough!

5.

Add the yeast water to the flour and mix it up pretty good (I use a rice paddle).  Then add about 3/4 cup of the warm water and mix like crazy until it is almost sticky.  Unlike professional bakers, I add more water at that point until it is not a gooey mess, but almost,  and I don't bother to knead it...only form it into a ball. Don't worry...it is only flour and yeast and you can't ruin it. Drop it in the greased pan (you can see by the pic what it should look like.  If you compare it to other pics on the net or cookbooks it will look wrong, but that is cool!

6.

Now this step is easy!  Put the bowl in a plastic bag and stick it in the over for two hours.

7.

This is what it will look like when you take it out of the oven.  Amazing!  OK, now, put some flour on whatever it is you want to use and roll it out like the next picture.

8.

I use an old table top that has the Thai and English letters on it.  So professional!  Ok, when it gets to look like this pic, cut it in half and roll out into two loaves.  Mine are never equal so don't worry about it if yours are not either.

9.

After rolling out the two loaves put them on a greased baking pan and make a few diagonal cuts. This is not really needed but what the heck...they may look good (mine don't).  Now place the pan back into the plastic bag and put it in the oven again for about 1 1/2 hours.

10.

See what I mean about the cut?  Oh well, now they are ready to bake!  Stick a small pan of water in the bottom of the oven to make the crust crisp and give the bread a nice color.  Pre-heat your oven (yes, take out the bread first) to about 350 f, which is about 176 C. (c=5/9(f-32)) or just take my word for it.  When it is heated stick the bread in and wait about 25 minutes.  Flick the crust and it should sound hollow.

11.

And that's it!  As with most of the stuff I cook it is not pretty, but it sure taste good!

Tomorrow I am going up north to experience Song Kron (check out one of the earlier posts to see the craziness here in Pattaya) in a small village.

As always, thank you so very much for coming here and reading my blog.  If I can make only one person a day smile or have fun then then my life is complete!