Rialoves2cook: We're off to Northern Thailand for a tasty curry and coconut noodle soup called khao soi! And trust me, if I had any money left in my bank account, I'd be flying up there tonight to eat this all weekend. Prae is back and showed me this recipe, just as her mother taught her. So glad to find a kindred spirit in Bangkok!

#NorthernThailand #specialguest #foodmates #soupforthesoul #TastesoftheWorld

Posted October 27th, 4:00 PM

***

After a refreshing nap, Maria ventured to the courtyard for another cuisine outing with Prae. Nearby, Mitch and Shawn scrimmaged, both trudging like swimming manatee. Perhaps Shawn had gone out with Mitch, whose moans had woken her up last night. Mitch's bed partner wasn't Becca, and Maria had cringed when discerning that. This place needed thicker walls, or she needed earplugs.

The situation made her wince for Becca, who seemed to like him. How could he hurt her like that? It stirred up Maria's insecurities about Adrian. She was pulling him away from Kelsey while the woman focused on her studies. Maria had given up her honours program for Adrian, which by Kelsey's cheating logic made Maria more worthy of Adrian's love than that home-wrecker. But was Maria willing to use Kelsey's thinking to justify her actions? That betrayal had been damn painful, and Kelsey loved Adrian regardless of how he felt about her. Continuing the deception would only lead to suffering for everyone.

The smack of a ball on plastic drew Maria's attention to the game. Shawn's shots mostly hit net or backboard, but his hesitation cost him several attempts. In contrast, Mitch took every opportunity he could. Fewer of his attempts sunk, but the ones that did were impressive.

"Going to join us?" Shawn asked.

When Maria stuck out her flip-flops as an explanation, Mitch shook his head. "This is Asia. People climb mountains and trek through rainforests in those."

"I'm waiting on Prae, then I'll be out of your way."

"You were never in our way." Mitch bounced the ball to her.

Without thinking, she stood to catch it, dribbled, and shot from her position. The ball soared toward the net and sunk with a swish.

"Nothing but net," Shawn said. "Maybe we can talk Becca into a game of two-on-two."

With a shrug, Mitch chased after the ball. Prae's arrival saved her from answering. Even though accepting the invitation would be awkward if he and Becca weren't working out, she longed to shoot hoops again.

"This time you are playing basketball." Prae grinned and clasped her hands together. "See, I know."

"What about you Prae? Are you a basketball player too?" Shawn asked.

Prae giggled and shook her head. "It reminds me of netball, and I haven't played since I was young. I never enjoyed standing on the chair and holding the basket. But you boys enjoy your game."

Mitch jogged back with the ball under his arm. "Where are you heading?"

"She's teaching me to make khao soi." Maria turned to Prae, and asked, "Am I saying that right?"

With a smile, Prae repeated it with the correct intonation, falling for "cow" and mid-tone for "soy".

"How does a guy score an invite?" He flashed his white teeth. "I miss Northern Thai food, and I'd be great for your channel, Maria."

Shaking her head, she couldn't help but agree most of her followers would find him charming and easy on the eyes, but Adrian would read into it no matter how she introduced him. After tucking her hands in her jean pockets, Prae rocked from her heel to her toe with stiff shoulders. She avoided Mitch's gaze.

"Maybe I'll share if there are some leftovers and you're not busy when I return."

"Busy?"

Maria cocked her head to the side and eyed a love bite on his neck.

Mitch laughed. "Sorry, when Dan was my neighbour, he was usually at Sunshine's so I got used to freedom. The door is open if you ever want to join."

As Maria's face went beet red, Shawn groaned and muttered, "Really, Mitch?"

Maria took Prae by the arm and focused on Shawn. "Have fun."

As Prae and Maria headed toward the front gate, the guys returned to their game. Maria, with her shorter legs, pushed to keep pace with Prae's fast strides.

"Do you believe that guy?" Maria asked.

While sidestepping boxes of produce left near the pad thai cart, Prae replied, "Yes, he has a reputation for..." Prae's brow creased. "Two other teachers from school live in my building. If they saw us together, there would be rumours."

Maria's eyes widened. "He's that bad?"

"I would rather not take the chance."

The lunch vendors were out with sizzling woks, simmering fish ball soups and hanging red pork balanced on hooks at eye-level. Scents of basil, fried meat, and savoury broths filled the air. With a slight smile, Prae greeted the cooks while maintaining her quick pace, only stopping once at a fruit cart to purchase a bag of green mango.

"Aroy mak!" Prae praised its delicious flavour as she handed Maria a piece and the little baggie of dipping seasoning.

While the fruit was tart and sour like the unripe ones her aunties found at Edmonton's Asian markets, the seasoning was a trifecta of sweet, salty, and spicy flavours.

A few streets later, they arrived at a four-storey building with alcove patios. Prae opened the back gate with a keycard, and they crossed the small, manicured yard.

On the third floor, they entered Prae's studio apartment, around the same size as Maria's. Prae kept the space tidy with plenty of shelves and storage containers. Similar to Maria's apartment, there was no official kitchen. A small fridge sat in a corner near the balcony door alongside racks of bright spices, bottles of oils and sauces, and bags of noodles and rice. Prae showed off her balcony kitchen, something not too common in the city, she lamented. An electric double burner rested on a table with various well-used woks, pots, and pans crammed below.

"Most Bangkok people live off takeaway food. Since I spent many years cooking with my mother, I needed a home with a kitchen. I'm, how do you say, a control..."

"Control freak?"

Prae laughed. "Yes." They stepped into the cooler apartment. After grabbing packs of fresh noodles, a lime, and Chinese mustard greens out of the fridge, Prae explained, "Khao soi is a creamy and savoury noodle soup dish, with Chinese and Burmese influences. It's very famous in the North. My mother's is the best in the region, but mine tastes good too."

Prae set the ingredients on a wicker tray alongside a bottle of oil and a can of coconut milk. While Maria helped carry the tray to the balcony, Prae stocked another.

"Sounds delicious, I'm hooked on the curry we made last week."

Prae grinned as she came outside and placed a wooden bowl of Thai shallots, lemongrass, ginger, garlic cloves, cilantro stalks, coriander seed, white-coloured pods, and a root on the counter which were ingredients for the paste. She extended a knife and a cutting board to Maria. "First, you peel and quarter the shallots."

As Maria prepped, Prae showed how to extract seeds from dried chilli peppers. Then she soaked them in a small bowl of water. Once both the other curry paste ingredients were ready, Prae tossed them in aluminum foil and placed the package into a wok on the burner.

"It helps to soften it and makes it easier when we go to use this." Prae inclined her head toward the stone mortar and pestle sitting on the ground beside a short stool.

After ten minutes, Prae added the charred ingredients one by one to the pestle, and Maria pulverized them, grinding each cardamom and coriander seed to release their flavours. The soaked chilli peppers brightened the mixture. Soon, her arms were as heavy as elephants' feet.

Maria rested her hands. "How was your date?"

Prae looked over from the burners where she heated oil to quick fry the egg noodles. Her brow creased, then cleared as she smiled. "It was fine."

Maria's stomach sunk for Prae. She'd been so excited last weekend, picking out a cute outfit and gushing about him. "Only fine?"

"Fine is good," Prae said with little expression.

"It's just us." Sunshine had explained kreng jai last time she and Maria chatted. Thais would avoid topics or lie when they didn't want to cause others discomfort. Maria looked at Prae. "Your honesty won't upset me."

After Prae tossed crunchy noodles into a bowl lined with paper towel, she fried up another bunch. Her calm expression remained unchanged. "He was kind and polite."

"What did you talk about?" Using her other hand, Maria ground the paste—now orange after adding fresh turmeric and curry powder.

"Home, family, and work. He had a long drive and left after our meal." Prae showed Maria a strainer bucket that she filled with more egg noodles to blanch in water for a minute or two. The crunchy noodles topped the bowl, while these would soak in the broth. "I was foolish to expect differently."

"Perhaps he was busy."

"I appreciate your intentions, but we were friends for several years." Prae stirred the noodles in circles with tongs, then placed them in a bowl. She stopped to look at Maria. A few lines crinkled the smooth skin around Prae's eyes. "I know when he likes a woman, and he showed little interest yesterday."

"There's someone out there for you."

Returning to the boiling water, Prae plunked another handful of noodles in the basket. "That's what we're told."

Maria scratched at her neck and averted her gaze. How did it work when two people were sharing the same person, probably unknowingly for Kelsey? Even if nothing physical could occur from a distance, Maria was the other woman. She'd have to remember that the next time Adrian sent her charming texts and temper her replies.

Once the noodles were finished, Prae combined the oil from the heated coconut milk with the leftover noodle-frying oil. Maria scooped her curry paste into a plastic bowl and brought it to the electric burner where Prae demonstrated how to mix it after frying it quickly. They added more coconut milk, chicken stock and legs, then let it boil.

"I must seem dramatic." Prae headed to the counter to cut up Chinese mustard greens.

"Hardly." Maria stared at the neighbourhood's corroded steel roofs and grimy buildings. Their appearance had degraded, but they still created a home. "After three years, the man I care about tossed me aside for someone else. He's started talking to me again, and things were going well, until yesterday."

Prae wiped her hands on her apron. "Is he in Canada?"

After a deep breath, Maria nodded. Canada felt light-years away with her low bank account balance.

"Would he come out here for you?"

If he broke up with Kelsey and moved here, would their life be different? Could he earn enough money for food and rent while playing shows and helping people practice English? He'd only had his new job for a week, yet he hated it and considered quitting. Repeating the scenario where she supported him because blue-collar jobs were beneath him, would make them fall apart again.

"He's still with my former best friend." Maria shook as her tears formed. Saying it aloud made it feel so real.

Prae took Maria's hand and squeezed it. "It's his loss. You're wonderful."

Maria closed her eyes, sweet memories of her and Adrian flashing before her. "He says he misses me and cares about me, more than her, and we have a lot of history. It's hard to walk away." As much as she wanted to be the better person, she struggled to pass up another chance with Adrian. They'd been through so much, and they'd planned a future, nothing like this, but adapting was part of life.

"If he has feelings for you, wouldn't he break up with her?"

"I don't know. I thought they might have when he was flirting with me. But, I was wrong."

"Maybe he needs more time."

Maria nodded, fighting tears. Perhaps he needed to decide if he could trust Maria again before he acted. "See, more dramatic things exist than a boring date."

"As my mother would say, there are few emotions you cannot resolve with a bowl of khao soi."

Maria chuckled, as her mom would claim the same about her sinigang soup.

Thirty minutes later, Mitch's grievance over missing this dish was easy to understand. The broth and meat had boiled to perfection, and the only matters worthy of Maria and Prae's attention were the soft and crunchy noodles and the creamy coconut broth with hints of lime, shrimp paste and spice.