THAILAND
Stalls at Trang market sell
everything from fresh produce to specialities such as moo yang (crispy pork)
It’s comforting and delicately flavoured, laden with sea bass, prawns and octopus, and sprinkled with crab. Soft, thick noodles are submerged in a rich, peppery gravy, made slightly sweet by pork-bone broth and pork fat. The full recipe? Top secret, of course. Another day, I head to Trang market for
7am, where Yu Pi is almost done for the day. Dressed in a floral blouse and back brace — the 60-something is on her feet 16 hours at a time — she expertly chops moo yang (crispy pork, the town’s signature breakfast dish). It’s so vital to Trang’s identity that it’s mentioned in the province’s slogan. I’m handed a sticky chunk of mahogany-coloured meat, which is tender, sweet and fragrant with spices from a Chinese pharmacist (Yu Pi won’t go into specifics, but there’s a hint of cinnamon and clove). Shards of crackling threaten to detach my fillings. Yu Pi tosses everything onto the scales; the price here at Moo Yang Ko Pao is 600 baht (around £13) a kilo, some 200 baht pricier than stalls elsewhere. It’s the best in Trang, though. People will pay. Customers squeeze between stalls to collect their packages of the caramelised ‘sweet bits’ from Yu Pi; others exchange wads of cash for whole pigs for family celebrations. With her phone on loudspeaker, Yu Pi takes food orders from her husband, who’s at home. While Yu Pi works in the market, other
Trang residents gather for prayer. Dotted around the mosque, women in headscarves prepare crumpled rotis and chicken curry. Nearby, I meet Wan at her restaurant, Terrang. “There are many Muslim people in Southern
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Thailand, and they want to eat dim sum for breakfast, too. But everywhere serves pork,” she explains. Spotting an opportunity, she began serving chicken and prawn dim sum to Thai Muslims — both locals and visitors. But not everyone in Trang wants dumplings
for breakfast, some want something sweeter. At Kopi Sombat the owner is pouring can after can of condensed milk into dark-brown tea — made with Malaysian tea leaves, he tells me, proudly. The result is cha nom ron, a fudge-coloured, caffeinated concoction that’s one reason why the shop is so busy. The other? Fried dough. Not the modest chunks I’ve spotted at every breakfast table in Trang. These are the size of a large forearm. Outside, where people are selling bananas and eggs from their car boots, a team of three preps the dough, before slipping on protective goggles and twiddling it with chopsticks in a vat of treacle-coloured oil. A small saucer of coconut custard is placed
in front of me. The thick paste covers half the saucer. I wipe the dough through it — with the crispy moo yang tucked inside it’s the perfect combination of salty, soft, sweet and crunchy. Beside me, a teenager slurps iced tea through a straw. ‘Today’s a dough day’, her T-shirt reads. In Trang, I think every day is a dough day.
HOW TO DO IT: Trang is an overnight train or a short flight from Bangkok. Rua Rasada, in Trang, has B&B doubles from 1,900 THB (£42). Inspiring Travel has a week-long trip to Southern Thailand from £1,844 per person, including luxury hotel, breakfast, flights and transfers.
ruarasadahotel.com
inspiringtravel.co.uk
Four southern Thai food hotspots
PHUKET: Pineapple rice and moo hong (stewed pork belly) are the favourites at this coastal beach town. Try them at Kin Dee, or Michelin-starred Pru restaurant at Trisara hotel.
HAT YAI : This city near the Malaysian border specialises in bak kut teh (fried chicken with sticky rice), dished up at street stalls and restaurants such as Kai-Tod Decha.
PATTANI : Situated on the coast near Malaysia, the province of Pattani is known for its kor-lae chicken (grilled and marinated in a satay-esque sauce heavy on coconut and fragrant spice).
SURAT THANI : A gateway to islands including Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Samui, this is also the place to try yellow curry with fish (also known as sour curry), which has a spicy, sharp flavour and a soup-like consistency.
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