Food Diary - Siang Can, Phuket

On our second day in Phuket (29 Jan), we lunched at Siang Can, the eatery we tried to find, but failed to, on Day 1. So, as mentioned, FL contacted his Thai friend for the name, and we somehow managed to Google Map it close enough, though we still had to walk 2 streets from where we parked.

Siang Can kitchen

Siang Can is a no-frills eatery, like the tze char places we have at home. Just this huge space with naked concrete floor and walls, with benches. The kitchen is vast and open-air - it was pretty entertaining to watch the bustle in the kitchen.

Siang Can kitchen

Siang Can serves Isan cuisine, i.e. northeastern Thai food, which is said to be Thailand's most popular regional cuisine. The Isan region is Thailand's largest region and consists of 20 provinces. Geographically, Isan is bordered by Laos and Cambodia. It is separated from eastern Thailand by the San Kamphaeng mountain range, and from northern and central Thailand by the Phetchabun mountains. Isan food is said to be distinct from central Thai cuisine in that the former shares common elements with the cuisine of Laos, absent the French and Vietnamese influences.

Pla duk dam, Siang Can

One of the dishes we ordered was pla duk dam (ปลาดุกย่าง?),^{note 1} an Isan street food classic. The grilled catfish arrived, looking like an ugly blackened beast. The skin was leathery and tough, but easily peeled away, revealing the perfectly cooked flesh - so soft, creamy and sweet.

Mu daeng and khao phat sapparot

In any event, Siang Can doesn't seem restricted to only Isan cuisine, and carries some mainstream favourites as well, like the mu daeng (หมูแดง) and khao phat sapparot (ข้าวผัดสับปะรด)^{note 2} we ordered. It is not surprising to see mu daeng, basically charsiu, in Thai cuisine. Thai cuisine, generally divided into 4 regional cuisines, has always been influenced by those of its neighbours and its immigrants. Several Chinese dishes and cooking techniques (e.g. stir-frying) were introduced by Hokkien and Teochew immigrants.

The spread, Siang Can

Also ordered phat bung fai daeng (ผักบุ้งไฟแดง), khai thot (ไก่ทอด), and sai mu thot (ไส้หมูทอด).^{Note 3} ML also asked for khao niao (ข้าวเหนียว),^{note 4} an Isan staple, which came in a narrow cylindrical bamboo basket container.

Tom yum goong at Siang Can

ML also insisted on ordering the som tam boo pla ra (ส้มตำปูปลาร้า), and tom yum goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง).^{Note 5} The tom yum was very spicy - a real kick of chili and lime. It was quite a challenge at first, but gradually, the more I drank, the less spicy it seemed to become!

The som tam boo pla ra (green papaya salad), though, ended up being mostly consumed by ML only. Think the rest of us were not willing to risk stomachache with the brined crabs and uncooked pla ra. In the end, ML turned out fine.

All up, the total cost of lunch was just a little more than than the pla sam rot at Raya House.


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Note 1
Pla duk dam (ปลาดุกย่าง?): grilled catfish

Note 2
Mu daeng (หมูแดง): red roast pork, i.e. charsiu.
Khao phat sapparot (ข้าวผัดสับปะรด): pineapple fried rice

Note 3
Phak bung fai daeng (ผักบุ้งไฟแดง): stir-fried morning glory (the Ipomoea aquatica, also water spinach, mostly called kangkong at home)
Kai thot (ไก่ทอด): deep-fried chicken
Sai mu thot (ไส้หมูทอด): deep-fried pork intestines

Note 4
Khao niao (ข้าวเหนียว): steamed glutinous rice

Note 5
Som tam boo pla ra (ส้มตำปูปลาร้า): green papaya salad with brined paddy crabs and fermented fish sauce
Tom yum goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง): prawn tom yum soup