Steven Wallis teams up with Tell Tale Travel, on their Tamarind and Spice Tour across Thailand, 20th November - 4th December 2010

For all of you adventurous foodies out there, come and join me on Tell Tale Travel's Tamarind & Spice Tour across Thailand in November and December. Tell Tale Travel specialise in offering truly authentic holidays, that focus on real inside experiences that offer the opportunity to access the peoples and culture of each of their destinations. I am very excited to be acting as the escort on this 15 day trip, guiding and participating with the group (no bigger than 10) as we take in the culinary and sensory delights of Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Chang Mai and Krabi.
You'll be taught by local cookery experts who will share their personal recipes and techniques, and of course I'll be on hand throughout the entire trip as we explore food markets, street food vendors and take in the incredible cultural richness of four contrasting regions of Thailand.

Tamarind & Spice Itinerary as follows:

Day 1: Direct flight from London Heathrow to Bangkok with Thai Airways or Eva Air. (If you are from the United States, email us about your flight options)

Day 2: Pick up Bangkok airport and transfer in air-conditioned private minibus to centrally-located boutique inn. Time to relax then a stroll through the local area for a welcome dinner.

Day 3: Morning lie-in/brunch. Afternoon cookery lesson at the Blue Elephant Cookery School. Evening trip to Suan Lum night market and Sky Bar.

Day 4: Morning, boat trip along the Chao Phraya Rivera and visit the magnificent Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha with an expert guide. After lunch, 1-1.5 hour drive to a sleepy village in the Central Plains. Settle in and followed by sunset boat trip. Dinner, lesson on Thai desserts and overnight stay at the village headman's elegant but simple teak house.

Day 5: Early morning at the local market with the headman's wife followed by a cookery lesson and lunch. Optional bike ride around the paddy fields and along the canal in the afternoon, transfer to nearby Ayutthaya, relaxing evening.

Day 6: Bike ride with guide (with minibus support) around the spectacular remains of Ayutthaya, one-time capital of Thailand, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Time to shower and change before overnight sleeper train north to Chiang Mai.

Day 7: Early morning arrival in Chiang Mai and minibus transfer to luxury private home. Welcome breakfast, settle in, then enjoy the swimming pool. In the afternoon, a guided walk around the village is followed by more relaxation and Thai massage. Minibus will drive to Chiang Mai for dinner and browsing the night market.

Day 8: Pick your own at an organic farm to pick ingredients for a northern Thai cookery lesson.

Day 9: A day's sightseeing in Chiang Mai with a local guide. Time to relax before dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 10: Cookery lesson in the jungle for some essential cookery survival tips. Learn how to make a makeshift kitchen of bamboo and banana leaves and cook over an open fire.

Day 11: Vegetarian cookery demonstration and lunch. Then fly to Krabi (via a quick change in Bangkok). Short transfer to mini-resort. Evening tour and dinner at Krabi night market.

Day 12: Morning at leisure by the pool. Afternoon at cookery school to learn sizzling Southern-style dishes.

Day 13: Island hopping around the Hong archipelago; a series of uninhabited islands with pristine white beaches and hidden lagoons that are considered to be the most beautiful in the region. Snorkelling amid tropical fish on the coral reef and picnic lunch.

Evening back on shore, with a visit to a local village and dinner with the Deputy Headman's family. Then a lesson in making Thai desserts.

Day 14: Free day, but optional minibus tour stops at a local village with good handicrafts, spectacular waterfalls and Tubkaak beach. Farewell dinner.

Day 15: End of your cookery holiday! Transfer to Krabi airport for a short internal flight to Bangkok, connecting with international flight home. Arrive at London Heathrow approximately 7pm UK time (same day).

Tell Tale Travel are offering a £50 discount to anyone who books the trip and quotes 'The Urban Foodie', if you are interested in joining us for a magical 15 days of gastronomic food heaven, get in touch with Tell Tale on tel. 0800 011 2571
Opening hours: 9am-9pm, 7 days, First Floor, 25a Kensington Church Street, London, W8 4LL United Kingdom, or at www.telltaletravel.co.uk or leave a comment and I'll forward any enquiries.

Steven

Wishing you a very happy Christmas!

Well I thought I'd break my blogging sabbatical with a post to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! It's been a tough year all round, and I have taken this year to think quite hard about my future and what I do going forward. I took four months off this year to travel through Central America, which was the best decision of the year, as well as being the perfect way to recharge my creative spirit. So, I will endeavour to restart blogging with a vengeance next year (I no longer have my Leica camera that helped me take such great photos for my blog - so hoping to replace it and get shooting great photos again), and get back into blogging and photographing food and my love of cooking.
So, for those of you who have been loyally following the sporadic prose of 'theurbanfoodie', posting such awesome posts on here and firing my imagination further, I wish you a wonderful holiday and much merriment and festive feasting.
Merry Christmas!
Steven X

Colours and flavours of the rainbow

A shameful practice - the plundering of Marine Turtle eggs

Towards the end my market excursion, I was horrified to spot these turtle eggs on sale, covered with a grubby piece of sackcloth and paraded shamelessly by a so-called 'fishmonger'. This despicable trade only pushes marine turtles of various species even closer to extinction, and further upsets the fragile marine ecosystems with which they co-exist. Riled by what I saw, my initial reaction was to protest and question the vendor, but as I was alone at the time, it felt safer and perhaps more appropriate to write about and spread awareness, however futile that may seem, or faint the message.
Turtle eggs are considered a delicacy in Central America, and particularly by men who have for many years consumed them raw as an aphrodisiac. ( I have included an advertising campaign commissioned by the Mexican government aimed at the men who eat the eggs, a message intended to dissuade turtle egg consumption by a beautiful young woman who decrees that the men in her life don't really need them). I'm not sure if this ad's rampant sexism and sexual objectification will solve this problem, but at some level I have to conclude that it is better than nothing. Witnessing the sale of such things saddens me to the core, as I feel that young turtles have a hard enough time surviving the oceans and marauding prey, to then have their chances of survival cut even further by pillaging human opportunists. Even adult turtles who can survive well into their seventies aren't safe from the nets of industrial trawlers that themselves damage marine ecosystems beyond comprehension.
Like any country or place you fall in love with, there are always dark sides that disturb us and make us want to ignore the fact of their very existence, things we prefer to turn a blind eye to. I feel this is something the Environmental Office of the Guatemalan Government should be policing, and harshly to stop this senseless trade - and I feel should perhaps wake up somewhat to the beauty and fragility of their awesome natural resources, as these riches are neither infinite nor expendable. The marine turtles native to Guatemala including the Olive Ridley Turtle that is now on The World Conservation Union's Endangered species list need all the help they can get, and deserve to be left well alone. There is a link to this post to the World Wildlife's webpage on turtles, should you wish to read more. I don't climb up onto my soapbox often enough, but I will be emailing a local office of the WWF to see if they have any influence in helping to stop this very damaging and foolish practice.

http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/marineturtles/marineturtles.html

Market curiosities

Two weeks have passed since I was last at the market in Guatemala City, so I decided to pay another visit to nose around and perhaps spot things I might have missed on my first outing. My enthusiasm was curbed this time by a minor bout of sickness, which made me sensitive to the crowds and smells, which were at times pretty unforgiving.
So despite the assault on my senses, I still found some gems amongst the market glistening like jewels in the morning sun. First up were tomatoes the size of pearls, so decorative and pretty, pretty enough even to grace the slate platters of the world's three Michelen starred restaurants so perfect they were in form and flavour. Next were a type of Chilli Pepper, similar to the Scotch Bonnet and equally as fiery. Then I saw Tamarillo, which you seldom find in the UK - but something I have acquired a taste for. Lastly were Sapote, something again I have never seen before and native to Guatemala, and as luck would have it, my bravery for trying out these new delicacies was significantly diminished, so notes on flavours to be published later.

The colourific Maya

Wheels of colour in Antigua

Chuchito solo

Chuchitos bonitos!

Like Pepian and Pacaya, Chuchitos are wholeheartedly Guatemalan, and seem to capture the vibrancy and conviviality of its people and way of life. Like all great recipes that yield deliciously awesome results, you need bags of time set aside. The making of Chuchitos is no exception. These 'little dogs' are made in stages and take the best part of a day to prepare and cook.
The first thing to be made is the 'salsa', a rich tomato sauce that is made all the better for having had a day to develop and the acidity to soften and give way to a luxurious tomatoey spiciness. Two different types of tomatoes, pimentos and onions are blanched, then pureed. The strained puree has pork fat added, and then is allowed to simmer, along with chilli Guace, chilli Passa and good pinches of seasoning and more dried chilli flakes.
The tortillas are made with maize flour, water and seasoning. These are then formed into luscious little rounds by hand. The petals are stripped from the Flor de Isote, lightly washed and spun till dizzy in a salad spinner.
Once each tortilla has been made, a pinch of petals are added, along with a chunk of pork fillet (I'm sure beef would work equally as well here - as would quail breasts come to think of it..!) Then the salsa is draped over, after which the Chuchito is made by folding the two sides together, Cornish Pasty like, and the ends pinched to seal the edges and keep all the delicious ingredients neatly encapsulated. The bit I love best about Chuchitos is how they are then prepared for cooking; corn husks are steamed for a few minutes, and their papery skins are then used as jackets for the little dogs, which are then placed in a pan and steamed for 40 minutes or so until the tortillas are soft and the meat inside is cooked through and tender.
The hot Chuchitos are served in their skins, to be opened at the table, with spoonfuls of salsa and Chiltepé as accompaniments. Buen Provecho!

Flor de Izote - Yucca Flowers

As my wonderful trip to the market with Marie was coming to a close, and both of us weary and laden with exquisite spoils from the market, Marie dived off into the crowds to return with these beautiful flowers. I had seen them before, but was quite unsure of their origin and what they would be used for. I figured they would adorn the dinner table later that night, or perhaps fragrance the house with their scent. On closer inspection, these had only a light fragrance, like Jasmine, but not enough to be noticed.
Once home I soon found out that these are in fact food, and a not a beauty accessory as I had initially thought. The flowers are dissected, and it is in fact the petals that are then eaten.
In this instance, it is part of the dish known fondly here as Chuchitos (little dogs), that are parcels of meat, sauce and petals held together in a corn tortilla, wrapped in maize husks and steamed. I guess this takes me smoothly to my next post.....

Colour everywhere.

I couldn't decide with the last lot of colours, so have decided to show whatever felt most exciting and interesting.

Colours Red

Colours red; Strawberries, glistening fish of some description, lobster and sweet pimento

Colours Orange

Colours orange are; sweet Alphonso mangoes, mandarins, highly fragrant papaya and lychees, carrots and more intensely hued papaya.