The MOST INSANE Street Food in Thailand!

Summary

Join Mark Wiens in Bangkok’s Talad Rot Fai Ratchada night market as he embarks on a street food adventure. This vibrant market is known for its oversized and innovative Thai dishes, and Mark is here to try Laeng Saeb, a mountain of pork bones drenched in fiery chili broth. As he digs into this spicy, tangy dish, he shares the fun and challenge of eating it. Mark also explores other unique treats like stir-fried ice cream and crispy butter wafers, ending his journey with a refreshing coconut shake. A must-see for food lovers visiting Bangkok!

Takeaways

• 😀 Mark Wiens visits Talad Rot Fai Ratchada, a night market in Bangkok, known for its unique and oversized Thai street food.
• 🍜 The main dish Mark is trying is called Laeng Saeb, a modern Thai dish consisting of pork bones boiled into a spicy and sour soup.
• 🌶️ The Laeng Saeb dish is topped with an overwhelming amount of green chilies, which are a key flavor component.
• 🥄 The XXL portion of Laeng Saeb is served on a gigantic plate, nearly the size of a satellite dish, making it visually striking.
• 💥 Despite the huge amount of chilies, Mark finds the broth to be flavorful, with balanced saltiness, sourness, and heat that builds over time.
• 🍖 The pork bones in Laeng Saeb are tender and easy to scrape off, offering a fun, interactive eating experience.
• 🔥 The dish is spicy, but the heat is manageable, and Mark enjoys the challenge of eating so many chilies.
• 🧊 After the Laeng Saeb, Mark tries other street food offerings like 'Monster Ice Cream,' a trendy Thai ice cream made by scraping frozen milk into swirls.
• 🧁 Mark also tries crispy butter wafers, a thin snack made with butter and condensed milk, which melt in your mouth and have a distinctive egg yolk flavor.
• 🥥 Mark ends the meal with a refreshing coconut shake, perfect for cooling down after the spicy dishes.
• 🌟 Mark encourages viewers to visit Talad Rot Fai Ratchada for a fun food adventure, highlighting its variety of unique and innovative street foods.
• 🎥 This video is part two of Mark’s visit to the market, with part one featuring a massive lobster tom yum dish.

Q & A

What is Laeng Saeb, the main dish featured in the video?

Laeng Saeb is a modern Thai dish that features pork bones or spines, which are boiled into a spicy, sour soup with lime juice and green chilies. It's known for its large portion sizes and unique combination of flavors, with a lot of chilies used in the preparation.

Why does Mark describe the dish as 'ridiculous' and 'crazy'?

Mark uses terms like 'ridiculous' and 'crazy' to emphasize the sheer size and excessive amount of chilies used in the Laeng Saeb dish. The XXL version he orders is massive, served on a plate the size of a satellite dish, and is piled high with thousands of chilies, making it an overwhelming and eye-catching presentation.

What makes Talad Rot Fai Ratchada unique as a night market?

Talad Rot Fai Ratchada is known for its unique and innovative Thai street food offerings, with a mix of traditional and experimental dishes. The market is a hub for creative food, where vendors experiment with new ideas and introduce unique food creations that you won't find elsewhere in Bangkok.

How does the broth of the Laeng Saeb taste?

The broth of the Laeng Saeb is rich and flavorful, with a salty, sour, and slightly spicy profile. The chilies provide some heat, though not overwhelmingly intense, and the bone broth adds a deep, savory base to the dish.

What challenges does Mark face while eating the Laeng Saeb?

Mark faces the challenge of handling the gigantic size of the dish, which is heavy and difficult to balance. He also struggles with the sheer amount of chilies and bones, making it a messy but enjoyable eating experience. The dish requires patience and motor skills to eat, especially with the need to scrape meat off the bones.

Why does Mark compare eating Laeng Saeb to a 'meat avalanche'?

Mark uses the term 'meat avalanche' to describe the overwhelming amount of meat that comes off the bones as he scrapes them clean. The dish is messy and requires constant digging through the bones, making it feel like an avalanche of meat and chilies as you eat.

How does Mark handle the heat from the chilies in Laeng Saeb?

While the chilies provide heat, Mark mentions that the spiciness builds up gradually and is not as intense as it appears. He finds the heat manageable, enjoying the flavors but acknowledging that it does intensify the longer you eat. The heat is present but not overpowering.

What is the 'Monster' ice cream that Mark tries at the market?

The 'Monster' ice cream, also called 'stir-fried ice cream', is a popular Thai dessert where milk and other ingredients are mixed on a cold plate, spread thinly, and scraped into swirls. Mark tries an almond and Oreo flavor, which is lighter and less rich than traditional ice cream.

What is the 'crispy butter' snack Mark samples at the market?

The 'crispy butter' snack is a paper-thin treat made by spreading butter and sweetened condensed milk onto a hot plate and letting it cook slowly. Once it's crispy, the wafer is scraped into thin pieces, creating a snack that dissolves quickly in your mouth and has an egg yolk-like taste.

How does Mark feel about the coconut shake he tries at the end of the video?

Mark enjoys the coconut shake, finding it sweet and refreshing. The natural sweetness of the coconut water and meat, combined with ice, hits the spot after the salty and spicy Laeng Saeb meal, making it a perfect way to end his street food tour.