Mark Wiens Goes Night Fishing and Jungle Foraging in Remote Thailand | Epic Food Journeys | Nat Geo
Nat Geo challenged me to fish and forage for a meal.
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We asked for an adventure, we are getting an adventure.
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I've just arrived in Muang Pham village, which is in the remote mountains of Northern Thailand in Mae Hong Son province.
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Mook, where are we going first?
Oh, okay.
We search for some of the ingredients as well?
Clean water, cool too. Oh, that feels amazing. One thing I just learned in Karen language, in order to greet someone, you can say, "O-mue-cho-pe" O-mue-cho-pe A little mini bitter gourd.
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[laughs] It's a slip and slide.
I'm getting my first glimpse at the river, and we're here during a rainy season. Oh, it is really flowing. Is this to keep the buffaloes out? Okay, we've got a little buffalo gate here. Okay, and this is just stunningly beautiful. Rice paddy fields in the valley, green, lush, forested mountains. And now we're away from the road. There's no noise pollution. All I can hear is the sound of the river, the sound of the wind through the trees. So peaceful. I just wanna absorb the freshness and the beauty. It's incredible.
Oh, okay.
That only happens once per year?
Two times per year? So for Karen people, life revolves around the cycle of and growing of rice. Wow, and so that ceremony, it will happen because the whole village has finished planting rice.
Roll up my pants a little. Oh, this is amazing. Water is so cool and so refreshing. Your brothers are already here at the river? They've started fishing already.
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Mook, are these little fish good to eat?
Yes.
Yes?
We will cook them. Awesome.
Oh, you can actually feel the fish?
Oh. [laughs] I got a rock.
Mook, what is your brother's name?
- Jamlong.
Jamlong. Jamlong, and he is the fishing expert. He's gonna teach me how to throw the net. Wow, so evenly and has such a nice surface area. Okay, kind of bunch it up in one hand and then put that over your shoulder? Over your elbow? Group the chain at the bottom. There's definitely a, oh, slipping off my elbow. There's definitely a real strategy, a technique. And then throw both like this. [laughs] Okay, my first time. Let's see if I have what it takes.
Oh, okay, okay, okay. I need to try it again. But you have to keep holding onto this string so that you have the net.
Okay, definitely need a lot of practice.
Okay.
Man. It is a lot. He makes it look easy.
Uh-oh, I got a stick. This is what I caught. [laughing] But yeah, he makes it look so easy. To get it to lay flat evenly is definitely takes a lot of practice.
Wow.
Hey Mook, could you ask your brother how I did? [laughing] I definitely need a lot of practice.
How old were your brothers when they started fishing?
- Okay.
We're a little ways on the bank up from the river and we're gonna start harvesting some more ingredients. Mook, what is this?
Oh, okay. Galangal. Oh, I can already smell it. Oh man, yes. Has a little bit of a gingery aroma, but more floral, I would say. Really big galangal. Oh, that's such an incredible aroma, potent.
Okay.
The galangal flower?
Yes.
Okay.
You can try.
[indistinct conversation in background]
Mm. Mm Oh, oh, the spice keeps on growing. Whoa, my whole mouth is tingling.
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[children shouting]
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Next up, we're gonna harvest some bamboo shoots. And there's nothing like fresh bamboo shoots. I'm extremely excited to taste them. I love the crunch of them and the sweetness as well. Just slice off that tough outer skin.
- Yes.
It's not difficult, but you really gotta be careful. These are razor sharp. If you can see that thorn there, that would like, wow. It can puncture through your finger for sure. It's really sharp, yeah?
Really sharp.
Oh no.
It's okay.
I think I made a mistake.
That's okay.
You just cut this out.
Okay.
It's amazing that something in such sharp thorns can be so sweet and delicious. Are we gonna go get something else also?
Yes, it's called lin paeka.
Lin paeka, okay.
In other parts of Thailand, they call it Lin faa.
Chai ha lin faa.
Okay, okay, lin faa.
This is such a cool tree. In English, it's called the Indian trumpet tree or broken bones is my favorite name. And I love it because it has these pods that just kinda hang out of nowhere. I guess that's why it's called a broken bones because it looks bare, like a bare bones with pods hanging off of it.
Okay, oh yeah, this one's bigger. Great, I love this. Such a cool thing. And something I learned is that if it's bendable, that means it's edible because it's soft enough. But when it gets old, it gets woody, so it's not edible.
It's the nighttime now. We're gonna go fishing and then also get some frogs, common green frogs.
Oh. [laughs]
- That one has jumped. -
Oh yeah, oh nice. We've just grabbed a frog.
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Oh, so these are the types of frogs we were looking for. And this one is good to eat?
The fishing and the frogging continues. We gotta cross the river here.
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I--do you think we can cross it?
[laughing]
It's pretty strong, oh yeah. Be careful. So because it's rainy season and it's been raining a lot, that's why the river is really full and it's really moving.
So we're following Mook's two brothers. Just gotta be careful of spiders and snakes.
We might have a catch.
Oh, a big one.
Two.
Nice.
-We got two.
Three, four, five, six.
No.
Mook, will we cook this one tomorrow?
Yes.
Okay, great.
Oh, another one? Brothers on a roll at nighttime. That's why he wanted to take us fishing at night and it's so exciting too.
Another one?
Yes.
Oh, nice.
As soon as we caught a few fish, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, it started raining, downpouring, soaking wet. We asked for an adventure, we are getting an adventure, that's for sure. Soaking wet.
Good news is we did catch some fish before it started downpouring. Now we're back at the village. Tomorrow, we're gonna have the full ceremony. We're gonna do all the cooking and then we are gonna eat what we caught.
Good night.
Last night, I crashed so hard, slept like a baby. And this morning, it's a beautiful day, bright and early, 6 a.m. I'm in the traditional Karen shirt. This is what everybody will be dressed in and we have a very special day ahead of us.
[indistinct conversation]
First thing in the morning, a hen and a rooster are killed in the traditional way, by hand in the doorway of the house. It may seem a little shocking, but it's an important part of the Karen culture as this is a ritual of welcome and invitation to spirits, ancestors, and family members.
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I guess we're gonna get started now cooking on the preparation for all of the food, all the ingredients that we harvested yesterday. When you know where your food source is from, that's extremely valuable. What is the name of the ceremony?
- Ki Sue.
Wrist tying?
- Wow.
Wow, very cool.
Things are changing fast. Young people, do they want to stay in the village, or do they want to go to the city?
Okay, what about you, Mook?
Chicken is already in there.
Yeah.
Chicken is boiling.
All right.
After boil, they will...
It will spread out.
Wow, it was like just a few tiny spoons of rice go into the whole pot.
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We're getting lucky to have another bigger fish as well for the meal. He's the fishing expert. The fish that we caught last night, the Karen knife is awesome by the way.
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She's gonna be cooked in bamboo, in a bamboo pole.
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How's my fish cutting skills? What would you rate me?
- Oh, yes, I got a nine.
Yes.
And so that's the fish that we cut and cleaned. And now mixing and they pounded up lemongrass, chilies, garlic, and galangal.
Oh, it's so aromatic. And that's gonna go into the green bamboo so that it withholds the fire. And once all the fish is stuffed into the bamboo, then you've wad up a banana leaf to stuff that in as the cover. And this goes directly onto the fire. Fish in the bamboo. I love the preparation. The natural pot from the bamboo.
And we're moving on now to the green paddy frogs. Frogs get seasoned with turmeric. So the turmeric is especially used to take away the muddy flavor of the frogs.
Okay, the frogs are going in. They have some huge legs. Oh, that's pretty awesome.
The whole frog deep fried. First batch of frogs is ready. Look at that leg span. That's incredible. Crispy body. Oh, wonderful.
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Okay, the special day is beginning and the ceremony is beginning right now.
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So it starts with your father?
[speaking in foreign language]
[praying continues]
Thank you, thank you. Yeah, it's such a special tradition and one that has so much meaning behind it. Really, really special for me to be a part of this ceremony and such a blessing to be here. Thank you.
<Mook's Father speaking in Karen> And then you drink and then you pass it around.
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Only for you, only for you.
Only for me?
Yes.
Oh yeah. Oh, that's good.
Oh yes, that's good.
[laughing]
It was incredible to be a part of the wrist tying ceremony with Mook and her family. It's a memory that I'll never forget and there was plenty of rice wine that went around at the end. But now it's time to eat all of the dishes, all of the ingredients, the things we harvested, the fish we caught. I'm so excited to taste them all.
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When you go fishing, when you pick your own ingredients, when you grow your own ingredients, when you have to forage for them in the jungle, you appreciate every dish, you appreciate everything that goes into the food that you eat and the nutrition and the value and the entire experience. It's been an amazing, amazing time and a celebration. And now it's time to eat.
So I think maybe we should try the Khaw Bow first because that's the ceremonial dish that has a lot of symbolism. It's kind of a porridge, but actually it's not a porridge because it's more of a rice sauce because you eat it with rice, which is something very interesting to the, and very unique to the Karen.
How is it?
Oh, amazing. You really taste the flavor of the chicken broth, just lightly aromatic with the lemongrass. That is so good. So hearty.
I'm gonna try some of the bamboo shoots with egg.
Oh, oh yes. The freshness, the crispness of the bamboo then curdled with that egg, the aromatics of the lemon basil, especially. It's so good.
And then I also wanna try the broken bones pods, again, cooked in a similar way, sauteed down with eggs, with garlic, with a little bit of green, of chilies as well.
Oh yeah. There's this immediate bitterness. There's a nice bitterness. It's a sweet bitterness. The aroma, the fragrance of the garlic, the green chilies in there. And then again, that lemon basil.
Yes.
I gotta try the frogs.
Look at those legs, fully doing the splits. Little one-biter, biter frog straight from the river.
Mm-hmm
Oh, the legs are so crispy. Oh man, that's the type of thing you could just snack on with a carbonated beverage all night long. Oh, very good. Very good.
Okay, I'm gonna try the fish next. That's the fish that we caught last night and then cooked in the bamboo.
Maybe I'll start with a little bit of that, the little fish. So the little fish, you can eat the whole body, the face and all.
Oh.
Mmm Oh, the fish is amazing. You really taste the freshness of the lemongrass in there. It's so bright, the kick of the galangal. Because it boiled and it cooked in its own juices, there were no other juices added. The fish broth has just been absorbed back into the fish and making it juicy, full of flavor. You can bite all the way through the bone. Just sort of melts in your mouth. So tasty. Really good.
So you also can try this one?
That's the bitter gourd leaves, which is growing wild all over the village.
Oh, that's really tangly as well.
Mm. And they do have a bitterness to them as well. But it's a nice bitterness. One of the things I love so much is bitterness in many other cultures is something that's not really a part of the cuisine. But here, bitterness is embraced and it adds to the cuisine. There's so many, we have a few different bitter dishes on the table.
And then another thing you have to try is the chili dip with the roasted chilies and also the pounded roasted fish. So this you can either eat with rice or you can eat with the vegetables.
I'll try it with rice first.
Oh.
Oh yeah. The aroma of the roasted chilies in there, the spice, then it really has that intense minty flavor from that.... From that one herb, like intensely minty.
And then you've got the fish, which kind of gives it some protein, gives it some body as well, holds it together.
Yeah, and again, that would be perfect to eat with rice as a sauce and then also good with vegetables you can dip it into.
Yes.
Yeah, what a meal. Everything is good. Thank you.
I received a blessing. And for me, it was an even bigger blessing to be a part of this entire experience where Mook invited me like family and taught me about the local ingredients that are available during this season. We foraged for ingredients. I learned to fish the Karen way, and they taught me how to cook the traditional dishes that they prepare, as well as the special ceremony on the wrist tying ceremony that we were able to be a part of, which I'll never forget.
What I love so much is that Mook and her family are preserving the Karen local traditions through their food. And that's a reason to celebrate.
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