Nam Mengluck - Thai Basil Seeds Drink | Coolers

Sawadikap (Welcome in Thai) ! After the Spanish Gazpacho yesterday, we move to Thailand with a refreshing Drink for ABC International Blogging Marathon

On our last visit to Bangkok, which is known as a shopper's haven, I was simply blown away. I dont know if Bangkok is truly representative of Thai Cuisine, but most of them seem to have an Indian connection (coconut milk, lime leaves, kaffir lime, Basil, galangal) - being a semi-tropical country I guess India and Thailand have some common thread out there. 

The “Red” Army (a group of peace warriors) keeps the government busy with its frequent hartals (strikes) ! Quite a resemblance to India in that communal Left faction too J)

 

The cute elephant motif (quite popular in Thailand)
greeting us in the hotel room

Its a virtual feast to the non vegetarians, who simply keep sipping on these broths in the streets. I am pleased to share some pictures from that trip here. 

 

Bangkok skyline from our hotel

Before we get to the dish of the day, quick 5 facts about Thailand (Source - Wiki) :

Map of Thailand

• It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and Indiaon the Andaman Sea to the southwest.

Location Map of Thailand

• There is evidence of human habitation in Thailand that has been dated at 40,000 years before the present, with stone artefacts dated to this period at Tham Lod Rockshelter in Mae Hong Son.
• Thailand controlled the Malay Peninsula as far as Malacca in the 1400s and held much of the peninsula, including Temasek (Singapore) some of the Andaman Islands and a colony on Java, but eventually failed when the British used force to guarantee their suzerainty over the sultanate.
• In Bangkok, there are 23,000 free public Wi-Fi Internet hotspots.^[88] The Internet in Thailand also consists of 10Gbit/s high speed fiber-optic lines that can be leased and ISPs such as KIRZ that provide residential Internet services
• Thai culture has been shaped by many influences, including Indian, Lao, Burmese, Cambodian, and Chinese.

This 'spirit house' is omnipresent throughout Bangkok
to ward off evil spirits - its present at the entrance of prominent buildings,
including our Hotel

 

Clean, tidy sidewalks outside our hotel in the CBD (central business district)
The bridge on top left is the metro line which connects most corners of the city

Mangoes, Coconuts, Sea food, a variety of sauces, Rice, Broth and noodles form a major part of Thai Cuisine. My exposure to Thai cooking was Thai Green Curry, Mango Sticky Rice, Pad Thai Noodles,Red Curry, Coconut Milk and the like. 

Then I saw this post on PJ's blog which I not only bookmarked it but made it almost instantly thanks to all easily available material. So lets make Nam Mengluck - Thai Basil Seeds Drink

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Country – Thailand

Dish – Nam Mengluck (Thai Basil seeds drink) 

Recipe type – Beverage

Difficulty level – Easy

Recipe adapted from Here

Prep 10 mins | Cook time : Nil | Serves : 2

Serving Suggestions : Chilled

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Ingredients:

• Chilled water – 1 cup (approx. 200 ml)
• Basil / Sabza seeds – ½ tsp (I think you can tone down a bit to ¼ tsp may be as these swell)
• Rose Syrup (I used thick rose crush) – sweetened – 3 tsp
• Ice cubes
• Mint or basil to garnish

Method:

1. Soak the seeds in 4-6 TBSP of water for 15/20 mins. They swell quite a bit.
2. Now to chilled glasses, add the chilled water, 2 tsp each of these soaked seeds (drained), Rose syrup / crush, ice and mix well
3. Top with crushed ice and garnish as desired.

Check out what other Marathoners have dished out today. 

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