Soup's On! And On! Thai Beef Noodle Brew Has Been Simmering For 45 Years
Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2019 10:12 pm
There's food that's old. There's food that's gone bad. And then there's soup that's been simmering for 45 years.
In Bangkok, customers can't get enough of the latter at Wattana Panich, a noodle soup joint in the trendy Ekkamai neighborhood, where third-generation owner Nattapong Kaweeantawong wants to clear up what he thinks is a popular misconception about his beef soup.
"Lots of people think we never clean the pot," he says. "But we clean it every evening. We remove the soup from the pot, then keep a little bit simmering overnight."
It's that little bit, he says, that forms the stock of the next day's soup. So yes, at least a taste of what you put in your mouth is 45 years old and counting.
"Since my grandfather's time, we've never really had a set recipe about how much of each ingredient to put in," Nattapong says. "So, the person making the soup will constantly have to taste it to know what needs to be added."
He says some of the ingredients include nearly a dozen Chinese herbs plus garlic, cinnamon, black pepper and cilantro root. And then there's the beef. He goes through about 150 pounds a day...
In Bangkok, customers can't get enough of the latter at Wattana Panich, a noodle soup joint in the trendy Ekkamai neighborhood, where third-generation owner Nattapong Kaweeantawong wants to clear up what he thinks is a popular misconception about his beef soup.
"Lots of people think we never clean the pot," he says. "But we clean it every evening. We remove the soup from the pot, then keep a little bit simmering overnight."
It's that little bit, he says, that forms the stock of the next day's soup. So yes, at least a taste of what you put in your mouth is 45 years old and counting.
"Since my grandfather's time, we've never really had a set recipe about how much of each ingredient to put in," Nattapong says. "So, the person making the soup will constantly have to taste it to know what needs to be added."
He says some of the ingredients include nearly a dozen Chinese herbs plus garlic, cinnamon, black pepper and cilantro root. And then there's the beef. He goes through about 150 pounds a day...