When I prodded the residents of Ban Maneephruek for an example of a classic Hmong dish, the answer was inevitably kaeng faa pha, ‘lightning soup’, known in Hmong as zaub kua roj.
“It’s called lightning soup because, when you pour the water in the hot oil, sometimes you get flames,” explains Chai Kamnoetmongkhon, a Hmong and native of the village.
To be fair, the flashy name and cooking technique are covers for what is perhaps the simplest dish I uncovered in northern Thailand: a bare-bones soup of vegetables seasoned with a bit of oil and salt.
Chai explains that kaeng faa phaa can be made with just about any vegetable, typically greens such as chayote leaves or yu choy, but the version that stands out in my mind is one made with cubes of ripe kabocha squash, sometimes known as Japanese pumpkin. The soup, which was served as part of breakfast by Chai’s neighbors, was given a subtle herb kick by the addition of a stalk of lemongrass, and as is the case with many Hmong dishes, was accompanied by an optional spicy chili condiment.
Zaub Kua Roj/Kaeng Faa Phaa
แกงฟ้าผ่า
“Lightning” soup
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Optional Chili Condiment
½ teaspoon salt
6-8 small cloves garlic (approximately 10 grams total)
6-8 small fresh chilies (approximately 10 grams total)
For the Soup
1 small (approximately 1 kilogram/2 pound) kabocha squash/Japanese pumpkin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ teaspoons salt
1 small stalk lemongrass (approximately 25 grams), exterior layer and upper green section discarded, lower pale section bruised
Thai Kitchen Tools
granite mortar and pestle
Procedure
Make the chili condiment: To a mortar and pestle, add the salt, garlic and chili. Pound and grind to a coarse paste.
Make the soup: Peel and seed the kabocha squash/Japanese pumpkin. Cut into cubes slightly smaller than 1 inch square. To a medium stockpot over high heat, add the oil and salt. When smoking, add 1½ quarts water. Add the pumpkin and lemongrass, bring to the boil. Lower the heat slightly and cook at a rapid simmer until kabocha squash/Japanese pumpkin is soft, approximately 10 minutes.
Remove to a serving bowl and serve hot, with long-grained rice and the chili condiment, as part of a Hmong meal.