exotic food – Crazy but Alive

I always had a penchant for trying weird foods and on my wish list was Goong ten. Goong ten (กุ้งเต้น) is a Thai dish that literally translates to dancing shrimps.

Although Goong Ten is a street dish that is normally sold by hawkers, it proved to be very difficult to find in Bangkok! And interestingly enough, instead of finding it on the streets, I found it sold at a stall in Rod Fai Night Market Srinakarin.

It was interesting to find a group of youngsters selling Goong Ten together, I always had the idea that it would be sold by the older generations.

Look at all the shrimps swimming around. I felt a little bad at that time for the shrimps, they were going to be eaten alive – by me!

If I were a shrimp, I wouldn’t be very happy right now! I’m going to guess from this video what the recipe is and what the ingredients are but if you would like a proper recipe for Goong Ten, please search the internet.

Here it goes!

1) Scoop the shrimp out of the tank and place it into a mixing bowl.

2) Add lime

3) Add fish sauce

4) Add chilli flakes

5) Add peanuts

6) Add salt and pepper

7) Add cilantro, mint leaves and red onions

8) Mix well

Now for the taste test! Eating the shrimps was really hard at first, they kept jumping around and some actually jumped out of the bowl. I was really scared to eat them as I thought their hard shells would poke my mouth. I wanted to get through the first bite fast, so that involved chewing quickly and killing the prawns fast. Surprisingly, the prawns were very soft and easy to chew and they did not jump inside my mouth. The sauce was sour and spicy and eating the prawns with the cilantro and mint leaves was really refreshing. After the first bite, subsequent bites became really easy, the prawns were also losing their vigor and only the strongest were still alive. This was a unique experience and I would definitely try it again. I urge you to try it too!

If you are having a hard time searching for Goong Ten, head over to Rod Fai Night Market Srinakarin.

Hours: 5pm – 1am , closed on mon and tue

Address: ถนน ศรีนครินทร์ Khwaeng Nong Bon, Khet Prawet, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10250, Thailand

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What better way to understand a country than to visit a local market! Khlong Toei Market is a fresh market selling raw meat, vegetables, seafood, dried goods and other items like clothes or household related things.

If you come from a big city like me and you’re used to clean air-conditioned supermarkets, you’ll be in for a real treat. Be sure to catch the locals going about their everyday lives in a non-touristy place in Bangkok.

I loved how chaotic it was – how the locals were busy getting their groceries, how the sellers were shouting out bargains. I also loved how it was so different from a supermarket – loved how it was not as clean as a supermarket (not saying that the food there was unclean), loved how it was a little less organized. And, I absolutely loved the different smells emitting from the fruits, the raw meat, the live produce and the surroundings.