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Stalking the wild Tom Yum Crisp |
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Filed under: Snacks, East Coast, Nuts/seeds, Far East, Food Quest, Shellfish  Several years ago I encountered a Thai snack food that utterly captivated me. I was perusing the shelves of goodies that lined the counter at Queens' Sripraphai. This was back in the day when this wonderful Thai eatery had yet to undergo a slick renovation and was still a hole in the wall, but in a good way.
I spied a round container filled with fried garlic chips, huge dried (maybe fried) shrimp, kaffir lime leaves, dried hot peppers, peanuts and cashews. The cashier saw me eyeing it and told me it was a Thai snack that goes well with beer. I'd downed more than a few cold ones while munching on the Chinese beer snack of salty fried fish, chiles, black beans and peanuts, but I'd never seen anything quite like this. Immediately I pegged it as a great snack to munch on over a few cold brews. But what really drew me to it was the combination of classic Thai flavors it embodied. Hot, sweet, salty and fishy ... mmm. I couldn't wait to try it.As you may have guessed this mysterious munchy exceeded my expectations. It was so delectably addictive that I polished off the whole container in one sitting. The shattering crunchiness of the shrimp, garlic chips, lime leaves and peppers were perfect with the peanuts and cashews. Soon, I sought out spots closer to my home where I could find this wonderful snack. And still, I didn't know the name of this manna, since the label was entirely in Thai.
Then one day, I couldn't find it anymore. I desperately trolled the restaurants and groceries in Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, all to no avail. Eventually, I gave up. But occasionally a good Thai meal would spur me to renew my quest.
Last Sunday was one such occasion. After a wonderful late lunch at Chao Thai in Elmhurst, I was on a mission. I searched high and low at the neighborhood's Asian supermarkets and eventually walked the three subway stops to Sriprahai on the advice of a local shopkeeper. Sadly, I had no luck.
Across the street I found a Thai grocer who happened to be selling a similar product. Instead of shrimp this version has small fried fish encrusted with sesame seeds. It lacks garlic, but it does have lime leaves, peanuts and a few dried hot peppers. At least it passes the taste of being a suitable snack for an ice-cold Singha.
As luck would have it, shortly before this writing a simple Google search turned up this snack's name and a place to order it. I'm not sure why I didn't go the web route sooner. It's called Tom Yum Crisp. It's named after the famous soup. If you want to get some, I suggest you visit Temple of Thai before I purchase their entire supply.Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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