Gaeng som cha om kai: something hot in a cold country (???????????????????)

rarely cook the same dish two times back to back. With all the diversity available to us these days, it would be a shame to get stuck in a culinary rut. Moreover, my penchant for dietary diversity is in line with the little theory that I have recently developed. See, most of us eat the same stuff , week in, week out. It will be mostly what we like, what we know how to cook, what is available in our local supermarket.

That kind of skewed pattern of food intake deprives our body of a multitude of nutrients. Your body, like a house, needs constant maintenance and you need as many various amino acids, polysaccharides and enzymes as possible to make sure that you keep the temple of your soul in the best possible condition.

This week the sunny and crispy cold weather in London has put me in the mood for some spicy food. The contrast between the chilly air on the outside and the warm glow of chilli peppers and ginger on the inside is one of the greatest carnal pleasures. I decided to cook me gaeng som (??????, alternative spellings: kang som, kaeng som, gang som) - spicy-and-sour Thai soup normally served with acacia omelette. I cooked it on Sunday, to give my cold limbs a perk after a nice afternoon hang-out in Regent's Park, and then once again on Wednesday for a guest.

Here, in one serving, I had a most cosmopolitan congregation: mussels from New Zealand, rice from India, shrimp from Greenland, eggs from Britain, fish sauce and tamarind from Thailand, tomatoes from Italy and onions from Egypt. To paraphrase Confucius: "????????????" ("When food comes from afar, is that not delightful?")

So here is the recipe:

Kai cha om (??????????) (acacia omelette)

Gaeng som (??????):

Serve gaeng som in a bowl topped with a pieces of omelette and freshly steamed rice on side.

Now for the soundtrack: Something Hot In A Cold Country by Echobelly