한국국제교류재단

Thailand is a world-class tourist destination with a wide range of food choices. You can enjoy rice noodles and skewers as well as a Western-style breakfast. Jok and kao tom are especially loved by locals. They are similar dishes in that they both feature rice immersed in soup. To make jok, rice is boiled until it loses its shape, while with kao tom, the shape of the grain remains intact, much like with Korean gukbap. Mainly chicken and pork are added to jok, and the pork is usually made into soft meatballs. It’s also topped with an egg and eaten with sliced ginger. Kao tom is made of a variety of ingredients, such as fish, seafood, and pork bones, and the price range is high because it requires meticulous cooking. Still, prices do not exceed KRW 4,000. Each restaurant makes its own sauce with pride. The sauce, which includes fermented beans and garlic, gives the broth a clean taste.

Viet Nam, the Mecca of rice noodles, offers diners a wide array of options. When you empty a nourishing bowl of broth, you can feel the sweat on your forehead, and the sensation of beating the heat with heat is simply electrifying. Famous rice noodle restaurants usually open at 6:00 AM; it’s not an exaggeration to say that Vietnamese people are some of the most diligent on Earth. Once you have filled your stomach with rice noodles, a cup of bittersweet Vietnamese coffee is a must. Who can refuse such extreme flavors? The captivating charm can bring you to your knees.

In Singapore, you have to try kaya jam. The light green jam is sweet and mild. Its color comes from pandan leaves, a plant that isn’t grown in Korea, although the scent isn’t so unfamiliar to Koreans. It has a subtle aroma that combines vanilla and jasmine. Kaya jam, made from reducing a mixture of pandan leaves, coconut milk, and milk, is eaten with bread and fried eggs. It's the “national breakfast” of Singapore. It may notseem like a big deal, but ithas a satisfying and nostalgic taste. I would gladly eat toast with kaya jam every day.

Roti canai is an Indian-influenced dish from Malaysia. Roti exists everywhere in Southeast Asia, but its status differs. In Thailand and Cambodia, it’s eaten as a snack with bananas and condensed milk, but in Malaysia, it’s part of a proper meal served with curry and onions. The dough and baking skills of the Indians who migrated from South India are amazing. A ball of flour dough isn’t torn even when stretched to the size of a sketchbook. Watching it being made is an additional feast for the eyes.

In Myanmar, mohinga is almost a restorative tonic. It’s the counterpart of Korean chueotang, eaten to restore health. While chueotang is made of loaches, mohinga is a fish soup made of banana peels stuffed with catfish and cooked with rice noodles. It's a simple breakfast that boosts your stamina, and a must-try when visiting Myanmar.