Nam Mengluck - Thai Basil Seeds Drink | Coolers

Sawadikap (Welcome
in Thai) ! After the Spanish Gazpacho yesterday, we move to Thailand with a refreshing Drink for ABC International Blogging Marathon

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On
our last visit to Bangkok, which is known as a shopper's haven, I was simply
blown away. I dont know if Bangkok is truly representative of Thai Cuisine, but
most of them seem to have an Indian connection (coconut milk, lime leaves,
kaffir lime, Basil, galangal) - being a semi-tropical country I guess India and
Thailand have some common thread out there. 

The “Red” Army (a group of peace warriors) keeps the government busy with its frequent hartals (strikes) ! Quite a resemblance to India in that communal Left faction too J)

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The cute elephant motif (quite popular in Thailand) greeting us in the hotel room

Its
a virtual feast to the non vegetarians, who simply keep sipping on these
broths in the streets. I am pleased to share some pictures from that trip here. 

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Bangkok skyline from our hotel

Before we
get to the dish of the day, quick 5
facts about Thailand (Source - Wiki) :

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Map of Thailand

• It is
  bordered to the north by Burma and Laos,
  to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of
  Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the
  southeast, and Indonesia and Indiaon
  the Andaman Sea to the southwest.

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Location Map of Thailand

• There is
  evidence of human habitation in Thailand that has been dated at 40,000 years
  before the present, with stone artefacts dated to this period at Tham
  Lod Rockshelter in Mae Hong Son.
• Thailand
  controlled the Malay Peninsula as far as Malacca in the 1400s and
  held much of the peninsula, including Temasek (Singapore) some of the Andaman Islands and a colony on Java,
  but eventually failed when the British used force to guarantee their suzerainty over the sultanate.
• In
  Bangkok, there are 23,000 free public Wi-Fi Internet
  hotspots.^[88] The Internet
  in Thailand also
  consists of 10Gbit/s high speed fiber-optic lines that can be leased and ISPs
  such as KIRZ that provide residential Internet services
• Thai
  culture has been shaped by many influences, including Indian, Lao, Burmese,
  Cambodian, and Chinese.

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This 'spirit house' is omnipresent throughout Bangkok to ward off evil spirits - its present at the entrance of prominent buildings, including our Hotel

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Clean, tidy sidewalks outside our hotel in the CBD (central business district) The bridge on top left is the metro line which connects most corners of the city

Mangoes, Coconuts, Sea food, a variety of sauces, Rice, Broth and noodles form a major part of Thai Cuisine. My exposure to Thai cooking was Thai Green Curry, Mango Sticky Rice, Pad Thai Noodles,Red Curry, Coconut Milk and the like. 

Then I saw this post on PJ's blog which I not only bookmarked it but made it almost instantly thanks to all easily available material. So lets make Nam Mengluck - Thai Basil Seeds Drink

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Country –
Thailand

Dish – Nam
Mengluck (Thai Basil seeds drink) 

Recipe type – Beverage

Difficulty level – Easy

Recipe adapted from Here

Prep 10
mins | Cook time : Nil | Serves : 2

Serving Suggestions : Chilled

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Ingredients:

• Chilled water – 1 cup (approx. 200 ml)
• Basil / Sabza seeds – ½ teaspoon (I think you
  can tone down a bit to ¼ teaspoon may be as these swell)
• Rose Syrup (I used thick rose crush) – sweetened
  – 3 tsp
• Ice cubes
• Mint or basil to garnish

Method:

1. Soak the seeds in 4-6 tablespoon of water for 15/20 mins. They swell
   quite a bit.
2. Now to chilled glasses, add the chilled water, 2 teaspoon each of these
   soaked seeds (drained), Rose syrup / crush, ice and mix well
3. Top with crushed ice and garnish as desired.

Check out what other Marathoners have dished out today. 

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