Thailand – Gang Keow Wan

by Fauzan Anandika

Homemade rocket soaring the sky, not in a war but a festival held in Yasothan province Thailand. Bun Bang Fai is a rocket festival held every 4th May and lasts for two days. On that day, Yasothon people separate into several groups team up to create a 6 meters bamboo rocket. The team that could make the highest rocket award with some money. The main event in this festival is a parade and beauty contest.   

Bun Bang Fai is a festival to honor Phaya Taen, a pre-Buddhist god. During the festival, the airspace was temporarily closed to allow hundreds of homemade rockets to fire into the sky. This attraction attracts more than 50.000 tourists every year, there even an international rocket contest at the festival. The participant comes from neighboring countries like Laos, Cambodia, Korea, and Japan. 

Each team prepared their rockets secretly for weeks event months start from planning and developing their festival rocket. They make rockets from bamboo, paper, plastic, and metal. At the Bun Fang Fai festival, you can see different rocket sizes and colors. Some of them are small others make a larger size that could be terrifying the audience. Most of the rocket has 9 meters long and contains 25 kg gun powders, and some of them could reach 100 kg weight. Despite the size, all the festival rockets have the same purpose, to ensure the harvesting process, prevent a flood and extreme dryness.   

Bun Bang Fai is not only about rockets, but there is also traditional dance, and people wear a beautiful costume, while some man covers their body with white powder and wearing frog mask to honor The Frog King, Phaya Khang Khok. They’re also a traditional food stall where you can buy Thai food. For those who loved spicy food, Gang Keow Wan is the best choice to eat during the festival.

Gang Keow Wan is a green-spicy curry that uses beef, chicken, or pork as the main ingredient, cooked with coconut milk, green tomatoes, palm sugar, and fish sauce. They use green curry paste to create the green color, and the spicy taste comes from green chili. 

Ingredient

Green Paste

• 100 grams of green chili, chopped
• 3 piece of lemongrass, use only the white part and thin sliced
• 10 gram of galangal, chopped
• 20 grams of garlic, chopped
• 65 grams of shallot, thin sliced
• 2 teaspoon of shredded lime
• 2 teaspoon of coriander root, chopped
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste, grilled
• 1 teaspoon pepper, roasted
• 2 teaspoon coriander, roasted
• 2 teaspoon caraway, roasted
• 2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoon of coconut oil
• ½ cup of bay leaf

Gang Keow Wan

• 400 gram of chicken
• 3 tablespoon of green paste
• 3 cup of coconut milk
• 10 gram of lime leaves
• 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon of corn oil

Garnish

• 3 piece of red chili, diagonally sliced
• ¼ cup of bay leaf

How To Cook

Green Paste

1. Prepare a food processor.
2. Add all the ingredients, process the ingredients until smooth.
3. Place on a spice container.

Gang Keow Wan

1. Cut the chicken into bite-size.
2. Prepare a frying pan, add the green paste.
3. Stir fry until fragrant.
4. Lower the heat and slowly pour coconut milk. 
5. Add chicken and lime leaves, cook for three minutes.
6. Add fish sauce and palm sugar wait until boiling.
7. Remove to a serving bowl and add garnish.