This recipe came from the ‘Thailand the Beautiful’ cookbook, which is considered an excellent cookbook on Thai cuisine. I actually got lucky with this one, it’s currently not in print, but I was lucky enough to stumble across it in a used bookstore while I was visiting Bangkok for a friend’s wedding.

Overall, I liked the Thai version of the wedding ceremony. I was part of a small procession of groomsmen that walked behind the groom while the bride waited from the top floor of a villa. Once we reached the steps, she gave the groom a few tasks to complete to perform to prove his worth. He had to answer some questions, and perform a physical task before she would allow him entry. This was followed by a ceremony, comments from guests, prayers with Buddhist monks, and a reception.

For the comments, as each guest approached the bride and groom, they were given a small container filled with water. The bride and groom each sat with their hands out and clasped as if in prayer. The guest pours water over the groom’s and bride’s hands while they make their comments. Since I was in the back of the line, I had some time to think about what I would say.

When my turn came, I spoke about the effect my friend had on me,  He handles the stress of work and life abroad well, accepting the negatives and challenges while maintaining a contagious positive attitude and outlook. I told him I wanted to be more like him in that respect. I told his wife about the first time I met her, and that my friend was lucky to have found someone like her to share his life with. I finished wishing them a long and happy life together.  I am fortunate and thankful to have friends like them.

Khao Ob Sapparod (Baked Rice with Pineapple)
Ingredients 1 pineapple 1/2 cup of pineapple pulp (comes from the pineapple) 3 Tbsp oil 250 diced chicken meat Chicken Seasoning 1/4 cup fish sauce 1 Tbsp Maggi Seasoning (I did not like the taste of this stuff at all, I would avoid it the next time I cook this recipe) 1/4 cup sugar 2 cups coconut milk 1/4 tsp white pepper 1/4 cup Coriander leaves, chopped Rice Mixture 1/2 cup toasted cashew nuts 1/2 cup golden raisins 1 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves 4 cups steamed jasmine rice Preheat the oven to 350° F. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh to . Cover the pineapple leaves with tin foil.  This will prevent them from burning later. Roughly chop 1/2 cup of the pulp, and set it aside. The rest of the pineapple isn’t needed for the dish and can be used for other purposes. However, you could get away with using all the pineapple if you wanted. Add the oil to a large frying pan, or a wok, with medium heat and sauté the chicken until it is done.  Then add the seasoning ingredients, cook until it foams, and remove from heat. Add the rice mixture to the wok and mix thoroughly. Stuff the finished mixture into the pineapple and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  There will be plenty of finished mixture left over, which can be wrapped in banana leaves and baked, or enjoyed as leftovers on its own without any further treatment.