Thailand Part 2 & What I Cooked Last Week
Two beautiful beaches and 24h in Hong Kong, mango lassi, In-N-Out burger bowl, mango sticky rice
Hi everyone,
Hope you’re having a great week! In the last newsletter, I shared all of our Bangkok recommendations, and today I’m sharing the second half of the trip: four days at the beach, followed by a quick overnight stop in Hong Kong before heading back to LA.
We had such an amazing time. It felt like the perfect way to celebrate the cookbook being out in the world and to mark the end of the book tour. Thank you so much to everyone who came to events along the way. It’s truly a chapter of my life I’ll never forget.
As always, my cookbook Maxi’s Kitchen is now available for purchase at your local bookstore or online:
Thank you for your support 🤍!
Inspired by our trip to Thailand, here’s a recipe for mango sticky rice. I wanted to recreate the version I fell in love with there, and I’m so happy with how it turned out. It has the perfect balance of gentle sweetness and a hint of saltiness, with a nice creaminess from the coconut milk. I hope you give it a try!
What I Cooked Last Week! ↓
Mango sticky rice
I became obsessed with mango sticky rice in Thailand. It’s subtly sweet with a touch of salt, and has this creaminess from the coconut milk. The chewy rice pairs so well with the fresh mango.
You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)
In-N-Out Burger Bowl
This is everything you love about In-N-Out but in burger bowl form. The dressing is inspired by their secret sauce. It’s so satisfying and delicious.
Mango Lassi
This creamy Indian yogurt drink turns out perfectly tangy and naturally sweet from the mango. Add a touch of cardamom for some depth of flavor.
Thailand Part 2: Two Beaches and 24 Hours in Hong Kong
When Doug and I were planning the trip, we knew we wanted a mix of city and beach. I sometimes get a little restless if we stay in one beach destination for too long, so we decided to split this part of the trip between two beaches: two nights in Railay Beach and two nights in Koh Yao Noi.
We flew from Bangkok to Krabi in the south, then took a 15-minute water taxi to Railay Beach, which is on a peninsula only accessible by boat. Doug had been there about ten years ago on a trip with friends, and he felt it had changed quite a bit since then. (It reminded him of how Tulum has become more of a tourist destination over time.) There used to be very little in the area, whereas now there are more hotels, restaurants, and small shops, as well as plenty of places to get massages.
Even so, Railay Beach was absolutely stunning. There are three beaches in the area, all surrounded by dramatic limestone cliffs that rise straight out of the sea. Doug had told me it would feel unlike anywhere I’d been before, and he was right. The sunsets were especially beautiful.
Since our hotel was right on the beach, we spent most of our days lounging by the water, sipping tropical drinks, and reading. I’m currently on the third book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, a fantasy romance with a female protagonist. I had read the first two books about a year ago, so it was fun to pick the story back up again. The hotel also served a simple but incredibly refreshing drink made from watermelon blended with ice, which I now want to try recreating at home. We also loved the iced Thai teas so much!
This time around, we made an effort to stick to our daily workout routine, which we don’t always manage to do on vacation. It actually felt really good. That small dose of endorphins helped me relax and feel grounded throughout the trip. I did a mix of Melissa Wood-Tepperberg’s no-equipment Pilates videos, along with weights and jogging in the gym when it was available.
Our favorite meal in the Railay Beach area was at Kohinoor, an Indian restaurant run by an Indian family. I never would have expected to find such fantastic Indian food in Thailand, but everything we ordered was excellent. We loved the chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, samosas, and naan. And of course, on the walk back to the hotel, we stopped for a foot massage.
After two nights in Railay Beach, we took another water taxi to our next destination for a completely different feel.
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