Sukki– Issan

Known as Mongolian BBQ in many quarters. This dish, originated in China and was brought to Southeast Asia by the invading Mongol armies in the 12 century. In the southern provinces of Thailand the people have renamed the dish to Sukki Issaan Hang (Sukki after the Japanese word Sukkiyaki, Issaan meaning Land of Laotians in the northeast , and Hang meaning dry). In the northeast provinces of Thailand and throughout Laos, the dish is called Genghis Khan. As do all cultures when emulating another culture's great cuisine, the Thai people have modified the dish slightly to incorporate readily available ingredients. Also, the Thai do not serve steamed buns with the dish.

... Come to Mongolia for the original.
Sukki Hang: You are trekking in the steppes of Mongolia. It's cold and snowing. In the distance you see yaks roaming around and a handful of igloo shaped tents, known as yurts. You make your way to the center of this nomadic village. (careful don't step in the yak dung!) As you get closer you notice wafts of smoke coming from small openings in the tops of the yurts. You begin to smell the unmistakable aroma of food. You're cold, tired, and most of all hungry. Happy to come upon this oasis, you enter the largest of the yurts.

In front of you is a huge straw matt with fifteen or so people sitting cross legged and huddled around what appears to be a dome shaped object. It resembles an inverted wok but is much larger. At first it appears as though the people are simply keeping warm but as you get closer you see a person put a thinly sliced piece of meat on the oiled surface of the domed object. A few seconds later he removes it, dips it into one of the three small bowls directly in front of him then slips it into a steamed bun before devouring the entire morsel. You notice that everyone is doing the same. One person looks up and sees you standing. He moves to make room and beckons you to join in.

 

Sukki Nomb : Continuing your trek through Mongolia you come upon another nomadic village. Expecting another great gastronomical treat, you enter a yurt. To your surprise, instead of one large group sitting around a big domed object you find small groups of three, four, or five people sitting around, yet another strange object. The object is known as a Hua Kwa pot. Charcoals, contained in a round pot on the dirt floor of the yurt, glow. Mounted above the charcoals is what amounts to a small chimney. Ringing the chimney, one fourth the way up, is what appears to be a moat filled with liquid. The heat from the charcoals flows up the chimney and boils the broth sitting in the moat.

The diners add vegetables to the boiling broth. They take thinly sliced pieces of meat between their chopsticks and swish them in the boiling broth. By the count of five, they pull them out and dip them into one of the flavored sauces in front of them and just as quickly slide them into a steamed bun. They reach into the moat and pull out pieces of vegetable and add them to the steamed bun and begin eating the sandwich. One person looks up and sees you standing. He moves to make room and beckons you to join in.

You eat until full... believing the meal is over. It's not. At the last moment someone puts a handful of noodles into the moat. They allow the broth to come to the boil and begin ladling out bowls of noodles in the rich broth that cooked those vegetables and meats. You think to yourself, "What a wonderful way to end a meal!"