Dok Anchan (ดอกอัญชัน) or better known as the Butterfly Pea Flower is a highly intriguing plant.
I was introduced to it when I first travelled to Thailand on my own. My first time was drinking it as a beverage, mixed with a squeeze of lemon juice in Ko Kret (an artificial island in Bangkok well-known for their clay pottery). It was sooooo refreshing and I was immediately hooked! But that was the first and last time I drank it, as I was only there for a short holiday.
It wasn’t until years later that I returned to Thailand again and a Thai friend brought me to a restaurant that specialised in serving dishes made with natural extracts from the flower.
I recalled seeing this flower growing in the wild, creeping along the trellises back home in Singapore. I also thought it added a splash of color to the surroundings. Call me ignorant back then, but it didn’t occur to me that it could be used in cooking!
Thai people like to use the flowers and brew it in the form of a tea. I personally think it looks absolutely gorgeous — especially when it gradually transforms from a luminous cobalt-blue to a deep-violet color within seconds (after the addition of lemon juice).
If I were to pour it in a glass and make it look fancy, it might be easily mistaken for the cocktail aptly named, “Blue Lagoon”! ;)
Some people like to sweeten the drink and compliment its subtle, floral-herby flavor by adding pandan leaves or lemongrass into it.
For centuries, the butterfly pea flower has been used as a natural-dye to add color to food, dessert and drinks all across Southeast Asia. It is not only used in the Thai cuisine, but also in Malay desserts.
This is an example of how the butterfly pea extract can be used in the creation of a Thai savory snack called Chor Muang (ช่อม่วง). [“Chor” means bouquet and “muang” means purple/violet in Thai.]
The steamed dumpling is delicately shaped into a flower and it can be wrapped with a seasoned meat filling, such as fish, pork, chicken or shrimp. The filling is dry fried with garlic, pepper and coriander root. The dish is then served with some fresh coriander, chilli and lettuce on the side.
The butterfly pea tea has a rather unique pH balance and characteristic — the introduction of a couple of acid-drops can magically turn the water from a deep bluish-green to a deep shade of purple! DEFINITELY a great party trick to bear in mind!
So as I mentioned above, one of my friends brought me to this restaurant called ‘Anchan Noodles’ (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวอัญชัน guay diao an chan) for lunch one day. After having just one meal there, it immediately became my favorite lunch spot in Chiang Mai!
Why? I mean, just look at this absolutely colorful dish! It kinda took my breath away! I spent several minutes completely mesmerised and snapping 1738302018 photos of it.
(Oh, and the taste was totally on point too!)
The star ingredient of this restaurant is definitely the ‘butterfly pea flower’ as it is used in most of their dishes. Its vibrant colour takes the typical Thai noodle dish up several notches! At this place, they serve the noodles with a side of steamed (pork) or crispy pork and a sweet-spicy sauce to combine.
I bet you’ve never seen anything like this before! But I assure you it’s really not some dubious-looking blue noodles. It’s completely au naturel. Almost like an artwork on a plate!
If you’re ever in Thailand or Chiang Mai, I highly recommend giving this dish and drink a go!
