LA DINNA

THE COMPENDIUM
DinnerCon Recipes & Foraging Guide
Ahac • Grace • Jennifer • HuiYing • Michelle • Pom
Reflecting the Future
an excerpt from a dinasaurs diary

September 23rd, 12:01

Ljubljana, Slovenia

It is cloudy today and yesterday’s rain cooled us down into autumn. This
day marks three months since Dinacon and how I formally began this year’s
summer with the future. Three months since the trip around the island on the
Diva visiting Billy’s beach. Three months since my first Dinacon beach bonfire
& BBQ. Three months since I cleaned fish in the fishermen’s village, because the
message of picking up cleaned fish has been lost somewhere in between both
visits that day, between locals themselves.

Between the jungle, the sky and the sea. One of those Dinacon moments, those
serendipitous encounters of life on the island where you are reminded that you
are just a part of a vast web of life, of nature, that you have nothing really under
control and can therefore just let go, wonder, wander, and explore.
Wonder also guided me while living on the Diva, a vessel repurposed not
to conquer the sea, but to inspire and humbly understand it. Always being
grateful for what one has and understanding that we all depend on one another.
Man and other fellow man. Man and environment. This dependency can also
be understood through balancing ourselves within and outside us. I always
remember Yannick saying, paraphrasing that there are those moments sitting
on the deck under the full moon eating dinner, drinking rum, debating and
laughing, and then there is everyday maintenance and waking up at 2am to clean
up blackwater. A constant process of making sense of what is served to us on a
daily platter combined from natural and social dishes. Is this difference really
relevant? Can it make sense of how land and boat dishes have been informed by
its environment? My initial understanding started with this, but …
Why do I write this introduction as a first-person diary? Because these are
my memories and understandings of what happened. My time of being there
physically and being there through others. My story is a continuation of other
ghost stories, handed down by word of mouth or word of practice, and seen
fossilized artifacts that gavea better understanding of how it all started -
with the initial foraging and mapping. Where and when the idea dumpling
of DinnerCon was still in its embryonic state. Stories of this local lady
called Pom, her foraging trips, which at the end I never got the chance
to participate in but could still indirectly experience on my first full day
with Michelle, another fellow DinnerCon-er. I joined her to forage pepper
and banana leaves, amongst others, for what was a dinner performance with
exhibits of then older present dinasaures’ projects (now named as “big dinner”
on the Dinacon shared cloud), an idea dumpling spoken into existence by Jenn
that rolled around and kept adding conceptual fillings as it bounced off other
dinasaurs who were floating around the kitchen space. For me, it started with
that, when we all met, and it continued to materialise with Pom recreating the
recipes’ step by step for Michelle to carefully and precisely write down the day
after. Jenn helped with translating and contextualising (due to her knowledge
of Thai language and upbringing), Grace’s sharp observations made us wonder
and laugh, and Huiying was in between this and the process of Adam explaining
and showing how to set up a DIY lab for soil testing. It was all happening in
the kitchen in that afternoon, a space packed with traces of eating habits (left
behind spices, sauces, rice and sweets were all labelled as shared and to be used
by word of mouth, making the kitchen this self-organising and chaotic place
all at once, though in need of parental guidance of the organising team) and
fossilized artifacts (like the DIY cold brew making kit) of previous fossilized
dinasaurs.

The bouncing of another idea dumpling defined the morning of that day.
Foraging ants underneath the coconut trees in front of the main house, bringing
them in their crushed form to the kitchen, tasting them and finally frying with
eggs and garnishing with pepper leaves. This idea dumpling started to roll with
a previous dinasaur lady who was so into ants that her interest kept floating and
fermenting in us, gaining additional momentum after she left. She is not known
to me by meeting her, but probably by a shared feeling, and even that acidic ant
taste. Finally, that was also the last day this group of contributors was physically
together as Michelle and Huiying said their farewells after this first handful of
recipes has been written down.

Looking back at my photos and notes it was my second full day and it felt
like a week has past. That feeling of an extended, experiential shared moment
was with me until my departure and got dragged well into settling back in my
everyday narrative. Three months since the last day I was part of land people.
Three months since the first day of boat kitchen improvisations.

I set out writing this introduction as a contextualisation of the three sections

that have been formed through the workflow of documenting Pom’s recipes in
relation to her use of local edible plants. Distracted by the idea dumpling this
attempt still seems unconquerable at the moment as clear distinctions are
blurred by the fluidity of people and their ideas, understanding that it is all part
of the same natural ecosystem, arbitrarily divided by our intention to make
sense of it. The land section is informed by foraging and is a kind of reflection
of what local natural habitat provided for us humans to enjoy. In this aspect it
seems more open in relation to the boat section, the latter defined by a different
kind of ecosystem, a social one, best characterized by the relationships of and
between Yannick, Chai, the captain and of course Charlotte, widely known as
Charly, the intrepid ship cat. It’s kind of a mixture of what you have and what
you make from it. It was the place where the idea of the planetary dumpling
first re-appeared, all these different cultures living one beside the other, having
their own go, but cohabiting and communicating through food.

So, could there be some obvious differences between the way we socialized
around food at land and on boat? Those living on the Diva made ourselves
dinner after arriving from land (after collective dinner prepared by Pom’s
friend from the mainland and presentations before the tide forced the last
dingy to return on board) and socialised on the deck under the stars. On land
socialisation revolved around the common space in the main house working,
hacking, making and/or the Baan Mai bar with access to Wi-Fi. But there
were also beach bonfire BBQs and edible plants inspired performances (as the
aforementioned “big dinner” and Lichen’s cocktail performance). Therefore,
the distinction between sections is an arbitrary one, reflecting gathered material
rather than a balanced division into subsections.

There should also be space open in this compendium for digital gastronomy
as performed by Amit and Ayelet, who arrived just in time of my departure.
Symbolically, I greeted the majority of the last batch of future fossils (including
the latter two) at my last evening when we also made the second beach BBQ.
At that time, I was the last of the DinnerCon pack. Excluding Pom, that is,
as her status was and is irreplaceable and unique. She is the personification
of DinnerCon and I would argue the one that ignited the first spark in our
(hidden) taste buds. And as we experienced on the second DinnerCon team-
building trip to mainland’s durian food festival, Pom has shown us but the
pinnacle of the iceberg of her knowledge and knowhow.

I went to Dinacon beginning of summer and had to wait for the summer to
come to its end so that most of my experiences, information and impressions
had sedimented and fermented to a degree that I could start distilling my first
reflections on what happened. And this reflection in many ways provides the
backbone of others to come. It is related to food, the kitchen, ants, Pom and
what through the process and activities became articulated as DinnerCon.

These activities around food can be seen as a tangible reflection of the spirit of
Dinacon, where people share knowledge, explore and have fun while doing it.
For sure, the spaces with its affordances and personal tastes and knowledges
informed our activity and inspiration. We were informed by each other, but
mostly by the culture of true “local” dinasaurs, Pom, Yannick and Chai.
This compendium should therefore be seen as an excerpt from the Dinacon
period approaching the end. It is a testament of what Dinacon is, was and
always will be, a space where collaborations happen naturally, organically
around, in my case, food. The spirit of DinnerCon is present yet dormant
in fellow fossils and I might argue that it was so even before the inhabitants
of Dinacon identified ourselves as such. Thus, I see this compendium as a
kind of a skeleton, a draft, an invitation to others to provide their stories
related to food and everything that happened around it.

Food brings us together in all our differences, our dislikes, our distastes.
It brings us together in making, preparing, sourcing ingredients, but
especially when we just shut up and eat.

This is the first fermentation of past sediments of being distilled into the
future.

Fermented by,
the planetary dumpling
LAND
Som Tum Mamuang (Mango Salad) … 1
Khao Yam (Fragrant Rice Salad) … 2
Miang Kham (‘One Bite’ Wrap) … 3
Fried Fish with Tumeric Chips … 4
Grilled Fish in Banana Leaf … 5
Shrimp Pad Thai … 6
Dani’s French Muesli … 7
Beach Cheese Smørbrød … 8
Khanom Thom (Coconut Mochi) … 9
Pom’s Mango Jelly … 10

Ant Liquid … 11
Ant Miang Kham … 12
Ant Fritters (Omelette) … 13
Anty Spirits … 14
 SEA
Belgium Breakfast … 15
Yannick’s Marzipan Delight … 16
Grace’s Buuz … 17
Mediterranean Noodles … 18
Sardines Loving Rice … 19
Tasneem’s Paneer … 20
Black Sticky Rice Pudding … 21

Forager’s Guide to Koh Lon … A

 T his compendium is a on-going documentation of meals
cooked at the 2018 Digital Naturalism Conference in Koh
Lon, Thailand. Although many of the recipes are Thai or Thai
inspired, the compendium also includes international recipes
from DiNaSaurs around the world as well as take-home
adjustments to the recipes.

The recipes are separated into foods prepared on land (at the
Baan Mai Resort) and at sea (aboard the SY Diva Andaman).
Food preparation at DiNa Con is hardly ever precise, and
some recipes do not even include measurements yet—
feel free to experiment and document your own versions!

Big thanks to the Andrew Quitmeyer,

Tasneem Khan, and Yannick Mazy for
organizing this amazing conference!

-Ahac, Grace, Jennifer, Huiying, Michelle & Pom

Digital Naturalism Conference, June 2018
LAND
A miraculous thing happens when a
big group of people come together. They
mix, they meet, they share desires, and
sometimes, those desires mirror each
other and they end up sharing parts of
themselves. Eventually, they get hungry
together and share a meal.

It’s even more miraculous when

this big group of people are curious
thinkers living on a tropical island
together, and the island itself reflects the
same nourishment we find in human
interaction.

Koh Lon fed our minds, bodies, and

spirits alike. Every walk into our
backyard forest was a new discovery
of new insects, jungle fruits, and ankle
height herbs. The same green tendrils
that filled our new imagination of an
island fab lab also filled our soups and
stomachs. Coconuts were a common
breakfast occurrence, and breaking them
open became a common ice breaker too.

The recipes in this book reflect our

relationships with each other as much as
what we ate. We hope you enjoy them -
with yourself, with company, with your
favorite tree, however you like it!
 Tom Sum Mamuang
Thai Mango Salad
This simple Thai salad uses unripened green mango,
which can be found in Asian and Indian grocery
markets. Alternately, you can also use green papaya if
you cannot find green mangos. The sauce used for this
salad is the same as the one used for grilling fish. The
resulting taste is refreshing and flavorful!

Sauce Ingredients
1/4 Cup Lime sauce (base)
6 Tbsp Fish Sauce
3 Tbsp Coconut Palm Sugar, cubed
1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
1 Bird’s Eye Chili, thinly sliced (optional)
Salt to taste

Instructions
1. Mix all ingredients in sauce pot,
stirring constantly to prevent burning.
2. Add additional seasonings to taste.

Salad Ingredients
3 Unripened Mangos (green)
3 Small Shallots
3-4 Bird Eye Chilis (optional)

Instructions
1. Peel green mangoes.
2. Julienne the mangoes.
3. Thinly slice shallots and chilis (optional).
4. Mix ingredients evenly in a serving bowl.
5. Add sauce immediately before serving.
Khao Yam
Fragrant Rice Salad
An herbed rice salad found in these parts of South East
Asia - also known as nasi ulam in Malaysia and Singapore.
Galangal is a key element of this dish, and is mixed with
rice to lend an uplifting aroma. This dish is based off of
what is foraged in your local area and most herbs can be
found in Asian supermarkets - substitute when necessary!

Pan-Toasted Coconut Shavings

Roasted Black Sesame Seeds

Galangal*
(using mortar & pestle)

Butterfly Pea Flower*

(cook with rice for blue hue)

Cooked Jasmine Rice

(do not use ‘new crop’ rice)

Banana Leaf to serve

Shallots
(thinly sliced)

Kaffir Lime Leaves*

(thinly sliced)

Lemongrass
(thinly sliced)

Galangal Leaves*
(thinly sliced)

Betel Leaves*
(thinly sliced)

Banana Pepper
(thinly sliced)

Climbing Wattle*
(thinly sliced)

Banana Pepper
(thinly sliced)

Skunk Vine*
(thinly sliced)

Instructions
1. Cook rice with Butterfly Pea Flowers for a blue hue.
2. Slice finely herbs and other condiments, except for the galangal.
3. Pound the galangal with the mortar and pestle. Mix into the rice.
4. Enjoy the rice with toppings and sliced herbs served on the side.

* Refer to the Forager’s Guide in the appendix for additional information

on the ingredients listed above in this recipe.
 Miang Kham
‘One Bite’ Leaf Wrap
A traditional snack that can be traced to the Royal
Siamese court, the miang typically uses the wild pepper
leaves (Piper sarmentosum) or Indian coral tree leaves
(Erythrina fusca). It is often enjoyed as a light, sweet
Betel leaf from Koh Lon. snack, topped with palm syrup with other condiments.

Wild Pepper or Betel Leaves

(see Foraging guide for details)

Miang Sauce
(see next page for recipes)
Toasted Coconut
(shredded)

Roasted Broad Beans

(finely chopped)

Lime with Rind

(finely diced)

Shallot
(finely diced)

Carrot
(diced)

Ginger
(finely diced)

not shown:
Cucumber, Fried garlic, Roasted
peanuts, and Bird’s eye chili.
Tamarind Miang Sauce
Chef Pom’s tamarind sauce is an umami bomb that was concocted
with some seemingly unrelated ingredients and flavours. We have
also included the recipe for traditional miang sauce below.

Ingredients
1.5 cups pad thai sauce (tamarind base)
6 Tbsp Roasted Sesame Dressing
3 Tbsp Lime juice (preferably fresh)
4 Tbsp Jasmine rice vinegar
1 Candied peanut bar (crushed)
Salt to taste
Splash of olive oil

Instructions
1. Heat the pad thai sauce in a pan over medium heat, while stirring
constantly to prevent the mixture from from burning.
2. Add each ingredients one by one, simmering over low fire. The
resulting sauce should be slightly thickened.
3. Season with salt, to your desired profile (flavour should be balanced).
4. Turn off the heat and serve with olive oil for a healthy twist.

Traditional Miang Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 Tbsp Galangal*, finely sliced
1/8 cup Shallots, chopped
1 cup Water
1 cup Palm sugar
1 Tbsp Fish sauce
1/4 cup toasted shredded Coconut

Instructions
1. In a mortar and pestle, pound together shallots and galangal until fine.
2. In a pan, add water, fish sauce, palm sugar, and galangal mixture.
3. Boil over medium heat to thicken (reduced to half) and stir constantly.
4. Add toasted coconut, remove from heat, and put into a serving bowl.
Miang Kham
Revisited
After Dinnercon, a few members of the kitchen
crew went back to re-create this beloved Thai
dish. With limited resources, they had to make
substitutions for every aspect of the dish:

Leaf: Instead of using betel leaves,

she used the shiso leaves1, which can be
found in Japanese supermarkets.

Sauce: She used sweet chili oil, fish

sauce, lime juice, apple cider vinger, soy
sauce, and roasted sesame paste.

Filling: She added roasted sesame

seeds, celery, cilantro, and chopped
Grace Wong bean sprouts while omitting carrots.
Made in California

Leaf: He used the borage leaves2 in his

garden in place of betel leaves.

Sauce: He mixed lime juice, garlic,

chili, oyster sauce, and soy sauce.

Filling: He added celery, green on-

ions, and borage flowers while omitting
coconut, ginger, lime, and shallots.

Ahac Meden
Made in Slovenia

1 - shiso leaf is commonly used in Japan and Korea as an herb, a pickle, and a
garnish. It has a citrus cilantro-like flavor.
2 - borage leaf is a Euro-Mediterranean vegetable with a cucumber-like taste.
It is commonly used in salads as garnish.
 Deep Fried Fish
with Tumeric Crisps
Fish Ingredients
Sea salt
Fresh fish (scaled, gutted, and filleted)
Tempura flour or All purpose flour
Canola oil for deep frying
Turmeric (finely chopped)
Garlic (finely chopped)

Sauce Ingredients
Oyster sauce
Jasmine rice vinegar
Orange syrup (for sweetness citrus notes)
Salt to taste
White sugar to taste

Instructions
For the Fish
1. Pat dry fish fillets. Thoroughly rub the fillets with a pinch of sea salt.
2. Coat a fine layer of tempura flour onto the fish fillets.
3. Heat sufficient amount of oil in a wok on medium heat - when the oil
stops spitting, fry the turmeric until crisp. Remove tumeric crisps and
use the turmeric infused oil for frying the fish slices.
4. Fry the fish slices, basting the slices until they are golden in color.
5. In a separate setup, fry the garlic bits in hot oil until crispy.
For the Sauce
1. Simmer the ingredients in a sauce pan to reduce the mixture. Season
with salt and sugar to balance out the flavours. It is alright for the sauce
to be slightly saltier.
Assembly
1. Pour sauce over the fish, and top with the turmeric and garlic crisps.
Grilled Fish
in Banana Leaf
Fish Ingredients
Fresh fish, scaled and gutted
Sea salt
Pandan leaves
Yellow ginger or galangal
Lemongrass
Whole Banana Leaves
Hot Charcoal

Sauce Ingredients
Lime juice (base)
6 tbsp Fish Sauce (or salt )
3 tbsp Coconut Palm sugar
1 tbsp garlic and chili (optional)
Salt to taste

Instructions
For the Fish
1. Thoroughly rub each fish with a pinch of sea salt.
2. Add a stuffing of chopped pandan leaves, ginger and lemongrass into
the belly of the fish.
3. Wrap each fish in a banana leaf and place onto hot charcoal. Make
sure the leaves are secured with toothpicks, string, or palm leaves.
4. Grill each side of the fish for 7-10 minutes or until it smells cooked.
For the Dipping Sauce
1. Mix ingredients in sauce pot, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
2. Add additional seasonings to taste.
Assembly
1. Unwrap fish parcels and serve with dipping sauce and wedges of lime.
 Shrimp Pad Thai
with Rice Noodles
Noodle Ingredients
Rice noodles
Fresh-caught shrimp
Spring onion
Oyster Sauce
Soy Sauce
Olive Oil
Sugar to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Herbs (basil, mint, etc)

Sauce Ingredients
(see ‘Grilled Fish in Banana Leaf’)

Instructions
1. Soak rice noodle in water and place in pot.
2. Bring water to boil, add in noodles and cook until springy.
3. Rinse noodles in cold water to prevent overcooking.
4. In a separate bowl, add oyster sauce, olive oil and sugar to taste.
5. Add pepper, soy sauce into the sauce and mix.
6. Place sauce mixture over low heat (3).
7. Add shrimp to the pan, until you can smell the shrimp (cooking). If
shrimp isn’t cooked, then add a little water with some soy sauce.
8. Prepare the sauce used in ‘Grilled Fish in Banana Leaf’.
9. Combine sauce, noodles, and shrimp in the pan and mix evenly.
10. Remove from heat and garnish with spring onion and other fragrant
leaves. Serve immediately.
Pepper Garlic Chicken
with Hot Garlic Sauce
Chicken Ingredients
Chicken fillet
Sea salt
Oyster sauce
Garlic, minced
Tempura flour
Canola Oil for frying

Sauce Ingredients
Garlic, minced
Lime juice, preferably fresh
Soy sauce
Bird’s eye chili pepper (optional)
Salt to taste

Instructions
For the Chicken
1. Cut a 1cm x 1cm grid on one side of a chicken breast fillet.
2. Massage the cut fillet with oyster sauce and minced garlic.
3. Coat the fillet in tempura flour and deep fry in oil until crispy on the
flat side.
For the Sauce
1. Mix ingredients in sauce pot, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
2. Add additional seasonings to taste.
Assembly
1. Serve fillet over a bed of rice. Pour the sauce over the chicken fillet
right before serving. Garnish with sliced chili peppers.
Dani’s ‘French Muesli’
Sweet Oatmeal Pancake
Ingredients
2 Eggs
1 cup of Muesli / Oatmeal
1 knob of Butter
1 Tsp of Raw Sugar

Instructions
1. Crack two eggs and oatmeal into a bowl and mix well.
2. Heat small frying pan and add butter.
3. Pour oatmeal egg mixture into pan and cook both sides until golden.
4. Serve pancake on plate and sprinkle sugar on top. Serve immediately.
Beach Cheese Smørbrød
A Refreshing Open-Faced Sandwich
Ingredients
2 slices of fresh Whole Grain Bread
2 slices of pre-packaged Beach cheese
1 cucumber, sliced length-wise
6 sweet cherry tomatoes

Instructions
1. Stroll along the beach while keeping focused on the tide.
2. Wait until the sun sets. Consider gathering wood for a bonfire.
3. Find and pick up a package of beach cheese that has washed ashore.
4. Assemble sandwich in this order: bread, cheese, cucumber, tomato.
Khanom Thom
Sweet Coconut Mochi
Khanom Thom is a chewy dessert filled with palm sugar on the inside. The Thai
enjoy khanom thom with coconut or palm sugar in a solid state, while those in
the Malay archipelago prefer the liquid sugar melting when you pop one into
your mouth. Adjust the temperatures and ratios according to your preference.

Ingredients
Glutinous rice flour Natural food colouring:
Water Butterfly pea juice (blue)
Cubed Coconut palm sugar Carrot (orange)
Freshly shredded Coconut Pandan (green)

Instructions
1. Fill a pot with water and bring to a rolling boil.
2. Meanwhile, mix food coloring with water.
3. For the dough, slowly add (colored) water into a flour mound, and
mix - the dough is ready when it does not stick to your hands.
4. Take a pinch of dough and use your thumb to flatten it in your palm
- add 1 -2 cubes of coconut sugar onto the flattened dough surface before
shaping it into a ball. Make sure the sugar lumps are completely sealed.
5. Drop balls into hot water - the balls will float when cooked.
6. Drain cooked balls from water and roll them in a tray of shredded
coconut to coat evenly. Serve immediately!
Pom’s Mango Jelly
Mango-nificent Delight
Ingredients
1 large ripe soft Mango
(or 3 small ripe soft Mangoes)
1 packet of Agar-agar powder (or gelatin)
Sugar to taste (only if your mangoes are not sweet enough)
Shredded coconut

Instructions
1. Cut mango into cubes and cook until it turns into jam. Add sugar to
the jam mixture if it is not sweet enough.
2. In a small container, mix agar-agar powder with a small amount of
water and mix until dissolved.
3. Add agar-agar mixture into the mango jam and heat until bubbling.
4. Pour mango mixture into a rectangular tray and refrigerate for at
least 2 hours. For less time, put jelly into freezer and check every 15
minutes until solidified but not frozen.
5. Cut mango jelly into squares and serve with shredded coconut or
sweetened coconut milk.
W e tried several methods of
harvesting weaver ants, and went
crazy with our food experiments
with Oecophylla smaragdina (which
contains a bunch of minerals,
including Na, P, Ca).

Utilised by the local groups for

various medicinal and edible
possibilities, the formic and
particularly, the ascorbic acid
secreted by the ants lends a sour -
citrus flavor - that can result in a
myriad of delectable creations.

We’ve included some of the hits and

misses here!
INSECTS
Ant Liquid
Ant Acid
This recipe produces a liquid that is high in ascorbic acid - use it as pickling
brine, or add sugar to make a syrup for cocktails. It is great substitute for
citric acid. Take caution in acquiring an ant’s nest -- wear protective clothing
to minimize bites. Ants will attack more aggressively when their home is
endangered.

Weaver Ant Nest 1. Read “How to Harvest Well”

Water 2. Boil the nest in water and strain the ants from
the liquid. If you are in the jungle and have
Strainer
coconuts, fashion a strainer using coconut fibres.
Weaver Ant Miang
Ant and Coconut Leaf Wrap
The combination of coconut and ants produces a subtly sweet and sour flavor,
covered mostly by the peppery taste of the leaf. However, the texture of the
coconut shreds fail to hide the hairy crunch of the ants.

Betel or Pepper 1. Place betel leaf on the palm of your hand.

leaves
2. Put a pinch of coconut onto the betel leaf.
Shredded coconut
3. Add the ants on top.
20 Weaver ants
4. Wrap up the leaf and consume immediately.
Ant Fritters
Ant Omelette with Red Rice
What would the ants taste like when cooked? Will they retain their acidic flavor?
We prepared this dish as a means of answering these questions, and you can’t
really go wrong with adding crispy ants to eggs over rice.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp Weaver Ants
4 Eggs
1 Tbsp Butter
1 cup cooked red Rice
Wild pepper leaf, finely sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Heat pan over medium high heat and melt the butter.
2. Fry ants on the pan until crispy.
3. Gently crack the eggs into the pan. Cover pan with lid until egg
whites are mostly cooked.
4. Have a serving plate ready with cooked rice and slide the eggs on top.
5. Garnish eggs with wild pepper leaf, salt, and pepper.
Anty Spirits
Gin with a hint of not Lemon
Ingredients
1 travel-size bottle of Gin
10 fresh Weaver Ants

Instructions
1. Catch ants one by one off the ground and put them in the gin bottle.
2. When the last ant is caught, seal the bottle and let brew.
3. Continue to taste the gin every 24 hours until it has reached desired
flavor profile. Add more ants if needed.
SEA
W e can’t start this section without
first introducing you to the Diva. This
lady, graceful, worldly, heart thumping,
Indo-Belgium is the most beautiful boat
you’ve ever, or will ever, see.

She’s smart too. The wonderful

researcher/engineer team turned it into
a fully stocked learning lab where kids
and adults alike could look at water
samples under a microscope or make an
underwater camera trap for coral fish.
Every moment, we felt like we were about
to discover something new.

Every meal was an iron chef challenge

of using what limited supplies we had to
our full advantage. Sometimes, it’d be
the small, sweet fish (Bla Mong) the crew
would catch off the end of the Diva every
night, sometimes it’d be the lentils and
canned vegetables in dry storage during a
long voyage on the Andaman.

No matter what it was, we’d eat it

looking out to sea, knowing the Diva was
taking us the farthest away from home
we’ve ever been. But that meal, made with
the same love and care in every home-
cooked meal, would remind us we’d
already made a new home together.
Yannick’s Marzipan
Belgium-style Marzipan

600g Almond flour 1. Leave out the butter and egg whites until room
temperature.
400g Icing sugar
2. In a bowl, mix almond flour and icing sugar
250g Butter
until there are no lumps.
2 Egg whites 3. Add butter, egg whites, and flavorings into the
mix and squeeze until you get a smooth dough.
splash of Bitter
4. Refrigerate and enjoy.
almond extract
Optional: Form marzipan into balls and coat in
1 Tbsp Amaretto
cinnamon or cacao powder to make truffles.
1 Tbsp Orange
extract
Belgian Breakfast
Chocolate Marzipan Sandwich
Yannick has said that Belgians prefer a sweet breakfast, and that chocolate and
coffee are important elements to start the day right.
Although there have been a number of variations on the Belgian Breakfast
sandwich, here is one variation that we really enjoyed.
Butter 1. Assemble a sandwich in the following order:
Bread slice, chocolate, sliced marzipan, banana,
Sliced Bread
peanut butter, bread slice.
Belgian chocolate
2. Melt butter on medium-high heat.
or Nutella
3. Place sandwich carefully on the pan, pressing it
Homemade
down with a spatula. Toast both sides until golden
Marzipan
brown. Add more butter if necessary.
Chunky peanut
4. Remove sandwich from the heat and cut
butter (optional)
diagonally into two triangles. Serve immediately.
Sliced banana
(optional)
Potato curry filling

Grace’s Buuz
Mongolian Dumplings
Passed onto from a Mongolian friend, who
learned the recipe from his grandmother,
we recreated the dumplings using locally
available ingredients. Below is the original
recipe for two different improvised fillings. Traditional Round Buuz

Wrapper Dough
5 parts Flour 1. Mix salt and flour in a bowl and slowly add the
2 parts warm water warm water while mixing.
Pinch of Salt 2. Continue to knead the dough until it is no
longer sticky and smooth. Press a finger into the
dough to test its elasticity. Let dough rest for 30
minutes under a damp towel.
3. With a knife on floured surface, cut dough
into quarters and shape each one into a long
cylindrical rope roughly 2 cm in diameter.
4. Cut the rope dough into 1 cm round pieces and
flatten each piece with the palm of your hand.
5. Flour the mini round dough and use a rolling
pin to flatten into dumpling wrappers. The edge
of the wrapper should be 1-2 mm thick while the
center of the wrapper should be around 3 mm
thick. This prevents the dumplings from bursting
at the bottom or becoming too thick on top.
6. Cut, flatten, and use the wrappers one ‘rope’ at
a time to prevent wrappers from drying out. This
can be a time consuming process for newbies.
Two Filling Variations
None of the fillings mentioned resemble the original Mongolian tradition. The
ingredients draw from multiple influences and have been improvised based on
readily available ingredients.

Variation 1
3 cooked Potatoes, mashed
1/2 cup shredded cheese
3 Tbsp Curry powder
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 cm Ginger, minced
1 Shallot, minced
Fresh Thai basil, finely sliced
Variation 2
1 lb Fatty Ground Beef & Pork
1/4 cup Dried Shrimp, chopped
1 bunch Chives, finely chopped
1 sprig of Lemongrass, sliced
2 sprigs of Green Onion, sliced
1 cm Ginger, minced
2 Tbsp Butter, room temperature

2 Tbsp Salt 2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar

1 Tbsp Butter 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Mustard 5 Tbsp Soy Sauce

Assembly Instructions
1. Mix the filling ingredients thoroughly. Taste the filling by heating a small
scoop in the microwave or on a pan. Add more seasonings according to taste.
2. Hold the wrapper in the palm of one hand and scoop filling with the other..
Leave 1 cm of space around the wrapper for wrapping.
3. Use this online guide variations on how to wrap the dumpling:
https://www.mongolfood.info/en/recipes/buuz.html
Completed dumplings can be frozen at this point. Do not let the dumplings
touch each other, as they will stick!
4. Steam dumplings over an oiled steamer for 15 minutes or until they smell
cooked. Open lid and let stand for 5 minutes until
glossy. Serve with chili oil or mayonnaise.

Meat Filling with Butter

Mediterranean Noodles
with Fresh Cut Wheat Noodles
Noodle Dough
5 parts Flour 1. Mix salt and flour in a bowl and slowly add the
2 parts warm water warm water while mixing.
Pinch of Salt 2. Continue to knead the dough until it is no
longer sticky and smooth. Press a finger into the
dough to test its elasticity. Let dough rest for 30
minutes under a damp towel.
3. On a floured surface, cut dough into quarters
and set aside three of the four pieces.
4. Roll the dough out to 3mm thickness using a
pasta maker, a rolling pin, or a wine bottle.
5. Generously sprinkle flour on both sides of the
sheet and roll it up.
5. Use a sharp knife to cut the rolled dough into
4mm noodles. Unravel and hang dry.
6. Cook noodles in boiling water for 3-5 minutes.
Cooked noodles should float. Strain and rinse
noodles in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Sauce
Tomato paste 1. Mix all the ingredients on a pan over medium
Balsamic Vinegar heat. Add a little water to thin out tomato paste.
Thyme 2. Stir noodles into the sauce until thoroughly
Chili flakes combined. Serve immediately.
Olive oil
Sardine Loving Rice
Tomato Sardines with Rice
Passed onto from a Mongolian friend, who learned the recipe from his
grandmother, we recreated the dumplings using locally available ingredients.
Below is the original recipe for two different improvised fillings.

1 big Onion 1. Steam rice in pot or rice cooker.

5 cm Galangal stem
6 cloves Garlic
1 large Zucchini, cubed
2 cans Sardines
3 Chillies
1 can Tomato paste
2 cups cooked Rice
4 Limes Juice
black Sesame seed
virgin Coconut oil
Lime
2. In a hot pan, cook onion, galangal, and
garlic in coconut oil until aromatic.
3. Add cubed zucchini into the pan and
stir fry until translucent.
4. Pour sardines and any oils or juices
from the can into the pan.
5. Throw in the chilis, tomato paste, and
lime juice into the pan and let the mixture
cook for 5-8 minutes.
To Serve
1. Plate a scoop of rice with a splash of
coconut oil.
2. Sprinkle black sesame seeds on top.
3. Add a heap of sardine sauce next to the
rice and garnish with a wedge of lime.
Tasneem’s Paneer
Soft Paneer with Thai Basil and Lime
4 litres of milk 1. Put milk on low heat.
3 limes (juice) 2. Add lime and salt for curdling.
Salt 3. Add basil and let curdle.
Thai Basil 4. Press with cheesecloth into a paneer
Cheesecloth press to separate whey.
Paneer Press 5. Add spices after pressing the curds.
6. Can sit in fridge for 1 week.

Note: Cheese curdled into a semi soft

cheese if not pressed. It turns into a feta-
like cheese if pressed with a heavy object.
Black Sticky
Rice Pudding
Lichen’s Tropical Rice Pudding
Long grain 1. Dry toast coconut flakes and coconut
Black rice sugar and put aside.
Dates 2. Par boil rice in a pot of water.
Coconut milk 3. Mix dates, coconut milk into the
parboiled rice.
Cardamom or
Cinnamon stick 4. Mix, stir and keep stirring and adding
coconut milk as necessary. Can also add
Coconut flakes
small quantities of water.
Coconut sugar 5. Continue to stir until it reaches the
consistency of rice pudding.
6. Serve with coconut flake topping and
chopped tropical fruits.
FORAGE
W e foraged all throughout the
small island of Koh Lon with our most
beloved and knowledgable artist-in-
residence and head chef, Pom. She
introduced us to new edible fruits,
flowers, and plants that we had never
before encountered. New flavor palettes
and fragrances entered the tastebuds of
many Dinasaurs over the course of the
conference.

Foraging with Pom reframed the way

we approached nature; enhancing our
overall experience of the jungle island.
In addition to admiring its visual
beauty, we could now also entertain the
question, “Is it edible?”
Forager’s Guide to Koh Lon

Asiatic Pennywort
Entire plant can be used for healing
wounds, burns, etc. Juice can be taken
for its cooling properties. It can also be
used to improve appetite, aid digestion,
Centella asiatica and to treat sores and ulcers.

Beach Morning Glory

Found in sandy conditions, the juice
of the leaves are used to treat sting ray
and stone fish stings. They can also be
boiled with coconut oil to treat sores
Ipomoea pes-caprae and ulcers.

Belimbing
The fruit is too acidic to eat raw, but
can be as a pickle. The leaves are used
to treat coughing, fever, diabetes, and
rheumatism. Used as a paste for itching,
Averrhoa bilimbi swelling, and other skin eruptions.

Betel Leaf
Eaten with the betel nut (Areca catechu)
as a stimulant. Leaves are medicinal -
contain antimicrobials and antioxidants.

Piper betle
 Forager’s Guide to Koh Lon

Butterfly Pea Flower

A natural and edible blue dye. Used
medicinally to treat swelling and sore
throat. The flowers can be brewed into
a color-changing drink (from blue to
red) when lime juice is added.
Clitoria ternatea L.

Cashew
Cashew apple is normally eaten, and can
be made into a jam or sweetmeat. Great
for fermentation. The nut oil can be
used to treat corns, warts, and ulcers.
Anacardium occidentale

Cempedak
Not to be confused with jackfruit, the
fruit can be eaten and the leaves to be
used for salad. The seed can also be
eaten after roasting or boiling.
Artocarpus integer

Chinese Violet
Leaves, stem and flower are eaten raw or
blanched, or added to a stirfry. Crunchy
in texture. It is related to another plant
on Koh Lon - Asystasia gangetica (L.)
Asystasia gangetica ssp.
micrantha (Nees) Ensermu
Forager’s Guide to Koh Lon

Citronella
Not to be confused with lemongrass,
citronella is used to produce an essential oil.
It is a known natural mosquito repellent.

Cymbopogon nardus

Climbing Wattle
Known as cha-om in Thai, this is a legume
whose young shoots are frequently found in
soups, curries, omelettes, and stir fries.

Acacia pennata L.

Coconut
Terribly useful plant - everything can be
utilized from its water down to the husk.
The tough flesh of the coconuts on Koh
Lon are ideal for toasting and shredding. Its
water, albeit less sweet is perfect for curries.
Cocos nucifera L.

Cottonfruit (Santol)
Two varieties can be found in Southeast
Asia, yellow and red. Mild peachy taste
and apple-like texture. Can be cooked
and eaten when slightly unripe. The plant
itself has anti-inflammatory benefits.
Sandoricum koetjape
 Forager’s Guide to Koh Lon

Curry Leaf
Leaves and berries can be eaten - fresh or
when dried. Oil has antibacterial properties.

Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng

Firefruit
Grows in evergreen forests on a wide range
of soils. Eaten as a fruit, stewed or made
into wine; it is also used medicinally to treat
skin diseases. The bark, roots and wood are
harvested for medicinal uses.
Baccaurea Ramiflora

Galangal
This root is commonly found in Southeast
Asian cuisine. The leaves are incredibly
aromatic and can be used as herbs. Similar
to ginger, galangal root is spicy and floral.

Achasma galanga

Ixora
Young flowers popular in Thai vegetable
soup or fried as fritters. The root extract is
used during childbirth.

Ixora javanica
Forager’s Guide to Koh Lon

Ivy Gourd
Young shoots and leaves are prepared by
frying, blanching or boiling. Young non-
bitter fruits can be used in soups and
curries. They can also be fermented or
Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt made into chips for prolonged storage.

Jambu (Rose Apple)

Juice - floral complexities; piquant,
spongey when overripe. Eaten fresh or
as a pickle. Essential oils are extracted
from the leaves to be used as perfume.
Syzygium samarangense

Jewels-of-Opar
Leaves used as salad ingredient. Shoots
and leaves added to stews and soup. In
traditional Chinese medicine, the herb
is used as a substitute for Ginseng.
Talinum paniculatum

Jackfruit
After boiling or roasting, the seed
can be eaten. The wood ash when
burned with maize and coconut
shell can treat ulcers. Yellow dye can
Artocarpus be extracted from the wood particles.
heterophyllus Lam
 Forager’s Guide to Koh Lon

Lemongrass
Crushed stalks produce a lemony flavor.
Popular ingredient in Southeast Asian
cuisine. Medicinally, the leaves relieve
cramps and digestive issues.
Cymbopogon citratus
(DC.) Stapf

Mangosteen
Known as the queen of fruit for its
cooling effect. Eaten with durian. The
rind is an astringent, and produces a
black coloring agent used in dyes. The
flesh is sweet and best eaten fresh. Garcinia mangostana

Melinjo
Seeds are typically used in the
production of melinjo crackers.
Highly addictive! The young leaves
can be steamed and eaten, while
the sap is also drinkable. Gnetum gnomon

Moringa
The leaves are a highly nutritious super
food that is used like spinach. The
unripe pods are edible and used in
curries. Roots are shredded and used
like horseradish.
Moringa oleifera Lamk
Forager’s Guide to Koh Lon

Neem
Leaves and seeds are used as medicine.
Its seed oil extract is widely used as a
pesticide, livestock feed and fertilizer.

Azadirachta indica A. Juss

Oyster Plant
Contains anti-microbial properties.
Brewed into a tea to relieve excess heat
in the body, fever, cough and bronchitis.
Do not eat raw!
Tradescantia spathacea Sw.

Pandan
Leaves and juice are commonly used for
natural green coloring and are aromatic
in flavour. A common ingredient in
Southeast Asian desserts.
Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb.

Pea Eggplant
The unripe fruits are eaten raw, cooked
as a vegetable or used as an ingredient
curries. The roots are used as a poultice
for cracks in the feet and the seeds are
Solanum torvum smoked for curing toothache.
 Forager’s Guide to Koh Lon

Pineapple (Red)
A smaller, less fleshy version than
commercial pineapples. The fruit can
be picked when fully ripened and its
flesh is a sweet pink-yellow color.
Ananas bracteatus

Prong Suan
Not to be confused with jackfruit, the
fruit can be eaten and the leaves to be
used for salad. The seed can also be
eaten after roasting or boiling.
Stenochlaena palustris
(Burm f.) Bedd

Purslane
Leaves and young shoots are consumed
as a vegetable, and are rich in omega-3
fatty acids. Flower buds are added to
salads. Used in many Asian countries to
cure colds, wounds, and diarrhea. Portulaca oleracea

Red Hibiscus
The edible flowers are used in salads,
and can be used to provide natural
coloring. Brew the flowers with mint
and palm sugar to make iced tea!
Hibiscus rosa - sinensis
Forager’s Guide to Koh Lon

River Tamarind
Young leaves and seed pods are high in
protein and Vitamin A. Seeds are used
as bean substitute in tempeh, and also
as coffee bean substitute. Plant contains
Leucaena leucocephala mimosine, a dilapitory amino acid that
is toxic to non-ruminant vertebrates.

Shiny bush
Tastes similar to coriander and soap.
Used in medicine for headache,
abdominal pain, and bleeding. Can be
blanched or eaten raw.
Peperonia pellucida (L.)

Skunk vine
Known in Thai as the ‘dog fart vine.’
Strong flavor, typically mixed with
grated coconut and spices. Its smell
disappears when the leaves are cooked.
Paederia foetida - Khao Yam

Siamese Rough Bush

Used in Thai papermaking, toothbrush
making, and as sandpaper for carpentry.
Paper made with the bark of a Siamaese
Rough Brush is resistant to humidity,
Streblue asper lour fire, insect damage, and yellowing.
 Forager’s Guide to Koh Lon

Tapioca
The storage roots is an important
source of carbohydrates. The purple
layer (toxic) must be peeled and the
roots should be twice boiled.
Manihot esculenta Crantz

Taro
The leaves and roots are edible after
cooked. Contains calcium oxalate
(toxic) - never consume raw. Forage
with caution! Poisonous varieties are
found in Koh Lon! Colocasia esculenta
(L.) Schott

Thai Acacia
Its bark juice is used as an antidote
for snake poisoning. The bark of all
Acacia species contains tannins and
are astringent. Used to treat diarrhea,
dysentery, and internal bleeding. Senegalia pennata

Wild Cucumber
Mini cucumbers! What’s not to like
about it? Some sources have said it’s
toxic, while some others say it is not.
This is a creeper plant that grows wild
in periphery urban areas. Melothria pendula L.
 Wild Pepper Leaf
The plant is consumed for its diuretic
and antioxidant properties. Used to
cure cough, asthma, and toothache.
Leaves are used to wrap snacks or
Piper samentosum Roxb. added as an herb in rice.
Digital Naturalism Conference
Koh Lon, Thailand
June 2018