Thai cucumber soup in Boynton
Q: I read and enjoy your very informative column each week and hope you can get a recipe for me. There is a very fine Thai restaurant in Boynton Beach called Rice Thai. The food is tasty and beautifully presented, and we especially enjoy white tablecloths and a very reasonably priced lunch. At lunch only, they serve a delicious cucumber soup. It is a very simple soup consisting of a plain broth with some small pieces of tofu. It has to be extremely low in calories, and I would love to make it at home if they will share their recipe. Many thanks. — Sheila Golden, Boynton Beach
A: Thank you, Sheila! There is something nice about a white tablecloth that can elevate a dining experience. Fortunately, at Rice Fine Thai & Asian Fusion (326 N. Congress Ave, Boynton Beach, 561-374-7476, www.riceboynton.com) owner and chef Anne Pingkasan’s food lives up to this perception.
Pingkasan grew up in a tiny village in Lamphun, Thailand, where her mother, Bunthong, owned and operated a small restaurant, grocery store and fresh market. This is where Anne developed her love of food and cooking. While her mother worked, Anne prepared meals for her five siblings and other families that shared their home. Many of the recipes that she uses today in her own restaurant are from her mother. The cucumber soup is one of them.
Anne’s husband and co-owner, Nick Narapanya, explained the uniqueness of the soup. “Our guests love Anne’s cucumber soup because it is so light and has a lot of flavor. It is a traditional soup from the village where we grew up in Thailand, but I’ve never seen a cucumber soup served anywhere else in South Florida. I saw it once in Gainesville.”
Narapanya says the soup is served with lunch specials but is also available at dinner. When I asked what role he plays in the restaurant, Nick described himself as “Anne’s helper.” “I do a little bit of everything. Whatever she needs, I take care of it. Sometimes that means running to the farmers market for fresh vegetables or helping in the kitchen,” he says.
Their devoted personal and professional partnership has served the couple well. After a stint in Seattle, the pair moved to Delray Beach in 2004 to open Chaiyo Thai Bistro with a friend before launching their own restaurant in 2010. Their original Rice location on Federal Highway in Boynton Beach developed a devoted clientele. In 2018, landlord redevelopment forced a move to their current location. Although the new space is half the size, they continue to make it work for the loyal diners that followed them and for the new faces they continue to greet and feed, proving that people will travel and wait for great food. That said, reservations are suggested.