If chicken and rice doesn't rock your world, then chances are you haven't been to Nong's Khao Man Gai (pronounced cow-mon-guy). Even in Portland's varied, vibrant and ever-expanding food-cart scene, this downtown cart stands out, with a one-item menu authentically styled after the street vendors of Bangkok, where sellers are known for a specific dish or specialty.
Working with intense focus, 29-year-old Nong Poonsukwattana unmolds jasmine rice onto a square of paper, carefully stacking tender poached chicken, cucumber slices and cilantro on top.
Getting the textures right is key -- succulent velvety meat and moist herb-scented rice. But the coup de grace of khao man gai is the sauce, made with fresh ginger, garlic, sugar, fermented soy beans and chile. Poonsukwattana gets it just right, morphing a seemingly simple dish into a sweet, sour, salty, hot (mildly so) phenomenon that's hauntingly delicious.
Gracefully, Poonsukwattana ladles chicken broth with winter melon into a cup and folds up the corners of paper, binding this compact lunch package with a rubber band, ready for your tote bag or bicycle basket. This is a to-go operation, but one small sidewalk table is available -- usually claimed by noon.
The basic khao man gai is a bargain at $6. Or splurge on the Piset (pee-set), "special" in Thai, which includes extra chicken and rice plus a few chicken livers ($10). Dip your chicken in the sauce or pour it over the entire meal, cleansing your palate with the aromatic broth between bites.
Wash it all down with palm or aloe vera juice ($1.50) or an iced Vietnamese coffee made with Stumptown ($2.50).
Poonsukwattana says cooking was less a calling than a childhood chore to help her working mother. She left Bangkok for Portland in her early 20s and waited tables in a Thai restaurant.
But making tips seemed less satisfying than making something with her hands. Art school is still a dream, and her aesthetic sensibility is evident.
When The Oregonian named Pok Pok its Restaurant for 2007, Poonsukwattana headed over to see what the big deal was, eventually landing a kitchen job.
"Pok Pok was my boot camp," she says. "The bar was so high there, it encouraged me to be the best I could, and it also gave me the confidence to do something on my own."
Poonsukwattana is bubbly and hesitant as she sizes up the challenges of getting this cart up and running: the fears, the expense of a custom kitchen, recipe testing, finding good chickens just the right size, and the early-morning starts by herself.
It was a gutsy move to offer one dish only in the street food tradition of her country. She is clearly striving to make every element in her khao man gai perfect -- and so far, she has succeeded.
Success has its price: Prepare to wait a bit. You won't be sorry. But note: Once the chicken is sold out, the "closed" sign goes up.
Nong's Khao Man Gai
Where: Southwest Alder Street (north side) at Southwest 10th Avenue (west side of 10th)
When: 10 a.m. until sold out Monday-Friday
Notable: Cash only