Articles

The Siamese Recipe Archive collects and translates historical Thai culinary manuscripts—primary sources written by the cooks, noblewomen, and food professionals who shaped the cuisine of the Rattanakosin era.

These are working documents. Each manuscript records practical knowledge shaped by its moment—what was available, what the tradition demanded, what a specific cook decided under real constraints. The sources vary—palace kitchens, professional caterers, schoolteachers, cremation volumes—but each preserves how someone approached the craft, the problems they solved, the techniques they considered worth recording.

Thaifoodmaster’s digitization projects make these texts accessible to modern cooks. We preserve the original authors’ voices—their instructions, their preferences, their occasional poetry—while converting archaic measurements to grams and presenting texts in readable modern formats.

By: Panu Wongcha-Um (B.A. (Hons) Melb), 2010

A Thesis Submitted For Degree of Master of Arts Department of History National University of Singapore.

By: Hanuman

An old Thai expression – Saang baan bpaeng meuuang (สร้างบ้านแปงเมือง) – condenses into four words the complicated dynamics involved in the founding of a country with a national identity from a group of families and their tribes.

Every chef attempting to resurrect historical Siamese recipes confronts an uncomfortable truth: perfect replication is impossible. The soil has shifted its mineral composition since the 1890s. Heritage breeds have evolved. Even water tastes different now, filtered through treatment plants rather than stored in earthenware jars perfumed with jasmine flowers and pandan leaves. Yet this impossibility becomes liberation once we reframe what recipes actually are—not fixed instructions but ranges of potential outcomes that crystallize through cooking and transform into lived experience through eating. Historical recipes require four-dimensional reading: literal, contextual, subtextual, and narrative. They answer to four governors: availability, cultural appropriateness, culinary tradition, and superstition. Understanding these frameworks reveals where creative freedom genuinely lies—in that fertile space between memory and imagination where you construct your own culinary narrative. We’re not archaeologists trying to resurrect dead dishes but active participants in living traditions.

Walk into any Thai kitchen today, and chilies seem so fundamental to the cuisine that imagining Thai food without them feels impossible. Yet these fiery plants traveled thousands of miles from the Americas through a journey far more complex than the simple story historians have long told – these foreign fruits would ultimately transform not just flavors but the very appearance of Southeast Asian food, tinting curries red, staining relishes and painting an entire culinary tradition in shades of fire.

For centuries, that story went like this: Portuguese traders brought chilies to Southeast Asia in the early 1500s, spreading them from colonial centers in Goa and Malacca throughout the region. Most Southeast Asian societies incorporated chilies within 100-200 years – a remarkably rapid transformation that fundamentally altered how billions of people eat.

This narrative is true, but incomplete. New genetic evidence reveals that chilies reached Southeast Asia through multiple networks operating simultaneously: Portuguese merchants, yes, but also Islamic maritime traders, Chinese overland routes, and Indian Ocean merchant communities. Rather than following a single European pathway, chilies arrived through interconnected global trading systems that had been operating for centuries.

The story of how Siam got its fire reveals something profound about how cultural exchange actually worked in the early modern world – and how modern research is overturning colonial-era assumptions about who controlled global trade.

The life of Mrs. Samaknantapol (Jeeb Bunnag) (นางสมรรคนันทพล (จีบ บุนนาค)) offers a direct view into the transmission of Thai culinary knowledge across a century of change. Her teaching, writing, and documentation preserved the structures of palace cuisine while shaping methods that could be studied and applied in classrooms throughout modern Bangkok.

Her 1933 work Samrub Raawp Bpee (สำรับรอบปี) remains an unparalleled record: 365 complete Samrub, old style Siamese meal sets, arranged with precision, reflecting daily rhythms of eating that were already disappearing from common practice. Through her work, we can study not only individual dishes but also the organization of meals and the cultural reasoning that guided them.

As someone who follows her teaching, I approach this story with both historical and practical attention. Her writing has informed my own study of Thai cuisine, and years of cooking from her instructions have shown me the clarity and discipline of her teaching. This account presents her life within its contexts—family, education, print culture, and the evolving society of twentieth-century Siam—while also acknowledging how her work continues to guide readers today.

In this revealing interview, Asha Tanna sits down with Hanuman Aspler to explore his one-of-a-kind philosophy on Thai cooking. Located a mere 40 minutes from central Chiang Mai, Hanuman’s Three Trees Farm offers more than just a cooking class—it provides an education in ancient Siamese cuisine. But Hanuman isn’t interested in merely passing on recipes. Drawing from old manuscripts, he treats Thai cooking as a language with its own set of rules and syntax. His unique blend of historical understanding and hands-on practice makes his teaching style a standout in Thailand’s culinary scene. Continue reading to delve into his unique approach.

By: Hanuman, Thaan Khun

In this series of short articles highlighting their lives and work, we salute and pay homage to the most prominent individuals who influenced and shaped the Siamese culinary arts bpaa ga sin (ปากะศิลป์) of the Rattanakosin Era.

By: Hanuman

King Rama V made three trips to Java in 1871, 1896, and 1901, where local rulers and Dutch officials welcomed him warmly. As a result of these visits, Javanese food was introduced to the Siamese aristocracy’s awareness and taste. In this series of recipes and articles, we will trace the origins and recreate these dishes based on manuscripts and cookbooks written by several individuals who had a first-hand account of King Chulalongkorn’s travels and were known for their culinary skills.

This masterclass examines the exalted position once held by turtle curry, and follows through – using turtle meat substitutes – to recreate the venerable charm of a dish that slowly aged into obscurity.

Faux turtle curry recipes are common in old Siamese food textbooks; similarly, the objective of this masterclass is not to advocate for the consumption of turtle meat but rather to resurrect this dish using substitutes, as generations of Siamese cooking masters have done in the past.

By: Hanuman

Traditional Siamese cuisine can be challenging to decipher: the culinary codes are complex and ingenious, as well as resourceful. It uses a creative set of flavor layering tools that strengthen the flavor and amplify the umami through chemical synergy without neglecting the dishes’ aroma, color, and texture.

At the intersection of culinary culture and traditional lifestyles are Siamese chili relishes – probably the oldest type of Siamese food. In ancient times, relishes were essential to the diet, providing a flavorful accompaniment to rice, the staple food. Then – and today – relishes also are served alongside meats or vegetables, producing a tasty meal as well as promoting healthy nutrition. Chili relishes are an expression of ancestral Siamese culinary emotions, and the foundations of modern Thai cuisine.

In this complete companion to chili relishes, we embark on a journey to discover the origins, classifications and regional varieties of chili relishes. Along the way, we will learn about their ingredients, food pairing rules, and essential and practical preparation techniques.

This comprehensive Masterclass covers everything you need to know about preparing chili relishes creatively and authentically.

By: Hanuman

This masterclass covers Thai curries’ origins, classifications, regional varieties, curry paste composition, ingredients, spices, and color adjustments, along with essential and practical cooking techniques, and the superb flavor layering practices that master chefs use in crafting Thai curries.

By: Hanuman

Modern-day Thai salads are often identified with a flamboyant appearance, and loud and often over-sweetened seasoning. In contrast, old-fashioned Siamese salads were gentle, soft and flavorful. In this immersive and uniquely designed masterclass, we decipher the intricacies of old-fashioned Siamese salads’ culinary codes, using Thaifoodmaster’s revolutionary visual approach to layering flavors.

By: Hanuman

This masterclass explores the art of Siamese old-school menu design, as reflected in pre-WWII aristocratic Siamese manuscripts. The masterclass includes detailed reference materials with a large number of set menu ideas for everyday or special occasion meals, as well as a seasonal food calendar providing a year-round list of suggested ingredients based on their availability and optimal quality.

By: Hanuman

The popularity of clear soups is gradually being eroded. Conversely, the most notable characteristics of fine clear soups – their simplicity, clarity and intense flavor – tend to paint them as boring in contrast to the thick, colorful and rich alternatives modern Thai cuisine knows to offer. Moreover, the name in Thai (gaaeng jeuut or dtohm jeuut) (ต้มจืด แกงจืด), translated into ‘mildly seasoned soup’, also can be read out of context as ‘uninteresting, tasteless and bland’

By Hanuman

Generally speaking, laap is made from minced meat, raw or cooked, to which – depending on the type of laap and the region in which it is being created – different ingredients and seasonings are added. Laap is prepared much like a salad, by mixing together all the ingredients, including minced meat, internal organs, other meat cuts, spice blends, seasonings and herbs. It is served accompanied by a diverse assortment of vegetables, young leaves and herbs. There are two main styles of laap – laap from Lanna, and laap from Isan. The Lanna version, known as laap muang (ลาบเมือง), features a rich blend of dry spices, resulting in a mildly spicy, pungent, salty and aromatic dish. Neither lime juice or ground roasted rice is used in laap muang. The seasoning blend for laap muang is called naam phrik laap (น้ำพริกลาบ), and contains sought-after spices that were originally imported to the region by trade caravans from India and China.

History’s first-ever recorded recipe for papaya salad is recreated in this Masterclass, along with all the other dishes that were part of the old-fashioned samrub (set meal) called khaao man sohm dtam (ข้าวมันส้มตำ).

Would you be surprised if I told you that the three-flavored papaya salad is not an authentic Northeastern cuisine (Issan) dish but, rather, one that originated in the Central Plains of the Kingdom?

Furthermore, this dish was not eaten with sticky rice, but served as part of a full set meal called khaao man sohm dtam (ข้าวมันส้มตำ). The set included a spicy curry with coconut-enriched rice, a papaya salad, tamarind chili relish, crispy-sweet pork or beef threads, salted fish fried in egg batter, and other accompaniments.

This Masterclass describes the evolution of the dish and revives the first-ever documented recipe for khaao man sohm dtam, dated 1935, to its finest details, restoring its former glory.

In this groundbreaking masterclass, I invite you to join me on a transformative journey through the complex world of Siamese curry paste. We’ll go beyond the culinary surface to examine the elaborate layers of cultural, philosophical and even metaphysical influences that shape the art of curry paste making. Utilizing a four-tier analytical framework, we’ll explore the concept of ‘sub-pastes’, each contributing its own set of cultural, medicinal and philosophical elements to the overall paste. This masterclass is designed to be more than an educational experience; it is a comprehensive guide for anyone who is committed to unraveling the intricate patterns hidden within curry paste and understanding their broader significance in Siamese culture.

Creating a curry paste is a meticulous process that requires the right mindset, dedicated time, and some basic skills. While some authors dismiss the mortar and pestle as primitive tools, I hold a contrary belief. Although using a mortar and pestle requires effort, and it is unquestionably an ancient – almost primordial – method, curry pastes made with a mortar and pestle far surpass those produced with modern equipment.

Those seeking the flavors of bygone days know that there is no substitute for the old-fashioned manual pounding technique to truly unlock the essence of curry pastes. In this article, I explore the intricate aromatic and molecular transformations that occur through the stone-age art of pounding curry paste using a mortar and pestle.

This Masterclass is intended to give you, the modern Thai cook, the knowledge and tools to craft better curry pastes and the ability to have full control over flavor development in your curries, allowing you to create curries that are not only rounded, gentle and intense, but are mature and yet not overworked – and that therefore present an exquisitely complex taste.

Join me as I uncover the science behind the aromatic modifications and the intricate interactions that happen inside the mortar. I aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex world of pounded pastes, from the release of oils and essences to the impact of moisture and the effect of heat, oxidation and the enzymatic reactions that bring forth the paste’s unique flavor identity.

There’s an intriguing paradox at the core of Thai green curry. In making a curry paste, the traditional method – pounding an array of aromatics with a mortar and pestle – is intended to create a cohesive, well-blended aromatic profile. Yet, the green curry, at its essence, embodies vibrancy and liveliness, a spirit of growth and renewal – a telling contrast to the mature complexity of Siamese curries made with rehydrated red chilies.

To address this contradiction and preserve the dynamism of freshness while introducing complexity, we delve into advanced flavor layering techniques. These techniques are key to crafting a multidimensional flavor profile that captures the essence of nature and freshness. Our masterclass explores these methods in detail, introducing the innovative concept of animating flavor to ensure a dynamic, complex taste experience.

This exploration into Thai green curry extends beyond the kitchen, intertwining culinary techniques with historical and cultural insights. We examine the evolution of green curry, as well as its diverse influences, including its connection to Muslim cuisine, and its symbolism in the Siamese culinary tradition.

Join us for a sophisticated and enlightening session that is more than just a guide to preparing green curry. This masterclass is an immersive experience into the historical, cultural and gastronomical context of the dish. It is a tribute to the multifaceted nature of Thai green curry, in which participants will engage in the story behind every spicy, aromatic bite.

The type of chilies – fresh, dried or rehydrated – and how they are processed into the curry paste have a significant influence on the dish’s flavor, color, aroma and heat profile. Fresh chilies inject an immediate, sharp spike of heat that rushes in with a piercing, punctuating intensity, a grassy aroma and fruity liveliness. Dried chilies, on the other hand, impart a subtle warmth alongside rich, earthy notes that gradually build up into a steady, lingering burn. The choice of the chili variety will also shape the curry’s flavor. Through an informed selection and processing of chilies, cooks can navigate between mild and spicy, fruity and earthy, and bright and mellow flavors, creating a complex and nuanced heart for their curries.

1908
A pioneering Siamese noblewoman puts pen to paper. Lady Plean Passakornrawong (ท่านผู้หญิงเปลี่ยน) records the culinary heritage of late 19th-century Siam in her culinary bible, Maae Khruaa Huaa Bpaa (MKHP) (แม่ครัวหัวป่าก์). From intricate palace banquets and sacred temple offerings to everyday common dishes, her manuscript captures a culinary world that blends precise traditional measurements—often noted in archaic Thai anthropic weight systems—with recipes that occasionally feature rare or even extinct ingredients.

Some of her recipes weave in poetry and Siamese literature, enriching the culinary instructions with cultural narratives. Her work includes recipes for curries, soups, side dishes, chili relishes, desserts, fruits, snacks, curry pastes, and even provides detailed descriptions of the bustling markets of the late 1800s along with general cooking tips

2024
Thaifoodmaster’s MKHP_as_is project makes these historical recipes accessible to modern chefs by leveraging our Thai food expertise and specially trained AI models. We are converting measurements to grams while retaining the original references, bridging the gap between traditional and modern cooking methods. We are also offering an alternative narrative in the third-person present tense to make the manuscripts more accessible and engaging for today’s chefs.

By: Chef Jason Bailey, Paste at Gaysorn

Of late there has been a resurgence of Thai Cuisine naturally located within Thailand. Paste Restaurant located in Bangkok has a predominately Thai clientele. This is due to a few factors but largely due to their innate understanding of the central, internal frame work of Thai Cuisine. This in turn leads to an appreciation of the different versions of refined Thai Cuisine.

By: Hanuman

Khanohm jeen (ขนมจีน) are noodles made from rice starch. Their strands are long, round, thin and elastic, with a beautiful white sheen and a pleasant chewy texture.

It is unclear exactly when khanohm jeen production arrived in Thailand; however, it is likely that production was already active during the Ayutthaya period (1351-1767), in communities along the Khanohm Jeen canal, a main water artery in Ayutthaya’s Senna district (คลองขนมจีน อ.เสนา จ.พระนครศรีอยุธยา).