Article
Printable recipe
Inspired by a recipe by Ms. Bootree Gralaksa (1898-1968)
A poetically named dish that has just a few ingredients, but presents startling flavor with a fresh and attractive appearance.
This is not another story about kings and princesses. Ms. Bootree was born in 1898 in a wooden house at Maha Chak Road, in Pra Nakorn (Bangkok). Her mother passed away when Ms. Bootree was just 14 years old, so she left school and became the sole caregiver for her four siblings, a duty she performed with love and kindness.
Class Content
I discovered this unusual curry recipe hidden in a 1970 memorial book for Ms. Bootree Gralaksa. Born in Bangkok in 1898, Ms. Bootree spent her entire life, from childhood on, in a wooden house on Maha Chak Road (Pra Nakorn). One could say that she was born to be a great cook; just fourteen years old when her mother died, Ms. Bootree became the sole caregiver for her four siblings, a duty that she performed with a love and attention that endowed her with remarkable cooking skills. Her memorial book showcases now-forgotten dishes that were popular in the Bangkok of the early 1900s, such as Beautiful Curry (แกงหงษา ; Gaaeng Hohng Saa), and also includes some of her one-of-a-kind culinary creations – such as this dish, which she dubbed “Chiang Mai-Style Spicy Curry”.
Gaaeng naawk maaw is a light and refreshing soup served at room temperature. The ingredients are meticulously sliced as if for a salad, placed in a serving bowl, and covered with a salty and naturally sweet shrimp broth. At the table, diners can adjust the soup to their preferred flavor profile using granulated sugar, lime juice, or pickled garlic brine; hence the name – gaaeng naawk maaw – which literally means “a curry dish outside the pot” or “to cook curry outside the pot”. (Note: The word gaaeng (แกง) in Thai is both a verb and a noun).
Chef Thapakorn Lertviriyavit (Gorn) brings us a rare perfumed and colorful starter [salad] dish that was rediscovered in a cookbook written by a former governor of Nakhon Ratchasima (พระยานครราชเสนี – สหัด สิงหเสนี), which contained a recipe that called for rose petals, called ‘Yum Gularb’ or ‘Rose Petal Salad’. But I’d prefer to rename it, ‘Yum Gleep Kuppatchka’. You will soon understand why….
6m 12s Article Printable recipe A clear soup with young coconut water, pork, chicken threads, shrimp, squid, and young coconut flesh. Inspired by a recipe […]
8m 26s Article Printable recipe Thai cuisine is renowned for its embrace of sour and sweet tastes into savory dishes. older Siamese recipes typically exploited […]
