Gaawy goong suay is a rich, mildly spicy, sour-salty, and slightly sweet chili relish enriched with peanuts and charged with the flavor and metaphysical properties of the shrimp. It is eaten with acid-cured shrimp meat flakes and egg threads; tossed with cooked pork skin, firm pork fat, aromatics and herbs; and served alongside vegetables.
This dish showcases the early Siamese cooking style rooted in Ayutthaya, and the flavors once celebrated only within the boundaries of the palace walls. At one time this dish was a favorite among the aristocracy – so beloved that King Rama II dedicated an entire verse to it in his famous Boat Poem. However, in subsequent years, this chili relish fell out of vogue and was almost forgotten.
In this Masterclass, we trace the history of the dish from its first appearance in the early 18th century and examine six recipes spanning sixty years of culinary literature, reaching from 1908 until it fell out of fashion in the late 1960s. This immersive culinary journey will culminate with Thaifoodmaster’s revival version of the dish – a version inspired by and based on suggestions and techniques gleaned from those who documented the dish over the years.
Class Content
กุ้งแนม” หรือ “กุ้งซ่อนกลิ่น – Goong naaem (goong saawn glin) according to the 1908 recipe in Lady Plean Passakornrawong’s “Maae Khruaa Huaa Bpaa (ตำราแม่ครัวหัวป่าก์)” cookbook. Flaky acid-cooked shrimp and the pork fat, along with thinly sliced roasted peanuts and very small unpeeled diced bitter orange (ส้มซ่า som saa), plus paper-thin slices of pickled garlic and julienned fresh red long chili peppers are mixed and seasoned with shrimp tomalley dressing. It is served in wrapped squares, using iceberg lettuce and young thaawng laang leaves.
Today’s tom yum goong soup recipe is a refreshing addition to the tom yum soup repertoire. The fried SaNoh Flower Cakes sensationally enhance the shrimp’s natural sweetness, while the flower’s bittersweet aftertaste is a superb tropical match to the citrusy and aromatic hot and sour tom yum goong soup.
The khaao ngohp goong (ข้าวงบกุ้ง) of Mom Chao Sai Ladawan (Princess Saisawali Phirom) is a dish of seasoned curried rice mixed with shrimp meat, shrimp tomalley, grated coconut, and herbs. The rice mix is then wrapped in banana leaves and grilled. Unwrapping the parcel reveals an intense orange- and russet-brown colored rice cake that is rich, savory and naturally sweet. It is served with a drizzle of thickened coconut cream and herbs.
Originating in the early 1800s, Metropolitan Chili Relish is cheerful and complex, yet unassuming – a subtly epic relish composed of more than 20 ingredients, some of which are seasonal. The relative absence of this relish from contemporary menus could be attributed to its difficult-to-assemble ingredient list, coupled with a dwindling number of chefs who are adept at its preparation.
However, despite its intricate composition, the relish adheres to the same foundational culinary principles of other shrimp paste (kapi) chili relishes. Here, though, the savoriness is strengthened with smoke-dried fish, grilled shrimp and pork fat crackling; and the relish is seasoned to a citrus-infused, fruity, sour-sweet leading and salty to follow flavor profile, to which numerous sour and sour-sweet elements are mixed in – akin to a deep-rooted tree extending its branches to bear colorful fruits that shine in varying shades of a tartness.
