Online Siamese Culinary Masterclasses for Professional Chefs and Thai food enthusiasts

In my masterclasses, for the first time in the English language, I reveal the culinary secrets hidden in old and hard-to-find Siamese cookbooks and recipes dating from the late 19th century to modern days.

Get unlimited access to Thaifoodmaster’s constantly growing library of prime professional masterclasses, articles, recipes and videos on Siamese culinary topics, available nowhere else in English.

Online membership:
Masterclasses, Articles, Recipes, Daily Heritage Translations.
Professional Guides: Siamese Chili Relishes (น้ำพริก และ เครื่องจิ้ม), Thai Curries (แกงไทย), Thai Salads (เรื่องยำๆ) and The art of Siamese old-school menu design (สํารับอาหารไทย).

In-person workshops:
Chiang Mai, 2026. Limited spaces.

Masterclasses

Practical and kitchen-tested recipes with a mix of theory, history, psychology, and Siamese culture tidbits.

Aromatic Primer for Thai Cuisine - Part 1

Curry Paste Permeability

Minced-Bird Style Curries - A Peek Into Traditional Ingredients and Cooking Methods (แกงสับนก; Gaaeng Sap Nohk)

Reflections on the Lifecycle of Heat: Mastering Vibrancy and Maturity in Green Curry (แกงเขียวหวาน)

Patterns – Decoding the Complexity of Siamese Curry Paste: A Multidimensional Exploration

Aromatic Alchemy - The Art and Science of Pounded Curry Pastes

The Story of Gaaeng Buaan (แกงบวน) – The Oldest Siamese Dish?

The Secret Healing Powers of Siamese Curries – A Closer Look at Gaaeng Yaa (แกงยา)

The Art of Siamese Duck Curries - Theory and Practice (แกงเป็ด - ศิลปะ ทฤษฎี และ การปฏิบัติ)

Articles and Recipes

Yam "Goliath Special" (ยำ "โกไลพิเศษ"; yam go:h lai phi saeht)

Yam Goliath Special: eight boiled proteins — shrimp, pork, squid — dressed with pounded coriander root and garlic. Delicious Side Dishes, 1935.

Yam of Chicken (ยำไก่; yam gai)

Yam gai: chicken simmered in coconut milk until dry, then dressed with mint, kaffir lime and green mango. Maawm Sohm Jeen, Tamra Gap Khao, 1890.

c1941 Old-Fashioned spicy curry of chicken with young chilies (แกงเผ็ดแบบโบราณอย่างคุณถนอม ปาลบุตร พ.ศ. 2484 ; gaaeng phet baaep bo:h raan)

This is a classical Siamese spicy curry that displays a spicy, salty and sweet flavor profile, and uses common curry ingredients such as pea eggplants and young green chilies with an interesting dry spice profile.

Lattice-Wrapped Shrimp Bites (ล่าเตียง; laa dtiiang)

Laa dtiiang: shrimp and coriander filling folded in a finger-drizzled duck egg lattice. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1933 Cookbook of Rice Companion Recipes.

c1938 Sweet and Sour Offal in Coconut Cream Stir-Fry (วิธีผัดเปรี้ยวหวาน; wi thee phat bpriiaw waan)

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry, a Thai-Muslim dish featuring offal cooked with curry powder and coconut cream. From Ibrahim Haji Roshidin Tuan's 1938 manuscript.

Three flavors pickled garlic (or elephant garlic) (กระเทียมหรือกระเทียมโทนดองสามรส ; gra thiiam daawng saam roht)

Jeeb Bunnag - The Teacher Who Preserved a Culinary Empire - A Biography of Mrs. Samaknantapol

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.

Emerald Yam (ยำมรกฎ; yam maawn goht)

Emerald Yam (ยำมรกฎ; yam maawn goht) - A historical Thai recipe from Dtam Raa Gap Khao Naree Napparat (ตำรากับเข้านารีนพรัตน์).

Delicious Rice Noodle Rolls (ฑำแรยำซ แป้งหลอดอร่อย; tham raae yam sa bpaaeng laawt a raawy)

Delicious Rice Noodle Rolls (แป้งหลอดอร่อย; tham raae yam sa bpaaeng laawt a raawy)

Delicious Rice Noodle Rolls, a Thai appetizer of rice sheets wrapped around seafood-pork filling and tied with spring onion. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1945 cookbook.

Duck and Cabbage Salad (ยำกระหร่ำปลีเนื้อเป็ด; yam graram bplee neuua bpet)

Duck and Cabbage Salad featuring shredded roasted duck, dried squid, and tender cabbage with a balanced sour-sweet dressing. From Maawm Ying Soophaa's 1949 manuscript.

Chiang Mai-Style Chicken Gaaeng Garee (แกงเผ็ดกะหรี่เชียงใหม่ ; gaaeng phet garee chiang mai)

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”.

Crispy Rice - Khaao Graawp (ข้าวกรอบ อย่างหม่อมเจ้าสาย ลดาวัลย์)

Suan Sunandha Palace was the permanent residence of Mom Chao Sai Ladawan (HRH Princess Saisawali Phirom, พระวิมาดาเธอ หม่อมเจ้าสาย ลดาวัลย์), the Royal Consort to Rama V. In the kitchen of Suan Sunandha Palace, the Princess presided over a peak era of culinary innovation until her passing on June 24, 1929. Reflecting her practicality, the Princess’ recipes frequently incorporated the era’s common pantry ingredients in new and surprising combinations. For example, in her boat-embarking chili relish (น้ำพริกลงเรือ; naam phrik lohng reuua), a relish still enjoyed today, the Princess pairs fermented shrimp paste chili relish with sweet pork, crispy fried fish, salted duck eggs and hairy-fruited eggplant (maeuk) (มะอึก). Another example is her gaaeng ran juaan (แกงรัญจวน) – the Princess prepares a vibrant spicy and sour soup, fragrant with the aroma of Thai basil, from the leftovers of a stir-fried beef dish and fermented shrimp paste chili relish, which she cooked together with lemongrass, shallots and garlic. Mom Chao Sai Ladawan’s recipes, many already recreated here at Thaifoodmaster, were recorded by Princess Sadap Ladawan (เจ้าจอมหม่อมราชวงศ์สดับลดาวัลย์), a key figure in the Palace’s culinary affairs, and subsequently compiled and published by Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University in a volume dedicated to seasoned rice dishes and chili relishes. In this dish called khaao graawp (ข้าวกรอบ), or “crispy rice” the Princess seasons cooked jasmine rice with chili jam, and adds four fried components, each highlighting a different element of the crispiness indicated by the dish’s name.

สูตรทำน้ำพริกตะไคร้

น้ำพริกเป็นอาหารที่อยู่คู่กับชีวิตคนไทยมาตั้งแต่โบราณ ซึ่งสูตรน้ำพริกต่าง ๆ ที่เรารู้จักกันในปัจจุบันหลาย ๆ สูตรนั้นได้มีการพัฒนามาจากการโขลกพริกกับเกลือในสมัยอยุธยา ในวันนี้หนุมานมานำเสนอสูตร "น้ำพริกตะไคร้" ซึ่งเป็นน้ำพริกโบราณและเป็นอาหารที่รัชกาลที่ 5 ทรงโปรดปราณมากอย่างหนึ่ง

Naam Phrik Bak Yia Chili Relish (น้ำพริกบั็คเยีย; naam phrik bak yia)

Naam phrik bak yia, a Thai Muslim chili relish with a sour-sweet profile, thickened with pounded peanuts and served with deep-fried red bean fritters. From Ibrahim's 1938 cookbook.

Saen Tung-Style Jungle Curry with Beef and Bamboo Shoots (แกงป่าเนื้อใส่หน่อไม้ แบบแสนตุ้ง; gaaeng bpaa neuua sai naaw mai baaep saaen dtoong)

This is my take on the famous jungle curry from the Saen Tung district in Trat province. In Trat it is usually cooked with game meat and thinly sliced pineapple shoots (แขนงสับปะรด).

Siamese Culinary Legends of the Rattanakosin period

Siamese cuisine is the accumulated wisdom of cooks at every level of the society – from housewives cooking at home and caring for their families, to cooks in the temple, to the culinary masters who created elaborate dishes behind the palace walls.

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.

These background descriptions will put into perspective the dishes we present and cook here on Thaifoodmaster and will also help you to cook Thai dishes that taste like they have a solid bond to the culture, the land and its people.

The Spice Vault

Here you will find recipes for popular spice mixes that you can make yourself! Homemade spice blends not only taste better and cost less, but you’ll also be able to create unique spice blends based on your personal preferences. As a bonus, you’ll use spices with no preservatives or artificial colors!

For example, members can explore recipes for Chinese five-spice mix, masalas for khao soi and hang lay curries, homemade Thai curry powder, and a variety of the spice blends used in Northern and Muslim Thai cuisines.

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Practical and kitchen-tested recipes with a mix of theory, history, psychology, and Siamese culture tidbits.

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It is truly brilliant with a revolutionary approach introducing aspects and concepts never broached by cookbooks.

Ian Westcott

Sourcing Wines for Discerning Private Clients