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.

1
2
3
4
5
6

Articles and Recipes

The Ambassador’s House Style Rice Vermicelli in Broth (หมี่น้ำบ้านราชทูต; mee naam baan raat thuut)
The Ambassador’s House Style Rice Vermicelli in Broth (หมี่น้ำบ้านราชทูต; mee naam baan raat thuut)
The Ambassador's House Style Rice Vermicelli features crispy rice noodles in a complex sweet-sour broth with multiple proteins. From Jeeb Bunnag, 1945.
mee graawp (หมี่กรอบ)
Sour-Sweet Savory Crispy Rice Vermicelli with Bitter Orange (Mee Krob) (หมี่กรอบส้มซ่าทรงเครื่อง ; Mee Graawp)
mee graawp sohng khreuuang (หมี่กรอบทรงเครื่อง), is an exquisitely regal dish of crispy rice vermicelli. The delicate noodles strands are washed and dried, then fried to a crisp light-golden hue. They retain their brittle crunch and airy texture even after being stir-fried with a clinging sticky sauce that encases the noodles in a thin layer of sheen. This sauce, mixed into the noodles together with other ingredients such as thin slices of pickled garlic and bitter orange peel, impart the dish with a light, fresh sweet and sour, and slightly salty and citrusy glaze.
Crispy Cooked Liver (ตับสุกกรอบ; dtap sook graawp)
Crispy Cooked Liver (ตับสุกกรอบ; dtap sook graawp)
Dtap sook graawp, pork liver boiled then deep-fried in a coconut cream batter with garlic and coriander root. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
The Teachings of Jeeb Bunnag (คำสอนคุณย่าจีบ บุนนาค)
In 1929, fire destroyed her home in Bang Krabue—manuscripts, possessions, the material inheritance of generations. What survived was knowledge. Trained by Lady Plean Passakornrawong in the palace kitchens, she carried a culinary tradition that could not burn. Four years later, she began publishing. She signed her books with her actual address so anyone could write to her. This archive gathers recipes from across her publications, spanning four decades from her 1933 Samrub Raawp Bpee (สำรับรอบปี) to works published after her death in 1964. Each preparation carries her teaching method—tested instructions, structural logic preserved, substitutions provided for those with dietary restrictions. Palace technique made accessible. Court cuisine adapted for household kitchens. The grammar of Siamese cooking recorded by someone who carried it by birthright and gave it away through teaching.
ก้อยปลานิลเวียงจันทน์

In 1833 Prince Mongkut, who later became King Rama IV, found a square stone inscription, known today as “The Ramkhamheang’s Inscription”, believed to be written 541 years earlier, in 1292, by King Ramkhamheang - the third king of The Sukhothai Dynasty (1279-1298).

In this inscription King Ramkhamheang tells the story of the Sukhothai regime; He includes details of the systems of law and describes how he ruled the people wisely, in a kind and personal, like father and son manner. King Ramkhamheang – (who was an outstanding warrior, statesman, scholar and diplomat who expanded his control from the Khmer kingdom of Angkor in the east, through much of what is today central and southern Thailand, to northern parts of Laos and Burma) – gives a picture of his kingdom as idyllic and free of constrains.

Golden Baked Coconut and Lotus Seed Custard (ขนมกุมภแกงเมล็ดบัว; khanohm goom pha gaaeng ma let buaa)
Golden Baked Coconut and Lotus Seed Custard (ขนมกุมภแกงเมล็ดบัว; khanohm goom pha gaaeng ma let buaa)
Khanohm goom pha gaaeng ma let buaa, a lotus seed custard with caramelized coconut solids, radiant-baked until golden. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
Decorated Corn (ข้าวโพดประดับ; khaao pho:ht bpra dap)
Decorated Corn (ข้าวโพดประดับ; khaao pho:ht bpra dap)
Decorated Corn, a palace-style appetizer featuring spiced chicken molded around baby corn and adorned with kernels. From Jeeb Bunnak's 1945 Thai cookbook.
Salad of grilled pork and coconut-cooked pumpkin by Maawm Ying Soophaa
c1949 Salad of grilled pork and coconut-cooked pumpkin by Maawm Ying Soophaa (ยำฟักทองกะทิ ตำราการปรุงอาหารยำ หม่อมหญิงสุภา พ.ศ. 2492; yam fak thaawng Gathi)
Heritage 14: Issue Thursday, April 9, 2026
Heritage 14: Issue Thursday, April 9, 2026
This week's folios: - แกงปลาเทโพหรือปลาสวายกับใบแมงลัก — Curry of Black Ear Catfish or Iridescent Shark with Lemon Basil (Mrs. Paan Nanthaaphiwat, 1953) - แกงไก่เจ๊ก — Chinese-Style Chicken Soup (Mrs. Paan Nanthaaphiwat, 1953) - พริกขิงภุกาม — phrik Khing Phukam (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933) - ขนมปังหน้ากุ้ง — Shrimp-Topped Bread Canapes (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933) - เนื้อทิพย์ — Heavenly Beef (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933) - ดุลด๊ะ — Dulda, a Raita-Style Yogurt Salad (Hibrahim Haji Rocheedee Bin Dtwan, 1933) - ชมพู่สาแหรกต้มครีม — Malay Rose Apple in Glass Syrup and Cream (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933)
Perplexing Mee Suaa (หมี่สั้วฉงน; mee suaa cha ngohn)
Perplexing Mee Suaa (หมี่สั้วฉงน; mee suaa cha ngohn)
Mee suaa cha ngohn: wheat noodle bundles bound with shrimp-corn paste, steamed, served in clear pork-crab broth. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
Issan-style grilled catfish laap (ลาบปลาดุกย่าง ; laap bplaa dook yaang)
Issan-style grilled catfish laap (ลาบปลาดุกย่าง ; laap bplaa dook yaang)
Pran-Style Choo Chee Squid (ฉู่ฉี่เมืองปราณ; chuu chee meuuang bpraan)
Pran-Style Choo Chee Squid (ฉู่ฉี่เมืองปราณ; chuu chee meuuang bpraan)
Choo chee squid named for the town of Pran, stirred briefly in a boiling fish sauce, sugar and vinegar glaze. From M.R. Tuang Sanitwong, 1935.
Reading Historical Recipes
How to Read Historical Recipes: A Four-Dimensional Approach to Siamese Culinary
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.
Country-Style Curry (แกงบ้านนอก; gaaeng baan naawk)
Country-Style Curry (แกงบ้านนอก; gaaeng baan naawk)
Gaaeng baan naawk, a country soup of prawns, pork belly and snakehead fish built on a pounded grilled-fish base. Tamrap Sai Yaowapa, 1935.
Steamed Dumplings with Scalloped Edges (ปั้นขลิบนึ่ง; bpan khlip neung)
Steamed Dumplings with Scalloped Edges (ปั้นขลิบนึ่ง; bpan khlip neung)
Steamed Dumplings with Scalloped Edges featuring a savory pork, chicken, and peanut filling wrapped in a special rice flour dough. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1945 royal cookbook.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

Get Access – Join Thaifoodmaster Today

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

  • Get access to everything right away. Unlock more than 50 Masterclasses, over 700 recipes and Articles

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

  • GET EXTRA - New Masterclasses and Daily Recipes

    Gain access to NEW masterclasses as they become available. Access DAILY translations of heritage-recipes.

  • 1-1 support from Hanuman

    1-1 support from Hanuman to help you achieve your professional Thai culinary goals

  • Live Q&A Sessions

    The opportunity to join a monthly live two-hour videoconference where I can answer your questions.

  • Great Value!

    one year access for the price of 3 days in-person training.

You will get everything you need to:

  • To Get inspired

    When you design or build a new menu for an event or restaurant or even prepare for dinner with friends.

  • To Satisfy your curiosity.

    Finally !

  • To Master Your Craft

    Master your Thai cooking skills and expand your repertoire.

It is truly brilliant with a revolutionary approach introducing aspects and concepts never broached by cookbooks.
Ian Westcott
Ian Westcott
Sourcing Wines for Discerning Private Clients