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

Fried fermented shrimp paste relish with green apples by Princess Jongjittanom Dissakul (น้ำพริกลูกแอปเปิ้ลผัด อย่าง หม่อมเจ้าหญิงจงจิตรถนอม ดิศกุล ; naam phrik luuk aaep bpeern phat)

Refined-Taste Roasted Duck Curry (แกงเป็ดรสนิยม; gaaeng bpet roht ni yohm)

Gaaeng bpet roht ni yohm, a coconut-cream curry of grilled duck soured with salt-soaked star gooseberries. From Maawm Ying Soophaa, 1949.

Emperor's Hong Te Rice Vermicelli (หมี่ฮ่องเต้; mee haawng dteh)

Emperor's Hong Te Rice Vermicelli, a royal Thai dish combining delicate shredded chicken and crab meat over rice noodles. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1945 cookbook.

Roti (โรตี; ro:h dtii)

Roti, a flaky layered wheat flatbread fried in ghee and specifically crafted for dipping in Curry Kudie. From Ibrahim Haji Roshidin Tuan's 1938 Muslim Cook.

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.

แกงมัสมั่น – แกงมาชะแมน – แกงหมัดสมั่น

อาหารไทยที่เคยได้รับการจัดอันดับว่ามีรสชาติอร่อยที่สุดในโลก และติดอันดับต้น ๆ ในการจัดอันดับ อาหารรสชาติดีที่สุดของโลกหลายครั้งจาก CNN ด้วยความหอมกลิ่นเครื่องเทศ ในกะทิที่เคี่ยวจนข้น จนเป็นที่รู้จักแพร่หลายเป็นสากล

แกงไก่มัสมั่นเนื้อ นพคุณ พี่เอย
หอมยี่หร่ารสฉุน เฉียบร้อน
ชายใดบริโภคภุญช์ พิศวาส หวังนา
แรงอยากยอหัตถ์ข้อน อกให้หวนแสวง
(บทพระราชนิพนธ์ "กาพย์เห่เรือชมเครื่องคาวหวาน" ในรัชกาลที่ ๒)

บทพระราชนิพนธ์นี้ ถือเป็นหลักฐานลายลัษณ์อักษรชิ้นสำคัญที่บ่งชี้ให้ทราบว่า "แกงมัสมั่น" ของไทย เป็นแกงโบราณมาแต่เก่าก่อนไม่ต่ำกว่า ๒๐๐ ปีมาแล้ว จากหลักฐานเชื่อว่า คนไทยรับอิทธิพลแกงชนิดนี้มาจากเปอร์เซีย ตั้งแต่ช่วงปลายสมัยอยุธยาโน่น บางคนอาจจะนึกว่าแกงมัสมั่นนี้เป็นตำรับอาหารที่คนไทยรับอิทธิพลมาจากมลายูเพราะประเทศมาเลเซียและอินโดนีเซียจะอยู่ถ้ดลงไปทางใต้ คนไทยทางภาคใต้ที่ส่วนใหญ่เป็นชาวมุสลิมมักได้รับอิทธิพลหลักจากมุสลิมและด้วยความที่มลายูเป็นชาติมุสลิมมาเนิ่นนานนับพันปี แม้กระทั่งข้อมูลในวิกิพีเดียก็บันทึกไว้อย่างนี้ ข้อมูลจึงขัดแย้งกันอยู่ และบางคนอาจคิดว่า "แกงมัสมั่น" เป็นอาหารดั้งเดิมแต่เฉพาะของในรั้วในวังเท่านั้น ตามปริบทในบทพระราชนิพนธ์ของพระบาทสมเด็จพระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย ที่กล่าวมาข้างต้น

Shrimp-Topped Canapes (ขนมปังหน้ากุ้ง; khanohm bpang naa goong)

Khanohm bpang naa goong: fried bread squares topped with coconut-cream shrimp, garnished with semi-matured coconut in a cross. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Sweet Bread and Fried Banana (ขนมปังหวาน; kha nom bpang waan)

Sweet Bread, a traditional Arabian breakfast of crispy Cavendish bananas fried in egg-flour batter and served with sugar-sprinkled bread. From Ibrahim's The Muslim Cook, 1938.

Roasted Stuffed Duck Breast with Chestnuts and Mackerel (เป็ดยัดไส้เกาลัดรมควัน; bpet yat sai gaolat rohm khwan), circa 1935

Smoked duck stuffed with a mackerel and chestnut filling is a dish that defies cultural boundaries. An exemplar of blended culinary influences, featuring inviting colors and an elegant presentation that serve as a prelude to the complex flavors and textures that await, the dish is an eloquent testament to the cooking style of Mrs. Samaknantapol (Jeep Bunnag, who went by the pen name “the granddaughter of Maae Khruaa Huaa Bpaa”). In the 1930s. Mrs. Jeep Bunnag published her first cookbook. Following in the footsteps of her revered grandmother-in-law, Lady Plean Passakornrawong, she continued to document the art of Siamese cuisine through the treasured books she published and was known for her ability to merge culinary traditions into beautiful and innovative dishes that represent an era. The rich, dark color of the smoked duck’s skin is visually striking and appetizing, evoking a sense of indulgence and luxury. The smoky flavors that permeate the meat reflect our deep connection to primal cooking techniques, a fascinating juxtaposition to the refined presentation of the dish. When the smoked duck is sliced, its succulent pink meat is revealed, surrounding the golden filling of chestnuts and mackerel.

The Layered Table: How Siamese Foodways Became Thai Cuisine

There is no pure Thai food, and the name itself is younger than my grandmother. The Layered Table follows the cuisine back through every layer that built it — the rice-and-fish foundation, the Mon and Khmer ground, the Indic spice technology, the foreign quarters of the Ayutthaya port, the two Chinese roads, and the regions the center absorbed last — to the single year a state gave the whole accumulation one name and called it Thai. Once you can read a dish, its whole history sits there in plain sight. Read in the right order, the plate becomes a calendar.

Grilling Fish, Various Meats, and Large Birds (ย่างปลา เนื้อสัตว์ต่างๆ และนกใหญ่; yaang bplaa neuua sat dtaang dtaang lae nohk yai)

Yaang bplaa: fish, meats, and large birds smoke-dried over smoldered coconut husk with banana leaf covering. Tamra Khraawp Lo:hk, 1929.

Kanchanaburi-Style Snakehead Fish Jungle Curry with Bitter Yellow Eggplants (แกงป่าปลา ; gaaeng bpaa bplaa)

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I obtained from a jungle food restaurant in Kanchanaburi province. The paste is a downgrade of a phrik khing paste – it omits the coriander roots and shallots. In addition, the recipe substitutes the fermented shrimp paste (kapi) with maawn fermented fish paste (กะปิมอญ; gabpi maawn), which is a popular ingredient among the Mon-Burmese population of the western province. The lack of shallots eliminates any sweetness that might impair the sharpness and heat of the dish. Furthermore, a double hit of citrus notes from holy basil are infused into the dish: from the holy basil flowers added to the paste and the holy basil leaves added to the curry.

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.

Fermented fish lohn relish (ปลาร้าหลน ; bplaa raa lohn)

c1941 Roasted Duck Curry with Grapes (Gaaeng Ho) (แกงเป็ดเหาะใส่องุ่น อย่างคุณถนอม ปาลบุตร พ.ศ. 2484; gaaeng bpet haw sai angoon)

Grapes have long been associated with prosperity, fertility and abundance across various cultures and historical periods due to the fruit’s large clusters and bountiful growth. In ancient China, grapes were considered a symbol of wealth and nobility, and often deployed as a status symbol among the elite. In Greek mythology, Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility, was often depicted holding a bunch of grapes, further emphasizing the connection between grapes and abundance. This association is also likely rooted in the fact that grapes were a valuable crop in antiquity – used to produce wine and other fermented products, and an important source of food and nutrition. In Indian Ayurvedic texts, grapes are referred to as vineaksha and utilized in treating a variety of ailments, including fever and indigestion. From the Siamese perspective, the incorporation of fruits in culinary preparations was viewed as a luxurious indulgence, as many fruits commonly available today were once difficult to obtain. Thus the pairing of an extravagant ingredient – such as fruit – with an equally opulent and exclusive delicacy like roasted duck resulted in a dish fit for royalty.

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