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

Chanthabuun Rice Noodles (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวจันทบูรณ์; guay dtiaao jan tha buun)

Guay dtiaao jan tha buun, flat rice noodles topped with aromatic coconut duck sauce and crispy potato garnish. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1945 cookbook.

Spicy Curry with Beef-Stuffed Earthstar or Lactarius Mushrooms (แกงเผ็ดเห็ดเผาะหรือเห็ดยาง; gaaeng phet het phaw reuu het yaang)

Gaaeng phet het phaw, foraged earthstar or Lactarius mushrooms stuffed with minced beef in spiced coconut cream. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Passion Fruit Flower Salad (ยำดอกเสาวรส; yam daawk sao wa roht)

Passion Fruit Flower Salad, a delicate mix of floral elements with shredded pork, shrimp, and toasted coconut. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1933 Cookbook of Rice Companion Recipes.

Gaaeng Jao Dtao – An Aristocratic Sour Curry of Catfish with Young Tamarind Leaves, Fingerroot and Lemon Basil, with a Rustic Flare (แกงเจ้าเต่า)

Small Salad (ยำเล็ก; yam lek)

Yam lek, a Thai-Muslim vinegar-dressed salad with cucumber, mint, and bruised bird's eye chili. From the Islamic Cookbook, 1933.

Northern Thai-style laap of chicken (ลาบไก่เมือง ; laap gai muang)

In the village environment, free-range chicken laap is made from a whole bird butchered and cooked on the spot. All the parts of the chicken are used, with nothing wasted or discarded. First, the meat is minced. Gradually, the still-warm chicken blood is added until the meat is saturated and becomes gooey and moist.

The Contrasting Histories of Gaaeng Rawaaeng (แกงระแวง) - Turmeric-Infused Coconut-Based Thick Curry of Braised Duck and Lemongrass

Gaeng rawang (แกงระแวง) is a curry bearing an unusual name and contradictory accounts regarding its appearance, lineage and origins. When I cook this dish, it is a rich and thick coconut-based curry made with a paste of fresh chilies, aromatics, spices and generous amounts of fresh turmeric, which adds warmth and gives the green chili color a slightly earthier, muted tone that resonates beautifully with the duck meat. The duck meat is prepared separately and slow-braised in coconut cream before being cooked in the curry. This slow-braising process allows the coconut cream and duck’s fattiness to melt together, resulting in moist and flavorful meat with a hint of sweetness. The curry itself is seasoned to a salty and slightly sweet flavor profile.

Torpedo Fish - Torpedo Fish - Steamed Stuffed Squid (ปลาตอปิโดตุ๋น; bplaa dtaaw bpi do:h dtoon)

Torpedo Fish - Steamed Stuffed Squid features small squid filled with crab-pork mixture and sweet corn. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1945 cookbook of Thai appetizers.

Heritage: Issue 8, Wednesday, March 4, 2026

This week's folios: - แกงเผ็ด คาวีสวรรค์ — Celestial Beef Curry (กิ่งกนก กาญจนาภา, 1935) - แกงลูกชิ้นกุ้ง — Shrimp Ball Clear Soup (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933) - เครื่องในไก่กรอบ — Side-Dish: Crispy Chicken Offal (Jeeb Bunnag , 1933) - ผัดเปรี้ยวหวานนางกุ้ง — Sweet and Sour Stir-Fried Giant Female Freshwater Prawn (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933) - ยำ โกไลพิเศษ — Yam "Goliath Special" (Gingganok Gaanjanaaphaa, 1935) - ยำ ไวโอเล็ต — "Violet" Yam Salad with Cucumber, Pork and Dried Shrimp (Gingganok Gaanjanaaphaa, 1935) - เยื่อเคยทรงเครื่อง — Side dish: Dressed Fermented Shrimp Paste (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933)

Raang Roong Sour Curry (แกงส้มร่างรุ้ง; gaaeng sohm raang roong)

Gaaeng sohm raang roong, sour curry with giant freshwater prawns on a pounded dried shrimp and shallot base fried in lard. Lady Srithammarat, 1933.

The Pornthip Collection (รวมตำราพรทิพย์)

The author published under the name Mom Ying Supha (หม่อมหญิงสุภา), signing one preface as M.L. Ying Supha (ม.ล. หญิงสุภา)—a title indicating royal descent. No further biographical record has been located. On the cover of Pornthip's Savory Dishes (กับข้าวพรทิพย์), she advertised that her recipes were "Royal kitchen-tested" and had been cooked, savored, and enjoyed by high-ranking members of the Royal family. (เป็นตำรับจากห้องเจ้านายเสวยสบพระทัยมาแล้ว) In her prefaces, she set out a philosophy: Thai cooking relies on estimation, on tasting and adjusting, on what she called roht meuu (รสมือ)—one's delectable hands. Some cooks possess skill and knowledge of all ingredients, she wrote, yet lack "charm in the touch" (เสน่ห์ในรสมือ). Their cooking lacks deliciousness, lacks thoughtfulness, and fails to win appreciation from family and society. Between 1949 and 1950, she published four books through Chamroen Sueksa (จำเริญศึกษา) in Bangkok: Thai salads, savory dishes, sweets, and a five-volume set spanning Thai, Chinese, and Western cooking. The table of contents reveal dishes with names shaped by court culture—Egg of the Moon (เครื่องเคียงไข่ดวงเดือน), Three Kings (เครื่องเคียงสามกษัตริย์), Pretending to Be Delicious (เครื่องจิ้มแสร้งว่าอร่อย). The identity behind the pen name may remain unknown. The recipes do not.

Traditional Sampanee Confection (ขนมสำปะนีแบบเดิม; khanohm sam pa nee baep doem)

Traditional Sampanee Confection (ขนมสำปะนีแบบเดิม; khanohm sam pa nee baep deerm)

Khanom sampanee, dry-roasted glutinous rice flour and coconut milk set by sugar recrystallization, scented with jasmine. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

phrik Khing Phukam (พริกขิงภุกาม; phrik khing phoo gaam)

Phrik khing phukam, a crispy phrik khing (พริกขิง) of deep-fried smoke-dried fish and shrimp with lemongrass, bound in a fish sauce glaze. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Fish or Meat Garee Curry (แกงกะหรี่ ปลา เนื้อ; gaaeng ga ree bplaa neuua)

Fish or Meat Garee Curry prepared with rich coconut cream and sealed-pot dum steaming technique. From Ibrahim Haji Roshidin Tuan, 1938.

Roasted Shrimp Paste Relish (เครื่องจิ้ม - กะปิคั่ว; khreuuang jim ga bpi khuaa)

Khreuuang jim ga bpi khuaa, fermented shrimp paste roasted with smoke-dried featherback fish in split coconut cream. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

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.

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Sourcing Wines for Discerning Private Clients