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

Dtohm Hohk Uuhr of Snakeskin Gourami (ต้มโฮกเออ; dtohm ho:hk uuhr)

Dtohm hohk uuhr, snakeskin gourami soup soured with young tamarind leaves and twenty to thirty bruised bird chilies. From Maawm Sohm Jeen, 1890.

Tasty Beef in Thick Coconut Milk (เนื้ออร่อย; neuua a raawy)

Neua aroy, beef tenderloin simmered in thick coconut milk with a roasted coriander-cumin paste. Lady Gleep Mahithaawn, 1949.

Fried Minced Beef and Potato Cakes with Nutmeg and Chinese Celery (ทอดมันเนื้อสับ; thaawt man neuua sap)

Thaawt man neuua sap, minced beef cakes with boiled potato, nutmeg and Chinese celery, fried in egg and flour. From Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

ต้มยำปลาช่อนแบบโบราณ - อย่างหม่อมซ่มจีน (ราชานุประพันธุ์) - ร.ศ.๑๐๙

ตำรับอาหารไทยแท้ที่มีมาแต่โบราณ ปัจจุบันยังคงมีอยู่ หากแต่พัฒนาไปไกลจนแทบไม่มีใครรับรู้ต้นเค้าเก่าก่อน ถ้าให้คนรุ่นปัจจุบันมาลิ้มลองตำรับแบบดั้งเดิม ก็จะมองว่าเป็นของแปลกไปเสียแล้ว ดังนั้น Thaifoodmaster คงจะต้องออกมาอธิบายถึงพัฒนาการของอาหารตำรับน้ำแกงนี้ก่อนไม่มีใครจดจำของเก่าแบบดั้งเดิมได้

Pork and Three Beans Minced-Bird Style Curry with Fingerroot and Holy Basil (แกงคั่วหมูสับถั่วพู; Gaaeng Muu Sap Thuaa Phuu)

This contemporary minced-bird style curry uses pork rather than bird. However, since thicker, meatier curries have become associated in modern Thai cuisine with the bold presence of fingerroot – for example, in dishes such as fermented rice noodles in naam yaa thick fish curry (khanohm jeen naam yaa (ขนมจีนน้ำยา)) – this dish adopts the penetrating aromatic character of fingerroot along with the clove-like warmth of holy basil. Like crisp footsteps in a forest, this satisfyingly meaty curry features vibrant fresh red chilies and thinly sliced yardlong beans and winged beans. It is suitable to serve with rice or with fermented rice noodles (khanom jeen paeng mak), conveying an aromatic upcountry flair.

ข้าวซอยไก่

This dish (Khao Soi Recipe) takes us back in time to the mid-19th century. The trade caravans were trailing the jungles of northern Thailand along the ancient routes between India and China. Those long caravans were carrying wealth of exotic goods, leaving rich aroma of spices and the sweet scent of opium as they passed.

The men on this long line of between fifty and one hundred mules would be Yunnanese Muslim Chinese, who dominated the trade routes and began to settle in Chiang Mai and the main towns of north Thailand at that time.

Heritage 20: Issue Sunday, May 31, 2026

This week's folios: - แกงจืดปลากะพงแป๊ะฮะ — Mild Soup of Barramundi and Lily Bulbs (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933) - ข้าวต้มกุ้ง — Shrimp Rice Soup (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933) - ไก่สำเร็จ — Stuffed Whole Chicken (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933) - ยำกระท้อน — Santol Salad (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933) - นกนอนรัง — Side dish - Birds Resting in the Nest (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933) - ลิ้นระกาปรุง — Seasoned Chicken Tongue Relish (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933) - ขนมโก๋ถั่ว — Mung Bean khanohm Go (Jeeb Bunnag, 1933)

Cancer Crab Egg Noodles (บะหมี่กรกฎ; ba mee gaaw ra goht)

Ba mee gaaw ra goht, puffed deep-fried egg noodles topped with crab, shrimp, and salted duck egg yolk balls. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Mild soup with prawn balls and Chinese cabbage (แกงจืดลูกชิ้นกุ้งกับผักกาดปลี; gaaeng jeuut luuk chin goong gap phak gaat bplee)

Gaaeng jeuut with steamed prawn-and-cabbage rolls in a clear shiitake broth with fried garlic, from Jeeb Bunnag's 1933 cookbook.

Heritage 29: Issue Tuesday, September 29, 2026

This week's folios: - แกงกุ้งสำเภา — Junk-Ship Shrimp Curry (Maawm Ying Soophaa, 1949) - ยำไก่ — Yam of Chicken (c. 1890) (Maawm Sohm Jeen , 1890) - ผัดปูทะเลผสม — Stir-Fried Mixed Sea Crab (M.R. Tuang Sanitwong, 1935) - ไข่ดวงเดือน — Full Moon Eggs (Maawm Ying Soophaa, 1949) - ปลาร้าปลาดุกข้าวคั่วปิ้ง — Grilled Catfish-and-Roasted-Rice Pla Ra Relish (Lady Gleep Mahithaawn, 1949) - ข้าวผัดนก — Bird Fried Rice (Lady Gleep Mahithaawn, 1949)

Ancient roasted chili jam (naam phrik phao bo:h raan ; น้ำพริกเผาโบราณ)

ม้าอ้วน

ตำรับ "ม้าอ้วน" นอกจากจะเป็นเครื่องว่าง หรือ อาหารเรียกน้ำย่อย (Starter หรือ hors d'oeuvres) ยังจัดเป็นอาหารจานเคียง หรือเครื่องแนม ใช้รับประทานกับอาหารพวกแกงต่าง ๆ ท่านผู้หญิงเปลี่ยน ได้บันทึกตำรับเอาไว้ใน ปริเฉจที่ ๔ ของตำรา"แม่ครัวหัวป่าก์" ของท่าน ลักษณะอาหาร จะเป็นเนื้อหมูสับผสมกับกุ้ง ปรุงรสด้วย รากผักชี กระเทียม พริกไทย เกลือ เคล้าใส่ไข่เป็ด และกะทิเล็กน้อย นำใส่ถ้วยตะไลนึ่งจนสุก

Faux Frog Salad – A Salad of Coconut Braised Chicken with Young Coconut and Chili Jam Dressing (ยำกบเทียม; yam gohp thiiam)

Faux frog salad is a rich, elegant dish featuring tender chicken braised in coconut cream and young coconut flesh with a chili-jam based dressing. Utilizing an old-fashioned salad assembly technique – the ‘mix and layer’ – this is a visually striking salad with alternating layers of reds and whites. The name of this vintage dish – Faux Frog Salad – could be a reflection of the swinging social norms in Siam during the roaring twenties, a period of significant social change; as the country sought to navigate the challenges of modernization, Siamese society was shifting its dietary preferences away from the frog, once a common, versatile and popular ingredient. Thus, through the desire for distinction, chicken, an ingredient often compared to the taste of everything, was preferable to frog.

Modified Turnip Cake (ขนมหัวผักกาดแปลง; khanom hua phak gaat bplaeng)

Khanom hua phak gaat bplaeng: steamed turnip cake, deep-fried golden, then stir-fried with shrimp and egg. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Spicy Salad with Crispy Fish and Bird's Eye Chili (ยำปลากรอบกับพริกเม็ดเล็ก; yam bplaak raawp gap phrik met lek)

Yam bplaak raawp gap phrik met lek - smoke-dried fish salad with fried aromatic herbs and salt-tempered bird's eye chilies. 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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