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

เนื้อปูผัดผงกะหรี่

Most Thai curry dishes call for freshly prepared curry paste that is best used fresh just before cooking. Here is a delicious and simple exception - Stir-fried crab meat in curry powder, milk and eggs - A popular Thai seafood recipe which is unique in its use of commercially available curry powder. The dish was first created by Teochew Chinese chefs in the numerous Chinese restaurants in Bangkok who used to cater to the working class of Thai-Chinese immigrates, that came to the Kingdom from the Guangdong province in the southern coast of China.

Junk-Ship Shrimp Curry (แกงกุ้งสำเภา; gaaeng goong sam phao)

Gaaeng goong sam phao, a palace phrik khing curry of whole shrimp soured with chebulic myrobalan. From Maawm Ying Soophaa's Divine Dishes, 1949.

Heritage 28: Issue Wednesday, September 23, 2026

This week's folios: - แกงเผ็ดไก่ — Spicy Chicken Curry (Maawm Sohm Jeen, 1890) - แกงบวนนกเป็ดน้ำ — Buaan Curry of Wild Duck (Maawm Sohm Jeen , 1890) - ผัดเป็ดผัดไก่ — Stir-Fried Duck or Chicken with Peas (Maawm Sohm Jeen , c., 1890) - เนื้ออร่อย — Tasty Beef in Thick Coconut Milk (Lady Gleep Mahithaawn, 1949) - ยำเครื่องในโค — Yam of Beef Innards (Maawm Sohm Jeen , c., 1890) - พล่ากุ้งฝอยสด — Phla of Fresh Transparent Shrimp (Maawm Sohm Jeen , c., 1890) - เชื่อมขิง — Ginger in Syrup (Maawm Sohm Jeen , c., 1890)

18 Seasoned fish sauce condiments (น้ำปลาปรุงรส ; naam bplaap roong roht)

Laap of Catfish, Chicken, or Beef (ลาบปลาดุกหรือไก่หรือเนื้อวัว; laap bplaa dook reuu gai reuu neuua wuaa)

Laap bplaa dook, minced catfish, chicken, or beef with fire-roasted aromatics, hot pla ra, and toasted rice powder. Tamra Khraawp Lo:hk, 1929.

Naam Yaa Jeen - Fermented Rice Noodles with Chinese Sauce by HRH Prince Krom Luang Pitak Montri (น้ำยาจีน อย่างกรมหลวงพิทักษมนตรี)

Among the various curries that can be poured over khanom jeen fermented rice noodles, this broth, known as Chinese-style “naam yaa,” is unique in that it is a water-based curry that does not have chilies. As such, rather than the typical reddish-rust color of most coconut-based naam ya dishes from the Central Plains of the Kingdom, the sauce glows with a soft, light ivory hue, beautifully reflecting the dish’s natural sweet-savoriness, which is derived from slow-braising three proteins – chicken, pork and shrimp – along with a curry paste galvanized by smoke-dried fish and aromatic roots like galangal, fingerroot and sand ginger. The naam ya broth is served over a bed of fermented rice noodles and garnished with toppings such as delicate pulled chicken breast threads, golden-crispy fried shallots and garlic, and vivid green fresh coriander leaves and spring onion. All these elements add a visual grace and a hint of freshness to the robust broth – the signature dish of Prince Krom Luang Pitak Montri (กรมหลวงพิทักษ์มนตรี).

Sour Curry (Indian-Style Curry) (แกงเปรี้ยว (แกงแขก); gaaeng bpriaao (gaaeng khaaek))

Gaaeng bpriaao, Indian-style sour curry with a warm spice marinade, ghee-cooked chicken, and a clear yogurt-soured broth. Mrs. Paan Nanthaaphiwat, 1953.

Chicken Curry Steamed in Young Coconut (ห่อหมกไก่มะพร้าวอ่อน; haaw mohk gai ma phraao aawn)

Chicken Curry Steamed in Young Coconut, featuring chicken cooked inside a coconut shell with a curry base of unpeeled peanuts and fermented shrimp paste. From Gingganok's 1948.

Stir-fried Crab with Seablite (ผัดกรกฏชะคราม; phat gaawn goht cha khraam)

Phat gaawn goht cha khraam, sea crab stir-fried with seablite — a briny coastal herb — in garlic and pork lard. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

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.

ดอกกุยช่ายผัดตับหมู

A quick and tasty dish from the hot mouth of the dragon with only three ingredients! Flowering Chives, Pork Liver and Garlic. Flowering Chives are all year round favorites for their mild garlicky flavor, and can be purchased inexpensively at almost any Asian market. In Thailand we like to fry them with pork, pork liver or shrimp. These flowering chives are actually the unopened bud stems of garlic chives, also known as Chinese chives.

Chicken and Tomato Curry (แกงไก่กับมะเขือเทศ; gaaeng gai gap ma kheuua thaeht)

Gaaeng gai gap ma kheuua thaeht: tomatoes cored and stuffed with pounded chicken neck and corn, simmered in bone stock. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Three Noodle Bundles (เส้นสามแซ่; sen saam saae)

Three Noodle Bundles feature rice vermicelli, Chinese egg noodles (mee sua), and glass noodles wrapped around mustard greens and bound with seasoned pork in Pumpkin Broth. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1945 cookbook.

ไก่ผัดเม็ดมะม่วงหิมพานต์

The dish captures the eye with its vivid color – It is beautiful! It is bright! It is happy! - and it fits well within the comfort zone of most westerners. It is not surprising that this dish has made its way to the top of the charts, consistently ranked among the top ten tastiest Thai dishes served abroad.

Jungle chili relish by Princess Jongjittanom Dissakul (น้ำพริกป่า อย่าง หม่อมเจ้าหญิงจงจิตรถนอม ดิศกุล ; naam phrik bpaa)

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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You will get everything you need to:

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

Sourcing Wines for Discerning Private Clients