Home > Thai food recipes by their origin > Central Plains and Bangkok Cuisine
roselle salad
c1890 Fresh roselle salad with acid-cured shrimp (ยำผลกระเจี๊ยบ อย่างท่านผู้หญิงเปลี่ยน ภาสกรณ์วงศ์ ร.ศ.๑๐๘ ; yam phohn gra jiiap;)
Gabpi Khuaa, An Ancient Dip from The Central Plains (Lohn Gabpi Khuaa; หลนกะปิคั่ว)
In the Thai language, lon (lohn; หลน) means to simmer. In this ancient style dip, minced pork and fermented shrimp paste, along with smoked-charred dry fish, chilies and other aromatics, are slowly simmered in rich coconut cream to create a deep, multi-layered - yet subtle and silky – dip; a dip which is then lightly seasoned with just palm sugar and fish sauce. The dip is served with an array of fresh and fried vegetables, tempura-like cakes, crispy small fishes or tiny transparent salt-water shrimp. For a dish with so many subtle flavors, there is surprisingly little fuss.
"Sang-de-Boeuf Porcelain" Fermented Rice Noodles (ขนมจีนครามแดง; khanohm jeen khraam daaeng)
"Sang-de-Boeuf Porcelain" Fermented Rice Noodles (ขนมจีนครามแดง; khanohm jeen khraam daaeng)
Sang-de-Boeuf Porcelain Fermented Rice Noodles featuring a coconut sauce infused with roasted shallots, garlic and mung beans. From Jeeb Bunnag, 1945.
Chiang Mai-Style Chicken Gaaeng Garee (แกงเผ็ดกะหรี่เชียงใหม่ ; gaaeng phet garee chiang mai)
I discovered this unusual curry recipe hidden in a 1970 memorial book for Ms. Bootree Gralaksa. Born in Bangkok in 1898, Ms. Bootree spent her entire life, from childhood on, in a wooden house on Maha Chak Road (Pra Nakorn). One could say that she was born to be a great cook; just fourteen years old when her mother died, Ms. Bootree became the sole caregiver for her four siblings, a duty that she performed with a love and attention that endowed her with remarkable cooking skills. Her memorial book showcases now-forgotten dishes that were popular in the Bangkok of the early 1900s, such as Beautiful Curry (แกงหงษา ; Gaaeng Hohng Saa), and also includes some of her one-of-a-kind culinary creations – such as this dish, which she dubbed “Chiang Mai-Style Spicy Curry”.
ยำผิวส้มส้า ; Salad of bitter orange peels (sohm saa)
Salad of bitter orange peels, shrimp, poached pork belly and pork skin, roasted peanuts, golden deep-fried crispy shallots and garlic with sweet and sour tamarind dressing.
(ยำผิวส้มซ่า ; yam phiu sohm saa)
This salad recipe is adapted from the book “Maae Khruaa Huaa Bpaa” (แม่ครัวหัวป่าก์), published in 1971 as a memorial for Jao Jaawm Phit (เจ้าจอมพิศว์). Jao Jaawm Phit was the daughter of Thanpuying (Lady) Plean Passakornrawong, who was a pioneer of noble Thai cuisine.
Chicken Massaman Curry Recipe
Massaman Curry - The Untold Story (แกงมัสมั่น – แกงมาชะแมน – แกงหมัดสมั่น)
Considered by some to be the most famous, and the most delicious, dish in Thai cooking, the story of Massaman curry is interwoven with trade, politics and religion in 17th-century Siam. The story is filled with mighty kings, legendary explorers and unsolved mysteries, adding an air of magic and power to this already-heavenly perfumed dish, and thickening the plot of this full bodied, coconut-based curry’s birth.
Side dish - Birds Resting in the Nest (นกนอนรัง; nohk naawn rang)
Side dish - Birds Resting in the Nest (นกนอนรัง; nohk naawn rang)
Birds Resting in the Nest, baya weavers stuffed with peppery pork and draped in fine duck egg threads. From Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
Sour Curry with Prawns and Pickled Vegetables (แกงส้มกุ้งกับผักดอง; gaaeng sohm goong gap phak daawng)
Sour Curry with Prawns and Pickled Vegetables (แกงส้มกุ้งกับผักดอง; gaaeng sohm goong gap phak daawng)
Gaaeng sohm goong, a tamarind-soured prawn curry with pickled vegetables, paste dissolved into boiling water. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
Stir-Fried Wild Duck with Salted Duck Egg Dumpling and Mustard Greens (ผัดฟองวิหคโสภณ; phat faawng wi hohk so:h phohn)
Stir-Fried Wild Duck with Salted Duck Egg Dumpling and Mustard Greens (ผัดฟองวิหคโสภณ; phat faawng wi hohk so:h phohn)
Phat faawng wi hohk so:h phohn: wild duck stir-fried with ornamental salted egg yolk dumplings in naam khlook khlik sauce. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
The art of Siamese old-school menu design
The art of Siamese old-school menu design สํารับอาหารไทย
แกงรัญจวน ; gaaeng_ranjuaan
Beef Curry Seasoned with Fermented Shrimp Paste Chili Relish (แกงรัญจวน ; gaaeng ranjuaan)
Gaaeng Ranjuaan is spicy, sour, sweet and salty beef curry seasoned with no more than fermented shrimp paste chili sauce. It should be served steaming hot, and must possess three distinct flavors, similar to fish Tom Yam soup. These modest ingredients and an intensely-flavored curry emerge from a story about love, things lost in translation and…leftovers.
naam phrik roy rot
Salted Indian salmon chili relish (น้ำพริกปลากุเลาเค็ม; naam phrik bplaa goo lao khem)
c1908 Chuu Chee with Mackerel (ฉู่ฉี่ปลาทู ; chuu chee bplaa thuu)
A salty-sweet, water-based chuu chee dish that features a thick, almost dry sauce. The deep burnt-red and shiny chuu chee sauce clings to the skin of the crispy mackerel, gold-colored from frying the fish in pork lard. The aromatic profile of the chuu chee complements the mackerel's rich, full-bodied flavor. Although chuu chee is usually made using freshwater fish, saltwater fish, especially mackerel, is featured in chuu chee dishes prepared along the coasts of the Central Plains. This is especially common during the rainy season, when the mackerel is plentiful and of excellent quality.
Grilled Rawaaeng Curried Rice Parcels in Banana Leaves (ระแวงขาวปิง; ra waaeng khaao bping)
Grilled Rawaaeng Curried Rice Parcels in Banana Leaves (ระแวงขาวปิง; ra waaeng khaao bping)
Ra waaeng khaao bping, rice parcels with duck and coconut cream wrapped in banana leaves and grilled. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1945 Thai appetizer cookbook.
Sour Curry of Climbing Perch with Snap Beans (แกงส้มปลาหมอกับถั่วแขก; gaaeng sohm bplaa maaw gap thuaa khaaek)
Sour Curry of Climbing Perch with Snap Beans (แกงส้มปลาหมอกับถั่วแขก; gaaeng sohm bplaa maaw gap thuaa khaaek)
Gaaeng sohm bplaa maaw — tamarind-broth sour curry with poached climbing perch, fish flesh pounded into the paste. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
Spicy Chicken Curry (แกงเผ็ดไก่; gaaeng phet gai)
Spicy Chicken Curry (แกงเผ็ดไก่; gaaeng phet gai)
Gaaeng phet gai, chicken simmered in a pork-lard-fried red curry paste with optional brandy or sherry. From Maawm Sohm Jeen's Tamra Gap Khao, c. 1890.
Thai Coconut Curry of Steamed Mackerels and Lotus Stems
(gaaeng gathi saai buaa bplaa thuu neung ;
แกงกะทิสายบัวปลาทูนึ่ง)
This old-fashioned Thai coconut curry dish is a simple expression made with ingredients commonly available to Thais, it features steamed mackerels - the fish that Thai people probably love the best and the stems of the lotus flowers - one of Buddhism's most recognized motifs. The fish together with peeled lotus stems are boiled in coconut milk, to which a simple yet very aromatic curry paste, made only of white pepper corns, shallots and fermented shrimp paste is added.
Magical Turtle Egg Dumplings (ขนมไข่เต่าวิเศษ; khanohm khai dtao wiset)
Magical Turtle Egg Dumplings (ขนมไข่เต่าวิเศษ; khanohm khai dtao wiset)
Khanohm khai dtao wiset, oval rice flour dumplings in salty coconut cream with shrimp tomalley, from Jeeb Bunnag's 1933 cookbook.
Seasoned Pickled Razor Clam Relish (หอยเสียบดองปรุง; haawy siiap daawng bproong)
Seasoned Pickled Razor Clam Relish (หอยเสียบดองปรุง; haawy siiap daawng bproong)
Haawy siiap daawng bproong, pickled razor clam relish seasoned with three acids—kaffir lime, lime, and tamarind. From Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
Young Jackfruit Salad (ยำขนุนอ่อน; yam kha noon aawn)
Young Jackfruit Salad (ยำขนุนอ่อน; yam kha noon aawn)
Young Jackfruit Salad featuring tender jackfruit stir-fried with coconut cream and aromatic herbs and dressed with chili jam. From Maawm Ying Soophaa's 1949 manuscript on Thai salad recipes.
Beef Phanaaeng Curry - พะแนงเนื้อ
Beef Phanaeng Curry and Ancient Grilled Phanaeng Chicken Curry (พะแนงเนื้อ และ ไก่ผะแนง จากตำราอาหารที่เก่าสุดในสยาม)
Breaking news: The oldest Thai cookbook, as well as history’s first-ever recorded recipe for Phanaeng curry, are revealed for the first time on Thaifoodmaster.com - A 126-year-old cookbook written by one of Siam’s most revered singers, Maawm Sohm Jeen (Raa Chaa Noopraphan) (หม่อมซ่มจีน, ราชานุประพันธุ์), has been rediscovered, offering a unique glimpse into the culinary repertoire of 19th-century Siam. In this chapter we examine the different forms of phanaeng curry from the 1800s to the present day, as we reconstruct the 19th-century version and craft step-by-step a traditional beef phanaeng curry.
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