Aristocratic and Royal Thai Cuisines Archives

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.

Yam of Beef Innards (ยำเครื่องในโค; yam khreuuang nai kho:h)

Yam khreuuang nai kho:h, beef innards cleaned with slaked lime and dressed without coconut. From Maawm Sohm Jeen's Tamra Gap Khao, c. 1890.

Trinarong salad with ruby pomegranate seeds, translucent pomelo segments, and golden fried shallots glistening with lime dressing on a white plate

c1935 Trinarong Salad - Thai Three-Fruit Yam from Pathum Thani (ยำตรีณรงค์; yam dtreen rohng)

Central-style Thai salad combining pomelo, rose apple, and pomegranate with shrimp, chicken, and pork. From Ms. Booree Thohnsak's 1935 Pathum Thani memorial cookbook.

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.

Grilled Pork Blood Sausage (ไส้กรอกเลือดสุกร; sai graawk leuuat soo gaawn)

Sai graawk leuuat soo gaawn, pork blood sausage with calico plant, grilled over coconut husk. From Jeeb Bunnag, 1933, Rama II court.

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.

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.

History's first-ever recorded recipe for jungle curry by Lady Plean Passakornrawong, circa 1908 (ปลาดุกแกงป่า อย่าง ท่านผู้หญิงเปลี่ยน ภาสกรวงศ์ ตำราแม่ครัวหัวป่าก์; bplaa duuk gaaeng bpaa)

This is a coconut-based jungle curry of catfish featuring fresh green chilies, sand ginger and an upcountry herbal charm.

c1935 "Dry Curry" with beef over coconut infused jasmine rice (แกงแห้ง ตำรับสายเยาวภา พ.ศ. 2478 ; gaaeng haaeng)

Miang kham - A royal leaf wrap appetizer เมี่ยงคำ

Each leaf-wrapped parcel is a kaleidoscope of flavors and richness, textures, aromas and sensations. Fresh green-earthy-chlorophyll-herby-tobacco-peppery wild betel leaves enfold bursts of flavor from nutty roasted peanuts and crispy roasted coconut matches, the umami of savory dry shrimp, pungent-sweet diced shallots, small ginger cubes with a warm bite, sour and bitter unpeeled lime cubes, citrusy perfumed diced bitter orange (som za), naughty whole fresh tiny bird’s eye chilies, and small slices of the sharp and sour dtaling bpling (Averrhoa bilimbi, a relative of the carambola/starfuit). All of which is blended with a thick paste of sweet-sour and salty palm sugar and tamarind sauce. The miang kham takes every taste bud on a fascinating pleasure trip through sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness, and umami, piquancy, sharpness and spiciness, with an array of textures that slowly subside as the journey ends, leading to a familiar post orgasmic expression, a smile and the desire for more.

Khaao Dtang Rice Crust Soup (แกงข้าวตัง; gaaeng khaao dtang)

Gaaeng khaao dtang, deep-fried rice crust paired with clear broth and egg-stuffed chicken intestines. From Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

The Ambassador’s House Style Noodle Soup (หมี่น้ำบ้านราชทูต; Mee Naam Baan Raat Thuut)

This soup dish features crispy rice vermicelli noodles, a chicken broth that has a three-flavor profile infused with the aroma of bitter orange, and a plethora of other ingredients such as crispy fried tofu, chicken, pork, crab and pickled garlic. In Thai, the phrase mee naam baan raat thuut refers to a rice vermicelli noodle soup in the style of the Ambassador’s house. The dish was not new when it appeared in the 1956 book Snacks, Tea Nibbles, Hors D’oeuvres and Drinking Food (ตำราอาหารว่าง - เครื่องน้ำชา และ เครื่องเคี้ยว หรือ กับแกล้ม) by Jeeb Bunnag (จีบ บุนนาค), as noodle dishes were often the preferred ingredient for light meals or snacks. In Grandparents Recipes: 100 Years Old Recipes (จานอร่อยจากปู่ย่า สูตรโบราณ 100 ปี), a volume printed in 2014 that highlights recipes from the kitchens of fifteen prominent families, a similar version of the dish is referred to as mee naam baan bpaak naai leert (หมี่น้ำบ้านปาร์คนายเลิศ) and is associated with Nai Lert.

Pan Roasted Duck Breast and Hairy-Fruited Eggplant Curry (แกงเป็ดคั่วมะอึก; gaaeng bpet khuaa maeuk)

The hairy-fruited eggplant, known as ‘maeuk’ in Thai, is similar to the tomato in its unique confluence of sweetness, fruitiness, and savoriness. This ingredient is used in a wide range of Siamese dishes, including curries, salads, relishes, and seasoned rice dishes. This recipe, from the central region of Thailand, is a traditional duck khuaa sohm curry (แกงคั่วส้มเป็ด) that commonly uses garden ingredients to achieve sourness, including the madan (garcinia schomburgkiana) (มะดัน), the sour bilimbi fruit (averrhoa bilimbi) (ตะลิงปลิง), and the hairy-fruited eggplant.

Phra Suli - Three-Flavor Seasoned Rice with Shrimp, Firm Pork Fat and Pork Skin (ข้าวพระศุลี; Khaao Phra Soolee)

Mrs. Paan Nanthaathiwat (คุณปาน นันทาถิวัฒน์) (1893-1955) was known for her kitchen skills. She often cooked for friends and family, spending time in the kitchen with her best friend, Mrs. Yim Pichaiyat Bunnag (คุณยิ้ม พิชัยญาติ บุนนาค (1892-1976). Thus, it was not a surprise when in 1953 she authored a recipe book as part of her merit offering on her 60th birthday. Sadly, Mrs. Paan passed away a year later and the publication, titled Hoong Khaao Dtohm Gaaeng (หุ้งข้าวต้มแกง), was later printed as a memorial book for her funeral. In 1977, the volume was reprinted for the funeral of her best friend, Mrs. Yim. It is unclear why Mrs. Paan named this citrusy, sour, and salty seasoned rice dish after Lord Shiva, calling it “Phra Suli (พระศุลี ; phra soolee)”. Yet I believe the name of the dish is meant to evoke the elegance and delicacy of the deity rather than to reference cultural authenticity or tradition.

Sweet Egg (ไข่หวาน; khai waan)

Sweet Egg (khai waan): candied salted duck egg yolk encased in floral agar jelly, molded inside an eggshell. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Royal Precept Curry (แกงทรงศีล; gaaeng sohng seen)

Royal Precept Curry, a vegetarian coconut curry with tofu and Thai basil, created for Buddhist observance days in palace kitchens. From Maawm Ying Soophaa, 1949.

c1941 Magical beef curry (แกงเนื้อวิเศษ พ.ศ. 2484 ; gaaeng neuua wisaeht)

Fresh Shrimp Curry Soup (แกงต้มกุ้งปรุงสด; gaaeng dtohm goong bproong soht)

FShrimp Tom Bproong Soht Curry Soup (แกงต้มกุ้งปรุงสด; gaaeng dtohm goong bproong soht)

Gaaeng dtohm goong bproong soht: grilled shrimp with green mango and pickled garlic, seasoned at the bowl. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

The Narratives of Aesthetics and Patterns in Chuu Chee Dishes (เรื่องฉู่ฉี่)

Sticky Rice with Golden Fish Topping (ข้าวเหนียวหน้าปลาทอง; khaao niaao naa plaa thaawng)

Sticky Rice with Golden Fish Topping features coconut-infused glutinous rice topped with crispy sweet-savory fish floss and fried shallots. From Jeeb Bunnak's 1945 cookbook of Thai desserts.

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).

Have a look at some of our favorite courses.

Aromatic Primer for Thai Cuisine - Part 1

Patterns – Decoding the Complexity of Siamese Curry Paste: A Multidimensional Exploration

Get Access – Join Thaifoodmaster Today

Practical and kitchen-tested recipes with a mix of theory, history, psychology, and Siamese culture tidbits.

Get access to everything right away. Unlock more than 50 Masterclasses, over 700 recipes and Articles
Access to Thaifoodmaster’s constantly growing library of prime professional classes, articles, recipes and videos on Siamese culinary topics, available nowhere else in English.
GET EXTRA - New Masterclasses and Daily Recipes
Gain access to NEW masterclasses as they become available. Access DAILY translations of heritage-recipes.
1-1 support from Hanuman
1-1 support from Hanuman to help you achieve your professional Thai culinary goals
Live Q&A Sessions
The opportunity to join a monthly live two-hour videoconference where I can answer your questions.
Great Value!
one year access for the price of 3 days in-person training.

You will get everything you need to:

To Get inspired
When you design or build a new menu for an event or restaurant or even prepare for dinner with friends.
To Satisfy your curiosity.
Finally !
To Master Your Craft
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