Traditional Recipes Archives

Fried fermented shrimp paste relish with green apples by Princess Jongjittanom Dissakul (น้ำพริกลูกแอปเปิ้ลผัด อย่าง หม่อมเจ้าหญิงจงจิตรถนอม ดิศกุล ; naam phrik luuk aaep bpeern phat)

Coconut Batter for Fried Accompaniments (แป้งชุบเครื่องทอด; bpaehng choop khreuuang thaawt)

Coconut Batter for Fried Accompaniments, a rice flour mixture kneaded with limestone solution until glossy. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1945 cookbook of Thai snacks and desserts.

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.

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.

Yam Sohm Choon Mango Salad with Sweet Pork Condiment, Fermented Shrimp Paste, Shallots, and Crispy Deep-Fried Fluffy Fish (ยำส้มฉุน ; yam sohm choon)

Yam sohm choon is a sour green mango salad served with grilled fermented shrimp paste; roughly chopped shallots; sweet pork condiment, deep-fried fluffy grilled catfish and seasoned with fish sauce, palm sugar and lime juice and topped with deep-fried dry chilies cut into small pieces. If you follow Thai movies and TV dramas, you probably remember Sohm Choon, the adorable boy ghost character from the period romance movie Reun Mayura (1997), which was a love story between a beautiful woman and a handsome man living in different periods of time.

Salted duck eggs and shrimp creamy lohn (หลนไข่เค็ม ; lohn khai khem)

Lohn of salted duck eggs is a smooth, rich and creamy relish with a vibrant three-flavor profile of sour-salty-sweet. Unlike other lohn relishes, it does not contain any overbearing fermented ingredients, making it easy to enjoy, and it does not require an acquired taste.

Rice Seasoned with Shrimp Paste
(khaao khlook gabpi ; ข้าวคลุกกะปิ)

สูตรทำข้าวคลุกกะปิของ หม่อมเจ้าจงจิตรถนอม ดิศกุล - Rice Seasoned with Shrimp Paste Recipe - Each of the dish’s components is separately prepared and set aside, and mixed individually for each serving. A pleasant harmony of several flavors is created – complex and profound in taste, the dish is a stunning display of confidence. There are many variations of this dish: I have chosen to publish the version described by Prince Johngjit thanaawm Disagoon. This is the very same version prepared for King Chulalongkorn the Great during his unforgettable trip to Italy.

c1889 Faux Rhino Skin Salad (ยำโขนงเนื้อเทียม หรือ ยำหนังหมู ; yam kho:h nohng neuua thiiam reuu yam nang muu)

This old-fashioned Siamese pork skin salad is adapted from an 1889 rhino skin salad recipe. It features thin glossy slices of cooked pork skin, simmered in rich coconut cream, and mixed with dried shrimp, roasted coconut, sour fruits; it is seasoned with chili jam-based dressing.

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.

Pickled bean curd chili relish (น้ำพริกเต้าหู้ยี้; naam phrik dtao huu yee)

Stir-Fried Squid with Salted Duck Eggs
(ปลาหมึกผัดไข่เค็ม ; bplaa meuk phat khai khem)

In this straightforward and rewarding stir-fried dish, I am using boiled salted duck egg, available from Asian markets, as my flavoring assistant. During stir-frying, the egg yolk dissolves to a velvety sauce that softly coats the squids, and complimenting their ocean’s flavor. The alternate reds and greens strips of the vegetables emerged from the buttery yellow sauce are tempting for a taste. The original version uses three egg yolks – a bit too much for a health conscious person like me. Therefore, I am using only one whole egg, both the egg white and the egg yolk. I tune down the white’s sharp saltiness with an additional portion of sugar, and compensate for the color lost by adding a spoon of commercial chili sauce to improve. The resulting is a well-balanced dish with the right texture that stands up in this healthy version against its original with a winning smile….

Old Fashioned Pounded Unripe Rice Snack (ข้าวเม่าหมี่ ; khaao mao mee)

Unripe rice snack - “Khao Mao Mee” (ข้าวเม่าหมี่ ) also known as “Khao Mao Song Kreuang” (ข้าวเม่าทรงเครื่อง) or by it's royal name “Khanom Khao Mao Rang” (ขนมข้าวเม่าราง) is a delicious snack. It makes an unusual use of the unripe rice grains, which are normally used for desserts making. The following recipe describes an ancient and hard to find version of it. These days, there is a tendency to add other ingredients like peanuts or to deep fry the unripe rice grains until fluffy and crispy.

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.

Crispy Cooked Liver (ตับสุกกรอบ; dtap sook graawp)

Dtap sook graawp, pork liver boiled then deep-fried in a coconut cream batter with garlic and coriander root. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

c1933 Luxurious lohn relish (น้ำพริกหลนหรู อย่าง จีบ บุนนาค เจ้าของนามปากกา "หลานแม่ครัวหัวป่าก์" พ.ศ. 2476 ; naam phrik lohn ruu)

A simple yet fun version of lohn relish is presented by Lady Plean’s granddaughter-in-law, Mrs. Samaknantapol (Jeep Bunnag) (นางสมรรคนันทพล, จีบ บุนนาค), in her 1933 book Sam Rap Raawp Bpee (สำรับรอบปี).

Fermented shrimp paste relish with bitter eggplant seeds (น้ำพริกมะเขือขื่น หรือ มะเขือเหลือง ; naam phrik makheuua kheuun)

Khanohm Jeen Naam Yaa (ขนมจีนน้ำยา) - Fermented Rice Noodles with Minced Fish in Aromatic Coconut Curry

In the Central Plains of the Kingdom, fermented rice noodles are inextricably linked to a dish known as naam yaa. Composed of a dense, coconut-based minced fish curry, the dish is infused with layers of salted fish and possesses the distinctive, invigorating and purifying notes of fingerroot. Typically, naam yaa is served with fresh lemon basil as the herb of choice along with an array of side dishes collectively known as meuuat khanohm jeen (เหมือดขนมจีน). These include blanched bean sprouts seasoned with a touch of turmeric for color, fresh lemon basil leaves, thinly sliced three colored chilies, and ground chili for added heat. More elaborate versions will add blanched Chinese bitter gourd slices, batter-fried young morning glory shoots, and fresh shrimp minced and fried with its tomalley in pork lard, as well as crispy-fried shallots as the finishing touch.

Minced-Bird Curry with Fish (ปลาช่อนแกงนก; Bplaa Chaawn Gaaeng Nohk)

Lady Plean Passakornrawong’s historic, first-ever recipe for minced-bird curry with snakehead fish revives the old minced-bird curry syle. The fish is minced and cooked with the curry paste, producing a hearty and comforting thick-textured curry.

Buaan Curry of Wild Duck (แกงบวนนกเป็ดน้ำ; gaaeng buaan nohk bpet naam)

Gaaeng buaan nohk bpet naam, wild duck fried in lard then boiled in lemongrass leaf juice with no coconut. From Tamra Gap Khao, 1890.

Mixed Clear Shrimp Soup with Salted Fish, Shrimp, Cucumber, Mango and Pickled Garlic (แกงนอกหม้อ ; gaaeng naawk maaw)

Gaaeng naawk maaw is a light and refreshing soup served at room temperature. The ingredients are meticulously sliced as if for a salad, placed in a serving bowl, and covered with a salty and naturally sweet shrimp broth. At the table, diners can adjust the soup to their preferred flavor profile using granulated sugar, lime juice, or pickled garlic brine; hence the name – gaaeng naawk maaw – which literally means "a curry dish outside the pot" or "to cook curry outside the pot". (Note: The word gaaeng (แกง) in Thai is both a verb and a noun).

Wild Boar Curry with Salacca (แกงหมูบป่าระกำ; gaaeng muup bpaa ra gam)

Gaaeng muup bpaa ra gam, wild Boar curry with sourness from both tamarind and crushed salacca. From Maawm Ying Soophaa's Divine Dishes, 1949.

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