angel
Angel Visiting the Chamber: A Salad of Pomelo, Pork Skin and Shrimp with Chili Jam Dressing, circa 1920s (ยำนางฟ้าเยี่ยมห้อง; yam naang faa yiiam haawng)
The name of this dish, yam naang faa yiiam haawng (ยำนางฟ้าเยี่ยมห้อง), translates to ‘Angel Visiting the Chamber Salad’ in English. This celestial salad, which originated in the 1920s, is a playful chili jam-based salad that combines the textural gradients of pomelo, with its citrusy bursts, chewy cooked pork skin, and the sweet and slightly resilient cooked shrimp meat. The pomelo’s citrusy notes are further amplified with thinly sliced lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves sliced into hair-thin juliennes. I like to adjust the sourness and sweetness of the chili jam-based dressing based on the acidity of the pomelo. As our aim is to achieve a final sour-salty and sweet flavor profile, a sour-salty dressing is suggested if the pomelo is sweet, while a salty-sweet dressing pairs better with a sour pomelo.
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.
Sea Crab Phlaa with Crisp-Fried Potato (พล่าปูทะเล; phlaa bpuu tha laeh)
Sea Crab Phlaa with Crisp-Fried Potato (พล่าปูทะเล; phlaa bpuu tha laeh)
Sea crab phlaa dressed sour-sweet with pounded garlic and chili, tossed with flower-cut cucumber and topped with fried potato. From Puang Bunnag, 1931.
NaawGoH
Shan-Style Salad of Bamboo Shoots with Fermented Soybean Cake Dressing (หน่อโก้; Naaw Go:H)
Naaw go:h, a Shan-style seasonal salad, is a dish commonly made by the Shan people during the rainy season, using freshly foraged ingredients. Consisting of shredded, cooked bamboo shoots and herbs with a glossy, earthy-like dressing, the salad reflects the moist soil from which the bamboo sprouts after the rains. The use of whole, elongated Vietnamese coriander leaves and sliced, angular young ginger leaves visually mirrors the structure of the bamboo plant. The dressing for this salad is prepared by frying a paste in pork lard or cooking oil; the paste includes roasted dried bird’s eye chilis, roasted garlic, powdered soybean cake and salt and, occasionally, roasted shallots or a small piece of fresh turmeric are incorporated. This mixture bestows a harmonious blend of salty-spicy, rich, and nutty undertones upon the salad, complemented by a subtle yeasty essence.
ยำขมิ้นขาวกุ้งเค็ม
This dish brings yet another angle to celebrate the essence of Thai cuisine. The Thais dare pairing ingredients, which at first seem to be unmatchable, strong players with opposite characteristics, white turmeric and salted prawns, and guess what? It works beautifully! The pairing actually has the intention to enhance the differences in flavor and texture, creating a playful dish, both in taste and in presentation. The delicate thin cut white turmeric juliennes with its crunchy-apple like texture matched well with the just made salted prawns chunks which still maintain some of their intrinsic sweetness.
Dulda (ดุลด๊ะ; doon da)
Dulda (ดุลด๊ะ; doon da)
Dulda, a raita-style yogurt salad with duck egg, mint, and coriander, from Hibrahim Haji Rocheedee Bin Dtwan's Islamic Cookbook, 1933.
Roasted Tomato Salad, or Banana Chili Salad (ยำมะเขือเทศ (หรือพริกหยวก); yam ma kheuua thaeht)
Yam ma kheuua thaeht: flame-roasted tomatoes, peeled and seeded, dressed with ground dried shrimp and madan. Lady Gleep Mahithaawn, 1949.
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.
roselle salad
c1890 Fresh roselle salad with acid-cured shrimp (ยำผลกระเจี๊ยบ อย่างท่านผู้หญิงเปลี่ยน ภาสกรณ์วงศ์ ร.ศ.๑๐๘ ; yam phohn gra jiiap;)
peanut-bar-salad
c1933 Sour bilimbi fruit and crispy candied peanut salad with pork, shrimp and pork fat (ยำตะลิงปลิง ; yam dtaling bpling)
A candied peanut bar might be considered an unlikely ingredient for an old-fashioned Siamese-style salad. Yet, peanut bars were familiar to the Siamese as early as the Ayutthaya period and were part of a broader set of Teochew Chinese sweets called, in Thai, “khanohm janap (ขนมจันอับ)”.
Three Companions Fish Salad (พล่าปลาสามเกลอ; phlaa bplaa saam gluuhr)
Three Companions Fish Salad (พล่าปลาสามเกลอ; phlaa bplaa saam gluuhr)
Phlaa bplaa saam gluuhr: three grilled fish — smoke-dried, dried, and snakeskin gourami — with a tableside herb dressing. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
cured oysters
c1949 Quick-cured oysters with ginger and kaffir lime zest by Maawm Ying Soophaa (หอยนางรมดอง โดย หม่อมหญิงสุภา พ.ศ. 2492; haawy naang rohm daawng)
Enhanced Fried Garlic with Bird's Eye Chilies and White Peppercorns (กะเทียมเจียวรสสูง; grateam jiaao rot suung)
Enhanced Fried Garlic, garlic pounded with bird's eye chilies and white peppercorns, fried in lard as a universal flavor enhancer. From Mom Ying Supha, 1949.
The Earliest Printed Recipe for Papaya Som Tum (ส้มตำมะละกอ; sohm dtam ma la gaaw)
Sohm dtam ma la gaaw, the first printed Siamese recipe for som tum — a Central Thai papaya salad with dried shrimp. Tamra Khraawp Lo:hk, 1929.
smoked grilled duck salad
Salad of smoked grilled duck breast with roasted shallots and bitter yellow eggplants (พล่าอกเป็ดรมควันกับมะเขือเหลืองและหอมเผา ; phlaa ohk bpet rohm khwan gap ma kheuua leuuang lae haawm phao)
ยำผิวส้มซ่า
พูดถึงอาหารไทยแท้ไทยโบราณ ท่านรู้หรือไม่ว่า พืชชนิดใดที่คนไทยสมัยก่อนนำมาให้รสเปรี้ยวในสำรับอาหารมากที่สุด ? ถ้าเป็นปัจจุบันจะตอบได้ง่าย ๆ ว่าเป็น "มะนาว" แต่สมัยก่อนนั้น ไม่ใช่เลยขอรับ คนไทยอาศัยความเปรี้ยวจาก"มะขาม" มากที่สุด ใช้ทั้งยอดอ่อน ดอก ฝักอ่อน และ โดยเฉพาะมะขามเปียก แต่ทราบไหมขอรับว่า ส่วนใหญ่น้ำมะขามเปียกมักไม่ใช่องค์ ประกอบเด่นในอาหารไทย ตัวมะขามเปียกเอง ก็นำมาทำเป็นอาหารหลักไม่ได้ ไม่เคยมีตำรับ ยำมะขามเปียก แกงมะขามเปียก หรือ มะขามเปียกลอยแก้ว แต่อย่างใดเลย อย่างที่เห็นก็แค่เป็นเครื่องดื่ม ในกลุ่มน้ำปานะ ที่ภิกษุในศาสนาพุทธสามารถฉันได้ในยามวิกาล เช่น น้ำมะขาม
Green Mango Salad with Puffed Fish (ยำมะม่วงปลาฟู; yam ma muaang bplaa fuu)
Green Mango Salad with Puffed Fish (ยำมะม่วงปลาฟู; yam ma muaang bplaa fuu)
Yam ma muaang bplaa fuu, green mango salad with snakehead fish grilled, air-dried, then lard-fried until puffed. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.
ยำกลีบกุพชกะ - ตำนาน "ดอกกุหลาบ" กับ เรื่องรัก 14 กุมภาพันธ์ แบบไทย ๆ
สูตรทำยำกลีบกุพชกะ อย่าง พระยานครราชเสนี - วันแห่งความรัก 14 กุมภาพันธ์นี้ ข้าพเจ้าเปลี่ยนความคิดใหม่แล้ว แทนที่จะพาครอบครัวไปฉลองข้างนอก เปลี่ยนมาฉลองที่บ้านดีกว่า จะลงปรุงอาหารคาวหวานจากดอกกุหลาบหลาย ๆ ตำรับให้เป็นธีม (theme) ดูท่าคงจะมีเรื่องเล่า จากดอกกุหลาบแดงช่อนั้นของแม่ลูกสาวข้าพเจ้าในโต๊ะอาหารเป็นแน่แท้... คิดแล้วก็ขับรถไป ฮัมเพลงไป เบา ๆ
Pennyworth salad
Shan-Style Asian Pennywort Salad (ผักหนอกโก้; Phak Naawk Goh)
This Shan-style salad exemplifies both technical and compositional simplicity. The salad is prepared using a vigorous hand-squeezing technique, known as go:h (โก้) in the Shan language. This blending method, which bruises the ingredients and releases their aromatic moisture, is often used to pair the sharp taste of medicinal fresh herbs – which can carry an immediate bitterness and a certain level of astringency – with earthiness and tartness.
Emerald Yam (ยำมรกฎ; yam maawn goht)
Emerald Yam (ยำมรกฎ; yam maawn goht)
Emerald Yam (ยำมรกฎ; yam maawn goht) - A historical Thai recipe from Dtam Raa Gap Khao Naree Napparat (ตำรากับเข้านารีนพรัตน์).
faux-frog-salad
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.
1
2
3

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
Ian Westcott
Sourcing Wines for Discerning Private Clients