The names of Thai dishes usually communicate their main ingredient, their cooking technique or, at times, their origin. Yet, a large element in the charm of Thai cuisine are dishes bestowed with unusual – sometimes downright poetic names – such as “crystal dragon” (mang gaawn khaap gaaeo, มังกรคาบแก้ว), “galloping horse” (maa haaw, ม้าฮ่อ) and “fat horse” (maa uaan, ม้าอ้วน).
Early Siamese literature was produced, patronized and supported, as well as controlled and consumed, by the aristocracy; it reflected the life of the court elites. In contrast, Sunthorn Phu, the “poet of the people”, was the first classical Thai author who was not a member of the nobility. His humble origins and his use of popular language and simple forms of verse appealed to a wider audience.
Sunthorn Phu Thai Human Imagery Museum, Nakhon Pathom
Sunthorn Phu was born in 1786, in the days of the early Rattanakosin era, and 19 years after the destruction of the capital Ayutthaya by the Burmese army in 1767. It was also a mere four years after King Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) of Chakri Dynasty came to power in 1782, bringing to an end a chaotic period of power struggles and revolutions in which Siamese, Burmese, provincial warlords and Chinese merchants, along with missionaries and soldiers, were fighting for dominance.
As child from a broken family, Sunthorn was famous for his unstable temperament; some said he was a drunk, a vagrant, and a womanizer who spent quite a lot of time behind bars. And, indeed, it was in jail that he began to write his epic work, Phra Abhai Mani – a colossus that spans across 94 books, totaling about 30,000 lines of verse.
As a poet, Sunthorn spent much of his life under royal patronage, living to witness the reigns of four Kings. Respected by King Rama II, who commissioned literature, Sunthorn was disliked by Rama III; the resentment was generated by Sunthorn’s criticism of Rama III’s early poetry while the King was still a prince. Meanwhile, Rama IV appointed Sunthorn as a Poet Laureate, a position maintained until Sunthorn’s death in 1855.
Maa uaan is first mentioned in Sunthorn Phu’s “Phra Abhai Mani”, which suggests that the dish enjoyed a certain amount of renown before emerging in print. Due to the popular “market-like” nature of Sunthorn’s writing, we can safely assume that maa uaan was a dish consumed by commoners. But, since the dish is not typically Thai, it could also be that it was served in only during special occasions or ceremonies.
Maa ouan is a dish with clear Chinese characteristics. It resembles the filling of khanohm jeep dumplings (ขนมจีบ), the crab and pork meat fillings of haawy jaaw (ฮ่อยจ๊อ), or the shrimp and pork meat mix of haae geun (แฮ่กึน).
Sunthorn Phu also takes the time to note other dishes that are clearly of Chinese origin, such as steamed duck (bpet neung, เป็ดนึ่ง) and barbecued suckling pig (สุกรหัน). King Rama II, who respected Sunthorn Phu’s work, also refers to some favorite royal dishes of clear Chinese origin in his culinary poetry Gaap Heh Chohm Khreuuang Khaao Waan (กาพย์เห่ชมเครื่องคาว – หวาน), recited or sung during the procession of the royal barge. Those dishes included sohm choon, a lychee dish, as well as boiled pork spleen (dtohm dtap lek, ต้มตับเหล็ก), steamed bird’s nests (rang nohk neung, รังนกนึ่ง), and persimmons (luuk phlap, ลูกพลับ).
We will demonstrate today’s maa uaan recipe as recorded in Lady Plean Passakornrawong’s 1908 book, “Maae Khruaa Huaa Bpaa” (แม่ครัวหัวป่าก์). Minced pork and shrimp meat are seasoned with garlic, coriander roots, white peppercorns and salt, then mixed with duck egg and a bit of coconut cream, placed in small ceramic cups (thuay dta lai, ถ้วยตะไล), and steamed. It can be served either as a starter, an hors d’oeuvres, or even as a side dish to curries.
A slightly different version appears in Lady Gleep Mahithaawn’s book, “Recipes for Teaching Children and Grandchildren” (หนังสือกับข้าวสอนลูกหลาน), printed for her 72nd birthday celebration on January 7, 1949.
Lady Gleep Mahithaawn writes that minced chicken meat can be used; she also adds crushed roasted peanuts, and lengthwise-sliced pickled garlic.
Thai Appetizer – Fat Horse (maa uaan) Recipe
Hanuman and Chef Thapakorn Lertviriyavit (Gorn)
Maa ouan is an appetizer with clear Chinese characteristics. It resembles the filling of khanohm jeep dumplings (ขนมจีบ), the crab and pork meat fillings of haawy jaaw (ฮ่อยจ๊อ), or the shrimp and pork meat mix of haae geun (แฮ่กึน). Minced pork and shrimp meat are seasoned with garlic, coriander roots, white peppercorns and salt, then mixed with duck egg and a bit of coconut cream, placed in small ceramic cups (thuay dta lai, ถ้วยตะไล), and steamed. It can be served either as a starter, an hors d’oeuvres, or even as a side dish to curries.
Sweet and sour fruit slices are served with a nutty, sweet-savory peanut sauce condiment that balances the fruits’ natural tartness, and decorated with coriander leaves and julienned fresh long red pepper for a sophisticated finish. The paste-like condiment is typically made from the Three Kings of Thai cuisine (coriander root, garlic and ground white pepper) fried together with chopped shallots, minced pork belly and shrimp meat, along with crushed roasted peanuts, and seasoned with fish sauce [or salt], and palm sugar.
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.
Naam phrik lohng reuua (น้ำพริกลงเรือ) – Literally translated as “boat embarking chili relish”, this particular boat seems to have drifted a long way from port and these days, the actual dish served in Thai restaurants is far away from the original version. We want to tell you the real story behind this dish and to present you with the original version’s recipe in its true character – as if the boat is still moored at the dock.
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.
This is an aromatic stew that leans into the sweet spectrum of the palate. An all-time Thai favorite, moo palo was introduced locally by the Chinese-Cantonese and Tae Chiew immigrants who flocked to the Kingdom in the early nineteenth century.
The name of this dish originates from two Chinese words: pah ziah and lou.
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Gain access to NEW MONTHLY masterclasses as they become available.
1-1 support from Hanuman to help you achieve your professional Thai culinary goals
The opportunity to join a monthly live two-hour videoconference where I can answer your questions.
one year access for the price of 3 days in-person training.
You will get everything you need to:
When you design or build a new menu for an event or restaurant or even prepare for dinner with friends.
Finally !
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