Thai food essentials

Well-known Thai food critic and the originator of Shell Chuan Chim, MR Thanadsri Svasti, talks about the essence of Thai food.

Recently the Bangkok Post’s Sunday Brunch magazine had an interesting feature on pioneering Thai food critic MR Thanadsri Svasti who, among other things, is famous for his Shell Chuan Chim newspaper column that first appeared way back in 1961. You can read the full feature here: http://bit.ly/mEVuZZ . Below is an interesting excerpt from the feature in which MR Thanadsri talks about the essence of Thai food.

Pioneering Thai food critic MR Thanadsri Svasti with his eldest son ML Sirichalerm ‘‘McDang’’ Svasti.

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Thai food essentials

'My passion for food, my exposure to refined cookery began in my childhood. My mother [Mom Charoen Svasti] ran the kitchens for Queen Saovabha Bongsri, so I got to eat and understand the characteristic flavours of different dishes.

''It's important to realise that Thai cuisine is not something you can learn from observing. It has a deep, historical root and you have to know its essence and structure in order to understand it,'' MR Thanadsri explained.

''The essential element of Thai cuisine is khrueng gaeng or nam phrik gaeng [spice paste], which consists of chilli, shrimp paste, shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Original Thai cookery uses no stock. And we didn't add coconut milk to savoury dishes until the reign of King Rama II [1809-24].''

According to MR Thanadsri, in days of yore, everyday dishes like tom khlong (dried fish soup), gaeng leang (spicy vegetable soup), gaeng pa (forest-style soup) and gaeng som (sour, spicy, orange-coloured soup) were all coconut milk-free. Curries with coconut-cream bases (gaeng kati) are relatively modern innovations, the food expert noted.

''Thai cuisine is basically a peasant cuisine – very natural and very healthy,'' he said. ''Our ingredients are all sourced from nature. Nai nam mee pla, nai na mee khao [There's fish in the waterways and rice in the fields], as the Thai expression goes.

Our cooking methods were also very simple with minimal flavour modification. So, real Thai cuisine should only consist of tom [a boiled dish], yang [a grilled dish], yum [a spicy salad] and jim [a dipping paste]. Stir-frying and deep-frying are Chinese techniques, not Thai.''

It is a common misapprehension, he continued, to associate ahaan chao wang (palace i.e. royal cuisine) with sweetened dishes. But in this style of cooking, he pointed out, sugar – which was mainly coconut or palm sugar – was only ever used to enhance the flavour, never to influence the overall taste.

feature – (in newspapers, on television, etc.) a special article or programme about somebody/something สารคดีพิเศษ
pioneering – introducing ideas and methods that have never been used before บุกเบิก
critic – someone who gives their opinion about something
excerpt – a part of a longer story, speech, song, text, etc. บทคัดย่อ
essence – the most important part of something, usually the part that gives it its general character แก่น
passion – a strong enthusiasm or interest ความชื่นชม หลงใหล
exposure – experience with something  ประสบการณ์
refined – high quality; considered typical of a high social class สละสลวย, ประณีต, ละเอียดลออ
characteristic – very typical of something or of somebody's character  ลักษณะ, ลักษณะเฉพาะ,   ลักษณะพิเศษ, ลักษณะนิสัย
flavour – how food or drink tastes รสชาติ
cuisine – a style of cooking ประเภทอาหาร
observe – to watch or study someone or something with care สังเกตการณ์
essential – necessary ที่จำเป็น
element – an important basic part of something complicated, for example a system or plan องค์ประกอบ, ส่วนประกอบ
paste – a smooth mixture of crushed meat, fish, etc. that is spread on bread or used in cooking เครื่องแกง, กะปิ
stock – a liquid made by cooking bones, meat, etc. in water, used for making soups and sauces
savoury – having a taste that is salty or spicy and not sweet; having a pleasant taste or smell เผ็ดแต่มีกลิ่นหอม, มีรสชาด,รสอร่อย
reign – a period of time during when a king or queen rules a country  ช่วงเวลาครองราชย์
days of yore – long ago นานมาแล้
innovation – the introduction of new things, ideas or ways of doing something; a new idea, way of doing something, etc. that has been introduced or discovered นวัตกรรม, การคิดขึ้นใหม่, สิ่งที่นำเข้ามาใหม่
peasant – (especially in the past, or in poorer countries) a farmer who owns or rents a small piece of land ชาวนา, กสิกร, เกษตรกร, ชาวไร่, ชาวชนบท
ingredients – foods that are used with other foods in the preparation of a particular dish ส่วนประกอบ
source – to get something from a particular place
simple – easy to understand; not complicated ง่าย,ไม่ยุ่งยาก, ไม่ซับซ้อน
minimal – very small in amount น้อยที่สุด, น้อยมาก
modification – a (usually small) change to something การเปลี่ยนแปลง
grilled – cooked  by direct heat, especially under a very hot surface ย่าง
stir-fry – to cook thin strips of vegetables or meat quickly by stirring them in very hot oil ผัด    
misapprehension – a wrong idea about something, or something you believe to be true that is not true การเข้าใจผิด
enhance - to improve the quality, amount or strength of something ปรับปรุง, ทำให้ดีขึ้น
influence – the power to have an effect on อิทธิพล
overall – total; including all the things or people that are involved in a particular situation; general  ทั้งหมด