Thai cuisine has been making waves in the state lately. Though it has many familiar Kerala ingredients such as coconut and seafood, it stays different due to the elaborate usage of fresh herbs, sauces and spices. Chef Vina has come to the state straight from Thailand with her home country’s signature dish Pad Thai noodles with a delicate balance of spice, sweet, salty, and sour flavours and many traditional and authentic dishes.
The Thai national, who has three decades of experience in culinary art, is an expert in preparing home-style Thai foods. TNIE catches up with the noted chef who is attending the ongoing Thai food festival at the Thiruvananthapuram-based hotel, O by Tamara.
Chef Vina has worked in restaurants across the globe — from the Maldives, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka to Turkey, South Korea, and South Africa, besides from her hometown Bangkok. She always tries to understand her clients’ tastes and get feedback about the cuisine.
“Sa-wad-dee-ka… (Thai greeting to women),” she says, pulling a chair to settle down for chit-chat over Thai coconut soup, Tom Kha Gai. The soup is comforting to savour, especially during the rainy season, says Vina. The silky soup has mushrooms in creamy coconut milk and was flavoured with lemongrass, ginger and many more herbs. “Many Thai cuisines use similar ingredients to Kerala households such as jackfruit— my favourite, tamarind, ginger, pepper, chillies, lemon etc.
The Tom Kha Gai is rich with galangal (Thai ginger), lemongrass, garlic, bird’s eye chilli, kaffir lime leaves which add a blended aroma of sweetness, and spiciness. It is highly nutritious and can soothe the gastrointestinal tract too,” says Vina. The chef is happy here in Kerala, which according to her has some similarities with Thailand, especially when it comes to tropical fruits and climate.
“It is a pleasure to bring my food to Kerala. I strongly believe that food is not just for the body, it is for the soul too. I hope my food brings this to my diners here. Thai Red Curry with fish also uses coconut like that of Kerala coconut fish curry. But we use coconut milk as the fish curry’s base,” says Vina.
She sticks with the authentic dishes and is not into the fusion experiments. Vina has showcased a lineup of Thai cuisine using ingredients which are not new for Malayalis. The welcoming drink served at the food fest, Luk Tan Loikabo, was basically jackfruit juice infused with jaggery and toddy palm seeds. It is a refreshing drink served in Thailand for guests.
“Authentic Thai food mostly consists of rice with several dishes which form a harmonious contrast of flavours and consistencies. I noticed that rice is also enjoyed here with the side dishes. In Thai foods, vegetables are not completely cooked. That is why Thai home food is very nutritious,” she says. According to the chef, the passion for rare ingredients, authentic tools for preparation and care in the selection of seasonal vegetables are what nourish her culinary skills.
Vina is also in love with Kerala dishes and what attracts her taste buds is mutton curry. “I am in love with mutton curry. I would love to eat it for breakfast and lunch with appam or white rice. My breakfast was cooked rice and mutton curry. Also, in Thai cuisine, there is no medium spiciness or sweetness like here. We follow extreme spiciness and sweetness. Due to my Malayali diners, I also learnt to serve medium flavours now,” she laughs.
Chef Vina’s signature dishes include classic Phad Thai (a typical Thai stir-fried rice noodle dish), Pad See Ew (a soy-based flat rice noodles stir-fry) and Larb Gai (a spicy stir-fried Thai chicken salad). Sticking to traditional recipes, she put forward some healthy options too.
“There are many who prefer diet foods. Salads are a good choice for them. I suggest the Raw Mango and Papaya salad for them. The salads are a healthy option for children too,” she says.